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From legalism to strategic HRM in India? Grievance management in transition

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  • Fang Cooke
  • Debi Saini

Abstract

This study investigates grievance management in India, drawing on data from a survey of 186 managers from companies operating in several different sectors. It examines the changing processes and the role of key institutional actors in the grievance management system. This study reveals varied practices in grievance management in part due to firm history and ownership forms. It highlights the inadequacy of India’s public institutions for grievance redressal on the one hand, and the growing space for firms to introduce private and informal practices on the other, leaving employee welfare largely in the goodwill and competence of the management. We argue that future research on grievance management should adopt a finer contextual and temporal approach to uncover processes and the deeper causes of employee dissatisfaction. It should also adopt an interdisciplinary approach to eliminate the demarcation between the existing human resource management (HRM) and industrial relations research domains and provide a more holistic understanding of what HRM practices may be conducive to developing a healthy workplace relationship and productivity enhancement. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

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  • Fang Cooke & Debi Saini, 2015. "From legalism to strategic HRM in India? Grievance management in transition," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 619-643, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:asiapa:v:32:y:2015:i:3:p:619-643
    DOI: 10.1007/s10490-015-9417-0
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    3. Hari Bapuji & Snehanjali Chrispal & Balagopal Vissa & Gokhan Ertug, 2023. "Local, yet global: Implications of caste for MNEs and international business," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(2), pages 201-234, June.
    4. Mukherjee, Debmalya & Kumar, Satish & Mukherjee, Deepraj & Goyal, Kirti, 2022. "Mapping five decades of international business and management research on India: A bibliometric analysis and future directions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 864-891.
    5. Christopher Chan & Subramaniam Ananthram, 2020. "A neo-institutional perspective on ethical decision-making," Post-Print hal-03107344, HAL.
    6. Paul Higgins & Man-fung Lo, 2018. "The strategic and cultural legitimacy of HR professionalization in Hong Kong," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 35(4), pages 1139-1160, December.
    7. Anil Nair & Orhun Guldiken & Stav Fainshmidt & Amir Pezeshkan, 2015. "Innovation in India: A review of past research and future directions," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 925-958, December.
    8. Beamond, Maria Teresa & Farndale, Elaine & Härtel, Charmine E.J., 2016. "MNE translation of corporate talent management strategies to subsidiaries in emerging economies," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(4), pages 499-510.

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