ArticlePDF Available

Understanding HRM in the Context of Organizations and Their Environments

Authors:

Figures

Content may be subject to copyright.
Anna Rev. Psychol. 1995. 46:237-64
Copyright ® 1995 by Annual Reviews Inc. All rights reserved
UNDERSTANDING HUMAN
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE
CONTEXT OF ORGANIZATIONS
AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS
Susan E. Jackson
Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY
10003
Randall S. Schuler
Department of Management, New York University, 40 W. 4th Street, New York, NY
10012
KEY WORDS: international, personnel, strategic, industrial/organizational
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
238
The Need for Understanding Human Resource Management (HRM) in Context
238
Theoretical Perspectives Relevant to Understanding HRM in Context
238
REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
244
HRM and the Internal Contexts of Organizations
244
HRM and the External Contexts of Organizations
248
AN INTEGRATIVE PERSPECTIVE FOR RESEARCH ON HRM IN CONTEXT
253
Theory-Driven Research
255
Methodological Issues
256
0066-4308/95/0201-0237$05.00 237
238
JACKSON & SCHULER
INTRODUCTION
The Need for Understanding Human Resource Management
(HRM) in Context
Applied psychologists have developed sophisticated tools and techniques in-
tended to improve the effectiveness of organizations, and substantial evidence
attesting to the value of these has accrued (e.g. Denison 1990; Hansen &
Wemerfelt 1989; Kaufman 1992; MacDuffie & Krafcik 1992; Macy & Izumi
1993; Terpstra & Rozell 1993; United States Department of Labor 1993; MA
Huselid, unpublished; ER Schnell, Olian JD, KG Smith, HP Sims Jr, JA
Scully, KA Smith, unpublished). Nevertheless, US employers have been slow
to adopt the "best" practices, i.e. those widely discussed in organizations as
being the most effective (Bretz et al 1992, Rynes & Boudreau 1986, Saari et al
1988). Commentators have suggested that the acontextual nature of the scien-
tific evidence is part of the problem (e.g. Johns 1993, Murray & Dimick 1978);
consequently, calls for new human resource management (HRM) research that
takes context more seriously have become more frequent (e.g. Begin 1991,
Dobbins et al 1991, James et al 1992, Latham 1988). At the same time, a
growing body of empirical evidence is beginning to shed light on the relation-
ship between contextual conditions and HRM. Our objective for this review is
to increase the momentum associated with this emerging field.
We use HRM as an umbrella term that encompasses (a) specific human
resource practices such as recruitment, selection, and appraisal; (b) formal
human resource policies, which direct and partially constrain the development
of specific practices; and (c) overarching human resource philosophies, which
specify the values that inform an organization's policies and practices. Ideally,
these comprise a system that attracts, develops, motivates, and retains employ-
ees who ensure the effective functioning and survival of the organization and
its
members. To understand HRM in context we must consider how these three
components of HRM are affected by the internal and external environments of
organizations. The internal contextual factors we discuss are technology, struc-
ture, size, organizational life cycle stage, and business strategy.
We treat
organizational culture as inextricably bound to HRM and therefore not mean-
ingful if separated from it. The external contextual factors are legal, social, and
political environments; unionization; labor market conditions; industry charac-
teristics; and national cultures.
Theoretical Perspectives Relevant to Understanding HRM in
Context
Theoretical perspectives based in sociology, economics, management, and
psychology focus on different aspects of the domain of HRM in Context
(
Wright & McMahan 1992). We begin by offering brief summaries of the
HRM IN CONTEXT 239
perspectives that have guided most of the empirical studies reviewed in this
chapter and that we feel are most likely to drive future research.
GENERAL SYSTEMS THEORY
In general systems theory, the unit of analysis is
understood as a complex of interdependent parts (von Bertalanffy 1950). An
open (vs closed) system is dependent on the environment for inputs, which are
transformed during throughput to produce outputs that are exchanged in the
environment. Open systems models seldom address organizations or large units
within organizations. Katz & Kahn's (1978)
The
Social Psychology of Organi-
zations
is an exception in that it treats HRM as a subsystem embedded in a larger
organizational system. The open systems view of HRM has been developed
further by Wright & Snell (1991), who used it to describe a competence
management model of organizations. Skills and abilities are treated as inputs
from the environment; employee behaviors are treated as throughput; and
employee satisfaction and performance are treated as outputs. In this model, the
HRM subsystem functions to acquire, utilize, retain, and displace competencies.
Similarly, Snell's (1992) description of HRM as a control system is based in
open systems theory. In a more narrow discussion, Kozlowski & Salas (1994)
presented a multilevel organizational systems approach for understanding train-
ing implementation and transfer. Many of the more specific theories used to
understand HRM in Context assume that organizations function like open
systems (see below).
ROLE BEHAVIOR PERSPECTIVE
Katz & Kahn (1978) focused on roles as the
interdependent components that make up an organization system. Instead of
using specific behaviors and job performances as the fundamental components,
this perspective shifts the focus from individuals to social systems characterized
by multiple roles, multiple role senders, and multiple role evaluators. Katz &
Kahn defined role behaviors as "the recurring actions of an individual, appro-
priately interrelated with the repetitive activities of others so as to yield a
predictable outcome." HRM is the organization's primary means for sending
role information through the organization, supporting desired behaviors, and
evaluating role performances; it is effective, therefore, when it communicates
internally consistent expectations and evaluates performances in ways that are
congruent with the system's behavioral requirements (e.g. see Frederickson
1986). System requirements are, in turn, presumed to depend on contextual
factors such as business strategies and the nature of the industry. Role theory
recognizes that the behavioral expectations of all role partners can influence the
behavior of organizational members. By implication, effective HRM helps
employees meet the expectations of role partners within the organization (i.e.
supervisors, peers, subordinates), at organizational boundaries (i.e. customers
240
JACKSON & SCHULER
and clients), and beyond (i.e. family and society). Thus the expectations of these
role partners must be incorporated into an understanding of HRM in Context.
INSTITUTIONAL THEORY
A role theory perspective assumes individuals re-
spond to normative pressures as they seek approval for their performance in
socially defined roles. Similarly, institutional theory views organizations as
social entities that seek approval for their performances in socially constructed
environments. Organizations conform to gain legitimacy and acceptance, which
facilitate survival (Meyer & Rowan 1977, Zucker 1977). Because multiple
constituencies control needed resources, legitimacy and acceptance are sought
from many stakeholders.
Research on institutionalization (Scott 1987, Zucker 1987) focuses on pres-
sures emanating from the internal and external environments. Internally, insti-
tutionalization arises out of formalized structures and processes, as well as
informal or emergent group and organization processes. Forces in the external
environment include those related to the state (e.g. laws and regulations), the
professions (e.g. licensure and certification), and other organizations
-espe-
cially those within the same industrial sector. Regardless of the source of
institutional pressures, two central assertions of this perspective are (a) institu-
tionalized activities are resistant to change and (b) organizations in institution-
alized environments are pressured to become similar (Meyer & Rowan 1977,
DiMaggio & Powell 1983). Thus, in this theoretical perspective, context is the
major explanation for both resistance to change and the adoption of new HRM
approaches. The first assertion suggests that HRM activities have deep histori-
cal roots in the organization, so they cannot be understood completely without
analyzing the organization's past. From the second assertion it follows that
HRM activities may be adopted by an organization simply because other
organizations have done so. Thus, "managerial fads and fashions" ebb and
flow in part because a few legitimate organizations become fashion leaders
that are imitated by other organizations that view imitation as a low-risk way
to gain acceptance (Abrahamson 1991). Tolbert & Zucker (1983) showed, for
example, that institutionalization resulting from imitation partially explained
the rate at which reforms in civil service selection procedures spread through-
out the country at the turn of the century.
RESOURCE DEPENDENCE THEORY Like institutional theory, resource depend-
ence theory focuses on the relationship between an organization and its constitu-
encies. However, resource dependence theory emphasizes resource exchanges
as the central feature of these relationships, rather than concerns about social
acceptability and legitimacy (Pfeffer & Cohen 1984). According to this perspec-
tive, groups and organizations gain power over each other by controlling valued
resources. Furthermore, HRM activities and processes are assumed to reflect
HRM IN CONTEXT 241
the distribution of power within a system. For example, personnel departments
acquire power over other departments to the extent they make others dependent
upon them by controlling the flow of human resources into and through the
organization (Osterman 1984, 1992; Pfeffer & Cohen 1984). Thus this theoreti-
cal perspective is somewhat similar to an interactionist perspective within
psychology in that the actor (an organization or unit) and the environment work
in conjunction as explanations for the behavior of the actor.
Institutional theory and resource dependence theory were developed in the
context of understanding large public bureaucracies, where efficiency may not
be among the most important goals (see Ostroff & Schmitt 1993). In contrast,
the theories we discuss next-human capital theory, transaction costs theory,
agency theory, and resource-based theory-were developed in the context of
understanding business enterprises, for which issues of efficiency are pre-
sumed to be central.
HUMAN CAPITAL THEORY
In the economics literature, human capital refers to
the productive capabilities of people (Becker 1964). Skills, experience, and
knowledge have economic value to organizations because they enable it to be
productive and adaptable; thus, people constitute the organization's human
capital. Like other assets, human capital has value in the market place, but unlike
other assets, the potential value of human capital can be fully realized only with
the cooperation of the person. Therefore, all costs related to eliciting productive
behaviors from employees-including those related to motivating, monitoring,
and retaining them-constitute human capital investments made in anticipation
of future returns (Flamholtz &Lacey 1981).
Organizations can use HRM in a variety of ways to increase their human
capital (Cascio 1991, Flamholtz & Lacey 1981). For example, they can "buy"
human capital in the market (e.g. by offering desirable compensation pack-
ages) or "make" it internally (e.g. by offering extensive training and develop-
ment opportunities). Investments of either type have associated costs, which
are justifiable only to the extent the organization is able to productively utilize
the accumulated capital (Tsang et al 1991). In human capital theory, contextual
factors such as market conditions, unions, business strategies, and technology
are important because they can affect the costs associated with alternative
approaches to using HRM to increase the value of the organization's human
capital and the value of the anticipated returns, such as productivity gains (e.g.
see Boudreau & Berger 1985, Russell et al 1993).
