The message and the messenger. Identifying and communicating a high performance “HRM philosophy”
| Date | 05 September 2016 |
| Pages | 1240-1258 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-02-2015-0049 |
| Published date | 05 September 2016 |
| Author | Ashlea Kellner,Keith Townsend,Adrian Wilkinson,David Greenfield,Sandra Lawrence |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
The message and the messenger
Identifying and communicating a high
performance “HRM philosophy”
Ashlea Kellner, Keith Townsend and Adrian Wilkinson
Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing,
Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
David Greenfield
Centre for Clinical Governance Research,
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and
Sandra Lawrence
Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing,
Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to develop understanding of the “HRM process”as defined by
Bowen and Ostroff (2004). The authors clarify the construct of “HRM philosophy”and suggest it is
communicated to employees through “HRM messages”. Interrelationships between these concepts and
other elements of the HRM-performance relationship are explored. The study identifies commonalities
in the HRM philosophy and messages underscoring high-performing HRM systems, and highlights the
function of a “messenger”in delivering messages to staff.
Design/methodology/approach –Case study of eight Australian hospitals with top performing
HRM systems. Combines primary interview data with independent healthcare accreditor reports.
Findings –All cases share an HRM philosophy of achieving high-performance outcomes through the
HRM system and employees are provided with messages about continuous improvement, best practice
and innovation. The philosophy was instilled primarily by executive-level managers, whereby
distinctiveness, consensus and consistency of communications were important characteristics.
Research limitations/implications –The research is limited by: omission of low or average
performers; a single industry and country design; and exclusion of employee perspectives.
Practical implications –The findings reinforce the importance of identifying the HRM philosophy
and its key communicators within the organisation, and ensuring it is aligned with strategy, climate
and the HRM system, particularly during periods of organisational change.
Originality/value –The authors expand Bowen and Ostroff’s seminal work and develop the concepts
of HRM philosophy and messages, offering the model to clarify key relationships. The findings
underscore problems associated with a best practice approach that disregards HRM process elements
essential for optimising performance.
Keywords Mixed methodologies, Human resource management, Healthcare, Qualitative, Communication,
High-performance work systems (HPWS), Human resource management system
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Over recent years, the body of scholarly evidence examining HRM and performance
has grown substantially, increased in complexity and sharpened in focus. Atten tion
has shifted from HRM practices to systems in the pursuit of establishing the most
Personnel Review
Vol. 45 No. 6, 2016
pp. 1240-1258
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-02-2015-0049
Received 26 February 2015
Revised 23 September 2015
Accepted 2 March 2016
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
This research was supported under Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects funding
scheme (Project Numbers LP120100325 and LP100200586). The authors would like to
acknowledge and thank The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards for their on-going
support as the linkage partner on this project.
1240
PR
45,6
effective bundle of practices to improve performance outcomes (Huselid, 1995;
Subramony, 2009). Similarly, many scholars have shifted focus to organisational (as
opposed to individual) performance, often highlighting the pertinence of the “fit”
between HRM systems and organisational strategy or more broadly, with factors such
as national context, industry sector or firm size (Purcell, 1999; Jackson an d Schuler,
1995). Despite ever increasing interest in strategic HRM, the majority of research
assumes or implies a relationship between HRM “content”(practices and policies, etc.)
and firm performance, failing to acknowledge important elements of the “process”that
are integral to this outcome (Bowen and Ostroff, 2004; Guest, 2011; Monks et al., 2013).
While organisational and HR strategy, practices and policies are physical content
that can be (at least theoretically) linked to performance, conceptualisation of an “HRM
process”implies less tangible components also influence this relationship.
Organisational climate has been identified as a key component of the HRM process
that signals to employees the desirable behaviours expected in the organisation (Bowen
and Ostroff, 2004; Neal et al., 2005; Sanders et al., 2008). While HRM philosophy has also
been acknowledged as an intangible concept that expresses the role employees pla y in
achieving success (for instance Schuler, 1992; Lepak et al., 2007), it has not received due
consideration as an important component of HRM process. Few authors have
acknowledged the “important and permeating role”of HRM philosophy on employee
behaviours and attitudes (Monks et al., 2013, p. 13), or considered how, exactly, it is
conveyed from managers to employees.
We respond to calls for further discussion of HRM philosophy, and define and locate
it within the theoretical framework developed by Bowen and Ostroff (2004). We expand
on the concept of “HRM messages”as a mechanism by which HRM philosophy is
communicated within organisational hierarchies. Eight case organisations with
high-performing HRM systems are examined, and our findings present a common
HRM philosophy and messages and illustrates how these tie into HRM policies and
practices. Furthermore, we discuss “who”delivers HRM messages and the important
attributes of an effective message. Analysis of detailed reports on the HRM system,
combined with quotes from interview data, suggest that the cases share an HRM
philosophy that is communicated via three consistent messages. These messages are
conveyed primarily by executive management rather than front-line managers or HR
department employees, and effectiveness can be explained by a focus on
distinctiveness, consensus and consistency of the message (Kelley, 1967).
HRM philosophy and a “strong system”
Understanding of the mechanisms by which HRM practices affect performance –
through creating a strong HRM system that impacts employee behaviours and
attitudes –draws upon the work of Bowen and Ostroff (2004). Specifically, the authors
highlighted “organisational climate”as a key mediating variable in the relationship
between HRM and performance, suggesting employees’perceptions of climate are
inextricably linked to the HRM system. Following Bowen and Ostroff we adopt
the definition of climate as the shared perception between employees about what the
organisation is like regarding behaviour that is expected and rewarded (Bowen and
Ostroff, 2004; Monks et al., 2013; Sanders et al., 2008). Where employees have a similar
interpretation or perception about a workplace situation, they deem this situation to be
a strong climate. This cause-effect attribution is a result of workplace communication,
and for accurate attribution, messages sent to staff must be unambiguous. Confident
attributions of the cause-effect relationship are distinctly tied to three important
1241
The message
and the
messenger
To continue reading
Request your trial