Employee Relations: An International Journal

Akingbola, Kunle; Baluch, Alina; Brunt, Carol; Cunningham, Ian

2020 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-08-2020-448

Cooper, Elizabeth A.; Phelps, Aimee DuVall; Rogers, Sean Edmund

2020 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-04-2019-0166

This paper systematically reviews the past four years of research on human resource management (HRM) in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to better understand: (1) recent theoretical and empirical developments and where scholarship in the field is headed (i.e. trends); (2) what topics and findings are especially important to understanding how the thought and practice of nonprofit HRM differs from that in public and for-profit organizations (i.e. insights); and (3) what gaps exist in current knowledge and scholarship and some real-world, practice-driven developments in people management that illuminate promising future research directions (i.e. opportunities).Design/methodology/approachSixty-seven peer-reviewed journal articles covering the period 2015–2018 were identified using a university library database search, as well as by-hand searches through every issue of 22 nonprofit and 36 human resources-related journals during the four-year period.FindingsThe findings highlight strong continued interest by scholars in a wide range of nonprofit HRM issues, coverage of these issues by a worldwide network of researchers who bring global perspectives and contexts to the study of nonprofit HRM, and rich theoretical and methodological diversity. Yet, compared with the universe of possible human resource topics and several leading-edge developments in organizations and societies that might affect the way people are managed in nonprofits, the paper uncovers gaps in the most recent knowledge base.Originality/valueThe paper creates a compilation of the most recent nonprofit human resource research to be used as a tool for scholars, students, and practitioners for many years to come.

O'Rourke, Pauric P.

2020 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-01-2020-0003

The purpose of this article is to explore how NPM influenced the Irish NPVCS and triggered changes in work and HRM at a time of austerity.Design/methodology/approachUtilising a case study framework, the study draws on qualitative data from 38 Managers/Supervisors in two Government funded organisations in the Physical and Sensory Disability (PSD) subsector.FindingsResults indicate that due to the sector's dependence on Government funding, NPM entered the Irish NPVCS bloodstream via institutional forces of coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphism. These translated into a more formalised, standardised and commercial approach to work and HRM and downward pressures on pay and terms and conditions of employment in the sector, creating a more business facing and disciplined sector.Research limitations/implicationsAs a cross-sectional study using two large representative case study organisations from the PSD subsector, it has high generalisability for this subsector but less so for the wider Irish NPVCS. It brings into focus the sector's Achilles heel of over-reliance on Government funding and uncovers important issues which merit exploration in other subsectors of the Irish NPVCS.Practical implicationsThe study provides evidence of how NPM and austerity inspired change in human resource management practices in the sector and offers insights to Managers and other stakeholders on how the sector is changing and the challenges that must be addressed, especially around asserting its independence from Government funding.Originality/valueThe study extends our understanding of NPM and HRM in the context of the Irish NPVCS and austerity.