TRANSACTION COSTS THEORY
Transaction cost economics assumes that busi-
ness enterprises choose governance structures that economize transaction costs
associated with establishing, monitoring, evaluating, and enforcing agreed upon
exchanges (Williamson 1979, 1981). Predictions about the nature of the gov-
242
JACKSON & SCHULER
ernance structure an enterprise will use incorporate two behavioral assumptions:
bounded rationality and opportunism (i.e. the seeking of self-interest with guile).
These assumptions mean that the central problem to be solved by organizations
is how to design governance structures that take advantage of bounded ration-
ality while safeguarding against opportunism. To solve this problem, implicit
and explicit contracts are established, monitored, enforced, and revised. The
theory has direct implications for understanding how HRM practices are used
to achieve a governance structure for managing the myriad implicit and explicit
contracts between employers and employees (Wright & McMahan 1992). For
example, organizations that require firm-specific knowledge and skills are
predicted to create internal labor markets that bind self-interested and boundedly
rational employees to the organization, while organizations that do not require
these skills can gain efficiencies by competing for self-interested and boundedly
rational talent in an external labor market (Williamson 1981, 1991). Contextual
factors, in turn, partly determine whether the types and amounts of skills and
knowledge a firm needs are likely to be available in the external labor market,
the costs of acquiring them from the external market, the organization's capa-
bility for developing them internally, and the costs of doing so.
AGENCY THEORY
Agency theory focuses attention on the contracts between
a party (i.e. the principal) who delegates work to another (i.e. the agent)
(Jensen & Meckling 1976). Agency relations are problematic to the degree that
(a) the principal and agent have conflicting goals and (b) it is difficult or
expensive for the principal to monitor the agent's performance (Eisenhardt
1989). Contracts are used to govern such relations. Efficient contracts align the
goals of principals and agents at the lowest possible cost. Costs can arise from
providing incentives and obtaining information (e.g. about the agent's behavior
and/or the agent's performance outcomes). Agency theory appears to be par-
ticularly useful for understanding executive and managerial compensation
practices, which are viewed as a means for aligning the interests of the owners
of a firm (i.e. principals) with the managers in whom they vest control (i.e.
agents). For example, agency theory suggests several conditions under which
contracts are more likely to monitor behavior (e.g. salary-plus-merit pay sys-
tems) and/or outcomes (e.g. commissions) (see Conlon & Parks 1990; Eisen-
hardt 1988, 1989; Milkovich et al 1991; Tosi & Gomez-Mejia 1989). Agency
theory also has been used to predict occupation-based differences in job pricing
methods (i.e. job evaluation vs market pricing) and in pay variability (Newman
& Huselid 1992).
Agency and transaction costs theories share many similar assumptions
about human behavior (Eisenhardt 1989) and may be most useful when com-
bined. For example, using these two theories, Jones & Wright (1992) offer an
insightful interpretation of the HRM literature focusing on implications of the
HRM IN CONTEXT 243
economic perspective for HRM utility estimates. Their discussion suggests
various reasons for predicting that the utility of HRM activities will vary with
conditions in both the internal and external environments of organizations.
Such conditions include the other human resource practices that are used by
the organization, government regulations and their enforcement, technologies,
union activities, and labor market conditions. These contextual factors can
affect both the costs and potential gains associated with a particular human
resource practice (e.g. a recruitment program, a selection test, or a training
program).
RESOURCE-BASED THEORY
The resource-based theory of the firm blends
concepts from organizational economics and strategic management (Barney
1991, Conner 1991). A fundamental assumption of this view is that organiza-
tions can be successful if they gain and maintain competitive advantage (see
Porter 1985). Competitive advantage is gained by implementing a value-creat-
ing strategy that competitors cannot easily copy and sustain (Barney 1991) and
for which there are no ready substitutes. For competitive advantage to be gained,
two conditions are needed: First, the resources available to competing firms
must be variable among competitors, and second, these resources must be
i
mmobile (i.e. not easily obtained). Three types of resources associated with
organizations are (a) physical (plant; technology and equipment; geographic
location), (b) human (employees' experience and knowledge), and (c) organiza-
tional (structure; systems for planning, monitoring, and controlling activities;
social relations within the organization and between the organization and
external constituencies). HRM greatly influences an organization's human and
organizational resources and so can be used to gain competitive advantage
(Schuler & MacMillan 1984). Presumably, the extent to which HRM can be
used to gain competitive advantage, and the means of doing so, are partly
determined by the environments in which organizations operate (Wright et al
1994). For example, in some industries, technologies can substitute for human
resources, whereas in others the human element is fundamental to the business.
To illustrate, contrast labor-intensive and knowledge-intensive industries. The
latter context may be more conducive to the use of HRM as a means to gain
competitive advantage.
CONCLUSION
This brief and selective overview of theoretical perspectives is
intended to facilitate the reader's understanding and interpretation of some of
the empirical research we review below. In addition, we believe these perspec-
tives can inform new research on HRM in Context. Although many of the
internal and external factors considered below are likely to be related, few
studies control for all possible interdependencies; similarly, we treat the contex-
244
JACKSON & SCHULER
tual factors as if they are independent while recognizing that this approach is
overtly simplistic.
REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
HRM and the Internal Contexts of Organizations
TECHNOLOGY
Technology refers to a system's processes for transforming
inputs into usable outputs. These processes can vary along many dimensions,
including the degree of continuity in the production system (e.g. Woodward
1965), the types and levels of knowledge required by the system (Hulin &
Roznowski 1985), the degree to which tasks are routinized and predictable
(Perrow 1967), and the linkages and interdependencies among tasks and people
(Thompson 1967). The impact of technology on the social dynamics within
organizations has long been recognized, but only recently have US researchers
begun to address systematically the implications of technology for HRM
(Katzell 1994).
Following human capital theory and a systems theory view of the relation-
ship between human and technical subsystems, Snell & Dean (1992) hypothe-
sized that HRM would be directly influenced by the presence of advanced
manufacturing technology (AMT), total quality management (TQM), and just-
in-time inventory control (JIT). Using data from 512 manufacturing firms,
they found that firms using traditional technologies were less likely than firms
using AMT to engage in selective hiring, comprehensive training, develop-
mental appraisal, and externally equitable compensation (see Clark 1993 for a
similar conclusion). Jackson et al (1989) used the role behavior perspective to
predict and explain why, compared to firms engaged in mass production, firms
using technologies for flexible specialization were more likely to use perform-
ance appraisals in determining pay and training needs. Kozlowski & Hults
(1987) did not directly invoke roles as explanatory constructs in their study of
engineers, but the association they found between an organization's technical
complexity and HRM indicative of a "climate for technical updating" also are
consistent with the role behavior perspective. It appears that research informed
by both role theory and human capital theory could improve our understanding
of how technology shapes HRM, as well as the role of HRM in implementing
new technology (e.g. see Zammuto & O'Connor 1992).
STRUCTURE
Organization structure describes the allocation of tasks and re-
sponsibilities among individuals and departments; it designates the nature and
means of formal reporting relationships as well as the groupings of individuals
within the organization (Child 1977). The structural forms generally recognized
for domestic firms include functional departmentalization, product-based divi-
HRM IN CONTEXT 245
sionalization, geographical divisionalization, and matrix organization (with dual
reporting relationships). Different forms are presumed to result from and be
associated with a variety of internal and external forces, including technological
demands, organizational growth, environmental turbulence, and business strat-
egy (e.g. see Randolph & Dess 1984). Furthermore, each structural form
probably faces some unique challenges that have implications for HRM. For
example, Jackson et al (1989) argued that divisionalized firms should be more
likely than those structured around functional departments to emphasize results
over process, reflecting greater integration across units and a more externally
oriented focus. Consistent with this expectation, they found that divisionalized
firms relied relatively more on stock ownership and bonuses for company-wide
performance as components of their HRM systems.
Van Sluijs et al (1991) argued that HRM has been shaped by its evolution
within the context of functionally departmentalized organizations. Congruent
with functional departmentalization, the traditional approach to managing peo-
ple focuses on selection, training, performance appraisal, and compensation
for individuals in specific jobs versus, for example, team players employed as
members of an organization (cf Bowen et al 1991). It also presumes hierar-
chies of control rather than horizontal work-flow sequences (cf Whyte 1991).
A realization is emerging, however, that when organizations are (re)structured
around teamwork (in place of individual performers), there are major conse-
quences for HRM. For example, Klimoski & Jones (1994) suggest that organi-
zations with team-based designs may need to use new methods of job analysis,
assessment, recruitment, and socialization activities. Jackson et al (1994) ar-
gued that greater reliance on teams has been an important factor in generating
more concern about the HRM implications of workforce diversity.
The impact of structure on HRM is particularly evident in discussions of
multinational firms and international joint ventures. Structures for organi-
zations that span across national borders include multinational, global,
international, or transnational forms (Phatak 1992, Ghoshal & Bartlett 1990).
These forms represent alternative solutions to the problems of differentia-
tion, integration, uncertainty, and risk management in an international envi-
ronment (SJ Kobrin, unpublished), and each form has unique implications for
HRM (Dowling et al 1994, Kochan et al 1992). The fundamental challenge is
how to use HRM to link globally dispersed units while also adapting to the
societal requirements of host societies (Laurent 1986). Similar problems must
be solved when firms from different countries collaborate in a joint venture
(e.g. Schuler et al 1991, 1992; Schuler & van Sluijs 1992; Slocum & Lei
1993).
size Institutional theory suggests that larger organizations should adopt more
sophisticated and socially responsive HRM activities because these more visible
246
JACKSON & SCHULER
organizations are under more pressure to gain legitimacy. Economic theories
suggest that, because of the costs associated with many aspects of HRM,
acceptable economies of scale must be reached before sophisticated HRM
systems can be implemented. Consistent with both perspectives, considerable
evidence shows that HRM varies systematically with organization size.
1
Spe-
cifically, compared to smaller organizations, larger ones are more likely to (a)
adopt due process procedures (Dobbin et al 1988); (b) adopt employee involve-
ment practices (Lawler et al 1992); (c) rely less on temporary staff (Davis-Blake
& Uzzi 1993); (d) use more sophisticated staffmg (Terpstra & Rozell 1993) and
training and development (Saari et al 1988) procedures, and have more highly
developed internal labor markets (Baron et al 1986a, see also Ferris et al 1992);
(e) pay their employees more (Mellow 1982), but also put more pay at risk
through the use of bonuses and long-term incentives (Gerhart & Milkovich
1990); and (f) engage in drug testing (Guthrie & Olian 1991 a).
