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Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Anabella Davila and Marta M. Elvira

The aim of this paper is to use psychological contracts theory to explore performance management practices in Mexico paying particular attention to the impact of national culture…

4616

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to use psychological contracts theory to explore performance management practices in Mexico paying particular attention to the impact of national culture, social and structural factors.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the content of psychological contracts from the viewpoint of both parties in the employment relationship – managers and employees – in the context of performance appraisals. It conducted focus groups and interviews at these two organizational levels in three different organizations.

Findings

Findings are organized around three themes: performance appraisal systems, the promises (fulfilled and unfulfilled) and the sources of terms and conditions as the content of psychological contracts for managing and participating in performance evaluation systems. For each theme the paper presents and contrasts the viewpoints of managers and employees.

Practical implications

Because of the sensitive cultural nature of performance appraisals, the findings help managers implement this process by explaining the underlying psychological contracts in Mexico. Specifically, employees experience the socio‐emotional behaviors that accompany performance evaluation and engage in the process at different levels of commitment. Both managers and employees respond according to their needs and what they perceive to be the company's reward.

Originality/value

Performance appraisal has received little attention from studies of psychological contracts, though it is a key practice in which work promises and rewards related to performance are made. In this study, the paper brings these two research streams together and apply it to a culturally unique setting.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

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Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Miguel R. Olivas‐Lujan, Jacobo Ramirez and Laura Zapata‐Cantu

Using information and communication technologies to deliver human resource services (also known as e‐HRM) has become an important strategy for firms seeking to achieve a…

6252

Abstract

Purpose

Using information and communication technologies to deliver human resource services (also known as e‐HRM) has become an important strategy for firms seeking to achieve a competitive advantage. A case‐based study was carried out with the purpose of investigating how four of the most competitive Mexican firms are implementing their e‐HRM strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature from e‐HRM and human resource management in Latin America is reviewed and integrated. Four case studies developed in Mexican firms are depicted.

Findings

Evidence suggests that, to fully understand the way e‐HRM is used in firms from emerging economies, it is important to take into consideration local idiosyncrasies.

Originality/value

This study integrates Latin American dimensions of HR management in the study of e‐HRM, a budding research stream that is under‐investigated in emerging countries.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Anabella Davila and Marta M Elvira

2862

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

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Book part
Publication date: 30 September 2021

Rocío Bonet, Marta M. Elvira and Stefano Visintin

The authors provide a comprehensive review of existing turnover studies in Spain. The literature review reveals that research on voluntary turnover is scarce, while other types of…

Abstract

The authors provide a comprehensive review of existing turnover studies in Spain. The literature review reveals that research on voluntary turnover is scarce, while other types of mobility, such as involuntary separations, downsizing, and planned turnover through contract date expiration, have received substantial attention. The authors identify the main institutional characteristics of Spain and explain why these may contribute to the low incidence of voluntary turnover. Specifically, the authors note that employment protection legislation, high unemployment, high unemployment insurance, centralized collective bargaining, the composition of the sector, high power distance, and in-group collectivism are important drivers of the patterns observed in existing turnover studies. The authors also explore how some of the mechanisms and processes exposed by key turnover theories may be applicable to the Spanish context. This chapter highlights the importance of paying attention to the role of the institutional and cultural context to understand different mobility patterns in the labor market. The authors also suggest several avenues for future research including the study of different turnover types, employer and employee outcomes, cultural variations, and employment practices.

Details

Global Talent Retention: Understanding Employee Turnover Around the World
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-293-0

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Article
Publication date: 28 June 2024

Paula Apascaritei, Marta M. Elvira and María Rodríguez-García

Resource orchestration theory proposes that firms need resources, capabilities, and horizontal and vertical alignment to achieve high performance. Thus, we investigate which…

228

Abstract

Purpose

Resource orchestration theory proposes that firms need resources, capabilities, and horizontal and vertical alignment to achieve high performance. Thus, we investigate which combinations of horizontal fit of resources (commitment-based HR systems for managers and nonmanagers) and capabilities (HR flexibility) together with vertical fit with business strategy (innovation versus cost leadership strategies) relate to superior performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Our study is based on a sample of 113 Spanish firms from which we collected data on commitment-based HR systems for managers and nonmanagers, HR flexibility, business strategy and performance. We employ a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze which configurations lead to firm performance.

Findings

The empirical analysis shows that both HR practices and policies (commitment-based HR systems) and HR capabilities (HR flexibility) need to be aligned for high performance. The path for performance is comprised of a combination of commitment-based HR systems for staff and HR flexibility and by the absence of an innovation strategy or commitment-based HR systems for managers, HR flexibility, and a cost leadership strategy. We also find four paths where performance relies on efficiently combining an innovation and cost leadership business strategy.

