Measuring Consistency Among Management of Employees

Measuring Consistency Among worry of EmployeesConceptualisation, Measurement And doIntroduction Of The Research Problem And Research QuestionsThis explore watch foc economic consumptions on the culture and formation of a method for measuring consistency among practices in the management of employees, a field lots referred to as homokind Resource Management (HRM). With the increasing importance of the homo factor in novel organizations, HR-issues have become more salient to organizations that believe that people be their close important addition in achieving organizational polishs.Different streams of HR-consistency explore can be identified, often divided in the categories outdoor(a) consistency and intimate consistency. both streams of research are in development because of the notion that in the subject of external consistency the alignment of HRM practices (e.g. selection, discipline, pay, appraisal, pedigree security, participation) with business strategy of fsprings in positive outcomes.This research propose focuses on the concept of essential consistency. The idea central to internecine consistency is the positive outcomes generated by concordant combinations of multiple HRM practices, where the effect of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Many authors already outline the idea that sets of reproducible HRM practices can reinforce employee attitudes and behaviour (e.g. Wright McMahan, 1992 Ichniowski et al., 1996 Guest, 1997, Baron Kreps, 1999 Ostroff Bowen, 2000, Boselie, 2002), but as well as that in consonant combinations can be noisome (Becker, Huselid, Pickus Spratt, 1997) or create double binds that drive people crazy (Schneider, 1999). Baron Kreps (1999) describe the desirability of internal consistency in terms of the desirability of messages sent out to employees being simple (by following the comparable principles) and supportive of the same theme. By HRM practices being internally logical, employee s know what is expect of them and what they can expect in turn.Academic research on the effects of multiple HRM practices often proclaims to study internal consistency by defining sets of congruent HRM practices as a system. More specifically, it is suggested that systems of high commitment practices increase organizational authorization by creating conditions where employees become highly involved in the organization and work hard to accomplish the organizations goals (Arthur, 1994 MacDuffie, 1995 Whitener, 2000). However, with the exception of Whitener (2000), researchers study the effects of high commitment HR systems on bankers bills of organizational effectiveness without analyze the sexual intercourseship amidst high commitment HRM practices and aspects of employee commitment.Stated is that very little is kn experience about how and finished which processes HRM practices influences organizational proceeding (Guest, 1997 Becker, Huselid, Pickus Spratt, 1997 Ostroff Bow en, 2000). Intermediate processes that ultimately affect performance outcomes are referred to as the black boxful of the HRM-outcome link (e.g. Wright Gardner, 2003).Unlocking the black box means identifying HR-objects that are relevant to employee performance. Ostroff Bowen (2000) state that an HR system is believed to be a complex set of practices that is designed to influence employees attributes that are purported to be the mediating mechanism that links HRM practices and performance outcomes.This proposal identifies the employee attributes of development, wellbeing and motivation to be general goals of HRM activities in creating employee commitment to the organization. Following Guest (1997) and Ostroff Bowen (2000), it is expect that within the variety of HRM practices that an organization holds, diametrical bundles of HRM practices or configurations of internal uniform HRM practices are reinforcing and complementary towards these common chord diametrical objects that link HRM and outcomes.Well-being Performance interiorConsistent HR-configurationsMotivationDevelopmentAnformer(a) focus of the research project is the conceptualisation of diverse configurations of internal consistent HRM practices towards employee development, well-being and motivation. In search for a clear rationale or clear rationales for the way any one practice reinforces the effectiveness of others, no explicit theories for the combined effect of HRM practices are present. Much of the effort done to identify internal consistent practices is by seeking statistical justification for fitting practices afterwards (Guest, 1997 Youndt, Snell, Dean Lepak, 1996 Huselid, 1995). The statistical justification nonetheless raises psyches on what the explanation of effects of internal consistency is. This study entrust concentrate on constructing a theory-driven example for HR-consistency.Finally, the throwawayment of consistent HRM practices is still discussed in recent literature. Wright Gardner (2003) argue that regarding the level of epitome of HRM practices, most research has concentrated on identifying sets of HRM practices at the