Review symposium‐“I rest my case …”: recent texts in the area of human resource management

Citation

Rowley, C. (2001), "Review symposium‐“I rest my case …”: recent texts in the area of human resource management", Personnel Review, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 488-493. https://doi.org/10.1108/pr.2001.30.4.488.1

Cases and Exercises in Human Resource Management

G.E. Stevens

Irwin

London

1996

6th ed.,

pp. xxi + 512,

£18.99 (pbk)

ISBN 0 256 11735 7

Organizational Behaviour and Change in Europe: Case Studies

F. Chevalier and M. Segalla (Eds)

Sage

London

1996

pp. x + 258

£15.99 (pbk)

ISBN 0 803 97910 X.

Managing Human Resources

A. Cowling and C. Mailer (Eds)

Arnold

London

1998

3rd ed.

pp. xvi + 271

£14.99 (pbk)

ISBN 0 340 69253 7

Human Resource Management

D. Torrington and L. Hall

London

1998

4th ed.

pp. xxvii + 717

£24.95 (pbk)

ISBN 0 136 26532 4

Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Perspective

I. Beardwell and L. Holden

1997

Pitman

London

2nd ed.

pp. xvii + 797

£24 (pbk)

ISBN 0 273 62230 7

Experiencing HRM

C. Mabey, D. Skinner and T. Clark (Eds)

Sage

London

1998

pp. xiv + 256

£16.99 (pbk) £49.50 (hbk)

ISBN 0 761 95117 2

Human resource management, Organizational behaviourt, Bookst

The area of the “management of people” and related issues remains critical to many areas of life and socio‐economic and political discourse. It is also an important part of a large swath of courses of a variety of types. We have moved from a position of a dearth of suitable teaching books (especially from UK publishers) to a glut. In addition, the shortage of cases has been addressed somewhat. Now there are more and more books and a sample is covered here, some of which will be more known about than others. This collection of work is written for a range of audiences and subjects and issues are tackled in a variety of ways. An overview of each of the books, and their main coverage and contents, is provided. Some weaknesses and criticism of the books are also noted.

Stevens provides 68 entries (49 from the previous edition plus 19 new ones) of varying length and style, and settings, based on “real life” situations. They are a mix of types: incident cases (“mini cases” of timely and relevant aspects of HRM); role playing exercises; cost‐benefit exercises; experience exercises (requiring fieldwork to understand a problem); experiences in HRM (involving the solving of HR problems or responding to a survey instrument); in‐basket exercises. These cases cover most of the common areas of HRM, such as job analysis and planning, equal opportunities, staffing and orientation, career management, appraisal and training, remuneration, health and safety. Also, some unusual topics are covered, such as “difficult employees” and “discharge”/“turnover”. Usefully, there is also a large (309 page), comprehensive Instructor’s Manual, with cases covered by means of, for example, summary, objectives and key issues, discussion questions, what happened section; role play summaries, goals, and guidance, where applicable.

There are a few problems with this book. There is a bewildering list of contributors – 51 plus 29 “other contributors”. Also, there is a presentational issue – why not start fresh cases on new pages? More importantly, the book is also too US‐centric in both its issues and coverage. It certainly needs more on international HRM.

The book edited by Chevalier and Segalla addresses key issues in European organisations via a range of commissioned long cases giving breadth and complexity and also location in the context of broader markets and issues. The cases follow the same format: abstract, national cultural context, main text, theoretical themes or practical issues, assignment and suggested reading. The themes covered include: internationalisation of management; managing growth, decline and crises; transforming cultures; organizational design, learning and change; leadership; decision making; autonomy and control; environmental adaptation. The cases are embedded in very different cultures, which are explicitly considered. These include: Credit Lyonnais (large French bank); Glaverbel (large Belgian glass company); Humanitarian Foundation (large Dutch international aid agency founded in 1876); Italdata Italiana (large Italian software firm); Joaquin Candel (medium‐sized Spanish hardware wholesaler); Kogen Osterreich (large Austrian grocery co‐operative retailer); Rhine and Rhone Transport (“composite” of a major Dutch haulage company); SR‐Bank (medium‐sized Norwegian bank); Rodeby School (Swedish municipal school). The editors provide a useful one page matrix of basic profile, coverage and issues of cases. Also, the “potted” cultural contexts and sectoral overviews for each case are useful. No doubt these will make some appearance in student work.

