Employee Relations: An International Journal

Chloé Guillot‐Soulez; Sébastien Soulez

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-07-2013-0073

Purpose – Based on generational theory, this research studies the preferences of French young graduates from Generation Y for job and organizational attributes of a future employer. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the inter‐ vs intragenerational differences and discusses the common stereotype of an intragroup homogeneity within the Generation Y. Design/methodology/approach – Reviewing generation and job search literature, the paper update graduates’ preferences for job and organizational attributes in their initial job search by using conjoint analysis, a rarely used methodology in human resource management (HRM). To test the intragroup homogeneity and to overcome methodological difficulties inherent in examining differences within a generational cohort, the paper operationalized a homogeneous sample ( n =592) composed of people of the same age, career stage, cohort and nationality. Findings – The authors demonstrate that, even if on the whole young graduates from Generation Y prefer job security and a relaxed work atmosphere, their preferences are heterogeneous. Research limitations/implications – This research leads to discuss the relevance of the concept of Generation Y for recruitment. Additional research is needed to improve the external validity of this study which must be reproduced in other contexts and with different populations. Practical implications – The results provide useful information to assist HR managers and recruitment specialists in improving the efficiency of the recruitment process and in considering the relevant segmentation criteria for recruitment. Originality/value – Using an original methodology, conjoint analysis, this paper focusses on the heterogeneity of Generation Y and its consequences in terms of HRM.

Stefan Strohmeier; Ruediger Kabst

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-07-2013-0082

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate types, contexts and consequences of electronic HRM (e‐HRM) configurations to get a deeper understanding of the reasons, kinds and success of different e‐HRM types. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a cross‐sectional survey of senior HR persons and analyses data with exploratory methods, i.e. cluster analysis, classification tree analysis and analysis of variance. Findings – The results show that actually three configurations of e‐HRM – “non users”, “operational users” and “power users” – exist. These can be explained by a sparse, yet meaningful set of contextual variables. All three configurations markedly contribute to organisational success, whereas the “power user”‐configuration exceeds the other configurations. Research limitations/implications – The employed e‐HRM typology shows a precursory status and the empirical study is exploratory in nature. Thus, searching for a clearer theoretical foundation, improving the hypothesising of variables and undertaking further empirical studies to replicate the findings are necessary future steps. Practical implications – Not always a maximum of electronic support seems to be indicated. Depending on the respective organisational context, even no electronic support, or else, a merely operational electronic support appears to be admissible; while, however, in larger and strategic‐oriented organisations full electronic support outperforms other configurations. Originality/value: –The paper focuses on different e‐HRM types and gives some first insights into reasons, kinds and success of different configurations. This should lead to a refined understanding of e‐HRM and evoke further research on the subject.

Ralf Burbach; Tony Royle

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-07-2013-0080

Purpose – Drawing on institutional theory and existing international business practice transfer and e‐HRM models this paper develops an e‐HRM diffusion model to ascertain the institutional factors that determine the successful diffusion of e‐HRM practices in multinational corporations (MNC). The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on the analysis of 25 semi‐structured interviews with 15 key stakeholders in the German and Irish subsidiaries of a single US‐based MNC as well as two interviews with a senior manager in one of its main competitors. Findings – The findings suggest that the successful transfer of e‐HRM is mediated by an interchange of various institutional‐level factors (external, relational, organizational and individual) within the corporation and its subsidiaries. Successful implementation of e‐HRM is synonymous with the successful integration and institutionalization of e‐HRM practices in the subsidiaries. Research limitations/implications – As this analysis is founded upon a single case study, it is difficult to make assumptions concerning the broad population of all MNC and their subsidiaries. Further research may be required to test the model and the findings presented in this paper. Practical implications – The findings and the model presented in this paper demonstrate the impact of the institutional context and of key success factors of technology implementation on e‐HRM diffusion success. These findings may be of particular relevance to organizations and practitioners who are embarking on an e‐HRM installation in an international context. Originality/value – This paper enriches the e‐HRM and international management debate by identifying the key institutional factors impacting the diffusion of e‐HRM practices in the subsidiaries of an MNC. In addition, the model put forward in the paper shows how these factors interact and how successful e‐HRM diffusion can be characterized.

Rita Bissola; Barbara Imperatori

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-07-2013-0078

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the organizational redesign opportunities currently offered by web‐based technological innovations contribute to rebuilding and strengthening the employee‐HR department relationship, rendering personnel management policy criteria more transparent, increasing perceived fairness and thus helping to instil trust in the HR department, albeit in a diverse virtual context. Design/methodology/approach – The authors designed a survey involving 526 Gen Y employees and tested the hypotheses using structural equation modelling analyses. Findings – The results confirm a positive relationship between relational e‐HRM system adoption, procedural justice and trust in the HR department. Research limitations/implications – The results provide evidence that technology can support the development of institutional trust in virtual environments and thus contribute to the growing e‐HRM literature, to the more consolidated strategic HRM research domain and to the debate on trust in technology‐mediated relationships. Practical implications – The paper provides valuable and at times unexpected results on the new potential role of the HR department in the current fluid and insecure labour market, thereby forming the basis for defining some useful guidelines to design and implement the e‐HRM architecture. Originality/value – The paper focuses on understanding how relational e‐HRM could impact on the direct employee‐HR department relationship, from the Gen Y employees perspective, that is almost neglected in the growing literature. Moreover it suggests some unexpected insights on the role of technology innovativeness in moderating the impact of e‐HRM on trust in the HR department.