LIFE CYCLE STAGES
The literature on organization life cycle stages directs
attention to the changing managerial priorities that characterize organizations
in various developmental stages such as start-up, growth, maturity, and perhaps
decline and revival (Baird & Meshoulam 1988, Smith et al 1985). These
changing priorities, in turn, have implications for HRM. For example, a descrip-
tion of how managerial roles change across phases of the organizational life
cycle was used by Gerstein & Reisman (1983) to argue that selection criteria
and assessment methods for top-level executives need to be matched to life cycle
stages. Similarly, Datta & Guthrie (1994) suggested that the role requirements
of CEOs in rapidly growing firms help explain why outsider CEOs are more
likely to be hired during this phase. Ferris et al (1984) also used a role perspective
to develop propositions regarding the staffing needs and their implications under
conditions of decline. Research and theory relating life cycle stages to changes
in managerial requirements presumes that managerial roles change across life
cycle stages, but the validity of this assumption has not been established
empirically, for example, through the use of systematic job analyses (Szilagyi
& Schweiger 1984).
In the studies just described, the research questions address the types
of employees who best match the needs of organizations in various life cycle
stages. Other studies have addressed the issue of how much attention is
directed toward staffing issues, and here economic arguments seem more
relevant. For example, Buller & Napier (1993) found that CEOs and human
resource executives in rapidly growing firms viewed recruitment and selec-
1
In HRM research, number of employees is the most commonly used size indicator, but financial
indicators such as the dollar value of capital assets and/or the dollar value of sales also are reported
sometimes.
HRM IN CONTEXT 247
tion as by far the most important aspect of HRM, whereas in mature firms
there was more concern for a broad array of activities, such as those related
to maintaining an internal labor market (see also Kotter & Sathe 1978). Eco-
nomic explanations also have been used to predict and explain associa-
tions between life cycle stages and pay levels (see Gerhart & Milkovich
1992).
To date, empirical research on HRM and organizational life cycles has
adopted a deterministic view, predicting that life cycle stage constrains and
shapes HRM. But more complex contingency models also have been pro-
posed. In these models, the assumption is that HRM reflects choices made by
organizational decision makers; wise choices lead to a good fit between life
cycle stage and HRM, which results, in turn, in organizational effectiveness
(e.g.
Cook & Ferris 1986, Lengnick-Hall & Lengnick-Hall 1988, Milliman et
al 1991, Kozlowski et al 1993). The validity of such models has not been
assessed empirically, however.
BUSINESS STRATEGY
Typologies for characterizing the business strategies
used by firms abound, but the two most frequently cited in discussions of HRM
were proposed by Miles & Snow (1978) and Porter (1980,1985). Miles & Snow
classified organizations as prospectors, analyzers, or defenders (later, reactors
were added). Prospectors actively seek new products and markets and, therefore,
seek to grow; analyzers also seek to grow, but in a more stable and predictable
way through the internal development of new products rather than creation of
new markets; defenders seek to maintain the same limited product line with
emphasis on high volume and low cost (Miles & Snow 1984). These postures
toward the environment should have implications for the quantity and pace of
human resource flows. Defenders, for instance, are less concerned about recruit-
ing new applicants externally and more concerned about developing current
employees. Therefore, performance appraisal is used more for developmental
purposes than for evaluation (Snow & Snell 1993). In constrast, prospectors are
growing and so are more concerned about recruiting and using performance
appraisal results for evaluation rather than for longer-term development (Olian
& Rynes 1984, see also Slocum et al 1985).
Porter's (1985) competitive strategies distinguish among firms that com-
pete on the basis of cost leadership, product differentiation, and market focus.
In a study of airlines, Johnson et al (1989) showed that, in a deregulated
environment, wage rates were related significantly to which of these strategies
airlines pursued. In an adaptation of Porter's typology, Schuler & Jackson
(1987a) used the role behavior perspective to describe the possible HRM
i
mplications of cost-reduction, innovation, and quality enhancement strategies.
Jackson et al (1989) supported Schuler & Jackson's argument that, because an
innovation strategy requires risk-taking and tolerance of inevitable failures,
24 8
JACKSON & SCHULER
HRM in firms pursuing this strategy should be used to give employees a sense
of security and encourage a long-term orientation. Peck (1994) and Milkovich
et al (1991) also support a relationship between an innovation strategy and the
use of HRM to support a longer-term orientation. Consistent with predictions
regarding behaviors needed for a quality strategy is Cowherd & Levine's
(1992) finding that egalitarian pay structures are associated with greater prod-
uct quality.
This brief review of the strategic HRM literature is by no means exhaustive
(e.g. see Lengnick-Hall & Lengnick-Hall 1988) and does not fully consider the
possible complexity of and alternative models for describing the relationship
between strategy and HRM (e.g. see Kerr 1985, Snow & Snell 1993), but the
studies clearly support the assertion that strategy is a contextual factor with
i
mportant implications for HRM. Thus, we are especially optimistic about
recent efforts to establish linkages between strategic considerations and psy-
chologically oriented HRM research on selection and utility (see Russell et al
1993).
HRM and the External Contexts of Organizations
LEGAL, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENTS
Within the United States,
almost all aspects of HRM are affected by the legal and regulatory environment.
In the process of attending to the legal environment, the field also responds to
the social and political environments that give rise to and shape the promulga-
tion, interpretation, and enforcement of acts of Congress, executive orders, tax
codes, and even funding for HRM innovations (see Cascio 1992, Landy et al
1994, Mahoney 1987, Miller & O'Leary 1989, Noe & Ford 1992, Sharf 1994,
Wigdor & Sackett 1993). As US corporations expand their operations abroad,
however, they face additional legal concerns. For example, in European coun-
tries, organizations are obliged to set aside specific sums of money for formal
training and development (Brewster et al 1993). And for corporations that
employ expatriates abroad, immigration and taxation treaties can influence
staffing decisions (Dowling et al 1994). Global corporations also encounter
additional social and political realities. For example, in some countries, civil
laws and religious laws coexist and jointly define a legal context for HRM
(Florkowski & Nath 1993). Looking ahead, institutional theory and resource
dependence theory appear to be particularly useful guides for research on how
the legal, social, and political environments impact HRM (see Konrad &
Linnehan 1992). Potential topics for investigation include the conditions and
processes that facilitate or inhibit the adoption and transfer of HRM innovations
(e.g. see Johns 1993) and the feedback processes through which the HRM
HRM IN CONTEXT 24
9
activities of organizations create changes in their social, legal, and political
environments.
UNIONIZATION
In the United States, unionized employees have received wages
estimated to be up to 33% greater than those of nonunion employees, and unions
are often credited with improving working conditions and safety (Lawler &
Mohrman 1987). Unions give voice to their members; establish policies and
procedures for handling wage and working condition grievances; provide for
job security; and secure health and retirement benefits (Baron et al 1986b,
Freeman & Medoff 1984, Jackson et al 1989, Kochan et al 1992, Youngblood
et al 1992). In addition to helping their own members, unions have probably
motivated nonunion employers to provide many of these same benefits (Foulkes
1980). Nevertheless, recent years have witnessed a decline in unionization due
to the environmental forces of deregulation, international competition, and the
shift to a service economy. Consequently, some unions have moved out of their
traditional collective bargaining roles and adversarial relationships with man-
agement and are beginning to work cooperatively on issues such as plant designs
and locations (Adler 1993, Lewandowski & MacKinnon 1992, Noble 1993,
Woodruff 1993); work team design (Lawler & Mohrman 1987); team-oriented
pay plans such as gainsharing and employee ownership (Miller & Schuster 1987,
Rosen et al 1986); recruitment and selection procedures including selecting
members for representation on the board of directors (Collins et al 1993);
retraining and relocation (Hoerr 1991, Marshall 1992); and quality improvement
(Bognanno & Kleiner 1992, Brett et al 1990, Lawler et al 1992, Reid 1992).
Changing union-management relations mean that researchers can no longer
simply compare union to nonunion firms. Now they must also take into consid-
eration whether union-management relations with each firm are adversarial or
cooperative (e.g. see Cutcher-Gershenfeld 1991).
As the process of globalizing unfolds, both unions and multinational enter-
prises (MNEs) are recognizing that they need to understand how the institu-
tions of union-management relations and collective bargaining differ around
the world (Dowling et al 1994). Prahalad & Doz (1987) found that lack of such
understanding often results in conflicts between MNE managers and local
communities. To facilitate adaptation to local conditions, it helps US MNEs to
know, for example, that in Europe the collective bargaining process and class
struggle are more intertwined than they are in the United States (Bournois &
Chauchat 1990; Marginson 1992; Poole 1986a,b), and labor institutions are
often much stronger (Ofori-Dankwa 1994, Western 1993). MNEs must con-
sider these histories and institutions when developing company-wide human
resource philosophies, policies, and practices (Hamill 1983). HRM researchers
on almost every topic also must recognize, understand, and incorporate these
250
JACKSON & SCHULER
realities into their work (Kochan et al 1992) if it is to be useful for organiza-
tions operating in a global context.
LABOR MARKET CONDITIONS
Labor market conditions can be characterized
along several dimensions including unemployment levels, labor diversity, and
labor market structure. Unemployment levels and labor market structures have
long been recognized as important macroeconomic variables, whereas the
i
mportance of labor diversity has been recognized more recently.
Unemployment levels reflect the demand for labor relative to the supply.
Macroeconomic research conducted at the national level indicates that in the
capitalist United States, excess demand typically results in low unemployment
while excess supply typically results in high unemployment. Furthermore, as
unemployment drops, wages and costs increase and profits and investments
decline; these conditions, in turn, reduce demand for labor (Levine & Tyson
1990). Conversely, as unemployment rises, absenteeism and turnover rates
tend to decrease (Kerr 1954, Markham 1985) and the link between employee
dissatisfaction and turnover is weakened (Carsten & Spector 1987).
Perhaps because recruitment activities regulate organizational inputs, re-
cruitment researchers have been more sensitive than others to the potential
i
mportance of unemployment levels (Rynes 1991, Rynes & Barber 1990).
Consistent with transaction costs theory, recruitment strategies appear to vary
with unemployment levels. When the labor supply is tight, organizations use
more expensive and intensive recruiting methods (Hanssens & Levien 1983),
increase the geographic scope of their recruitment activities (Maim 1955), and
appear to forego preemployment drug screening (Bennett et al 1994). Other
responses to a tight labor supply include improving wages, benefits, and
working conditions in order to attract and retain employees (Lakhani 1988)
and reducing hiring standards as a means to fill vacant positions (Thurow
1975). Such responses to the labor pool may have significant implications for
other human resource practices (e.g. lower selection standards may mean that
more training is needed). Thus, the consequences of the external environment
may ultimately include fundamental changes in the nature of the employment
relationship (e.g. see Levine & Tyson 1990).
