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Evolving HR practices in a strategic intra‐firm supply chain
Author(s) -
KoulikoffSouviron Marie,
Harrison Alan
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.20388
Subject(s) - operationalization , multinational corporation , business , supply chain , industrial organization , supply chain management , process management , human resource management , knowledge management , operations management , marketing , economics , computer science , finance , philosophy , epistemology
While there are several studies on human resource management (HRM) at the inter‐firm dyadic relationship level, the HR aspects of intra‐firm strategic supply relationships have been largely ignored. Yet interdependence requires coordination among functions, sites, and stages of the internal supply chain (SC). Drawing on a case study of a large European pharmaceutical company, which we call Tyrenco, we explore how HR practices evolve within the strategic intra‐firm supply relationship. Our findings illustrate the disruptive effects of HR practices when they are focused on site‐based objectives and the improved coordination that results from redesigning HR processes to achieve internal operational integration. We highlight the tension between site‐based, financial controls and an emergent SC logic. Drawing on recent interest in cooperative approaches to HR practices, this study seeks to operationalize the need to align HR practices with end‐to‐end objectives at different stages of the intra‐firm supply chain. Our findings have practical implications for designing HR practices within multinational corporations (MNCs) that are characterized by complex and fragmented internal environments. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.