Premium
An exploratory study of governance in the intra‐firm human resources supply chain
Author(s) -
Farndale Elaine,
Paauwe Jaap,
Boselie Paul
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
human resource management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.888
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-050X
pISSN - 0090-4848
DOI - 10.1002/hrm.20387
Subject(s) - corporate governance , business , supply chain , supply chain management , human resources , exploratory research , variety (cybernetics) , human resource management , process management , empirical evidence , empirical research , service management , knowledge management , marketing , economics , management , finance , computer science , philosophy , epistemology , artificial intelligence , sociology , anthropology
Abstract The human resource management (HRM) literature has paid insufficient attention to supply chain management (SCM) when exploring the architecture of human resources (HR). Drawing on an SCM perspective, this study develops our understanding of (1) the intra‐firm HR supply chain, and (2) how this HR supply chain influences corporate governance processes within large organizations. We argue that the HR function, represented as an internal professional service supply chain, needs appropriate governance principles as it operates through multiple delivery channels and with a wide variety of HRM practices. Exploratory findings from a qualitative empirical study of seven large organizations investigating governance and risk management in the HR supply chain are presented. These in‐depth interviews uncover how formal governance is relatively easy for these organizations to achieve, supported by outcome‐focused monitoring tools, but informal governance mechanisms can fail due to insufficient attention. Although standardized approaches to HR delivery can maximize the opportunity for HR governance, little evidence was found that the organizations were considering the related governance implications explicitly. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.