Premium
Similarities and differences in human resource management in the European Union
Author(s) -
Claus Lisbeth
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
thunderbird international business review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.553
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1520-6874
pISSN - 1096-4762
DOI - 10.1002/tie.10100
Subject(s) - multinational corporation , european union , human resource management , harmonization , business , human resources , hierarchy , standardization , competition (biology) , economic geography , work (physics) , political science , international trade , economics , market economy , mechanical engineering , ecology , physics , finance , acoustics , law , biology , engineering
This study explores similarities and differences in human resource management (HRM) in the EuropeanUnion (EU). Common factors in the development of European HRM are the importance of consultation, theemergence of flexible work patterns, the role of work and the employer in the life of employees, and theintroduction of the Euro. National, company, and regional factors create divergence in European HRM. Nationalfactors include societal hierarchy, different cultures and mental models, societal structure, and language.Company factors include size of companies, public versus private, and multinational or local. Regional factorsdifferentiate along north‐south and east‐west axes. The EU had relatively little impact on HRM interms of harmonization of labor and tax laws but had major impact on the opening up of markets to foreigncompetition and privatization of public sector companies. While cultural diversity remains strong, the influenceof large multinational companies may lead to more regional integration in the practice of HRM. European HRM ismuch more comfortable operating in a polycentric mode than U.S. HRM, which seeks universality and standardization.© 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.