There are some problems with this collection. There are some missing cases and “cultures”, not least UK, Germany, or East European examples. Also, the book is far too culturalist and the weaknesses to this and possible alternative frameworks and theories, such as convergence, contingency and institutional need to be included for balance and fairness.

The Cowling and Mailer book has 13 chapters in all. The “usual suspects” are covered, such as strategy; recruitment; selection; training, culture and organisational development and change; professional development; employee relations; law; equal opportunities; motivation; remuneration; appraisals; international HRM. It is also well priced.

However, there are some general and specific problems. I was unsure what this book aims to be. If it is to be a “text book”, then it is not in the right “style” (i.e. layout, font, colours, cases). Yet, neither is it a more academic book as it is not reporting fresh theories or research. It is also variable in content. For example, the key area of employee relations (Chapter 7) was dealt with in just 12 sides, while 16 sides were given over to the more tangential and narrow area of professional development (Chapter 6). Some chapters are short of references, e.g. none in Chapter 8, just 13 in Chapter 11 and 17 in Chapter 12, while there were 203 in Chapter 13. Only some chapters had separate “Introduction” (Chapters 3, 7, 9‐11) or “Concluding” (Chapters 4, 8) sections. Some cross‐referencing between chapters (i.e. as in Chapters 11 and 12) would be useful.

In particular, Chapter 1 is naïve in terms of the wealth of important strategy literature, i.e. Child, Hyman, etc., and seems more based on standard organisational behaviour type issues, such as structure, than the HRM strategy debate. It is also unfocused and vacuous in places, i.e. what does the following actually mean: “only a handful of British companies reach international standards of excellence and quality” (p. 15). Some chapters seemed out of place in this sort of book, i.e. Chapters 5 (organisational development) and 6 (professional development), and could be replaced by topics more integral to HRM, such a trade unions, the state, labour markets and so on. Likewise, Chapter 13 is out of line with rest of chapters in content, length and style. Also, it is too culturalist (and hagiographic). The weaknesses of such views, and the alternatives, need to be noted. It has a very abrupt ending and seems to stop almost mid‐flow (p. 249). Neither does this single chapter deserve to be listed as a “Section”!

Torrington and Hall is a huge volume – some 700 plus pages and 36 chapters in eight sections (although the last contains just a single chapter). It is an explicit and full blown text book, i.e. in layout with “Window on Practice” boxes (company practice, surveys, anecdotes, quotes), “Activity” boxes (to review and apply understanding at regular intervals by responding to questions or undertaking small assignment); “Summary Propositions”, “General Discussion Topics”; and at the end of each section (except the last) “Case Study Problems” and “Examination Questions”. It comes with a Resource Manual and extra cases and useful OHP templates. The normal aspects of HRM are covered, such as its nature, strategy, planning, communications, involvement, resourcing, selection, performance, development, careers, trade unions, health, safety and welfare, grievance and discipline, remuneration, job evaluation.

There are some general and specific problems. Some of the book’s coverage would be of more direct relevance to organisational behaviour (i.e. cultures and structure) or even generic books (i.e. presentation skills, work of consultants) and some (i.e. pensions and sick pay) are far beyond typical HRM texts. In the choice between breadth and depth, the authors have gone for former over latter. Also, what is the point of references to “our research”? It raises more questions than it answers. For example, on flexibility (p. 176) when the authors relate interviews with “… respondents with whom we discussed flexibility …”. Who were these people, what sectors, what selection criteria were used? I was unsure how far the authors meet their aims of integrating international HRM in the text. For example, appraisals would be the classic place to bring in such work. It is also wrong in some assertions. For example, the failure of Volvo due to low productivity levels (p. 335) is cogently countered by researchers such as Berggren.

Beardwell and Holden is the 2nd edition[1] of a well received text. Colleagues from the same institution cover: HRM’s origins and debates, the labour market, planning, job design, recruitment and selection, learning and development, training, management development, employment contracts, collective bargaining, remuneration, involvement, the public sector, and international HRM (or at least Europe, US and Japan). Again, this is an explicit text book and so makes use of colour and formats and has a mix of activity boxes, questions, exercises and end of part cases. It comes with “how to use this book” guidance for a variety of levels and types of qualifications and an Instructors Manual and useful OHP templates.

