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Limitations to Freedom: is there a Choice for Human Resource Management?
Author(s) -
Paauwe Jaap
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
british journal of management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.407
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1467-8551
pISSN - 1045-3172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8551.1991.tb00020.x
Subject(s) - variety (cybernetics) , human resource management , business , set (abstract data type) , human resources , industrial relations , empirical research , resource (disambiguation) , freedom of choice , power (physics) , strategic human resource planning , conceptual framework , public relations , marketing , knowledge management , sociology , political science , management , economics , computer science , law , social science , computer network , philosophy , physics , epistemology , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , programming language
SUMMARY There is a great variety in human resource management (HRM) practices, not only in terms of policies and personnel activities, but also with regard to the parties involved and the procedures for decision‐making. But which factors can best account for these differences? Are they due to organizational and environmental characteristics or are they basically due to the interests, preferences and power positions of the parties concerned ‐ parties like management, employees, personnel management staff, trade union representatives, members of the works council and so on? Based on elements of industrial relations theory, organization theory and organization sociology, a research project was set up with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the factors which can shape HRM practices. The empirical part of the research consisted of paired comparative case studies from different industries. The result is a conceptual model which not only encompasses the relevant forces in the shaping of HRM, but also states the conditions determining the amount of room for manoeuvre the parties concerned have to make their own strategic choices with regard to HRM.