IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/rai/mamere/1861-9908_mrev_2005_02_stavrou.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Configurational Approach to Linking Strategic Human Resource Management Bundles with Business Performance: Myth or Reality?

Author

Listed:
  • Eleni T. Stavrou

    (University of Cyprus, Department of Pubic and Business Administration)

  • Chris Brewster

    (Henley Management College)

Abstract

Strategic human resource management has been linked to competitive advantage and in turn to organizational performance. This linkage has been viewed from a universal, a contextual or a configurational perspective. Adopting the latter perspective, the authors of the present study investigate the possible Strategic HRM Bundles of competitive advantage within the EU and the extent to which these bundles are linked to business performance. The exploration revealed fifteen bundles: six of which have a positive and one has a negative relation to performance. These results raise theoretical as well as practical implications about the extent to which HRM is viewed strategically within the EU business context.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleni T. Stavrou & Chris Brewster, 2005. "The Configurational Approach to Linking Strategic Human Resource Management Bundles with Business Performance: Myth or Reality?," management revue. Socio-economic Studies, Rainer Hampp Verlag, vol. 16(2), pages 186-201.
    • Handle: RePEc:rai:mamere:1861-9908_mrev_2005_02_stavrou
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.hampp-verlag.de/hampp_e-journals_mrev.htm#205
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peter Boxall & Mike Steeneveld, 1999. "Human Resource Strategy and Competitive Advantage: A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Consultancies," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 443-463, July.
    2. Mark R. Rank & Thomas A. Hirschl, 2001. "Rags or Riches? Estimating the Probabilities of Poverty and Affluence across the Adult American Life Span," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 82(4), pages 651-669, December.
    3. Gannon, Martin J. & Flood, Patrick C. & Paauwe, Jaap, 1999. "Managing human resources in the third era: Economic perspectives," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 41-47.
    4. Robert R. Wiggins & Timothy W. Ruefli, 2002. "Sustained Competitive Advantage: Temporal Dynamics and the Incidence and Persistence of Superior Economic Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(1), pages 81-105, February.
    5. John A. Pearce & D. Keith Robbins & Richard B. Robinson, 1987. "The impact of grand strategy and planning formality on financial performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(2), pages 125-134, March.
    6. John Paul Macduffie, 1995. "Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance: Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 48(2), pages 197-221, January.
    7. Harris, Lloyd C. & Ogbonna, Emmanuel, 2001. "Strategic human resource management, market orientation, and organizational performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 157-166, February.
    8. Ichniowski, Casey & Shaw, Kathryn & Prennushi, Giovanna, 1997. "The Effects of Human Resource Management Practices on Productivity: A Study of Steel Finishing Lines," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(3), pages 291-313, June.
    9. Jangwoo Lee & Danny Miller, 1999. "People matter: commitment to employees, strategy and performance in Korean firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(6), pages 579-593, June.
    10. Clint Chadwick & Larry W. Hunter & Stephen L. Walston, 2004. "Effects of downsizing practices on the performance of hospitals," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(5), pages 405-427, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Roque Gomes & Vanda Asseiro & Neuza Ribeiro, 2013. "Triggering Employee Motivation in Adverse Organizational Contexts: ¡°Going the Extra Mile¡± while Holding Hands with Uncertainty?," Business and Management Research, Business and Management Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 2(1), pages 41-54, March.
    2. Sinikka Vanhala & Kaija Tuomi, 2006. "HRM, Company Performance and Employee Well-being," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 17(3), pages 241-255.
    3. Klaas Szierbowski-Seibel & Marius Claus Wehner & Rüdiger Kabst, 2019. "Outsourcing and Excellence of Core HR Practices: Comparing institutional mechanisms among market economies," Working Papers Dissertations 48, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    4. Klaas Szierbowski-Seibel & Marius Claus Wehner & Rüdiger Kabst, 2019. "HR Integration, HR Strategy, and HR Partnership - Comparing the "Strategic Partner" between the USA and Germany," Working Papers Dissertations 47, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    5. Stavrou, Eleni T. & Charalambous, Christakis & Spiliotis, Stelios, 2007. "Human resource management and performance: A neural network analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 181(1), pages 453-467, August.
