Human Resource Management Spring 2014

Human Resource Management Spring 2014 Prof. Arnaldo Camuffo Department of Management and Technology Office Hours: By appointment Phone: (02) 58362630 e mail: arnaldo.camuffo@unibocconi.it Course Description The purpose of this PhD course is to examine the role of human resource management as a constitutive element of organizations. It is grounded on the different theories of the firm and of the labor market and finds its antecedents in the literature on industrial relations systems and labor institutions (acknowledging the need for international, comparative analysis) as the foundations of human capital development and the antecedent of HRM. The course focuses on the macro side of human resource management within organizations and more specifically on its strategic aspect. Research on human resource policies and practices (e.g., selection, training, job design, etc.) will be touched upon but will not be the primary focus of the course. Overall, the aim of the course is to understand how firms use human resource management practices to enhance individual and organizational performance. To that end, we will examine the emerging theoretical perspectives in strategic human resource management (SHRM), the contextual factors that influence the linkages between a firm s human resources and human resource practices with firm performance, human capital, the growing complexity of the employment relationship between organizations and employees and social sustainability. Grading Participation (20%): The quality of PhD level courses is directly related to the quality of class discussion. Consequently, class participation will be graded on each student s degree of quality contribution toward class discussions. To ensure an informed discussion, students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss (not simply summarize) each article. For each session there will be a specific list of required readings (the required readings are marked with a * in the readings list). This list blends some classics or must read in the field with other pieces that better exemplify current or hot topics. A list of suggested/additional readings is also provided for those students interested in pursuing a topic in more detail. Students are encouraged, although not required, to read beyond the assigned readings and to bring to the class s attention research that informs and explores the day s issues. In preparing for class discussion, you may want to ask yourself some of the following questions: What is interesting about this article? What are the interesting research questions in this area of research? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the conceptual arguments and assumptions of this article? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the methodological approach used to test the research questions in this article? How does this article fit in with other articles on the topic? If you were doing research in the same content area as the article, what would you do next or differently? What does this article have to do with HRM research? In addition, for each class session a discussion leader/class facilitator will be assigned to help clarify key concepts, identify controversial or interesting issues, point out additional articles of particular relevance, and so on. Though all students are strongly encouraged to come to class with questions and issues to discuss, it is the role of the facilitator to prepare 2 or 3 critical questions per article for discussion. However, it is NOT the role of the facilitator to lead the entire discussion all students are expected to participate equally. We will determine who will be the facilitators for each class before the first class session. Depending on class size, students will be expected to lead some class sessions. Article Critiques (30% 6 critiques each worth 5%): To facilitate learning and scholarship, each student will conduct 6 (six) critical evaluations of articles that we read for class. These 2 page critiques will be based on your assessment of the theoretical and methodological quality of an article that is assigned for class reading. Critiques cannot refer to articles of the same session. 1

The articles that you choose will be up to you. These critiques will be collected at the beginning of the session/class for which you have chosen to review an article. In general, these critiques should not be summaries or a re hash of each article (we all have read the articles already); instead a good critique identifies the strengths and weaknesses of an article in terms of its contribution to the literature and identifies future research needs and opportunities. Research Paper (50%): Each student will investigate a topic of his/her choice in HRM and write a high quality research paper that integrates past research and theory with new ideas about an issue. Originality, thoroughness, and scholarly thinking are the most important criteria for the research paper. These papers may involve data analysis or a conceptual contribution to the field of HRM. Whatever