Carole Tansley; Susan Kirk; Hazel Williams; Harry Barton

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-07-2013-0090

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine and conceptualise the ways in which a balance can be achieved between optimising the efficiency and effectiveness of electronic human resource management (e‐HRM) systems for human resource management (HRM) and enabling innovation to occur during the system implementation. Design/methodology/approach – An interpretive case study of a UK local authority e‐HRM system implementation is examined using the notion of ambidexterity as an analytical device. Ambidexterity relates to how an organisation develops the ability to operate efficiently in the now, while at the same time being able to adapt to environmental changes around and ahead of them in order to grow into the future. Findings – As an intra‐organisational capability, ambidexterity is found to derive from the simultaneous interplay and balancing of dual capabilities: exploitation and exploration. e‐HRM exploitation concerned the capability to generate new knowledge with innovatory effects, created through the everyday practices performed by practitioners at all levels in the organisation. e‐HRM exploration, rather than being a purposeful act, was found to be an accidental consequence of engaging in exploitation to maintain the status quo. Research limitations/implications – The notion of ambidexterity was originally constructed within strategic management and studies in the field have previously been confined to this area. This makes this study theoretically and empirically experimental, making it a challenging research endeavour. Another limitation is that the authors only sought views from the interviewees on how external forces might limit or facilitate their ambidexterity, as opposed to actually studying those forces themselves. Practical implications – The authors suggest that those in organisations who are responsible for strategic HRM need to consider ways in which “intentional” opportunities for ambidexterity in e‐HRM systems implementation can be identified and harnessed to ensure better balances between exploitation and exploration in such endeavours and to guard against innovation only occurring through chance. Originality/value – There is a lack of detailed investigation of how organisations actually achieve ambidexterity, particularly in three under‐researched areas: ambidexterity in the public sector, at human resourcing functional level and e‐HRM systems implementation. Bundling these three areas into an integrated examination allows us to both identify how exploitation and exploration play out in the ambidextrous practices of an e‐HRM project and also to identify the dimensions of ambidexterity in balancing e‐HRM work.

Andreas Eckhardt; Sven Laumer; Christian Maier; Tim Weitzel

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-07-2013-0079

Purpose – There is only scarce research about the transformation of e‐HRM in general, and of the e‐recruiting function in particular. Further, there is not much known of the transformational implications for the related people, process, and information technology (IT). The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – To analyze the transformation of e‐recruiting caused by external influences outside of the organization, the authors report the results of an eight‐year case with a media corporation in order to derive and describe five consecutive steps of an e‐recruiting transformation model. Findings – The paper comes up with five stages (transformation of tools, transformation of systems, transformation of workflows, transformation of tasks, and transformation of communication), each influenced by external developments and market tendencies (War for Talent, increasing number of applications, job market switch, globalization of job market, changing communication behavior). Research limitations/implications – This research contributes to literature by explaining the drivers of an e‐HRM transformation and the different stages of this transformation process differentiated by the affected people, processes, and IT. However, it only observes the transformation in one company, hence the transformation of further e‐HRM functions in other companies might differ. Practical implications – The paper highlights both the transformation of e‐recruiting and for the related people, processes, and IT, so companies could observe their current status of e‐recruiting transformation. Originality/value – This paper represents the first longitudinal approach observing the transformation of e‐recruiting by describing different stages and external influences.

Anna B. Holm

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-07-2013-0088

Purpose – Up to now, there has been little research on the impact of the external environment on recruitment practices of organizations, and in part it lags behind practice. The purpose of this paper is to rectify this by studying recent changes in recruitment practices of Danish organizations and the adoption of e‐recruitment from a macro organizational perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs new institutional theory as a theoretical lens in order to understand how external pressures impact upon recruitment professionals and their practices. The empirical part is based on interpretive methods and the inductive analysis of data. The data were collected from a number of sources, such as exploratory interviews, observations, web sites, and other secondary material from 2008 to 2013. Findings – The findings indicate that recruitment practices are strongly influenced by changes stemming from functional and social pressures of the wider society, such as the labour market and the penetration of the internet into Danish society. That is reflected in the widespread use of digital HRM in general, and e‐recruitment in particular. The study concludes that the recruitment field has transformed and reviewed its practices to a great extent due to the changes in how individuals search for employment and expect to be hired. Research limitations/implications – The empirical part of this study is limited to Denmark, and its economic, social, and cultural domains, yet the research design can be applied elsewhere. Originality/value – The paper contributes to a better understanding of HRM in context, the pressures and mechanisms for adoption of new recruitment practices, and more specifically the rationale for adopting e‐recruitment practices. Additionally, it offers a novel research framework for future research on recruitment from the neoinstitutional perspective.