The US labor market is evolving toward greater diversity in terms of
gender, age, and ethnicity (Johnston & Packer 1987, see also Triandis et al
1994b), although demographic diversity varies markedly among occupations
and across status levels. The implications of increasing diversity have been
mostly ignored by HRM researchers, as have the implications of differing
degrees of homogeneity across segments of the labor market (cf Katzell 1994,
Triandis et al 1994b). This is somewhat surprising, given the field's long
history of research on bias and discrimination and substantial evidence show-
ing that feelings, cognitions, and behaviors are all influenced by conditions of
HRM IN CONTEXT 251
group homogeneity vs diversity (see Cox 1993, Jackson et al 1994). These
effects undoubtedly have consequences for recruitment, selection, and attrition
(see Jackson et al 1991, Pfeffer 1983, Schneider 1987); socialization (Jackson
et al 1993); training, development, and mentoring (Morrison 1992, Ohlott et al
1994, Powell & Butterfield 1994, Thomas 1993); and perhaps assessment and
reward systems (Pfeffer & Langton 1988). To date, however, the HRM impli-
cations of increasing diversity have received relatively more attention from
large businesses than from academic researchers. Large businesses are experi-
menting with a variety of HRM interventions in order to adjust systems that
evolved in the context of relative homogeneity to fit the new conditions of
relative diversity (e.g. see Jackson & Associates 1992, Morrison & Crabtree
1992, Morrison et al 1993, Zedeck 1992).
The above discussion regarding how unemployment levels can impact
HRM implicitly assumes a labor market structure that is undifferentiated. But
stratification of the external labor market as well as the internal labor market
along the somewhat related dimensions of price and status is acknowledged
widely; methods of recruitment, forms of compensation, severance arrange-
ments, employee autonomy, and numerous other aspects of HRM are known
to differ as one moves up through price and status levels (e.g. Guthrie & Olian
1991a, Ostennan 1984, Rynes 1991, Schuler & Jackson 1987b). Substantial
evidence suggests that HRM systems differ across occupational groups, re-
flecting occupational subcultures that vary in their orientations toward work,
control, and authority structures, self-identification, and career expectations
(Althauser 1989, Bridges & Villemez 1991, Sonnenstuhl & Trice 1991, Van
Maanen & Barley 1984). Thus, even if firms have a single HRM philosophy
and a single set of HRM policies, these are likely to manifest themselves in
different practices across subgroups of employees. By extension, the "same"
HRM intervention should be expected to be differentially interpreted and
received across these subgroups.
INDUSTRY CHARACTERISTICS
The term "industry" refers to a distinct group of
productive or profit-making enterprises. A full discussion of how HRM is
affected by industry-level factors would consider HRM in the public vs private
sectors (Rosen et al 1986, Molnar & Rogers 1976), in regulated vs unregulated
industries (Guthrie & Olian 1991b, Guthrie et al 1991, Johnson et al 1989), and
in industries characterized by high vs low stability or change (Ghoshal & Bartlett
1990, Evans 1992), among other topics. Due to space limitations, only the simple
classification of manufacturing vs service industries is discussed below.
Bowen & Schneider (1988) described three characteristics that distinguish
the activities of services from manufacturing organizations: First, a service is
generally intangible; second, in services the customer and employee usually
collaborate in the service production-and-delivery process; third, in services,
252
JACKSON & SCHULER
production and consumption are usually simultaneous. Because customers
play a central role in services, they can be thought of as partial employees who
are subject to human resource management (Bowen 1986, Mills & Morris
1986). Consistent with this notion, Jackson & Schuler (1992) found that em-
ployers in the service sector were more likely to include customers as sources
of input for performance appraisal. Differences in the nature of manufacturing
and service also appear to have implications for other aspects of HRM sys-
tems, including recruitment and selection, training, compensation, stress man-
agement, use of temporary workers, and the development and maintenance of
appropriate organizational climates and cultures (see Davis-Blake & Uzzi
1993, Delaney et al 1989, Guthrie & Olian 1991a, Jackson & Schuler 1992,
Jackson 1984, Schneider et al 1992, Terpstra & Rozell 1993).
In summary, although not yet widely incorporated into research paradigms,
industry characteristics may have far-reaching implications for HRM. Indus-
tries, like national cultures, are the contexts within which meanings are con-
strued, effectiveness is defined, and behaviors are evaluated (e.g. see Hofstede
1991).
NATIONAL CULTURE
The globalization of national economies and the evolu-
tion of multinational enterprises have resulted in increased awareness and
documentation of the differences in how human resources are managed among
countries (Brewster & Hegewisch 1994, Towers Perrin 1992). Because coun-
tries often have unique cultures (i.e. values, norms, and customs) it is widely
presumed that multinational enterprises must understand the culture(s) of the
region(s) in which they operate in order to effectively manage their human
resources.
The most widely known framework for comparing national cultures is that
developed by Hofstede (1980), who identified four dimensions of culture:
individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and power distance. A fifth
dimension, time orientation, has been added more recently, but most available
research considers only the four original dimensions (Hofstede 1993). Other
authors have identified additional dimensions of culture, including informal-
i
ty, materialism, and change orientation (Adler 1991, Phatak 1992, Ronen
1994).
There has been considerable speculation about the possible implications for
HRM of cultural variations along these dimensions (Erez & Earley 1993,
Mendoca & Kanungo 1994, Slocum & Lei 1993), but empirical studies seldom
include direct measures of both culture and HRM. Instead, researchers gener-
ally have compared HRM across countries and then argued that cultural values
and orientations are determinants of the differences found (see Arvey et al
1991, Bhagat et al 1990, Brewster & Tyson 1991, Begin 1992, Carroll 1988,
Eberwien & Tholen 1993, Erez 1994, Hickson 1993, Maruyama 1992, Yu &
HRM IN CONTEXT 253
Murphy 1993). It must be recognized, however, that culture may not explain
all
HRM differences found across countries (Lincoln 1993). Country differ-
ences may also be the result of differences in economic and political systems
(e.g. Carroll et al 1988), laws and regulations (e.g. Florkowski & Nath 1993),
industrial relations systems (Strauss 1982), and labor market conditions (e.g.
Levy-Leboyer 1994). Recently, Hofstede (1991) even suggested that organiza-
tional and industry characteristics may be more important than national cul-
tures as determinants of managerial practices and employee behaviors. This
argument is consistent with evidence that some types of HRM systems can be
used effectively across countries that are culturally quite dissimilar (MacDuf-
fie & Krafcik 1992, Wickens 1987). Our understanding of the role of national
culture in HRM could benefit from investigations that focus on the question of
how globally expanding companies develop HRM systems that are simultane-
ously consistent with multiple and distinct local cultures and yet internally
consistent in the context of a single organization (cf Heenan & Perlmutter
1979, Phatak 1992, Schwartz 1992, Tung 1993).
AN INTEGRATIVE PERSPECTIVE FOR RESEARCH ON
HRM IN CONTEXT
Figure 1 represents a summary view of the many relationships between con-
text and HRM described in this review. The relationships we described are
depicted as part of a larger model, which includes several important compo-
nents that are beyond the focus of our discussion. The component labeled
"Sense-making and Decision-making" has been the subject of a growing body
of research that investigates how and why organization leaders, acting
individually and in concert, characterize and interpret their environments,
and the implications of these processes for eventual action (e.g. Hambrick
1994, Jackson 1992, Jackson & Dutton 1988). In our integrative model
of HRM, these processes are assumed to be intimately bound with the implicit
and explicit prioritizing of objectives. These, in turn, are translated into HRM
philosophies, programs, and practices (Schuler 1992). In other words, our
model presumes that the phenomena represented in the left-most box in Figure
1
are key mediators that help explain vertical linkages between context and
HRM.
Individual-, organizational-, and societal-level outcomes (right-most boxes
in Figure 1) are also major components of an integrative model. A list of
specific outcomes could be readily derived by readers familiar with the scien-
tific and practice-oriented HRM literature. We wish to encourage interested
researchers to expand their conceptualizations of outcomes to go beyond indi-
vidual-level behavior in work settings. In addition, outcomes that describe
small and large groups (e.g. groups, organizations, society) should be consid-
EXTERNAL CONTEXT
Local-National-Multinational
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Mewbed
EnAed
Ph
i
I
P1.
M
1
.
1
. I
I
I
I
Outcomes
Short-farm
....
Long-term
Figure 1
Integrative framework for understanding HRM in Context. Copyright by SE Jackson & RS Schuler. Used with permission.
FIRM IN CONTEXT 255
ered and the phenomena studied should reflect the reality that HRM activities
may affect outcomes beyond the traditional boundaries of the target organiza-
tion (e.g. families, schools, communities).
Understanding and advancing HRM in Context requires an integrative per-
spective that recognizes and incorporates all of the relationships depicted in
Figure 1. Within the discipline of psychology, however, linkages involving the
macro-level internal and external environments have been largely ignored.
Fortunately, a realization is now emerging that this state of affairs should not
continue. Much research is needed to understand how internal and external
environments shape (a) the nature of human resource philosophies, policies,
and practices; (b) the employee behaviors and attitudes that should be valued,
and which are likely to be exhibited; (c) the criteria that define employee
effectiveness and achieved levels of employee effectiveness; and (d) the crite-
ria that define organizational effectiveness and achieved levels of organiza-
tional effectiveness. In addition, future research needs to recognize that con-
texts
may moderate the observed relationships between HRM and various
outcomes.
Our review of the literature has revealed to us how seldom research ad-
dresses the horizontal linkages among HRM activities, although such linkages
are implied by most of the theories we reviewed and, we would argue, by most
psychological theories about employee attitudes and behaviors. Employees
do not respond to specific human resource policies and practices in isola-
tion. They attend to and interpret the entire array of information available
and from this they discern cultural values and behavioral norms. Unfortu-
nately, we know surprisingly little about how various combinations of human
resource policies and practices are interpreted by employees, nor do we know
how complex HRM systems influence the attitudes and behaviors of current
and potential organizational members. Our understanding of vertical linkages
between HRM and contexts cannot proceed without attending to the hori-
zontal interdependencies that exist among human resource policies and prac-
tices.