the nature of the research paper, it must be of top notch quality; this is an opportunity to develop a paper that is of publishable quality. All papers should be written in a format and structure suitable for submission to the top management journals (Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Management, Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Strategic Management Journal etc.) and should not exceed 30 pages. Presentations will be made by each student during the last session and will follow the format of the academy of management meetings conference. The deadlines for the research paper are listed below. I. Research Proposals: A 3 5 page research proposal is due by April 30. Aside from my feedback on these proposals, each proposal will also be distributed to another student in the course for review and critique. To ensure that everyone has time to consider and integrate this feedback into the papers, the feedback must be returned to me (via e mail) no later than May 8. I will provide you with my feedback and the feedback from the student reviewer in class on May 9. II. First Drafts: A first draft of the research paper is due by May 28. As with the proposals, one student in the class will review each paper (this will simulate an actual review that a manuscript would go through when submitted for publication). Reviews are due to me June 17. I will provide you with my feedback and the feedback from the student reviewer. III. Final Drafts: Final due date is June 28. Each student must also submit a short written response to the review/editor comments with their final draft. Course Schedule Session/Date Session 1 2 April 9 Session 3 4 April 16 2.00pm 5.00pm Session 5 6 April 30 Session 7 8 May 6 Session 9 10 May 16 Session 11 12 May 29 Due date/ deadline Every session May 8 May 28 June 17 June 28 Topic Course Introduction Employment systems, internal labor markets, strategic human capital Theoretical models within the field of HRM (organizational economics, the resource based view of the firm and institutional theory) Understanding the use of HRM systems and their determinants Performance implications of HRM systems Direct and Contingency effects Methodological Issues in HRM Research approaches and measures HRM and sustainability Draft Paper presentations Course wrap up Deliverable Article Critique (2 pager) Research paper proposal (3 5 pager) Research paper draft Classmate s research paper review Final paper 2

Reading List Session 1-2: Employment systems, internal labor markets, strategic human capital * P. Doeringer and M. Piore (1971). Internal Labor Markets and Manpower Analysis, Heath: Lexington, Chapters 1 (Ch. 2 is optional). * Williamson, O. E., Wachter, M. L., & Harris, J. E. (1975). Understanding the Employment Relation: The Analysis of Idiosyncratic Exchange. The Bell Journal of Economics, 250 278. * Kalleberg, A. L. (2009). Precarious Work, Insecure Workers: Employment Relations in Transition. American Sociological Review, 74(1), 1 22. * Bidwell, M., & Keller, J. (2013). Within or without? How Firms Combine Internal and External Labor Markets to Fill Jobs. Academy of Management Journal, amj 2012. Malcomson, J. M. (1984). Work incentives, hierarchy, and internal labor markets. The Journal of Political Economy, 92(3), 486. Stark, D. (1986). Rethinking internal labor markets: New insights from a comparative perspective. American Sociological Review, 492 504. Wachter, M. L., & Wright, R. D. (1990). The economics of internal labor markets. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 29(2), 240 262. Lepak, D. P., & Snell, S. A. (2002). Examining the human resource architecture: The relationships among human capital, employment, and human resource configurations. Journal of Management, 28(4), 517 543. Camuffo, A. (2002). The changing nature of internal labor markets. Journal of Management and Governance, 6(4), 281 294. Lazear, E. P., & Oyer, P. (2004). Internal and external labor markets: a personnel economics approach. Labour Economics, 11(5), 527 554. Osterman, P. (2010). Institutional labor economics, the new personnel economics, and internal labor markets: a reconsideration. Indus. & Lab. Rel. Rev., 64, 637. Bonet, R., Cappelli, P., & Hamori, M. (2013). Labor market intermediaries and the new paradigm for human resources. The Academy of Management Annals, 7(1), 341 392. Cappelli, P., & Keller, J. R. (2013). Classifying work in the new economy. Academy of Management Review, 38(4), 575 596. Kaufman, B., (2013), The Economic Organization of Employment: Systems in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations. In Anna Grandori, ed., Handbook of Economic Organization, Elgar, 289 311. Waldman, M. (2013), Theory and Evidence in Internal labor Markets, in Robert Gibbons & John Roberts, eds., The Handbook of Organizational Economics, Princeton University Press, 520 571. Session 3-4: Theoretical Frameworks for HRM * Lepak, D. P., & Snell, S. A. (1999). The Human Resource Architecture: Toward a Theory of Human Capital Allocation and Development. Academy of Management Review, 24(1), 31 48. * Lazear, E. P., & Shaw, K. L. (2007). Personnel Economics: The Economist's View of Human Resources. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 21(4), 91 114. * Wright, P.M., & Snell, S.A. (1998). Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and Flexibility in Strategic Human Resource Management. Academy of Management Review, 23(4), 756 772. * Wright, P.M., Dunford, B.B., & Snell, S.A. (2001). Human Resources and the Resource Based View of the Firm. Journal of Management, 27: 701 721. 3

