Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management: Volume 20

In this paper, we review current theoretical thinking about organizational justice. We contend that there are three major perspectives for understanding why justice perceptions predict work-relevant criteria: (a) an instrumental approach which emphasizes gains and losses, (b) an inter-personal approach which emphasizes the nature of the relationships among individuals and organizations, and (c) a moral principles approach which emphasizes commitment to ethical standards. We review each of these perspectives, identify the many conceptual frameworks that underlie each approach, and describe both common themes and gaps that exist between the three approaches.

This paper applies marketing concepts to the recruitment research literature in order to develop the concept of employer knowledge, or the beliefs that a job seeker holds about a potential employer. Job seekers' employer knowledge creates value for an organization because it determines how they pursue and process information about the organization, whether they accept jobs with the organization, what they expect from the organization as new employees, and whether they purchase products and services from the firm in the future. Drawing on the marketing literature, this paper: (1) differentiates the dimensions of employer knowledge, (2) describes the sources of employer knowledge and how these information sources are processed by job seekers, and (3) describes how and why job seekers' employer knowledge represents a valuable asset to organizations. The discussion illustrates the implications of the model for recruitment researchers and managers, and suggests new perspectives and research directions that emerge from integrating of marketing and recruiting literatures.

The strategic management of human resources (HR) has been one of the most rapidly growing areas of research within human resources. In the last decade, there have been numerous empirical examinations and theoretical treatments of the link between HR and firm performance. In this paper, we review this empirical and conceptual literature and highlight areas of agreement and those that need further development. We then begin the process of building a conceptual framework based on this review and the extensive employment systems literature. Using our framework, we then discuss several methodological concerns that must be addressed for continued substantive research to proceed. We conclude with our suggestions for future empirical and conceptual work.

Strategic human resource management (HRM) research has been dominated by a best-practice perspective that calls for seeing uniformity and stability in HRM practices across organizations. The dominance of the best practice perspective occurs despite the many theoretical arguments and typologies that suggest there is variety and change in HRM practices. We argue that strategic HRM research will gain considerably from bringing in variety and change in HRM practices. We propose a theoretical framework that examines both variety and change at the organizational and the population level based on the strength or lack of competitive and institutional pressures in an organizational field. The framework identifies how variety arises in different ways and change takes different forms. We illustrate the framework in the contexts of the taxicab industry, large corporate law firms, and university tenure system. We conclude by discussing the implications of the framework for strategic HRM research.

Although the study of unions and their effects has a long history, only recently have researchers begun to analyze unions as organizations. In such studies, the union itself is a focus, rather than its effects or the behavior of individuals in relation to unions. Some key topics include union environments, goals, strategies, structures, and outcomes, including innovation and effectiveness. This paper reviews recent research in order to summarize current knowledge on national unions as organizations, and offers suggestions for further research. Particular attention is devoted to national unions, as they occupy a critical place in the network of union organizations. U.S. unions have faced serious challenges in recent decades, and their efforts to cope with these and adapt to their changing environments may have lessons for the study of organizations more generally.

Scholars studying downsizing and performance often concentrate on one aspect of the phenomenon at a time without addressing the totality of factors influencing organizations. The result is that some proclaim improvements from cost trimming and strategic focus, while others assert deterioration in performance due to employee resentment and negative societal reactions. This review integrates disparate findings using the stakeholder theory of the organization, developing a model relating organizational actions to stakeholder evaluations and reactions, which ultimately affect profitability and survival. Research propositions are developed based on evidence from a wide variety of literature bases, including organizational behavior, management, sociology, finance, and medicine. Additionally, implications of this model for future theory and research regarding organizational downsizing are developed.

Although employee silence is pervasive in organizations, its study has been neglected for a variety of reasons, including the assumption that it is a unitary concept meaning little more than inactive endorsement. We review disparate literatures to reveal additional meanings and conceptual complexities related to silence to stimulate its study in work organizations. We develop the concept of employee silence and introduce two attendant forms (i.e. quiescence and acquiescence) along with their behavioral, affective, and cognitive components. We also offer a model that explains why some mistreated employees become silent, how some break their silence, and what organizational contexts produce and reinforce employee silence. Implications of the model for human resource management as well as for future research are discussed.

This paper analyzes the impact of the Converging Economy on the role and function of human resource management (HRM) practice and research. The forces driving convergence - information technology, globalization, and the importance of human assets - are discussed and then related to both HRM practice and research. We identify and discuss nine cutting-edge practices that firms have developed to cope with the changes brought about by the Converging Economy. These practices have potential significance for managers and scholars alike: they may serve as exemplars for organizations needing to navigate the shifting terrain of the Converging Economy. After discussing these practical responses to the changing environment, we discuss several promising new ways to apply theory to this area as a guide for future HRM researchers.