Theory-Driven Research
The theories we have identified represent possible explanations for some of
the empirical relationships between environmental conditions and HRM, but
the available theories are admittedly inadequate. Each deals with pieces of the
larger phenomenon and none addresses the whole domain of HRM in Context.
Thus, in the near future, the best work will be informed by multiple theoretical
perspectives. Furthermore, because the theories we have discussed were gener-
ally not formulated specifically for the purpose of understanding HRM in
Context, some translation and adaptation of these theories may be required.
This translation process is likely to proceed in iterative steps, with consensus
256
JACKSON & SCHULER
emerging slowly. Nevertheless, research driven by incomplete theories is more
likely to accumulate to form a meaningful body of knowledge, compared to
research driven by no theory at all.
Methodological Issues
Although imperfect, potentially useful theories are relatively plentiful. Much
less plentiful are psychometrically sound, agreed-upon approaches for measur-
ing relevant constructs and testing key theoretical propositions. Through meth-
odological contributions, industrial-organizational psychology is in an excel-
lent position to contribute to the advance of knowledge about HRM in Con-
text. Contributions will not come through "research as usual," however. Sev-
eral shifts in approach will be required: from treating organizational settings as
sources of error variance to attending as closely to them as we have tradition-
ally attended to individual characteristics; from focusing on individuals to
treating social systems as the target for study; from focusing on single prac-
tices or policies to adopting a holistic approach to conceptualizing HRM
systems; from research conducted in single organizations at one point in time
to research comparing multiple organizations and/or studying dynamic
changes in organizations across times and places; and from a search for the
"one best way" to a search for the fundamental features that characterize the
many possible ways to design and maintain effective systems.
These shifts in perspective are fundamental in many respects. In other
respects, however, they require little more than a change from defining the
essential features of situations as jobs (as industrial-organizational psychology
often does) to a recognition that jobs are merely the first level of context in a
many-level complex system of contexts. By extension, we would argue that
future HRM research should elevate organization analysis (and perhaps extra-
organization analysis) to a status equal to that currently enjoyed by job analy-
sis.
We already understand and act on the principle that effective selection
systems, performance appraisal methods, compensation plans, and training
programs cannot be developed without a scientifically valid diagnosis of the
job-as-situation. Similarly, the design of effective HRM systems cannot be
developed without a valid diagnosis of the organization-as-situation? Current
methods for conducting job analysis are not adequate for conducting organiza-
tional analysis. However, if motivated to do so, thoughtful researchers un-
doubtedly could apply the principles of sound job analysis for the purpose of
developing sophisticated methods for measuring organizational contexts.
2
This principle is, of course, widely accepted in the training literature-but it is also widely
ignored.
Any
Annual Review
chapter, as well as any article cited in an
Annual Review
chapter,
may be purchased from the Annual Reviews Preprints and Reprints service.
1-800-347-8007; 415-259-5017;
email: arpr@class.org
Literature Cited
Abrahamson E. 1991. Managerial fads and
fashions: the diffusion and rejection of in-
novations.
Acad.
Manage. Rev.
16:586-
612
Adler NJ. 1991.International Dimensions of
Organizational Behavior.
Boston: PWS-
Kent
Adler PS. 1993. Time-and-motion regained.
Harvard Bus. Rev. 73:97
Althauser RP. 1989. Internal labor markets.
Annu. Rev. Sociol.
15:143-61
Arvey RD, Bhagat RS, Salas E. 1991. Cross-
cultural and cross-national issues in per-
sonnel and human resources management:
Where do we go from here?
Res.
Pers.
Hum. Res. Manage.
9:367-407
Baird L, Meshoulam 1. 1988. Managing the
two fits of strategic human resource man-
agement. Acad. Manage. Rev.
13:116-28
HRM IN CONTEXT 257
Also needed are measurement tools that capture the essential features of
HRM philosophies, policies, and practices, while yielding information that
facilitates
meaningful comparisons among organizations and across environ-
mental contexts. Research that simply identifies and describes the most com-
mon configurations of prescribed HRM systems and the most common forms
of received HRM should serve as the foundation for future investigations of
HRM in Context. Ideally, such research will reflect the reality of rapid globali-
zation and the international context of most large organizations. Indeed, glo-
balization may be the most potent catalyst for an explosion of research on
HRM in Context: for those operating in a global environment, the importance
of context is undeniable-it cannot be ignored. Multinational organizations
strive for consistency in their ways of managing people on a worldwide basis
while also adapting their ways to the specific cultural requirements of different
societies (Laurent 1986). To meet this challenge, those responsible for the
design of globally effective HRM must shift their focus away from the almost
overwhelming variety of specific practices and policies found around the
world and look instead at the more abstract, fundamental dimensions of con-
texts, HRM systems, and dimensions of employees' reactions (e.g. see Fulker-
son & Schuler 1992). If they succeed in identifying these dimensions and the
relationships between them, they may be able to more easily design HRM
systems that can be used effectively in multiple country locations (e.g. see
MacDuffie & Krafcik 1992).
Barney J. 1991. Firm resources and sustained
competitive advantage.
J.
Manage. 17:99-
120
Baron JN, Davis-Blake A, Bielby W. 1986a.
The structure of opportunity: how promo-
tion ladders vary within and among organi-
zations.
Admin. Sci. Q.
31:248-73
Baron JN, Dobbin FR, Jennings PD. 1986b.
War and peace: the evolution of modern
personnel administration in US industry.
Am. J. Social.
92:350-83
Becker GS. 1964.
Human Capital.
New York:
Natl. Bur. Econ. Res.
Begin JP. 1991. Strategic Employment Policy.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall
Begin JP. 1992. Comparative human resource
management (HRM): a systems perspec-
tive.
Int. J. Hum. Res. Manage.
3:379-408
Bennett N, Blum TC, Roman PM. 1994. Pres-
258
JACKSON & SCHULER
ence of drug screening and employee assis-
tance programs: exclusive and inclusive
human resource management practices. J.
Organ. Behav. 15:
In press
Bhagat RS, Kedia BL, Crawford SE, Kaplan
MR.
1990.
Cross-cultural issues in organ-
izational psychology: emergent trends and
directions for research in the
1990's. Int.
Rev. Ind. Organ. Psychol. 5:196-231
Bognanno M, Kleiner M.
1992.
Introduction:
labor market institutions and the future role
of unions.
Ind. Relat. 31:1-12
Boudreau JW, Berger CJ.
1985.
Decision-
theoretic utility analysis applied to em-
ployee separations and acquisitions. J.
Appl. Psychol. 70:581-612
Bournois F, Chauchat J-H.
1990.
Managing
managers.
Eur.
Manage. J. 8:56-71
Bowen DE.
1986.
Managing customers as hu-
man resources in service organizations.
Hum. Res. Manage. 25:371-83
Bowen DE, Ledford GE Jr, Nathan BR.
1991.
Hiring for the organization, not the job.
Acad. Manage. Exec. 5(4):35-51
Bowen DE, Schneider B.
1988.
Services mar-
keting and management: implications for
organizational behavior.
Res.
Organ. Be-
hav. 10:43-80
Brett JM, Goldberg SB, Ury WL.
1990.
De-
signing systems for resolving disputes in
organizations.
Am. Psychol. 45:162-70
Bretz R Jr, Milkovich G, Read W.
1992.
The
current state of performance appraisal re-
search and practice:
concerns, directions,
and implications. J.
Manage. 18:111-37
Brewster C, Hegewisch A, Lockhart T, Holden
L, eds.
1993. The European Human Re-
source
Management Guide.
New York:
Academic
Brewster C, Hegewisch A, eds.
1994. Policy
and Practice in European Human Re-
source Management.
London: Routledge
Brewster C, Tyson S, eds. 1991. International
Comparisons in Human Resource Manage-
ment.
London: Pitman
Bridges WP, Villemez WJ.
1991.
Employment
relations and the labor market: integrating
institutional and market perspectives.
Am.
Sociol. Rev. 56:748-64
Buller PF, Napier NK.
1993.
Strategy and hu-
man resource management integration in
fast growth versus other mid-sized firms.
Br. J. Manage. 4:273-91
Car roll GR, Delacroix J, Goodstein J.
1988.
The political environments of organiza-
tions: an ecological view.
Res. Organ. Be-
hav. 10:359-92
Car roll SJ.
1988.
Asian HRM philosophies and
systems: Can they meet our changing HRM
needs? In
Personnel and Human Resource
Management,
ed. RS Schuler, SA Young-
blood, VL Huber, pp.
442-55.
St.
Paul,
MN: West
Carsten JM, Spector PE.
1987.
Unemploy-
ment, job satisfaction, and employee turn-
over: a meta-analytic test of the Muchinsky
Model.
J. Appl. Psychol. 72:374-81
Cascio WF.
1991. Costing Human Resource:
The Financial Impact of Behavior in Or-
ganizations. Boston: PWS-Kent
Cascio WE
1992.
Reconciling economic and
social objectives in personnel selection:
i
mpact of alternative decision rules.
New
Approaches Empl. Manage.: Fairness
Empl. Sel. 1:61-86
Child J. 1977. Organization.
New York: Har-
per & Row
Clark J.
1993.
Managing people in a time of
technical change: conclusions and implica-
tions. In
Human Resource Management
and Technical Change,
ed. J Clark, pp.
212-22.
Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Collins D, Hatcher L, Ross TL.
1993.
The
decision to implement gainsharing: the role
of work climate, expected outcomes, and
union status.
Pers. Psychol. 46:77-104
Conlon E, Parks J.
1990.
The effects of
monitoring and tradition on compensa-
tion arrangements: an experiment on prin-
cipal/ agent dyads.
Acad.
Manage. J 3:
603-22
Conner KR.
1991.
A historical perspective of
resource-based theory and five schools of
thought within industrial organization eco-
nomics: Do we need a new theory of the
firm?
J.
Manage. 17:121-54
Cook DS, Ferris GR.
1986.
Strategic human
resource management and firm effective-
ness in industries experiencing decline.
Hum. Res. Manage. 25:441-58
Cowherd DM, Levine DI.
1992.
Product qual-
ity and pay equity between lower-level em-
ployees and top management: an investiga-
tion of distributive justice theory.
Admin.
Sci.
Q. 37:302-20
Cox T Jr.
1993. Cultural Diversity in Organi-
zations:
Theory, Research and Practice.
San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler
Cutcher-Gershenfeld J.
1991.
The impact on
economic performance of a transformation
in
workplace relations.
