Strategic human resource management: a power based critique

Relationship between perceived performance management system (PMS) effectiveness, work engagement and turnover intention: mediation by psychological contract fulfillment

Purpose

Performance management systems (PMSs) are critical for organizational success, but research is undecided on their constructive influence and the means through which they impact work engagement and turnover intention. This study aims to fill this gap by surmising psychological contract fulfillment as a mediator in the relationship between PMS effectiveness (PMSE) and employee outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a survey research design. Data were collected from 327 working professionals in India. The Statistical Package for Social Science Version 10.0 (SPSS 10.0) and the Analysis of Moments Structure (AMOS) 4.0 were used for data analyses.

Findings

The two-factor construct perceived PMSE was found to explain a larger variance in work engagement and turnover intention than the separate measures for its constituents PMS accuracy (PMSA) and PMS fairness (PMSF). Psychological contract fulfillment and work engagement were found to mediate the relationship between PMSE and turnover intention.

Research limitations/implications

The study broadens the field of research on PMS in important ways. It demonstrates that the two-factor construct PMSE has a larger influence on employee outcomes in comparison to its constituent individual measures PMSA and PMSF. This is also the first study to suggest that in contrast to PMSF, PMSA explains a higher variance in employee outcomes.

Practical implications

This study validates the strong relationship between PMSE and key employee outcomes. Besides PMSF, managers can use the findings of this study to focus on the “right things” or accuracy in the PMS context to enhance work engagement and reduce turnover.

Social implications

The study findings will have value everywhere owing to the diffusion and convergence in the human resource management practices of multinational firms irrespective of their contexts (Ananthram and Nankervis, 2013).

Originality/value

Earlier PMS studies have mostly been limited to either its fairness or accuracy and attended unduly to its appraisal element. This study adopts a systems vision of PMS and overcomes earlier drawbacks by investigating the role of both PMSA and PMSF in shaping employee outcomes. This is the first study to empirically confirm that in contrast to PMSF, the PMSA constituent of PMSE explains a higher variance in employee outcomes. The study provides greatly essential pragmatic support to the conjecture that PMSs advance work engagement (Mone and London, 2014; Gruman and Saks, 2011) and lower turnover intention (Kwak and Choi, 2015).

Adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) for talent acquisition in IT/ITeS organizations

Purpose

Human resource managers are adopting AI technology for conducting various tasks of human resource management, starting from manpower planning till employee exit. AI technology is prominently used for talent acquisition in organizations. This research investigates the adoption of AI technology for talent acquisition.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) and Task-Technology-Fit (TTF) framework and proposes a model to explore the adoption of AI technology for talent acquisition. The survey was conducted among the 562 human resource managers and talent acquisition managers with a structured questionnaire. The analysis of data was completed using PLS-SEM.

Findings

This research reveals that cost-effectiveness, relative advantage, top management support, HR readiness, competitive pressure and support from AI vendors positively affect AI technology adoption for talent acquisition. Security and privacy issues negatively influence the adoption of AI technology. It is found that task and technology characteristics influence the task technology fit of AI technology for talent acquisition. Adoption and task technology fit of AI technology influence the actual usage of AI technology for talent acquisition. It is revealed that stickiness to traditional talent acquisition methods negatively moderates the association between adoption and actual usage of AI technology for talent acquisition. The proposed model was empirically validated and revealed the predictors of adoption and actual usage of AI technology for talent acquisition.

Practical implications

This paper provides the predictors of the adoption of AI technology for talent acquisition, which is emerging extensively in the human resource domain. It provides vital insights to the human resource managers to benchmark AI technology required for talent acquisition. Marketers can develop their marketing plan considering the factors of adoption. It would help designers to understand the factors of adoption and design the AI technology algorithms and applications for talent acquisition. It contributes to advance the literature of technology adoption by interweaving it with the human resource domain literature on talent acquisition.