Originality/value

Our findings make three key contributions to the literature. First, we help elucidate multicausal relationships inside the black box of the “HR–performance” relationship for firm performance. Second, we study the vertical fit with business strategy by considering innovation and cost leadership strategies. Third, we analyze multicausal pathways, thus uncovering different combinations of resources and capabilities for performance.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 45 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

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Article
Publication date: 1 October 2003

Marta M. Elvira

This case study examines how incentive pay programs are designed and changed over time in a financial organization that has typically relied on fixed salary compensation. Once…

709

Abstract

This case study examines how incentive pay programs are designed and changed over time in a financial organization that has typically relied on fixed salary compensation. Once incentive programs are introduced, pay plans change frequently, and this process allows the study of assumptions embedded in various incentive theories. Economic theories tend to explain incentives from an agency perspective, which suggests that incentives satisfy elaborate contractual requirements and vary with the risk preferences and costs of managers versus employees. Power theories, by contrast, argue that the interests and resources of various firm groups determine incentive structures. For this case study, qualitative data describing a firm’s process of changing compensation were gathered from documents, personnel manuals, and interviews with company managers. The findings suggest that instead of following from complicated cost‐benefit analyses, pay plans are often implemented within short time frames and with scant performance/effectiveness information. This evidence highlights the influence of power in efforts to change compensation structures and the importance of a multidisciplinary understanding of rewards.

Details

Management Research: Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, vol. 1 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1536-5433

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Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Lorena R. Perez‐Floriano and Jorge A. Gonzalez

The purpose of this paper is to show how employees' work cultural values in three cities of two different South American countries (Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, and Rio de Janeiro…

2975

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how employees' work cultural values in three cities of two different South American countries (Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, and Rio de Janeiro) differ, and how these differences are related to the manner in which people perceive risk and construe the meaning of danger.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 220 line employees of a multinational enterprise in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires participated in this study. The paper compared the means of reported job satisfaction and cultural values among the cities. Furthermore, regressions are used for cultural values on perceptions of risks from job hazards.

Findings

There are different cultural values across the cities. These cultural values are associated with the manner people understand risk and respond to risk management programs. This could eventually influence the success of the implementation of safety management programs.

Research limitations/implications

This is a study carried out in a single organization within the transportation industry. Managers and scholars must be careful in generalizing these findings across geographical locations and industries.

Practical implications

The findings challenge the assumption that safety‐training methods can be applied indiscriminately in every country without taking into account national culture and intra‐national subculture differences.

Originality/value

This study explores the importance of culture in the transfer and administration of US‐made safety programs to South America within the context of the high‐risk transportation industry segment. Its findings are important for multinational enterprises concerned with the safety of workers in high‐risk industries.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Veneta Andonova and Hernando Zuleta

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect that weak enforceability of property rights has on the human resource practices of firms operating in hostile business environment.

1428

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect that weak enforceability of property rights has on the human resource practices of firms operating in hostile business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper questions the role of the state as the only provider of stability and guarantor of property rights and hypothesizes that it is not governments, which tend to be weak in weak institutional settings, but private firms that act as the main force behind the protection of entrepreneurial investments. The approach consists in developing a case study about a farm (Hacienda Gavilanes) in rural Colombia.

Findings

It is found that incentives together with inclusive human resources practices and empowerment are among those strategic arrangements that contribute most to the survival and sustainability of the farm today in a setting where legal enforceability is precarious. The replication of this policy might not be easy, however, because it requires a profound shift in the way landowners perceive workers in rural Colombia and many other parts of the world.

Originality/value

The case presented in this paper provides valuable lessons beyond Latin America for other developing countries with similarly fragile governments and economic environments.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Betania Tanure and Roberto Gonzalez‐Duarte

The aim of this paper is to look at why and how HRM may take on a more strategic role within mergers and acquisitions (M&As) processes.

3545

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to look at why and how HRM may take on a more strategic role within mergers and acquisitions (M&As) processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses the ABN AMRO Bank case. The Dutch bank first acquired one of the largest Brazilian banks and, later, the Brazilian subsidiary of an Italian bank. The paper seeks to understand to what extent the successful integration of the acquired banks by the acquiring one was determined by the consistency among three factors: the determining reason for the acquisition; the integration strategy adopted; and the HRM policies for the management of people.

Findings

The case has evidenced that, in processes of radical change, such as acquisitions, the president, as well as the top management of the acquiring company, has a critical role of establishing an understanding that people constitute, in fact, a key asset of the company, thereby opening avenues for HRM to assume a strategic role within companies.

Practical implications

Even though the HR managers should seek to undertake a more active and strategic role in M&As, contributing effectively to the performance of the organization, their actions are shaped by the consistency between discourse and practice of CEOs regarding the importance of people within organizations. Any disparity between this discourse and practice is likely to affect the role played by HRM within organizations.

Originality/value

This paper will be valuable for those attempting to link both streams of literature – HRM and post‐acquisition integration.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Available. Content available
Book part
Publication date: 30 September 2021

Abstract

Details

Global Talent Retention: Understanding Employee Turnover Around the World
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-293-0

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