Ind.
Labor Relat.
Rev. 44:241-60
Datta DK, Guthrie JP.
1994.
Executive succes-
sion: organizational antecedents of CEO
characteristics.
Strat.
Manage. J.
In press
Davis-Blake A, Uzzi B.
1993.
Determinants of
employment externalization: a study of
temporary workers and independent con-
tractors.
Admin. Sci. Q. 38:195-223
Delaney JT, Lewin D, Ichniowski C.
1989. Hu-
man Resource Policies and Practices in
American Firms.
Washington, DC: US
Dept. Labor, US Govt. Print. Off.
Denison D.
1990. Corporate Culture and Or-
ganizational Effectiveness.
New York:
Wiley
DiMaggio PJ, Powell WW.
1983.
The iron
cage revisited: institutional isomorphism
and collective rationality in organizational
fields.
Am. Sociol. Rev.
35:147-60
Dobbin FR, Edelman L, Meyer JW, Scott WR,
Swidler A. 1988. The expansion of due
process in organizations. In
Institutional
Patterns and Organizations: Culture and
Environment,
ed. LG Zucker, pp. 71-98.
Cambridge, MA: Ballinger
Dobbins GH, Cardy RL, Carson KP. 1991. Ex-
amining fundamental assumptions: a con-
trast of person and system approaches to
human resource management.
Res. Pers.
Hum. Res. Manage.
9:1-38
Dowling PJ, Schuler RS, Welch DE. 1994.
In-
ternational Dimensions of Human Re-
sourceManagement.
Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth
Eberwein W, Tholen J. 1993. Euro-manager or
splendid isolation?
Int.
Manage.-An An-
glo-German Comparison
9:266
Eisenhardt KM. 1988. Agency and institutional
explanations of compensation in retail
sales.
Acad Manage. J.
31:488-511
Eisenhardt KM. 1989. Agency theory: an as-
sessment and review.
Acad Manage. Rev.
1
4:57-74
Erez M. 1994. Towards a model of cross-cul-
tural 1/0 psychology. See Triandis et al
1994a, pp. 559-608
Erez M, Earley PC. 1993.
Culture, Self-Iden-
tity,
and Work
New York: Oxford Univ.
Press
Evans P. 1992. Management development as
glue technology.Hum. Res. Plan.
15:85-
106
Ferris GR, Buckley MR, Allen GM. 1992. Pro-
motion systems in organizations.
Hum.
Res. Plan.
15:47-68
Ferris GR, Schellenberg DA, Zammuto RF.
1984. Human resource management strate-
gies in declining industries.
Hum. Res.
Manage. 23: 381-94
Flamholtz EG, Lacey JM. 1981.
Personnel
Management, Human Capital Theory, and
Human Resource Accounting.
Los Ange-
les: Inst. Ind. Relat., Univ. Calif.
Florkowski GW, Nath R. 1993. MNC re-
sponses to the legal environment of inter-
national human resource management.
Int.
J.
Hum. Res. Manage.
4:305-24
Foulkes FK. 1980.
Personnel Policies in Large
Nonunion Companies.
Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice-Hall
Frederiksen N. 1986. Toward a broader con-
ception of human intelligence.
Am. Psy-
chol.
41:445-52
Freeman RB, Medoff JL. 1984.
What Do
Unions Do?
New York: Basic
Fulkerson JR, Schuler RS. 1992. Managing
worldwide diversity at Pepsi-Cola Interna-
tional. InDiversity in the Workplace: Hu-
man Resources Initiatives,ed. SE
Jackson,
pp. 248-76. New York: Guilford
Gerhart B, Milkovich GT. 1990. Organiza-
HRM IN CONTEXT 259
tional differences in managerial compensa-
tion and financial performance.
Acad.
Manage. J.
33:663-91
Gerhart B, Milkovich GT. 1992. Employee
compensation: research and practice. In
Handbook of Industrial and Organiza-
tional Psychology,
ed.
HC Triandis, MD
Dunnette, LM Hough, 3:481-569. Palo
Alto, CA: Consult. Psychol.
Gerstein M, Reisman H. 1983. Strategic selec-
tion:
matching executives to business con-
ditions.
Sloan Manage. Rev.
24:33-49
Ghoshal S, Bartlett CA. 1990. The multina-
tional corporation as an interorganizational
network.
Acad. Manage. Rev.
15:603-25
Guthrie JP, Grimm CM, Smith KG. 1991. En-
vironmental change and management staff-
ing: an empirical study.
J.
Manage.
17:735-48
Guthrie JP, Olian JD. 1991a. Drug and alcohol
testing programs: Do firms consider their
operating environment?
Hum. Res. Plan.
14:221-32
Guthrie JP, Olian JD. 1991b. Does context af-
fect staffing decisions? The case of general
managers.
Pers. Psychol.
44:283-96
Hambrick DC. 1994. Top management groups:
a conceptual integration and reconsidera-
tion of the "team" label.
Res. Org. Behav.
16:171-214
Hamill J. 1983. The labor relations practices of
foreign-owned and indigenous firms.
Empl.
Relat.
5:14-16
Hansen GS, Wernerfelt B. 1989. Determinants
of firm performance: relative importance of
economic and organizational factors.
Strat.
J.
Manage.
10:399-411
Hanssens DM, Levien HA. 1983. An econo-
metric study of recruitment marketing in
the US Navy.
Manage. Sci.
29:1167-84
Heenan DA, Perlmutter HV. 1979.
Multina-
tional
Organization Development.
Read-
ing,
MA: Addison-Wesley
Hickson DJ. 1993. Management in Western
Europe.
Soc.
Cult.
Org. Twelve Nations
14:290
Hoerr J. 1991. What should unions do?
Har-
vard Bus. Rev.
May-June:30-45
Hofstede G. 1980.
Cultures Consequences.
Beverly Hills, CA: Sage
Hofstede G. 1991.
Cultures and Organiza-
tions.
London: McGraw-Hill
Hofstede G. 1993. Cultural constraints in man-
agement theories.
Acad Manage. Exec.
7:
81-94
Hulin CL, Roznowski M. 1985. Organizational
technologies: effects on organizations'
characteristics and individuals' responses.
Res. Organ. Behav.
7:39-85
Jackson SE. 1984. Organizational practices for
preventing burnout. In
Handbook of Or-
ganizational Stress Coping Strategies,
ed.
AS
Sethi,
RS Schuler, pp. 89-111. Cam-
bridge, MA: Ballinger
260
JACKSON & SCHULER
Jackson SE. 1992. Consequences of group
composition for the interpersonal dynamics
of strategic issue processing.
Adv. Strat.
Manage. 8:345-82
Jackson SE, Associates, eds. 1992.
Diversity in
the
Workplace: Human Resources Initia-
tives.
New York: Guilford
Jackson SE, Brett IF, Sessa VI, Cooper DM,
Julin JA, Peyronnin K. 1991. Some differ-
ences make a difference: individual dis-
similarity and group heterogeneity as cor-
relates of recruitment, promotions and turn-
over.
J.
Appl. Psychol.
76:675-89
Jackson SE, Dutton JE. 1988. Discerning
threats and opportunities.
Admin. Sci. Q.
33:370-87
Jackson SE, May KE, Whitney K. 1994. Un-
derstanding the dynamics of diversity in
decision making teams. In
Team Decision
Making Effectiveness in Organizations,
ed.
RA Guzzo, E Salas. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass. In press
Jackson SE, Schuler RS. 1992. HRM practices
in service-based organizations: a role the-
ory perspective.Adv. Serv. Mark. Manage.
1:123-57
Jackson SE, Schuler RS, Rivero JC. 1989. Or-
ganizational characteristics as predictors of
personnel practices.
Pers. Psychol.
42:
727-86
Jackson SE, Stone VK, Alvarez EB. 1993.
Socialization amidst diversity: the impact
of demographics on work team oldtimers
and newcomers.
Res.
Organ. Behav.
15:
45-109
James LR, Demaree RG, Mulaik SA, Ladd RT.
1992. Validity generalization in the context
of situational models.
J.
Appl. Psychol.
77:
3-14
Jensen M, Meckling W. 1976. Theory of the
firm:
managerial behavior, agency costs,
and ownership structure.
J.
Financ. Econ.
3:305-60
Johns G. 1993. Constraints on the adoption of
psychology-based personnel practices: les-
sons from organizational innovation.Pers.
Psychol.
46:569-91
Johnson NB, Sambharya RB, Bobko P. 1989.
Deregulation, business strategy, and wages
in the airline industry.
Ind. Relat.
28:419-
30
Johnston
WB, Packer AE. 1987.
Workforce
2000: Work and Workers for the 21st Cen-
tury.
Washington, DC: US Dept. Labor
Jones GR, Wright PM. 1992. An economic ap-
proach to conceptualizing the utility of hu-
man resource management practices.
Res.
Pers. Hum. Res. Manage.10:271-99
Katz D, Kahn RL. 1978.
The Social Psychol-
ogy of Organizations.
New York: Wiley
Katzell RA. 1994. Contemporary meta-trends
in industrial and organizational psychol-
ogy. See Triandis et al 1994a, pp. 1-89
Kaufman R. 1992. The effects of IM-
PROSHARE on productivity.
Ind.
Labor
Relat. Rev.
45:311-22
Kerr C. 1954. The Balkanization of labor mar-
kets. In
Labor Mobility and Economic Op-
portunity,
ed. EW Bakke, PM Hauser, GL
Palmer, CA Myers, D Yoder, C Kerr, pp.
93-109. New York: Wiley
Kerr JL. 1985. Diversification strategies and
managerial rewards: an empirical study.
Acad Manage.
J.
28:155-79
Klimoski RJ, Jones RG. 1994. Suppose we
took staffing for effective group decision
making seriously? In
Team Decision Mak-
ing Effectiveness in Organizations,
ed. RA
Guzzo, E Salas. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass. In press
Kochan TA, Batt R, Dyer L. 1992. Interna-
tional human resource studies: a frame-
work for future research in research fron-
tiers. In
Industrial Relations and Human
Resources,
ed.
D Lewin, OS Mitchell, PD
Sherer, pp. 147-67. Madison, WI: Ind. Re-
lat.
Res. Assoc.
Konrad AM, Linnehan F. 1992. The imple-
mentation and effectiveness of equal op-
portunity employment. In
Best Papers Pro-
ceedings,
ed. F Hoy. pp. 380-84. Anaheim,
CA: Acad. Manage.
