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Enabled by increased (“big”) data stocks and advanced (“machine learning”) analyses, the concept of human resource analytics (HRA) is expected to systematically improve decisions in human resource management (HRM). Since so far empirical evidence on this is, however, lacking, the authors' study examines which combinations of data and analyses are employed and which combinations deliver on the promise of improved decision quality.

Theoretically, the paper employs a neo-configurational approach for founding and conceptualizing HRA. Methodically, based on a sample of German organizations, two varieties (crisp set and multi-value) of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) are employed to identify combinations of data and analyses sufficient and necessary for HRA success.

The authors' study identifies existing configurations of data and analyses in HRM and uncovers which of these configurations cause improved decision quality. By evidencing that and which combinations of data and analyses conjuncturally cause decision quality, the authors' study provides a first confirmation of HRA success.

Major limitations refer to the cross-sectional and national sample and the usage of subjective measures. Major implications are the suitability of neo-configurational approaches for future research on HRA, while deeper conceptualizing and researching both the characteristics and outcomes of HRA constitutes a core future task.

The authors' paper employs an innovative theoretical-methodical approach to explain and analyze conditions that conjuncturally cause decision quality therewith offering much needed empirical evidence on HRA success.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether controllers are willing to and/or general managers are expecting them to act as business partners and, hence, to analyze the related consequences from a manager’s point of view.

This study is based on a dyadic data set gathered from 112 German head controllers and corresponding general managers in the period of March to May 2009. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975), the authors examine controllers’ attitude, subjective norm and behavior regarding their participation in managerial decision-making. Further, the authors analyze general managers’ assessment of related outcomes, such as internal efficiency and process improvements and use covariance-based structural equation modeling to test for the theoretical relationships.

Results show that controllers’ behavior is strongly influenced by management’s expectations. Moreover, the results support the notion that business partnering is associated with organizational improvements regarding internal processes, decisions and efficiency, thereby increasing the contribution of the controllers’ department to the competiveness of an organization.

Our study focuses on a limited set of variables and does not incorporate different hierarchy levels, which could be avenues for further research. Still, our findings highlight the importance of management’s expectations as triggers for business-oriented behavior of controllers.

Theory and empirical evidence in the research area of controllers’ business orientation are still underdeveloped and, therefore, knowledge about the micro-processes and determinants on an individual level for becoming a business partner, as well as on the related outcomes of such a behavior is still limited. The results contribute to literature by highlighting the importance of general managers’ expectations as triggers for business orientation of controllers and its related benefits for the organization.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of national culture on organizations’ use of selection practices, specifically to investigate the impact of in-group collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and power distance on interview panels, one-on-one interviews, applications forms, references, ability, technical and psychometric tests.

This study uses survey data from the 2008–2010 CRANET database. It uses OLS regression analysis to test the impact of national culture on organizations’ use of selection practices.

In-group collectivism increases the use of panel interviews and technical tests, and decreases the use of one-on-one interviews and application forms. Uncertainty avoidance increases the use of panel interviews and technical tests, and a decrease in one-on-one interviews, applications ability, and psychometric tests. Power distance leads to an increase in one-on-one interviews, applications and ability tests, and a decrease in panel interviews, psychometric tests and references.

This paper investigates the use of the impact of national culture on selection practices. Specifically, it looks at the use of a large number of selection practices panel interviews, one-on-one interviews, applications and references, and several different tests, ability, technical and psychometric.

The purpose of this paper is to build on previous studies on the link between objective and subjective person-organization fit (P-O fit) and argue that the strength between objective and subjective fit is contingent on advertisement attractiveness and organizational image. Accordingly, the authors observe if advertisement attractiveness and organizational image help to strengthen the objective-subjective P-O fit relation.

The authors conduct a survey among 942 individuals and compare between prospective jobseeker (n=629) and actual jobseeker (n=313) subsamples.

Generally, the authors show that ad advertisements positively moderates the relation between objective and subjective fit. Moreover, the authors show that advertisement attractiveness moderates the relationship between objective and subjective fit for prospective jobseekers while the moderating influence of advertisement attractiveness is not significant for actual jobseekers. Organizational image, however, is shown to act as a negative moderator, particularly for the actual jobseeker sample.

The authors aim to contribute to prior research by emphasizing how the link between objective and subjective P-O fit can be elevated by cues such as advertisement attractiveness and might be disturbed by a very good organizational image.

This study informs practitioners how two important recruitment signals, job advertisement and organizational image, influence the transmission of objective into subjective fit and thus help firms to improve their recruitment efforts.

Even though many studies support the effects of P-O fit on organizational attractiveness or application intentions, only little is known in terms of how the relationship between the two dimensions of P-O fit – objective and subjective fit – can be positively influenced. Hence, there is a lack of understanding of how firms can focus their recruitment efforts effectively on highly fitting individuals.

This article raises the question of to what extent functional flexibility is an operatively designed approach with which European companies confront current short‐term changes in their environment, and whether functional flexibility is integrated into long‐term human resource strategies. The proposition is tested that organisations with a strategic human resource management in the sense of a coordinated, objective‐oriented personnel management pattern, show a higher probability of using job rotation than organisations lacking a strategic‐oriented human resource management approach.

