Explaining the Performance of Human Resource Management

This book challenges the widely held view that we can scientifically measure the link between human resource management and organizational performance.

Steve Fleetwood (Author), Anthony Hesketh (Author)

9780521699358, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 27 October 2011

362 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.49 kg

'… this book speaks well to the UK tradition of empirical workplace research, and is a valid plea for theoretical rigour in a world where churning out academic articles is now an end in itself … it is a uniquely challenging and thought-provoking contribution that should appeal to all academics and researchers concerned with understanding the [world] of work.' Industrial Relations Journal

Human resource departments increasingly use the statistical analysis of performance indicators as a way of demonstrating their contribution to organizational performance. In this book, Steve Fleetwood and Anthony Hesketh take issue with this 'scientific' approach by arguing that its preoccupation with statistical analysis is misplaced because it fails to take account of the complexities of organizations and the full range of issues that influence individual performance. The book is split into three parts. Part I deconstructs research into the alleged link between people and business performance by showing that it cannot explain the associations it alleges. Part II attributes these shortcomings to the importation of spurious 'scientific' methods, before going on to suggest more appropriate methods that might be used in future. Finally, Part III explores how HR executives and professionals understand their work and shows how a critical realist stance adds value to this understanding through enhanced explanation.

List of figures
List of tables
Acknowledgements
Preface
Part I. HRM and Organisational Performance Today: 1. Crisis? What crisis?
2. Tracking the emergence of the human resource management-performance link paradigm
Part II. Meta-Theorising the HRM-P Link: 3. The state of contemporary research on the HRM-performance link: a technical analysis
4. Scientism: the meta-theory underlying empirical research on the HRM-P link
5. Prediction, explanation and theory
6. Critical realism: a meta-theory for analyzing HRM and performance
Part III. Reflexive Performance: 7. Putting critical realism to work
Index.

Subject Areas: Personnel & human resources management [KJMV2], Management & management techniques [KJM], Business strategy [KJC], Business & management [KJ]