Young, Doug

2020 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-01-2019-0096

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent and impact of customer-oriented norms on employment relations in voluntary sector social care, within the context of personalisation. Self-Directed Support (SDS) is premised on the notion that customer-led care enhances autonomy among service users and therefore improves quality of life, and additionally, gives employees more discretion in their work. However, by attempting to improve quality of service without additional funding – and in many instances, with funding cuts – it can be argued that SDS is in practice effectively attempts to achieve “more-for-less.” This paper examines the effect of this dynamic on employment relations, using the organisation as the unit of analysis.Design/methodology/approachThis paper examines the existing literature on personalisation and SDS, and positions it alongside the sociology of service work. Particular focus is given to Korczynski's notion of Customer-Oriented Bureaucracies (COB). Data collection took place in four comprehensive case studies, comprised of fifty-five semi-structured interviews overall and a benchmarking survey of each.FindingsFindings demonstrate that the influence of customer-oriented norms only affected certain features of the employment relationship, and tended to result from pressures other than service users, such as organisational strategy or funding constraints. In consequence, none of the individual case studies fit the description of COB in its absolute form. Instead, what can be observed is a strong pattern of influence across specific dimensions of the employment relationship. In relation to policies and procedures, the impact of customer-oriented norms was experienced in 70% of instances, 83.3% of incidences pertaining to terms and conditions, and 85.7% of incidences pertaining to work organisation.Research limitations/implicationsThe data itself is limited to fifty-five interviews across four case studies, and so only gives a “snapshot” of employee relations within the sector. Further research would be advantageous to address these issues geographically and temporally.Practical implicationsFirstly, it contributes academically to existing bodies of literature on both voluntary sector social care and the sociology of service work. Secondly, it provides practitioners with analysis of the issues that accompany personalisation, and how adopting customer-oriented norms impacts the employment relationship. Thirdly, it demonstrates to legislators and commissioners that existing shortfalls in funding are compensated for by the above-and-beyond efforts of those who work in the sector, and that this is an increasingly untenable situation.Social implicationsThis paper sheds much needed light onto employment relations in the doubly under-researched areas of voluntary sector social care in Scotland. It attempts to aid employee relations pertaining to the often low paid social care workforce, and the care of service users who include the most vulnerable in society. By identifying potential issues pertaining to employee relations, it seeks to avoid future disruptions to service provision which could have adverse effects on organisations, employees, and service users.Originality/valueThis paper makes a theoretical and conceptual contribution by utilising the sociology of service work as a means of better understanding employment relations in voluntary sector social care. It compares the impact of customer-oriented norms across four distinctly different service provision types Furthermore, the segmenting of findings across three key areas of employment relations allows for a systematic analysis which pinpoints the presence and extent of customer-oriented norms and their influence on the employment relationship.

Reinhardt, Andreas; Enke, Susanne

2020 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-04-2019-0173

Studies on personal characteristics that influence managers' performance in their jobs and their ability to innovate focus mainly on for-profit organizations. We argue that non-profit organizations (NPOs) differ substantially from for-profit organizations in their organizational set-up and processes, so the skills they demand from their managers and employees also differ. We undertake this research to explore the personal factors that could be particularly relevant to managers' performance and innovativeness in the non-profit sector.Design/methodology/approachWe conduct a qualitative, model-building study to derive the personal factors that influence managers' intention to perform and to innovate and their behavior in that regard. The base of our analysis is 15 interviews with knowledgeable informants who either work in NPOs, provide services to them or perform research about them.FindingsWe derive 14 personal factors that can be aggregated into four categories—experience, virtues and vices, interpersonal skills and management skills—each of which affect NPO managers' individual performance and/or individual innovativeness.Originality/valueThis study adds to existing research on Ajzen's (1985) Theory of Planned Behavior by extending it to the nonprofit context, so it contributes to the literature on individuals' behavioral intentions.

Diaz, Daniel A.; Rees, Christopher J.

2020 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-08-2019-0327

The emergence of Governance practices in the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector has become associated with increasingly high levels of organisational complexity. In the light of an expanding civil society sector in Chile and the emergence of formalised governance practices, this paper explores the construction of the Executive Director role in Chilean NGOs with reference to organisational functions, organisational dynamics, and external influences.Design/methodology/approachGrounded theory is used to explore qualitative data derived from a set of N = 39 interviews conducted in Chile These interviews involve NGO founders, funders, Executive Directors, scholars, consultants, and team members.FindingsThe findings reveal the pivotal role played by Executive Directors in conducting organisational activities which, in other types of organisations, are often distributed across various organisational functions. The data also highlight complex dynamics involving overt compliance with external regulatory requirements, uncertainties about financial sustainability, the recruitment of Executive Board members, the exercise of power by Executive Directors, and the influence of founders in leadership configurations.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of the study are discussed in relation to the governance and accountability of NGOs, the nature of the Executive Director role, the purpose of Executive Boards in the NGO sector, and the recruitment and training of Board members. It is noted that the study was conducted in the NGO sector in Chile; further research is necessary to establish the generalisability of the findings to other contexts.Originality/valueThis paper addresses the shortage of organisational research on NGOs. It contributes by offering analytical perspectives on organisational processes of Leadership and Governance. This paper highlights the relationship between, and interdependency of, those processes.