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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect that a horizontal fit between two functions (human resources (HR) and manufacturing) has on firm performance, distinguishing between fit in objectives and fit in achievements.

This study uses 144 double surveys, addressed to two different respondents per company. Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the mediating role of fit in achievements in the relationship between fit in objectives and performance.

The study provides evidence of the particular way in which the two components of horizontal fit that the authors distinguish (fit in objectives and fit in achievements) the impact on performance: fit in objectives has an indirect effect on performance, which is fully mediated by the fit in achievements. The results also show that environmental dynamism has a significant impact on both the advantages and drawbacks of fit.

By highlighting the importance of both levels of horizontal fit and distinguishing between them, this paper calls upon HR and manufacturing managers to show a greater understanding of the key dimensions common to both areas.

This study analyses horizontal fit by developing a framework of priorities in HR management (HRM) similar to that traditionally used in production management. In particular, it adapts the framework of production competence to the area of HRM to study the fit between the two functional strategies. This study also supports the value chain model proposed by Porter (1985).

Competitive strategy is one of the key factors traditionally related to performance, but research explaining the mechanisms through which this strategy improves business results is scant. This study aims to shed light on this relationship by analyzing human resource management (HRM) strategy as an essential tool for transforming business strategy into results.

Focusing on two generic competitive strategies, the authors establish hypotheses on the need for alignment among four echelons: business strategy, HRM system objectives, HRM system capabilities and business performance. The authors test these hypotheses with structural equation modeling techniques using data provided by 204 industrial companies.

The results show that to get the most out of a competitive strategy based on quality differentiation, HRM system objectives and capabilities must be focussed on quality. In the same way, a competitive strategy based on innovation differentiation requires HRM system objectives and capabilities focussed on flexibility to achieve the maximum impact on performance. In this second case, alignment is fundamental in low dynamic environments.

This research not only provides additional evidence for the strategic relevance of the human resources (HR) function but also reveals the potential benefits of focusing on objectives and capabilities rather than on practices. Moreover, it shows that the role of HRM objectives and capabilities in the implementation of a competitive strategy can be shaped by factors beyond the company's control, such as environmental dynamism.

The extant scholarly research has been delving into several effects of downsizing, such as job insecurity, organizational commitment and innovative behavior. The purpose of this paper is to develop a model proposing organizational commitment as a mediator between job insecurity and innovative behavior. Downsizing survivors – or the individuals who remain when others exit a firm – may have higher job insecurity and lower organizational commitment post‐downsizing, thus lowering their innovative efforts.

The authors collected 224 questionnaires from Portuguese employees and analyzed simultaneous relations with a structural equation modeling.

The analysis of mediating effects suggests that the lack of commitment is not a mediating construct between job insecurity and innovative behavior. However, downsizing directly affects both organizational commitment and innovative behavior.

The innovative behavior seems to be directly affected by job insecurity, raising implications regarding the use of downsizing as a short‐term practice, without acknowledging the long‐term impact on organizational innovative capabilities.

The paper contributes by testing the moderating role of organizational commitment in the relationship between job insecurity and innovative behaviors.

The objective of this paper is to analyze the organizational change in 100 of the largest Spanish firms (a new national context) over the period 1993‐2003 (a more recent time period).

To achieve this purpose, consideration has been given to both traditional organizational categories and new organizational forms, such as cooperative multidivisional, competitive multidivisional, and the internal network. Detailed definitions of the new organizational forms being developed by companies are provided in the paper. Thus, these new organizational forms may differ in several aspects, such as the decision‐making process and integration between divisions.

The results show that over this period, Spanish firms experienced a steadily rising trend towards divisionalization. The cooperative multidivisional structure is the one most frequently adopted in Spain, as opposed to the competitive multidivisional form and the internal network.

The systematic study of the distinctive attributes of the new forms of organization, providing accumulated knowledge, is in an emergent phase of development in the international field, and this work seeks to contribute to such development. The nature of the study strengthens the global implications of the work, and the information obtained from top practitioners in these Spanish firms enhances the contribution of the study.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Results show that to get the most out of a competitive strategy based on quality differentiation, HRM system objectives and capabilities must be focused on quality. In the same way, a competitive strategy based on innovation differentiation requires HRM system objectives and capabilities focused on flexibility to achieve the maximum impact on performance. In this second case, alignment is fundamental in low dynamic environments.

The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical base for buyer-supplier quality outcomes (in the context of a strategic partnership) from the institutional theory of the firm. It examines quality outcomes within a partnership and demonstrates how the partners’ quality outcomes are related.

The paper examines quality outcomes within a strategic supply chain partnership (buyer-supplier) and demonstrates how the partners’ quality performance are related. Correlation analysis is used to examine the research hypothesis.

Utilizing the institutional theory and stakeholder theory of the firm, it is argued that within a strategic partnership, the quality outcomes of the partners are significantly related. By focusing on a strategic alliance within a strategic group in the US airline industry, it is shown that there is a significant relationship among quality outcomes of the partners within the strategic alliance.

The analysis was limited to only one strategic partnership. Future research should examine quality outcomes among multiple strategic partnerships in order to validate the findings of this study.

The study discusses the importance of strategic alliances and networks of firms as determinants of firm quality performance.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of female CEO board members on listed family firms’ corporate default risk, integrating upper echelons theory with social role theory and the socio-emotional wealth approach and proxying default risk with the Black–Scholes–Merton model. It also searches for possible differences attributable to the type of female CEO.

This study is applied to a longitudinal sample of listed US family firms. After a preliminary analysis of the main descriptive, several models are estimated with the system GMM estimator, which is a panel data estimator. The models are dynamic, including the lagged value of the dependent variable. In addition, the model estimation is repeated with a different measure of default risk, for robustness.

This research findings show that default risk diminishes in the presence of a female CEO, whose reduction is even greater if she is a family member. The results are proven to be robust to the measure for proxying default risk.

This study primarily contributes to the existing literature by exploring a possible link between female CEOs, particularly those with a family affiliation, and a lower level of default risk in family firms. It also provides practical implications for policymakers, who would be advised to promote conditions enabling women to contribute towards family business viability. In addition, this study offers encouragement for family business owners to value the potential of their female family members in company succession processes.

The purpose of this paper is to study how job reductions affect product innovation and marketing innovation in a sample of 2,034 Spanish manufacturing firms in the period 2007–2014.

Poisson and logistic regression models with random effects were used to analyse the impact of downsizing on some innovation outcomes of firms.

The results of this research show that the stressful measure of job reductions may have unexpected consequences, stimulating innovation. However downsizing combined with radical organisational changes such as new equipment, techniques or processes seems to have a negative impact on product and marketing innovation.

This research has two original features. First, it explores the unconventional direction of causality from the planned elimination of jobs to innovation outputs. Secondly, the paper looks at the combined effect of downsizing and other restructuring measures on different types of innovation. Following the threat-rigidity theory, we assume that this combination represents a major threat for survivors that leads to lower levels of product and marketing innovation.