Kotter J, Sathe V. 1978. Problems of human
resource management in rapidly growing
companies.
Calif.
Manage. Rev.
Winter:
29-36
Kozlowski SWJ, Chao GT, Smith EM, Hed-
lund J. 1993. Organizational downsizing:
strategies, interventions, and research im-
plications.
Int.
Rev. Ind. Org. Psychol.
8:
263-332
Kozlowski SWJ, Hults BM. 1987. An explora-
tion of climates for technical updating and
performance.
Pers. Psychol.
40:539-63
Kozlowski SWJ, Salas E. 1994. A multilevel
organizational systems approach for the
i
mplementation and transfer of training. In
Improving Training Effectiveness in Work
Organizations,
ed. JK Ford & Associates.
Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum
Lakhani H. 1988. The effect of pay and reten-
tion bonuses on quit rates in the US Army.
Ind Labor Relat. Rev.
41:430-38
Landy FJ, Shankster LJ, Kohler SS. 1994. Per-
sonnel selection and placement.
Annu. Rev.
Psychol.
45:261-96
Latham GP. 1988. Human resource training
and development. Annu. Rev. Psychol.
39:
545-82
Laurent A. 1986. The cross-cultural puzzle of
international human resource management.
Hum. Res. Manage.
25:91-102
Lawler EE III, Mohrman SA. 1987. Unions
and the new management.
Acad. Manage.
Exec.
1:293-300
Lawler EE III, Mohrman SA, Ledford GE.
1992.
Employee Involvement and Total
Quality Management: Practices and Re-
suits in Fortune 1000 Companies.
San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Lengnick-Hall CA, Lengnick-Hall ML. 1988.
Strategic human resources management: a
review of the literature and a proposed to-
pology.
Acad Manage. Rev.
13:454-70
Levine DI, Tyson LD. 1990. Participation, pro-
ductivity, and the firm's environment. In
Paying for Productivity,
ed.
A Blinder,
pp. 183-235. Washington, DC: Brookings
Inst.
L6vy-Leboyer C. 1994. Selection and assess-
ment in Europe. See Triandis et al 1994a,
pp. 173-90
Lewandowski JL, MacKinnon WP. 1992.
What we learned at Saturn.
Pers. J.
37:31-
32
Lincoln JR. 1993. Work organization in Japan
and the United States. In
Country Competi-
tiveness:
Technology and the Organizing
of Work, ed. B Kogut, pp. 93-124. Oxford:
Oxford Univ. Press
MacDuffie JP, Krafcik J. 1992. Integrating
technology and human resources for high-
performance manufacturing. In
Transform-
ing
Organizations,
ed.
T Kochan, M
Useem, pp. 210-26. New York: Oxford
Univ. Press
Macy B, Izumi H. 1993. Organizational
change, design, and work innovation: a
meta-analysis of 131 North American field
studies-1961-1991. In
Research in Or-
ganizational Change and Development,
ed.
R Woodman, W Pasmore, 7:147-70.
Greenwich, CT: JAI
Mahoney TA. 1987. Understanding compara-
ble worth a societal and political perspec-
tive.
Res. Organ. Behav.
9:209-45
Maim FT. 1955. Hiring procedures and selec-
tion standards in the San Francisco Bay
area.
Ind. Labor Relat. Rev.
8:231-52
Marginson P. 1992. European integration and
transnational
management-union relations
in the enterprise.
Br. J. Ind. Relat.
30:529-
45
Markham SE. 1985. An investigation of the
relationship between unemployment and
absenteeism: a multi-level approach.
Acad.
Manage. J.
28:228-34
Marshall R. 1992. The future role of govern-
ment in industrial relations.
Ind. Relat.
31:
31-49
Maruyama M. 1992. Changing dimensions in
international business.
Acad.
Manage. E.
6:88-96
Mellow W. 1982. Employer size and wages.
Rev. Econ. Stat.
64:495-501
Mendoca M, Kanungo RN. 1994. Managing
human resources: the issue of cultural fit.
J.
Manage. Inq.
In press
Meyer JW, Rowan B. 1977. Institutionalized
organizations: formal structure as myth and
ceremony.
Am. J. Sociol.
83:340-63
Miles RE, Snow CC. 1978.
Organizational
HRM IN CONTEXT 261
Strategy, Structure, and Process.
New
York: McGraw-Hill
Miles RE, Snow CC. 1984. Designing strategic
human resources systems.
Org.
Dyn.
16:
36-52
Milkovich GT, Gerhart B, Hannon J. 1991.
The effects of research and development
intensity on managerial compensation in
large organizations.
J.
High Technol. Man-
age. Res.
2:133-50
Miller CS, Schuster MH. 1987. Gainsharing
plans: a comparative analysis.
Org.
Dyn.
Summer:44-67
Miller P, O'Leary T. 1989. Hierarchies and
American ideals, 1900-1940.
Acad.
Man-
age. Rev.
14:250-65
Milliman J, von Glinow MA, Nathan M. 1991.
Organizational life cycles and strategic in-
ternational human resource management in
multinational companies: implications for
congruence theory.
Acad.
Manage. Rev.
16:318-39
Mills PK, Morris JH. 1986. Clients as "partial"
employees of service organizations: role
development in client participation.
Acad.
Manage. Rev.
11:726-35
Molnar JJ, Rogers DL. 1976. Organizational
effectiveness: an empirical comparison of
the goal and system resource approaches.
Sociol. Q.
17:401-13
Morrison AM. 1992.
The New Leaders: Guide-
lines on Leadership Diversity in America.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Morrison AM, Crabtree KM. 1992.
Develop-
ing Diversity in Organizations: A Digest of
Selected Literature.
Greensboro, NC: Cent.
Creative Leadersh.
Morrison AM, Ruderman MN, Hughes-James
M. 1993.
Making Diversity Happen.
Greensboro, NC: Cent. Creative Leadersh.
Murray VV, Dimick DE. 1978. Contextual in-
fluences on personnel policies and pro-
grams: an explanatory model.
Acad. Man-
age. Rev.
12:750-61
Newman JM, Huselid MA. 1992. The nature of
behavioral controls in boundary occupa-
tions: agency theory at the edge.
Adv.
Global High-Technol. Manage.
2:193-212
Noble BP. 1993. More than labor amity at
AT&T.
New York Times
March 14:F25
Noe RA, Ford JK. 1992. Emerging issues and
new directions for training research.
Res.
Pers. Hum. Res. Manage.
10:345-84
Ofori-Dankwa J. 1994. Murray and Reshef re-
visited: towards a typology and theory of
paradigms of national trade union move-
ments.
Acad. Manage. Rev.
18:269-92
Ohlott PJ, Ruderman MN, McCauley CD.
1994. Gender differences in managers' de-
velopmental job experiences.
Acad Man-
age. J.
37:46-67
Olian JD, Rynes SL. 1984. Organizational
staffing: integrating practice with strategy.
Ind Relat.
23:170-83
262
JACKSON & SCHULER
Osterman PO. 1984.
Internal Labor Markets.
Cambridge, MA: London
Osterman PO. 1992. Internal labor markets in a
changing environment: models and evi-
dence. In
Research Frontiers in Industrial
Relations and Human Resources,
ed D Le-
win, OS Mitchell, PD Sherer, pp. 273-308.
Madison, WI: Ind. Relat. Res. Assoc.
Ostroff C, Schmitt N. 1993. Configurations of
organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
Acad Manage. J.
36:1345-61
Peck SR. 1994. Exploring the link between or-
ganizational strategy
and the employment
relationship: the role of human resources
policies.
J.
Manage. Stud
31: In press
Perrow C. 1967. A framework for the com-
parative analysis of organizations.
Am. So-
ciol. Rev.
32:194-208
Pfeffer J. 1983. Organizational demography.
Res. Organ. Behav.
5:299-357
Pfeffer J, Cohen Y. 1984. Determinants of in-
ternal labor markets in organizations.
Admin. Sci. Q.
29:550-72
Pfeffer J, Langton N. 1988. Wage inequality
and the organization of work: the case of
academic departments. Admin. Sci. Q.
33:
588-606
Phatak AV. 1992.
International Dimensions of
Management.
Boston: PWS-Kent
Poole M. 1986a. Managerial strategies and
styles in industrial relations: a comparative
analysis.
J.
Gen. Manage.
12:40-53
Poole M. 1986b.
Industrial Relations: Origins
and Patterns of National Diversity.
Lon-
don: Routledge
Porter
ME. 1980.
Competitive Strategy: Tech-
niques for Analyzing Industries and Com-
petitors.
New York: Free Press
Porter ME. 1985. Competitive Advantage: Cre-
ating and Sustaining Superior Perform-
ance.
New York: Free Press
Powell GN, Butterfield DA. 1994. Investi-
gating the "Glass Ceiling" phenomenon:
an empirical study of actual promotions to
top management.
Acad. Manage. J.
37:68-
86
Prahalad CK, Doz YL. 1987.
The Multina-
tional
Mission: Balancing Local Demands
and Global Vision.
New York: Free Press
Randolph WA, Dess GG. 1984. The con-
gruence perspective of organization de-
sign: a conceptual model and multivariate
research approach.
Acad Manage. Rev. 9:
114-27
Reid J Jr. 1992. Future unions.
Ind Relat.
31:
122-36
Ronen S. 1994. An underlying structure of mo-
tivational need taxonomies: a cross-cultural
confirmation. See Triandis et al 1994a, pp.
241-70
Rosen CM, Klein KJ, Young KM. 1986.
Em-
ployee Ownership in America.
Lexington,
MA: Lexington
Russell CJ, Colella A, Bobko P. 1993. Expand-
ing the context of utility: the strategic im-
pact of personnel selection.Pers. Psychol.
46:781-801
Rynes SL. 1991. Recruitment, job choice, and
post-hire consequences: a call for new re-
search directions. In
Handbook of Indus-
trial and Organizational Psychology,
ed.
MD
Dunnette, LM Hough, 2:399-444.
Palo Alto, CA: Consult. Psychol.
Rynes SL, Barber AE. 1990. Applicant attrac-
tion strategies:
an organizational perspec-
tive.
Acad. Manage. Rev.
15:286-310
Rynes SL, Boudreau JW. 1986. College re-
cruiting in large organizations: practice,
evaluation, and research implications.
Pets.
Psychol.
39:729-57
Saari LM, Johnson TR, McLaughlin SD, Zim-
merle DM. 1988. A survey of management
training and education practices in US
companies.