Originality/value

This research uniquely validates the model for the adoption of AI technology for talent acquisition using the TOE and TTF framework. It reveals the factors influencing the adoption and actual usage of AI technology for talent acquisition.

Twenty-five years’ contribution of “Benchmarking: an International Journal” to manufacturing strategy: a scientometric review

Purpose

This study aims at reviewing the articles on the themes of manufacturing strategy (MS) published in “Benchmarking: An International Journal (BIJ)” and investigating the trends of publication for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

Five-stage methodology to conduct a literature review is adopted comprising: (1) article collection, (2) inclusion/exclusion criteria, (3) reviewing the articles, (4) analyzing the articles and (5) future research directions. A total of 57 articles specific to MS domain published in BIJ are reviewed. Further, a bibliometric analysis comprising keywords co-occurrence, citation and co-citation using a VOSviewer© software followed by content analysis to analyze the type of research, type of industry and type of tool/method used is carried out.

Findings

The study helps to find the scope of the journal and research gaps in the MS domain to provide future research directions. Most of the work found is survey-based or case-based in nature. However, there is a need for empirical research to be done in the field of MS.

Research limitations/implications

The study facilitates researchers willing to publish in BIJ to understand different themes of accepted papers concerning MS domain. The identified research gaps and future research direction can motivate researchers and practitioners to coin new approaches in the MS domain.

Originality/value

A comprehensive review and analysis of the MS literature published in BIJ has been provided. To the best of authors' knowledge, the current study is the only review study in MS domain focusing on one specific journal.

Engaging employees through effective performance management: an empirical examination

Purpose

Performance management systems (PMS) are integral to an organization's human resource management but research is ambivalent on their positive impact and the mechanism through which they influence employee behavior. This study fills this gap by positing work engagement as a mediator in the relationship between perceptions of PMS effectiveness, employee job satisfaction and turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a survey-based design. Data were collected from 322 employees in India attending a management development program at a premier business school. Partial least squares–based structure equation modeling package ADANCO was used for data analysis.

Findings

Positive perception of PMS effectiveness was found to enhance employee work engagement. This increased job satisfaction and reduced turnover intentions among employees. Thus, work engagement mediated the relationship between PMS perceptions and job satisfaction and turnover intentions.

Practical implications

The results suggest that organizations need to focus on three characteristics of PMS, namely its distinctiveness, consistency and consensus. These characteristics determine the effectiveness of PMS in engaging employees and influencing their job satisfaction and turnover intentions.

Originality/value

Prior studies on performance management have largely been limited to aspects of justice and focused disproportionately on the appraisal aspect of performance management. This study takes a systems view of performance management and addresses prior shortcomings by examining the role of clarity and horizontal fit between PMS practices in determining employee engagement. The study also provides much needed empirical support to theoretical studies which have argued that PMS is a driver of engagement in organizations (Gruman and Saks, 2011; Mone and London, 2014).

Industry 4.0 and digital supply chain capabilities

Purpose

The Industry 4.0 phenomenon is bringing unprecedented disruptions for all traditional business models and hastening the need for a redesign and digitisation of activities. In this context, the literature concerning the digital supply chain (DSC) and its capabilities are in the early stages. To bridge this gap, the purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for digital supply chain capabilities (DSCCs).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a narrative literature approach, based on the main Industry 4.0 elements, supply chain and the emerging literature concerning DSC disruptions, to build an integrative framework to shed light on DSCCs.

Findings

The study identifies seven basic capabilities that shape the DSCC framework and six main enabler technologies, derived from 13 propositions.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed framework can bring valuable insights for future research development, although it has not been tested yet.

Practical implications

Managers, practitioners and all involved in the digitalisation phenomenon can utilise the framework as a starting point for other business digitalisation projects.

Originality/value

This study contributes to advancing the DSC literature, providing a well-articulated discussion and a framework regarding the capabilities, as well as 13 propositions that can generate valuable insights for other studies.