organizational level by utilize single-respondent measures of sets of HRM practices. But the presumption that HRM practices are invariable across large groups of assembly lines within organizations is not feasible, as Lepak Snell (2002) pointed out. This suggests that lowering the level of abstract could give a more accurate insight in the variation of sets of HRM practices within organizations and across job groups or (business) units. Additionally, gathering data by using single-responses of HR-managers on which HRM practices are in place, probably gives no accurate reflection of reality. Such single-respondent measures of sets of HRM practices are subject to, for instance, the respondents degree of accurate information. Therefore, Guest (1999) and Wright and Gardner (2003) have proposed to measure HRM practices throug h individual employee perceptions, since employees are the focal unit HRM practices aim at. As such, the research project exit focus on the perception op employees on HRM practices.Taken together, this research project aims at the development and validation of a theory-driven method for measuring internal HR-consistency towards employee outcomes as development, well-being and motivation. Further, it examines the contribution of consistency among HRM practices to employee performance.With the notion there is little makement among researchers on (1) what divinatory backside can be given for consistent combinations of HRM practices (MacDuffie, 1995 Guest, 1997 Ostroff Bowen, 2000), (2) also very little has been done to test internal consistency (Purcell, 1999), and (3) little is known on which consistent HRM practices lead to which outcomes (Dyer and Reeves, 1995 Becker Gerhart, 1996), this leads to the following research questionsResearch ProblemThe research problems central to this proposal areWhich different theoretical approaches to different configurations of internal consistent HRM practices can be identified and what are the implications for the conceptualisation of HR-consistency?How to measure the consistency among HRM practices?What is the effect of internally consistent HRM practices on employee outcomes and organizational performance?Elaboration Of The Research Problems operative towards the development of an putz for measuring consistency among HRM practices, three studies involve conceptualisation, a pilot study and the principal(prenominal) study testing the effect of HR consistency on performance outcomes. These studies are reviewed below.Conceptualisation Of Internal HrconsistencyBackgroundIn defining which consistent configurations of HRM practices are related to the specific objects of development, well-being and motivation, different theoretical approaches can be taken. Working towards a conceptualisation of HR-consistency, some theor etical insights with respect to the combination of HRM practices that already have been made, are described in short here.First, Guest (1997 2001) refers to the variants of expectancy theory (e.g. Vroom, 1964) as a useful theory with respect to explaining the effects of HRM practices on employee outcomes through the enhancement of motivation. Variants of expectancy theory agree on the proposition that high performance at the individual level, depends on the motivation plus self-will of the necessary skills and abilities and an appropriate role and the understanding of that role (Guest, 1997, p. 268). For the consistent combination of HRM practices Guest states there is a case for building on the variants of expectancy theory to combine three sets of practices concerned with competence (e.g. training and development practices or staffing practices), motivation (for simulation job security, individualized reward systems) and role utilization (for example involvement practices, job d esign practices).Second, Tsui, Pearce, Porter Tripoli (1997) and Tsui Wang (2002) treat several HRM practices as inducements provided by the employer for expected contributions by the employee in four employment relationships approaches. For the primary conceptual foundation for the employment relationship framework Tsui et al. (1997) use exchange theories (e.g. Blau, 1964). Based on these theories HRM practices could be divided in job-focused and organization-focused HRM practices. Job-focused HRM practices (e.g. pay and short-term enthronizations as job-related training) are consistent in a way they resemble an economic exchange that focuses employee attention on the work unit by formal goal setting, and rewarding unit performance. Organization-focused HRM practices (e.g. job security, participation, and career planning) are consistent in a way they resemble a more social exchange indicating the employers investment in employees and in return investments of employees (e.g. lear ning new skills, investing in social relationships, flexibility) in the organization. This shows that by building on expectancy theory or exchange theory different bundles of consistent HRM practices vacate towards different objects.For the development of an instrument, more insight in different theoretical approaches is required. To review the