However, some key chapters are still missing as “stand alone” ones. Thus, job analysis, interviewing, performance appraisals, managing diversity, health and safety could be more explicitly covered, perhaps with a reduction in less typical areas.

The book edited by Mabey et al., has 14 chapters organised in five parts (the last again a single chapter and just seven pages long). It is based on a 1996 conference at Open University Business School. As John Monks puts it in his foreword, it looks at HRM “… from the perspective of the recipient – and even in some cases the victims – of HRM” (p. xiv). It argues there was a lack of focus on the “inside story” with HRM’s managerial orientation, and outlines the arguments for the “receiving end” perspective. It concludes that many “prized goals” “… remain unproven at best, and unfulfilled at worst” (p. 237) and there is mixed evidence on strategy. In Part 2 a series of cases cover organisation‐wide HR strategies which represent attempts to shift individual attitudes and team‐level or organisational culture. These include employee perceptions of quality management (in a bank, a hotel, two factories – auto components and office technology), the launch of quality management programmes (at a car components manufacturer and a heavy engineering company), a culture change programme (in a medium‐sized Scottish local authority). Part 3 explores the impact of isolated HRM initiatives. Cases include training in a chemicals plant explored via an ethnographic study (six weeks as non‐participant observer), PRP in an Irish food manufacturer recently moving from the public to the private sector, the sharing of HRM practices among an alliance of small and medium‐sized firms in Australia undertaking a common cultural change programme. Part 4 is a further series of HRM policies and processes examining more fully the notion of choice and opportunity. These include an examination of the extent to which industrial relations matters are integrated into strategic decision making in manufacturing and internationally traded services, greenfield sites in Ireland in 1987‐1992, a study of “portfolio” workers, the change from equal opportunities to managing diversity and its links to organisational performance, the nature of organisational socialisation for a group of graduate management trainees in a large retailer over six years, how people learn within organisations with a focus on peer mentoring in two Scottish public sector organisations.

There are some specific problems with some of the chapters here. I was unsure of the appropriateness of the style of Chapter 2’s use of “Let’s” (p. 16) and “I remember …” (p. 15), Ron Todd’s “anecdotes” (p. 19). The authors of Chapter 7 report trade union representatives in the firm refusing cooperation and denying access in a value‐laden way with the label “The only obstacle …” (p. 117). Also, it is difficult to believe this was not expected if they had dealt with workplace unions before. Perhaps the researchers’ own actions and images (perhaps seen as “management spies”) were relevant. Furthermore, the use of a “mystery” trade union official (pp. 118, 125) as a proxy for the union’s position within the company is at best a sleight of hand. The authors of Chapter 8 can be questioned in their listing of those first to refer to regional networks as a means of achieving flexible specialisation (p. 130). This is often merely a gloss to much older lineage back to early twentieth century industrial districts. I would also take issue with the authors of Chapter 12 in their assertion that graduates had little or no experience of work (p. 204). Many students not only work during their studies, but also prior to this.

In conclusion to this review, several points are worth making. There is more and more on the market to help us teach in the area of HRM. This is in terms of explicit texts (Torrington and Hall, Beardwell and Holden), case books (Stevens, Chevalier and Segalla) and collections which can be used in terms of cases (Mabey et al.). However, these show up those that “fall between stools” (Cowling and Mailer). Overall, there is a tendency to go for breadth (even using single chapters as parts/sections as some of the above do) over depth and complexity. Perhaps that is inherent in the nature of the contemporary trends in mass education? Finally, what we do have with this collection is a useful teaching resource. In totality a wealth of cases and examples of varying length, complexity and type and sectoral coverage are used. The international dimension is also covered. Now when having to prepare courses, lectures and seminars, with this collection of books on my shelves, I can rest my case.

Note

1. 1.

   1. Since completing this review a new edition has been published. Without giving the new work the attention it deserves, it seems from a quick glance that substantially the same format and authors have been retained. There seem to be some larger changes with the “old” Chapters 8, 9, 12, 13 and 19 (with a welcome expansion of HRM in Japan to include China, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore). Also, the useful end of part case studies have been changed and updated. I look forward to reading this book in more detail and continuing to use it on courses.