Pers. Psychol.
41:731-43
Schneider B. 1987. The people make the place.
Pers. Psychol.
40:437-53
Schneider B,
Wheeler JK, Cox JF. 1992. A
passion for service: using content analysis
to explicate service climate themes.
J.
Appl. Psychol.
77:705-16
Schuler RS. 1992. Strategic human resource
management: linking people with the needs
of the business.
Organ. Dyn.
21:19-32
Schuler RS, Dowling PJ, DeCieri H. 1992. The
formation of an international joint venture:
Marley Automotive Components.
Eur.
Manage. J.
10:304-9
Schuler RS, Jackson SE. 1987a. Linking com-
petitive strategy
and human resource man-
agement practices.
Acad. Manage. Exec. 3:
207-19
Schuler RS, Jackson SE. 1987b. Organiza-
tional strategy and organization level as
determinants of human resource manage-
ment practices.
Hum. Res. Plan.
10(3):125-41
Schuler RS, Jackson SE, Dowling PJ, DeCieri
H. 1991. Formation of an international
joint venture: Davidson Instrument Panel.
Hum. Res. Plan.
14:51-59
Schuler RS, MacMillan IC. 1984. Gaining
competitive advantage through HR man-
agement practices.
Hum. Res. Manage.
23:
241-55
Schuler RS, van Sluijs E. 1992. Davidson-
Marley BV: establishing and operating an
international joint venture.
Eur.
Manage. J.
10:428-37
Schwartz SH. 1992. Universals in the content
and structure of values: theoretical ad-
vances and empirical tests in 20 countries.
Adv. Exp. Soc. Psychol.
25:1-66
Scott
WR. 1987. The adolescence of institu-
tional theory.
Admin. Sci. Q.
32:493-511
Sharf J. 1994. Legal and EEO issues impacting
on personal history inquiries. In
Biodata
Handbook: Theory, Research, & Applica-
tion,
ed.
GS
Stokes,
MD Mumford, WA
s
Owens. Palo Alto, CA: Consult. Psychol.
In press
Slocum JW, Lei D. 1993. Designing global
strategic alliances: integrating cultural and
economic factors. In
Organizational
Change and Redesign: Ideas and Insights
for Improving Performance,ed. GP
Huber,
WH Glick, pp. 295-322. New York: Ox-
ford Univ. Press
Slocum JW Jr, Cron WL, Hansen RW, Rawl-
ings S. 1985. Business strategy and the
management of plateaued employees.
Acad Manage. J.
28:133-54
Smith KG, Mitchell TR, Summer CE. 1985.
Top level management priorities in differ-
ent stages of the organizational life cycle.
Acad. Manage. J.
28:799-820
Snell SA. 1992. Control theory in strategic hu-
man resource management: the mediating
effect of administrative information.
Acad.
Manage. Rev.
35:292-327
Snell SA, Dean JW Jr. 1992. Integrated manu-
facturing and human resource manage-
ment: a human capital perspective.
Acad
Manage. J.
35:467-504
Snow CC, Snell SA. 1993. Staffing as strategy.
In
Personnel Selection in Organizations,
ed.
N Schmitt, WC Borman, & Associates,
pp. 448-78. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
Bass
Sonnenstuhl WJ, Trice HM. 1991. Linking or-
ganizational and occupational theory
through the concept of culture.
Res. Sociol.
Organ.
9:295-318
Strauss G. 1982. Workers participation in man-
agement: an international perspective.
Res.
Organ. Behav. 4:173-265
Szilagyi AD Jr, Schweiger DM. 1984. Match-
ing managers to strategies: a review and
suggested framework.Acad. Manage. Rev.
9:626-37
Terpstra DE, Rozell EJ. 1993. The relationship
of staffing practices to organizational level
measures of performance.
Pers.
Psychol.
46:27-48
Thomas DA. 1993. Racial dynamics in cross-
race developmental relationships.
Admin.
Sci.
Q.
38:169-94
Thompson JD. 1967.
Organizations in Action.
New York: McGraw-Hill
Thurow L. 1975.
Generating Inequality.
New
York Basic
Tolbert PS, Zucker LG. 1983. Institutional
sources of change in the formal structure of
organizations: the diffusion of Civil Serv-
ice Reform, 1880-1935.
Admin. Sci. Q. 28:
22-39
Tosi HL Jr, Gomez-Mejia LR. 1989. The de-
coupling of CEO pay and performance: an
agency theory perspective.
Admin. Sci. Q.
34:169-89
Towers Perrin. 1992.
Priorities for Competi-
tive Advantage.
New York Towers Pen-in
Triandis HC, Dunnette MD, Hough LM, eds.
HRM IN CONTEXT 263
1994a.
Handbook of Industrial and Organ-
izational Psychology, Vol.
4.
Palo Alto,
CA: Consult. Psychol. 2nd ed.
Triandis HC, Kurowski LL, Gelfand MJ.
1994b.
Workplace diversity. See Triandis
et al 1994a, pp. 769-827
Tsang MC, Rumberger RW, Levin HM. 1991.
The impact of surplus schooling on worker
productivity.
Ind Relat.
30:209-28
Tung RL. 1993. Managing cross-national and
intra-national diversity.
Hum. Res. Man-
age.
32:461-77
United States Department of Labor. 1993.
High Performance Work Practices and
Firm Performance.
Washington, DC: US
Dept. Labor
Van Maanen J, Barley SR. 1984. Occupational
communities: culture and control in organi-
zations.
Res. Organ. Behav.
6:287-365
van Sluijs E, van Assen A, den Hertog JF.
1991. Personnel management and organ-
izational change: a sociotechnical perspec-
tive.
Eur.
Work Org. Psychol.
1:27-51
von Bertalanffy L. 1950. The theory of open
systems in physics and biology.
Science
111:23-29
Western B. 1993. Postwar unionization in
eighteen advanced capitalist countries.
Am.
Sociol. Rev.
58:266-82
Whyte WF, ed. 1991.
Social Theory for Ac-
tion:
How Individuals and Organizations
Learn to Change.
Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Wickens P. 1987.The Road to Nissan.
Lon-
don: MacMillan
Wigdor AK, Sackett PR. 1993. Employment
testing and public policy: the case of the
general aptitude test battery. In
Personnel
Selection and Assessment: Individual and
Organizational Perspectives,
ed.
H
Schuler, JL Fan, M Smith, pp. 183-204.
Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum
Williamson OE. 1979. Transaction-cost eco-
nomics: the governance of contractual rela-
tions.
J. Law Econ.
22(2):233-61
Williamson OE. 1981. The modern corpora-
tion: origins, evolution, attributes.
J.
Econ.
Lit.
19:1537-68
Williamson OE. 1991. Comparative economic
organization: the analysis of discrete struc-
tural alternatives.
Admin. Sci. Q.
36:269-
96
Woodruff D. 1993. Saturn: labor's love lost?
Bus.
Week Feb.
8:122-23
Woodward J. 1965.
Industrial
Organization:
Theory and Practice.
London: Oxford
Univ. Press
Wright PM, McMahan GC. 1992. Theoretical
perspectives for strategic human resource
management.
J.
Manage.
18:295-320
Wright PM, McMahan GC, McWilliams A.
1994. Human resources and sustained com-
petitive advantage: a resource-based
per-
spective.
Int.
J.
Hum. Res. Manage. 5
(2):
299-324
264
JACKSON & SCHULER
Wright PM, Snell SA. 1991. Toward an inte-
grative view of strategic human resource
management.
Hum. Res. Manage. Rev. 1:
203-25
Youngblood SA, Tevino LK, Favia M. 1992.
Reactions to unjust dismissal and third-
party dispute resolution: a justice frame-
work.
Empl. Responsib. Rights J. 5(4):
283-307
Yu J, Murphy KR. 1993. Modesty bias in self-
ratings of performance: a test of the cul-
tural relativity hypothesis.
Pers. Psychol.
46:357-66
Zammuto RF, O'Connor EJ. 1992. Gaining ad-
vanced manufacturing technologies' bene-
fits: the roles of organization design and
culture.
Acad Manage. Rev.
17:701-28
Zedeck S. 1992.
Work Families, and Organi-
zations.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Zucker LG. 1977. The role of institutionaliza-
tion in cultural persistence.
Am. Sociol.
Rev.
42:726-43
Zucker LG. 1987. Institutional theories of or-
ganization.
Annu. Rev. Sociol.
13:443-64
4
1
... Diversity [17] is defined as the distribution of personal attributes among the members of an interdependent workplace. Various classification methods to explain the contents of diversity have been proposed [18]. There is also a multilevel perspective on diversity, with extensive research focusing on the impact of team-level diversity on team and organizational outcomes, whereas studies on larger organizational or societal-level diversity are relatively scarce. ...
Article
Full-text available
Learning and using technology in the workplace are essential for a company’s commitment to the sustainable development of its resources. Finding competent engineers who can handle information communication technologies (ICTs) is a challenge for companies. Currently, however, the ability to use these technologies is limited to technicians with specialized training, and not everyone can engage in development. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that equity in the use of technology has not yet been realized. This study aims to analyze, based on actual cases, the necessary conditions and mechanisms for people with diverse experiences and circumstances, not limited to engineers, to participate in ICT development to address human resource diversity. The use of technology such as low-code platforms (LCPs) that have recently emerged on the market has shown that nonprofessional engineers without programming training can participate in development projects. This research will be useful to managers in advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies in their workplaces and contribute to organizational research regarding new trends in technology use by individuals: low codability. The findings of this study are of significant relevance to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of decent work and economic growth, as well as gender equality.
Article
Survey responses of 116 organizations were analyzed to examine interventions designed to enhance equal opportunity employment (ECO/AAP). Top management attitudes toward EEO/AAP and regulation by the OFCCP predicted the number of interventions implemented In organizations. Top management attitudes also predicted the presence of women and minorities In management.
Article
This study provides evidence that organizations which adopt R&D intensive strategies differ in the pattern of their compensation practices from other firms. Accounting for human capital, job characteristics, and other organization factors, we found that one average their base pay, bonus base, and use of long-term incentives are greater than other firms.
Article
This article builds on Murray and Reshef (1988) to develop a four-cell paradigm typology. Next, a theoretical model is developed to examine the determinants of national union paradigms, to present national case studies of the four paradigms, and to investigate the effects of paradigms on union organizational structures, levels of industrial conflict, and decline rates of national union movements. Finally, the effects that declining unionism has on paradigms and the research implications of this study are examined.