Why HR may not be helping performance
Research Intelligence Brief – The Oxford Review HR needs to get granular New Research has shown that Human Resources Management tends to do best when it is tailored according to the needs of individual departments rather than operating on a ‘onesize-fits-all’ basis across an organisation. The study published in the Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, concluded that “Managers cannot simply assume that management practices and principles can and will work anywhere with the same results.” Traditional model of good human resources management Most traditional models of HRM have a central department or function that controls the policy for the organisation around issues like selective hiring, performance appraisal, compensation, rewards, and training and development. Further that these policies tend to apply across the organisation with little or no room for adaptability to different functions needs. Previous research into private sector organisations has shown that the four precepts of human resources management can improve performance if it focuses on: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Improving job satisfaction Developing motivation at work Increasing organisational commitment Reducing overall intentions among employees to quit their jobs.
There has been a lot of similar research in private sector organisations that seems to show that a combination of all four of these human resources management foci can have a significant impact on employees in the form of organisational performance. HRM in International Governmental Organisations This research adds to the existing literature by looking at International Governmental Organisations such as the UN, The World Bank and The International Monetary Fund, for example. The research was carried out through interviews and surveys of 234 individuals in seven service departments of an International Governmental Organisation that had 29,000 employees working into nine countries around the world and which had a direct impact on 1.3 million people. It showed that people working in different fields and functions have very different motivators and therefore need different approaches and policies to govern these areas. Additionally, the study found that areas like individualised learning and development activities can have a positive impact on employee commitment and satisfaction if it is less generic and more suited to the context of the staff receiving the development.
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Research Intelligence Brief – The Oxford Review In terms of performance appraisals, compensation and reward again the study found that a more customised approach to the different functions can have had a similar impact, in that they can be more effective if they consider the context and general situation that exists in each of the different functions or business areas of an organisation. However, and somewhat counter-intuitively, the study found that staffing and recruitment practices’ customisation had no significant impact on the performance of different functions. Different horses, different courses The author showed that previous research on multinational companies found “training and development have greater effects on employee attitudes because of the institutional differences that may result from the educational system. Similarly, workers on humanitarian and development projects, usually in least-developed countries, found that the educational system left an enormous need for training and development, which explains the strong effects of these factors on employee outcomes.” This is a quote, but it doesn’t make sense. In effect this research shows and concludes that “Managers cannot simply assume that management practices and principles can and will work anywhere with the same results.” Reference El-Ghalayini, Y, “Human Resource Management Practices and Organizational Performance in Public Sector Organization” Journal of Business Studies Quarterly 2017, Volume 8, Number 3
Overview This is an interesting study showing that global management and HRM policies and practices that apply across an entire organisation may not actually help performance. In short, this study has found that policies and management practices can result in greater productivity if they are designed with the differing contexts and general situation of the different departments or functions in mind.
www.oxford-review.com Copyright 2016-2017©The Oxford Review - All rights reserved
Improving job satisfaction Developing motivation at work Increasing organisational commitment Reducing overall intentions among employees to quit their jobs.
There has been a lot of similar research in private sector organisations that seems to show that a combination of all four of these human resources management foci can have a significant impact on employees in the form of organisational performance. HRM in International Governmental Organisations This research adds to the existing literature by looking at International Governmental Organisations such as the UN, The World Bank and The International Monetary Fund, for example. The research was carried out through interviews and surveys of 234 individuals in seven service departments of an International Governmental Organisation that had 29,000 employees working into nine countries around the world and which had a direct impact on 1.3 million people. It showed that people working in different fields and functions have very different motivators and therefore need different approaches and policies to govern these areas. Additionally, the study found that areas like individualised learning and development activities can have a positive impact on employee commitment and satisfaction if it is less generic and more suited to the context of the staff receiving the development.
www.oxford-review.com Copyright 2016-2017©The Oxford Review - All rights reserved
Research Intelligence Brief – The Oxford Review In terms of performance appraisals, compensation and reward again the study found that a more customised approach to the different functions can have had a similar impact, in that they can be more effective if they consider the context and general situation that exists in each of the different functions or business areas of an organisation. However, and somewhat counter-intuitively, the study found that staffing and recruitment practices’ customisation had no significant impact on the performance of different functions. Different horses, different courses The author showed that previous research on multinational companies found “training and development have greater effects on employee attitudes because of the institutional differences that may result from the educational system. Similarly, workers on humanitarian and development projects, usually in least-developed countries, found that the educational system left an enormous need for training and development, which explains the strong effects of these factors on employee outcomes.” This is a quote, but it doesn’t make sense. In effect this research shows and concludes that “Managers cannot simply assume that management practices and principles can and will work anywhere with the same results.” Reference El-Ghalayini, Y, “Human Resource Management Practices and Organizational Performance in Public Sector Organization” Journal of Business Studies Quarterly 2017, Volume 8, Number 3
Overview This is an interesting study showing that global management and HRM policies and practices that apply across an entire organisation may not actually help performance. In short, this study has found that policies and management practices can result in greater productivity if they are designed with the differing contexts and general situation of the different departments or functions in mind.
www.oxford-review.com Copyright 2016-2017©The Oxford Review - All rights reserved