The purpose of this paper is to examine which factors influence the cross‐national organizational adoption of electronic human resource management (e‐HRM) in Europe.

Major general and contextual influence factors are derived and tested based on a large‐scale survey with a sample of 2,336 organizations in 23 European countries using logistic regression.

The findings first reveal that e‐HRM is a common practice throughout Europe since two‐thirds of all organizations have already adopted e‐HRM. Major general determinants of e‐HRM adoption are size, work organization, and configuration of HRM. In addition, there are major cross‐national differences in e‐HRM adoption, unexpectedly revealing Eastern post‐communist countries to lead e‐HRM adoption.

Abundance of general and scarcity of contextual factors imply that there should be further important factors of adoption not considered in this paper. Owing to its cross‐sectional character, the paper is not able to reveal findings of convergence or divergence of adoption over time.

HR professionals should be informed about the advanced state of e‐HRM adoption, while some general insights are offered which kind of organizations should take an adoption of e‐HRM into consideration.

This paper is a large‐scale sample‐based evaluation of cross‐national influence factors that drive organizational adoption of e‐HRM in Europe.

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to suggest a dynamic framework to investigate foreign market mode choices of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) over time.

Design/methodology/approach – We introduce a dynamic economic perspective drawing on the behavioural Uppsala Internationalisation Model (UIM) and the economic Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) framework. Often stigmatised as being static, TCE can benefit from the dynamic nature of the UIM. The UIM framework, however, can benefit from the economic determinants of the TCE.

Findings – We test the framework and our hypotheses in a dataset of 206 internationally operating German SMEs with the two data points initial and subsequent mode choice in the same foreign market. Thereby we demonstrate the hypothesised shifting effects of asset specificity and learning on the chosen foreign market mode over time.

Originality/value: The contribution of this chapter is on the link between the UIM and TCE. Particularly for SMEs, dynamics are relevant due to limited international experience and the notion of efficiency is important due to resource constraints. The investigation along the two data points, initial mode and subsequent mode, provides new insights into the effects of asset specificity and learning over time.

The purpose of this paper is to draw on the author’s background testing resilience in “no fail” organisations at the heart of UK government. The paper outlines a lean approach to high-impact training for strategic leaders, achieved in the form of low-cost exercises and harnessed to build resilience by surfacing risks, engaging with options and modelling decision outcomes. Repeated rehearsal of crisis and risk management responses grows organisational resilience and human capacity and reduces reputational, legal, operational and other costs.

The methodology employed scenario-driven exercises (SDEs) is described for the first time in the open literature.

Approaches such as SDEs build strategic resilience through effective training and learning, focusing on the fundamental priorities of strategic delivery, reputation and crisis management through avoiding and reacting to challenging circumstances.

By being targeted at probing and gaming participants’ taking of decisions and logic of analysing available information, the use of frugal SDEs can provide substantial value in organisations where robust testing is welcomed and its findings implemented.

SDEs are described for the first time in the open literature.

The present study aims to analyze the predictive value of three motivational dispositions (need for achievement, need for affiliation, and need for power) for job involvement and organizational commitment and to investigate cross‐cultural differences between Germany and South Korea between these predictions.

A sample of South‐Korean (N=209) and German (n=198) executive MBA students was surveyed. Using multi‐group structural equation modeling, the associations between the three needs and JI and OC and cross‐cultural differences in these associations are investigated. In addition, a test is conductedd for cross‐cultural equivalence of the measures as an important prerequisite of quantitative analyses.

The results reveal that need for achievement and need for power are related to JI but that only need for achievement is related to OC. In addition, significant differences were not found across either country in these relationships. Tests of cross‐cultural equivalence showed at least partial invariance of all measures.

Future research should replicate the results in other employee populations. Furthermore, future research should incorporate more than two countries and countries with larger differences on cultural orientations.

The study shows that motivational dispositions should be considered in HRM practices and leadership behaviour.

The view on JI and OC is broadended by consideration of dispositions, whereas traditional research focuses on contextual factors.

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the literature on the relationship between age diversity (AD) and the essential team outcomes (i.e. performance quality, financial performance, innovation and creativity, effectiveness, satisfaction, and turnover).

The authors conduct a meta-analysis of the relationship between AD and team outcomes using a sample of 74 studies. Furthermore, the authors investigate the role of contextual factors (task complexity, type of performance evaluation, study setting, team size, age cohort) as moderators of the AD-team outcome relationship.

The results show no significant overall relationships between AD and team outcomes, except for turnover (r=0.11, p < 0.05). Moderator analyses reveal significant albeit weak differences regarding task complexity, team size, and age cohort.

The authors extend previous research by quantitatively reviewing the AD-team outcome relationship. By showing that AD is only related to turnover, the authors provide counter-evidence to many scholars arguing for the importance of AD for team outcomes. Additionally, the authors found some potential sources of the conflicting findings observed in the literature by considering contextual factors.