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The causal conditions leading to successful human resources outsourcing (HRO) have until now attracted only limited research attention. To address this shortcoming, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how a firm and a HR provider should work together to ensure successful HRO.

By applying a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, the authors demonstrate how combining in different ways provider quality, business understanding, trust, and closed HRO networks can lead to HRO success. In addition, this study compares the causal combinations between cases with differing levels of HR-task interdependence and IT use.

The results of this study reveal three common solutions that lead to successful HRO from both economic and relational viewpoints. The findings also indicate that, from an economic viewpoint, trust is a core condition for achieving HRO success. Moreover, HR-task interdependence and IT use alter the number of solutions and the conditions for attaining HRO success.

Based on the solutions proposed herein, firms can consider different ways to achieve HRO success under diverse conditions.

This work also contributes to building new theories regarding HRO, trust, knowledge sharing, and IT use.

A Chinese proverb states: “Able people should do more work.” Although working hard is a common workplace phenomenon, does it lead to burnout in capable people? This study aims to examine the interactive effects of superior-perceived capability and subordinates’ self-efficacy on subordinate job demands, job involvement and burnout in frontline employees in the hospitality industry.

Data on 41 superiors and 161 subordinates from 16 hotels in Taiwan were collected. Hierarchical linear modeling is used to examine the research hypotheses.

The findings support the hypothesis that self-efficacy leads to high levels of burnout and job involvement. However, superior-perceived capability has no impact on subordinate job demand, job involvement or burnout. While job demands are positively related to the emotional exhaustion of burnout, job involvement is negatively related to depersonalization of burnout. In addition, job involvement partially mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depersonalization of burnout.

Based on the job demands–resources theory, this study reveals the fresh point of view for the effect of self-efficacy on burnout. This paper explores the dark-side role of self-efficacy for burnout – higher self-efficacy leads to higher burnout – that is contrary to the findings from previous studies and hinges on Chinese cultural values. In addition, the current study provides guidelines for top managers to protect capable employees from burnout by enhancing intrinsic motivation and job involvement.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a mediation model for understanding how favoritism, in the context of the leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, influences subordinate-rated LMX via the subordinates’ perception of organizational justice.

The sample comprised 39 managers and 159 employees working in local branches of banks in Taiwan. While the managers were asked to rate their LMX scores with all employees, three to five employees were randomly selected to participate in a survey which included two phases with a time lag of three months. Given the nested structure of the data, hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the mediation model.

The findings support the mediation model, indicating that LMX favoritism can significantly influence subordinate-rated LMX by enhancing subordinates’ justice perception.

The study contributes to the existing LMX research by showing that a superior’s LMX favoritism may change subordinate-rated LMX over time.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of the decision of whether to outsource human resources (HR). Two moderators are considered: the lack of in-house HR expertise and positive HR outcome.

This study uses data collected from 85 Vietnamese firms of different sizes. Regression analysis is used to examine the research hypotheses.

The strategic involvement of HR management is positively related to the decision to outsource HR. As expected, a positive significant relationship exists between cost reduction and the decision to outsource HR for non-core HR activities. For core HR activities, demand uncertainty relates positively to the decision to outsource HR, and the lack of HR expertise moderates the process of HR outsourcing (HRO).

Although the focus on firms in Vietnam may help to control for cultural factors, it may also limit generalizability. Because of the limited number of samples, this study cannot compare results across different industries. Future research should focus on the cross-cultural aspects of this issue or compare differences across industries.

This study provides HR managers with guidelines for making appropriate decisions regarding HRO. Vendors can exploit aspects of core vs non-core activities to provide professional services that satisfy the demands of firms.

Based on a theoretical approach, this work analyzes the decision to outsource HR in developing countries, an area that heretofore has received scant research attention.