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Human Resource Management Strategies in Practice: Case‐Study Findings in Multinational Firms
Author(s) -
Chew Irene K.H.,
Horwitz Frank M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
asia pacific journal of human resources
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.825
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1744-7941
pISSN - 1038-4111
DOI - 10.1177/1038411104041536
Subject(s) - multinational corporation , business , human resource management , competitive advantage , context (archaeology) , industrial organization , strategic human resource planning , value (mathematics) , resource (disambiguation) , human resources , shareholder value , knowledge management , human capital , workforce , strategic management , adaptation (eye) , resource based view , strategic planning , marketing , shareholder , corporate governance , management , economics , market economy , economic growth , computer science , finance , computer network , optics , biology , paleontology , machine learning , physics
Competitive pressures have increased the strategic value of a skilled, motivated and adaptable workforce, and the HRM strategies to support and develop it. A strategic perspective of HRM requires the firm to identify and adopt human capital initiatives likely to enhance competitiveness and shareholder value. A key question considered here is the extent to which multinational firms adapt internally consistent human resource strategies across national boundaries to address these issues. Case‐study data on how eight multinational firms in Singapore apply strategic approaches to human resource management are presented. Findings show that while some adaptation considering local context occurs, the diffusion of headquarters and centrally initiated, but competitively differentiated strategies across cultural boundaries, is significant. Effective human resource strategies were understood as ‘configurational’, integrated both vertically and horizontally.