work already done in this field, this study provides an inventory of different theoretical approaches towards HRM and its outcomes. The aim is to conceptualise this inventory of consistent HRM practices towards employee development, well-being and motivation. methodologyTo determine the conceptual structure of the concept of internal consistency we make use of facet analysis. Based on different theoretical approaches, this analysis is conducted to screen topics concerning HR and work practices and their relation with development, well-being, motivation within existing (empirical) literature and instruments. For an extensive screening the fol lowing guidelines are used belles-lettres and instruments are used within the field of organization of labour, forgiving Resource Management, social policy, work arrangement models.Literature and instruments can also concern other aspects than only HRM practicesThe instruments can range from questionnaires, interview methods, to checklistsFor distributively theoretical concept of internal consistency towards the three separate objects, HRM practices listed in the various instruments will be identified. Finally, in this qualitative research consistent sets of HRM practices and measures are clustered.ProductA product of this study is a first review article on the concept of consistencyConceptualizing Consistency Among HrmPracticesConceptual Model fieldWell-beingInternalConsistent HR-configurationsMotivationDevelopment scene 2Facet 3Facet 1Facet X sail Project Measuring InternalConsistencyBackground after(prenominal) study 1 proposes which HRM practices theoretically constitute con sistent sets of HRM practices towards employee development, well-being motivation, the focus of study 2 is on the measuring of internal HR-consistency.As noted above, consistency among HRM practices towards objects as employee development, well-being and motivation could serve as theoretical framework for identifying the link between consistency and performance outcomes. But how do we measure the different HRM practices? Do employees perceive the same HRM practices to be consistent towards these three objects?Testing the reliability of different internal HR-consistency configurations towards these three objects of consistency is the of import focus for the development of a measure for consistency among HRM practices.This study contains a pilot project concerned with the development and testing the reliability of an instrument and procedure to empirically clasp the concept of HR-consistency as perceived by one of the stakeholders, namely the employees affected by them.Methodology A pilot study will be conducted to develop a reliable instrument and validate the measurement of the concept of internal HR-consistency set out in study. Through self-reports, a sample of 300 employees will be studied on their perception of HRM practices in their organization. To ensure that the instrument will be applicable to a wide range of employees, we will use a stratified sample, stratified according to sex, age, job level, company size and working for a profit or non-profit organization. Employees are selected within this sampling frame. too the objects of development, well-being and motivation at an individual level will be studied by using commonly accepted scales. When possible, these first data will be collected through data army within master thesis projects.Internal consistency will be measured both today and indirectly. Indirectly, by examining if theory-driven consistent configurations of HRM practices promote the objects of development, well-being and motivation. Directly, by asking employees which consistency among HRM practices promote the three proposed employee outcomes. Both methods are used to strengthen the concept of consistency.ProductMeasuring Internal Consistency A Pilot ProjectConceptual Model StudyWell-beingInternalConsistent HR-configurationsMotivationDevelopmentEffects Of Internal Consistency On Employee PerformanceBackgroundThe final step within this PhD project focuses on the performance outcomes of the way human resource practices coexist in a consistent or incongruous manner. Predicted is that individual performance is promoted by HRM practices being consistent towards the three objects that mediate this relationship. A major question still remaining in HRM research is how HRM practices relate to performance outcomes (Ostroff Bowen, 2000 Guest, 1997). As noted earlier it is suggested that different theoretical mechanisms could serve as indicators of consistency among HRM practices that in turn affect different objects. T he relationship between three HR-configurations towards development, well-being and motivation on the one hand and individual performance on the other hand will be tested to validate effective configurations of internal consistency examined in study.MethodologyResults from the pilot study will be used to validate the instrument and further develop the instrument. For the main testing of effects of HR-consistency configurations on outcomes employee development, well-being, motivation and ultimately performance, two