Tichy, N.M., Fombrun, C.J., & Devanna, M.A. ( 1982). Strategic human resource management. Sloan Management Review, 23(2): 47 61. Dyer, L. (1984). Studying human resource strategy: An approach and an agenda. Industrial Relations, 23(3): 156 169. Lengnick Hall, C.A., & Lengnick Hall, M.L. (1988). Strategic human resource management: A review of the literature and a proposed typology. Academy of Management Review, 13(3): 454 470. Wright, P. M., & McMahan, G. C. (1992). Theoretical perspectives for strategic human resource management. Journal of Management, 18(2), 295 320. Camuffo, A., & Costa, G. (1993). Strategic human resource management Italian style. Sloan Management Review, 34, 59 59. Lado, A.A. & Wilson, M.C. (1994). Human resource systems and sustained competitive advantage: A competencybased perspective. Academy of Management Review, 19 (4): 699 727. Wright, P.M., McMahan, G.C., & McWilliams, A. (1994). Human resources and sustained competitive advantage: A resource based perspective. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 5(2): 301 326. Mueller, F. (1996). Human resources as strategic assets: An evolutionary resource based theory. Journal of Management Studies, 33: 757 785. Delery, J. E., & Doty, D. H. (1996). Modes of theorizing in strategic human resource management: Tests of universalistic, contingency, and configurational performance predictions. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 802 835. Coff, R. (1997). Human assets and management dilemmas: Coping with hazards on the road to resource based theory. Academy of Management Review, 22(2): 374 402. Pfeffer, J. (1998). The human equation: Building profits by putting people first. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. (Chapter 2). Lazear, E., Oyer, P. (2013), Personnel Economics in Anna Grandori, ed., Handbook of Economic Organization, Elgar, 479 519. Session 5-6: Understanding the use of HRM systems and their determinants *Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S., & Rivero, J.C. (1989). Organizational Characteristics as Predictors of Personnel Practices. Personnel Psychology, 42: 727 786. *Kochan, T., McKersie, R., & Capelli, P. (1984). Strategic Choice and Industrial Relations Theory, Industrial Relations, 23(1): 16 39. *Pil, F.K., & MacDuffie, J.P. (1996). The Adoption of High Involvement Work Practices. Industrial Relations, 35(3): 423 455. *Jiang, K., Lepak, D. P., Han, K., Hong, Y., Kim, A., & Winkler, A. L. (2012). Clarifying the construct of human resource systems: Relating human resource management to employee performance, Human Resource Management Review, 22(2), 73 85. Cook, D.S., & Ferris, G.R., (1986). Strategic human resource management and firm effectiveness in industries experiencing decline. Human Resource Management, 25(3): 441 458. Baron, J.N., Devereaux Jennings, P., & Dobbin, F.R. (1988). Mission control? The development of personnel systems in U.S. industry. American Sociological Review, 53: 497 514. Napier, N.K. (1989). Mergers and acquisitions, human resource issues and outcomes: A review and suggested typology. Journal of Management Studies, 26(3): 271 190. Schuler, R.S. & Jackson, S.E. (1989). Determinants of human resource management priorities and implications for industrial relations. Journal of Management, 15: 89 99. Dean, J. Jr., & Snell, S.A., (1991). Integrated manufacturing and job design: Moderating effects of organizational inertia. Academy of Management Journal, 34(4): 776 804. Snell, S.A. (1992), Control theory in strategic human resource management: The mediating effect of administrative information. Academy of Management Journal, 35(2): 292 327. Snell, S.A. & Dean, J. Jr., (1992). Integrated manufacturing and human resource management: A human capital 4

perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 35(3): 467 504. Osterman, P. (1994). How common is workplace transformation and who adopts it? Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 47: 173 188. Baron, J.N., Burton, M.D., and Hannan, M.T. (1996). The road taken: The origins and evolution of employment systems in emerging high technology companies. Industrial and Corporate Change, 5: 239 276. Godard, J. (1997). Whither strategic choice: Do managerial IR ideologies matter? Industrial Relations, 36: 206 228. Camuffo, A., Costa, G., (2014), The evolution of human resource management in Italy: a historical institutional perspective, in Bruce Kaufman, ed., The Development of Human Resource Management Across Nations, Elgar. Session 7-8: Performance Implications of HRM systems * Huselid, M.A. (1995). The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Turnover, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38 (3): 635 672. * Ichniowski, C., Shaw, K., & Prennushi, G. (1997). The Effects of Human Resource Management Practices on Productivity: A study of Steel Finishing Lines, The American Economic Review, June: 291 314. * Cappelli, P., and Neumark, D. (2001). Do 'High Performance' Work Practices Improve Establishment Level Outcomes? Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 54 (4): 737 775. * Batt, R. ( 2002). Managing Customer Services: Human Resource Practices, Quit Rates, and Sales Growth. Academy of Management Journal, 45 (3): 587 597. * Posthuma, R. A., Campion, M. C., Masimova, M., & Campion, M. A. (2013). A High Performance Work Practices Taxonomy Integrating the Literature and Directing Future Research. Journal of Management, 39(5), 1184 1220. * Jiang, K., Lepak, D. P., Hu, J., & Baer, J. C. (2012). How Does Human Resource Management Influence Organizational Outcomes? A Meta Analytic Investigation of Mediating Mechanisms. Academy of Management Journal, 55(6), 1264 1294. Cutcher Gershenfeld, J.C. (1991). The impact on economic performance of a transformation in workplace relations. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 44: 241 260. Lawler, E.E. (1992). The ultimate advantage: Creating the high involvement organization. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. Arthur, J.B. (1994). Effects of human resource systems on manufacturing performance and turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 37: 670 687. Pfeffer, J. (1995). Producing sustainable competitive advantage through the effective management of people. Academy of Management Executive, 9(1): 55 69. MacDuffie, J. P. (1995). Human resource bundles and manufacturing performance: Organizational logic and flexible production systems in the world auto industry. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48: 197 221. Ichniowski, C. Kochan, T.A., Levine, D., Olson, C. & Strauss, G. (1996). What works at work: Overview and assessment. Industrial Relations, 35(3): 299 333. Dyer, L., & Reeves. T. (1995). HR strategies and firm performance: What do we know and where do we need to go? International Journal of Human Resource Management, 6: 656 670. Cappelli, P., & Crocker Hefter, A. (1996). Distinctive human resources are firms core competencies. Organizational Dynamics, 24(3): 7 22. Koch, M.J. & McGrath, R.G. (1996). Improving labor productivity: Human resource management policies do matter. Strategic Management Journal, 17: 335 354. Youndt, M.A., Snell, S.A., Dean, J.W. Jr., & Lepak, D.P. (1996). Human resource management, manufacturing strategy, and firm performance. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4): 836 866. Pfeffer, J. (1998). The human equation: Building profits by putting people first. Harvard Business Press. O'Reilly, C. A., & Pfeffer, J. (2000). Hidden value: How great companies achieve extraordinary results with ordinary people. Harvard Business Press. Hitt, M.A., Bierman, L., Shimizu, K., and Kochhar, R. ( 2001) "Direct and moderating effects of human capital on the strategy and performance in professional service firms: A resource based perspective. " Academy of Management 5

Journal, 44: 13 28. Whitener, E. (2001). Do 'high commitment' human resource practices affect employee commitment? A cross level analysis using hierarchical linear modeling. Journal of Management, 27 (5): 515 535. Datta DK, Guthrie JP, & Wright PM. (2005). Human resource management and labor productivity: Does industry matter? Academy of Management Journal, 48: 135 145. Kaufman, B. E. (2010). SHRM Theory in the Post Huselid Era: Why It Is Fundamentally Misspecified. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 49(2), 286 313. Session 9-10: Methodological Issues in SHRM Research * Rogers, E.W., & Wright, P.M. (1998). Measuring Organizational Performance in Strategic Human Resource Management: Problems,Prospects, and Performance Information Markets, Human Resource Management Review, 8(3): 311 331. * Delery, J. (1998). Issues of Fit in Strategic Human Resource Management: Implications for Research, Human Resource Management Review, 8(3), 289 309. * Gerhart, B. Wright, P.M.,McMahan, G. and Snell, S.A. (2000). Measurement Error in Research on Human Resources and Firm Performance: How Much Error is there and How Does it Influence Effect Size Estimates?, Personnel Psychology, 53: 803 834. * Wright, P. M., Gardner, T. M., Moynihan, L. M., & Allen, M. R. (2005). The Relationship Between HR Practices and Firm Performance: Examining Causal Order, Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 409 446. Cowles, M., & Davis, C. (1982). On the origins of the.05 level of statistical significance. American Psychologist, 37, 553 558. Berk, R. (1983). An introduction to sample selection bias in sociological data. American Sociological Review, 48: 386 399. Podsakoff, P. and Organ, D. (1986). Self Reports in Organizational Research: Problems and Prospects. Journal of Management, 12: 531 544 Tsui, A.S. (1987). Defining the activities and effectiveness of the human resource department: A multiple constituency approach. Human Resource Management, 26(1): 35 69. Feldman, J.M., & Lynch, J.C. (1988). Self generated validity and other effects of measurement on belief, attitude, intention, and behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 73, 421 435. Williams, L.J., & Podsakoff, P.M. (1989). Longitudinal field methods for studying reciprocal relationships in OB research: Toward improved causal analysis. Research in Organizational Behavior, 11, 247 293. Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155 159. Campion, M.A. (1993). Article review checklist: A criterion checklist for reviewing research articles in applied psychology. Personnel Psychology, 46, 705 718. Schmitt, N. (1994). Method bias: The importance of theory and measurement. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15, 393 398. Hinkin, T.R. (1998). A brief tutorial on the development of measures for use in survey questionnaires. Organizational Research Methods, 1, 104 121. Huselid, M.A., & Becker, B.E. (2000). Comment on measurement error in research on human resources and firm performance: How much error is there and how does it influence effect size estimates? Personnel Psychology, 53: 835 854. Wright, P.M., Gardner, T.M., Moynihan, L.M., Park, H.J., Gerhart, B., & Delery, J.E. (2001). Measurement error in research on human resources and firm performance: Additional data and suggestions for future research. Personnel Psychology, 54: 875 901. Podsakoff, P.M., MacKenzie, S.B., Lee, J.Y, and Podsakoff, N.P. (2003). Common Method Biases in Behavioral Research: A Critical Review of the Literature and Recommended Remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 5, 879 903. Greenberg, J., & Tomlinson, E.C. (2004). Situated experiments in organizations: Transplanting the lab to the field. Journal of Management, 30(5), 703 724. Anderson, V. (2004). Research methods in human resource management. CIPD Publishing. 6

Session 11-12: HR & sustainability * Pfeffer, J. (2010). Building Sustainable Organizations: The Human Factor, The Academy of Management Perspectives, 24(1), 34 45. * Locke, R. M., Qin, F., & Brause, A. (2007). Does Monitoring Improve Labor Standards? Lessons from Nike., Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 3 31. Locke, R. M. (2013). The promise and limits of private power: Promoting labor standards in a global economy. Cambridge University Press. Kramar, R. (2013). Beyond strategic human resource management: is sustainable human resource management the next approach?. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, (ahead of print), 1 21. Ehnert, I., Harry, W., & Zink, K. J. (2013). Sustainability and Human Resource Management: Developing Sustainable Business Organizations. Springer Science & Business. Cappelli, P., & Novelli, B. (2013). Managing the older worker: How to prepare for the new organizational order. Harvard Business Press. Additional Books of interest Ashkenas, R., Ulrich, D., Jick, T., & Kerr, S. (1995). The boundaryless organization: Breaking the chains of organizational structure. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. Becker, B., Huselid, M.A., & Ulrich, D. (2001). HR Scorecard. Harvard Business School Press Cascio, W.F., (1991). Applied psychology in personnel management (4 th edition). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Kochan, T. & Osterman, P. (1994). The mutual gains enterprise. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Leonard Barton, D. 1995. Wellsprings of knowledge: Building and sustaining the sources of innovation. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Pfeffer, J. (1994). Competitive advantage through people: Unleashing the power of the work force. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Pfeffer, J. (1998). The human equation: Building profits by putting people first. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Rousseau, D.M. (1995). Psychological contracts in organizations: Understanding written and unwritten agreements. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ulrich, D. & Lake, D. ( 1991). Organizational capability: Competing from the inside out. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Ulrich, D. (1997). Human Resource Champions. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Cappelli, P. (2008). Talent on demand. Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA. Becker, B. E., Huselid, M. A., & Beatty, R. W. (2013). The differentiated workforce: Translating talent into strategic impact. Harvard Business Press. Becker, B. E., Ulrich, D., Huselid, M. A., & Huselid, M. (2001). The HR scorecard. Harvard Business Press. Boudreau, J. W., & Ramstad, P. M. (2013). Beyond HR: The new science of human capital. Harvard Business Press. Osterman, P., Kochan, T. A., Locke, R. M., & Piore, M. J. (2002). Working in America: A blueprint for the new labor market. MIT Press Books. Schuler, R. S., & Jackson, S. E. (2008). Strategic human resource management. John Wiley & Sons. 7