    6. Weis, Peter & Schaefer, Robert, 2012. "Enhancing recognition as HR-Business Partner by implementing Workforce-Differentiation?," Journal of Applied Leadership and Management, Hochschule Kempten - University of Applied Sciences, Professional School of Business & Technology, vol. 1, pages 53-76.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stavrou, Eleni T. & Charalambous, Christakis & Spiliotis, Stelios, 2007. "Human resource management and performance: A neural network analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 181(1), pages 453-467, August.
    2. Sharon Novak & Scott Stern, 2009. "Complementarity Among Vertical Integration Decisions: Evidence from Automobile Product Development," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(2), pages 311-332, February.
    3. Fibla Gasparín, Ma. Teresa, 2010. "Productivity in southern European small firms: When and how work organization complements process innovation," Working Papers 2072/179600, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Economics.
    4. Derek C. Jones & Takao Kato, 2011. "The Impact of Teams on Output, Quality, and Downtime: An Empirical Analysis Using Individual Panel Data," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 64(2), pages 215-240, January.
    5. Erik Brynjolfsson & Kristina McElheran, 2016. "Data in Action: Data-Driven Decision Making in U.S. Manufacturing," Working Papers 16-06, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    6. Michael J. Handel & Maury Gittleman, 1999. "Is There a Wage Payoff to Innovative Work Practices?," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_288, Levy Economics Institute.
    7. Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Russo, Giovanni, 2015. "Heterogeneity of Skill Needs and Job Complexity: Evidence from the OECD PIAAC Survey," IZA Discussion Papers 9392, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. John Forth & Alex Bryson, 2019. "Management practices and SME performance," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 66(4), pages 527-558, September.
    9. Chris Brewster & Paul N Gooderham & Torben Schubert, 2016. "Human Resource Management: The Promise, the Performance, the Consequences," John H Dunning Centre for International Business Discussion Papers jhd-dp2016-07, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
    10. Andreas Georgiadis & Christos N. Pitelis, 2010. "The Interrelationship between HR, Strategy and Profitability in Service SMEs: Empirical Evidence from the UK Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Sector," CEP Discussion Papers dp0972, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    11. Storey, D. J., 2002. "Education, training and development policies and practices in medium-sized companies in the UK: do they really influence firm performance?," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 249-264, August.
    12. Rita Campos e Cunha & Miguel Pina e Cunha, 2004. "Impact of strategy, HRM strength and HRM bundles on innovation performance and organizational performance," Nova SBE Working Paper Series wp464, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics.
    13. Mats Alvesson & Dan Kärreman, 2007. "Unraveling HRM: Identity, Ceremony, and Control in a Management Consulting Firm," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(4), pages 711-723, August.
    14. Bloom, Nicholas & Van Reenen, John, 2011. "Human Resource Management and Productivity," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 19, pages 1697-1767, Elsevier.
    15. Haim Mendelson, 2000. "Organizational Architecture and Success in the Information Technology Industry," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(4), pages 513-529, April.
    16. Michael Gibbs & Alec Levenson & Cindy Zoghi, 2010. "Why are jobs designed the way they are?," Research in Labor Economics, in: Jobs, Training, and Worker Well-being, pages 107-154, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    17. Silvia Sacchetti & Ermanno C. Tortia, 2014. "A human growth perspective on organizational resources, worker satisfaction and firm performance," Euricse Working Papers 1466, Euricse (European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises).
    18. Casey Ichniowski & Kathryn Shaw, 1999. "The Effects of Human Resource Management Systems on Economic Performance: An International Comparison of U.S. and Japanese Plants," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 45(5), pages 704-721, May.
    19. Rakas, Marija & Hain, Daniel S., 2019. "The state of innovation system research: What happens beneath the surface?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    20. de Kok, Jan & Uhlaner, Lorraine M, 2001. "Organization Context and Human Resource Management in the Small Firm," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 273-291, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Business Performance; Competitive Advantage; Strategic Human Resource Management;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • J53 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Labor-Management Relations; Industrial Jurisprudence
    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:rai:mamere:1861-9908_mrev_2005_02_stavrou. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Rainer Hampp (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.hampp-verlag.de/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.