case-organizations, one profit and one nonprofit, will be selected to participate. To ensure that individual performance can be measured, the two organizations are selected on the basis of the use of formal job appraisals. In each of the selected organizations a sample 200 employees will be studied.The expectation is that by participating in the development of an instrument that can be used for own purposes concerning HR-decisionmaking, financial resources for his project could be ensured through mutual interest.The instrument could serve as a HRM register for organizations and, as such, improve their employee policies by giving insight in the mechanism and effects of their HRM practices.Another goal is to establish long-term collaborations with interested organizations to keep track of the effectiveness of the instrument.Results RelevanceThe most important result of the research project is a dissertation consisting of four academic articles. The practical and societal relevance of the project is mainly to establish evidence for the importance of HR-consistency and insight in how that affects the employees as well as the organization. In this way conceptualising HR-processes and visualising their effects make a contribution.The relevance of this study lies in extending the literature on internal consistency by also taking the consistency-well-being link and the consistency-development link into account. Also relevant is linking the changing term of office to more performance-based practices to outcomes for wellbeing and development of employees.Another relevant aspect is handing out HR-professionals a theory-driven framework and instrument to asses their internal HR-policy. Other stakeholders such as unions or work councils could benefit while negotiating wages and benefits in the light of consistency with other HRM practices already present.A final point of relevance concerns the contribution to the research program of the department of piece Resource Studies (PEW) by providing tools for further research by the department.ReferencesArthur, J.B. (1994). Effects of human resource systems on manufacturing performance and turn-over. Academy of management journal, 37, p.670-687.Baron , J.N. Kreps, D.M. (1999). Strategic Human Resources. spick-and-span York Wiley Sons.Becker, B. Gerhart,B. (1996). The feign of Human Resource Management on organizational Performance Progress Prospects.Academy of Management Journal, 39, p.779 -801 Becker, B., Huselid, M., Pickus P. Spratt, M. (1997). HR as a source of shareholder value research and recommendations. Human Resource Management, 36, p.39-47 Blau, P. (1964). Exchange and force in Social Life. New York Wiley.Boselie, P. (2002). Human resource management, work systems and performance a theoretical-empirical approach. Amsterdam Thela dissertation (dissertation).Dyer, L. Reeves, T. (1995). HR strategies and firm performance what do we know and where do we need to go. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 6, p.656-670 Guest, D.E. (1997). Human resource management and performance.International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8 (3), 263-275.Guest, D.E. (1999). Human resource management The Workers Verdict.Human Resource Management Journal, 9 (3), 5-25Guest, D.E. (2001). Human resource management When research confronts theory. International Journal Human Resource Management, 12 (7), 10-25Huselid, M.A. (1995). The impact of human resource mana gement practices on turn-over, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of management journal, 38, 635-672.Lepak, D.P. Snell, S.A. (2002). Examining the Human Resource Architecture The relations among Human Capital, involution and Human Resource Configurations. Journal of Management, 28 (4), 517-543.MacDuffie, J.P. (1995). Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48 (2), 197-221Ostroff, C., Bowen, D. E. (2000). Moving HR to a higher level HR practices and organizational effectiveness. In K. J. Klein S. W. J. Koslowski (Eds.), Multilevel theory, research, and methods in organizations.Tsui, A.S., Pearce, J.L., Porter, L.W., Tripoli, A.M. (1997). Alternative approaches to employee-organizational relationship Does investment in employees pay off? Academy of management journal, 40 (5), 1089-1121 Tsui, A.S., Wang (2002). employ relationships from the employers perspective Current Research and Future Directions. Int ernational Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 17, 77-114Vroom, V. (1964). Work and Motivation. New York John Wiley and Sons Whitener, E.M. (2001). Do high commitment human resource practices affect employee commitment? A cross-level analysis using hierarchical linear modeling. Journal of Management, 27, p.515-535.Wright, P.M. McMahan, G.C. (1992). Theoretical perspectives for strategic human resource management. Journal of Management, 18, 195-320.Wright, P.M. Gardner, T.M. (2003) The Human Resource-Firm Performance relationship Methodological and Theoretical Challenges in Holman, D., Wall, T.D, Clegg, C.W., Sparrow, P. Howard, A. (Eds.) The New Workplace A guide to the human impact of modern working practices.