Achieving HR-Firm Performance Linkage through Organizational Strategy Implementation: Qualitative Case Studies of Four U.S. Based Firms

Several empirical studies have investigated and established the effect of HR practices and systems on organizational performance. However, there has been little or no focus on the effect of the HR function on organizational performance in both human resource development (HRD) and human resource management (HRM) literature. The term human resource development and management (HRM&D) is utilized to represent scholarly and pragmatic considerations of both fields in representing the HR function. This study elaborates on ways in which organizations achieve the HR-firm performance linkage using the resource-based view of the firm as a theoretical framework. In order to do so, the study examined HRM&D function involvement in lean and quality strategy (LQS) implementation in four U.S. based distribution companies. A qualitative case study approach was utilized to answer the following research issues: 1) the role; 2) the extent of HRM&D involvement in LQS implementation and; 3) the effect on organizational performance. A total of 51 executives participated in the study. Qualitative analysis of data using the constant comparative method helped in understanding the distinctive ways firms achieved the HRM&D-firm performance linkage. Five interrelated components are macro-conditions, strategy (LQS), structure, cross functional performance, and organizational performance affecting HRM&D involvement in LQS implementation. The results suggest that organizations leverage external and internal resources for sustaining competitive advantage, thereby enhancing organizational performance. Further, it was found that the extent of HRM&D involvement in LQS was dependent on functional engagement between the Operations and HRM&D functions. Finally, based on empirical data gathered and verification, the following results emerged: (1) three distinctive levels of cross functional performance; interactions, alignment and integration between Operations and HRM&D illustrated the manner in which HRM&D functions are utilized by organizations espousing LQS; (2) stronger HRM&D-firm performance linkages are created by socially complex relationships influenced by environment and internal factors such as leadership, culture, strategy and structure, (3) strategic relevance of the HRM&D role increased involvement in organizational strategy implementation and, (4) potential resource based advantages for HRM&D function in achieving business partner status were isolated. The implications of the study are outlined

Unpacking organizational alignment : the view from theory and practice.

The importance of alignment is widely acknowledged in organizations. Yet, we know little about how alignment is created or measured over time at multiple levels in the organization. This paper attempts to expand and enrich different perspectives and types of alignment that exist and occur in organizations. Throughout, we elaborate on how organizational alignment is understood and defined in the extant literature. Next, we propose a framework for examining different perspectives of organizational alignment emphasizing conceptual similarities as well as distinctiveness. Our core contribution is an emergent theoretical framework that expands on the concept of organizational alignment. We find that while conceptual overlap is problematic from a theory building perspective, the organizational context of alignment necessitates unique and varying ways in which this construct is practiced. We apply the theoretical framework to develop recommendations for senior leaders, human resource and operations managers. Finally, we present implications for both theory and practice

Capacity and Capability Building for National HRD A Multi-Level Conceptual Framework

Human resource development (HRD) scholars have grappled with the question of developing theoretical and conceptual frameworks that capture the complexities of building human capital capacity and capability at a national level. Relying on national HRD (NHRD) and international development literatures, we develop a multi-level framework for understanding capacity and capability building that is useful for assessing national development priorities for countries in general. We theorize that NHRD priorities must consider the simultaneous development of financial, industrial, and workforce capacities at the national, organizational, and individual levels. The conceptual framework considers positive as well as negative NHRD synergies that can emerge from linking financial, industrial, and workforce capacities to capability-building efforts at the national, organizational, and individual levels. In doing so, the framework contributes to the NHRD-model-building approaches in the extant HRD literature

Chronic Codeswitching: Shaping Black/White Multiracial Student Sense of Belonging

Multiracial students grapple with experiences around mixedness which can hinder their sense of belonging among different social groups. Constantly feeling unaccepted and receiving the comment “You are too Black” or “You are too White” capture some of the common microaggressions faced by Black/White multiracial students. Using a phenomenological design, this study examines the ways in which Black/White multiracial students develop their sense of belonging at a predominantly White institution (PWI). While codeswitching has the ability to impact the sense of belonging in racial and ethnic minority groups, our study findings suggest that Black/White multiracial students tend to rely on chronic codeswitching as ways of seeking acceptance, balancing “otherness” and carefully minimizing exclusion when interacting with members of different social groups. Chronic codeswitching is particularly relevant as an everyday strategy in how Black/White multiracial students foster their sense of belonging and a sense of community. Research and practice implications are included