Organizations rely on employees to report problems that hinder organizational effectiveness and on supervisors to resolve those problems. Although prohibitive voice is generally thought to help organizations avoid costly and tragic outcomes, the voice literature has also demonstrated that supervisors respond more negatively to prohibitive voice than promotive voice. This tension motivates our inquiry into a fundamental but overlooked reason as to why supervisors might implement prohibitive voice. Drawing upon theoretical distinctions between prohibitive and promotive voice articulated in the voice literature and regulatory focus theory, we propose that supervisors tend to implement prohibitive voice episodes because they elicit an urgency to respond. We find support for our theoretical model in a field study of 555 discrete voice episodes delivered over the course of four years in a high-speed transit system (Study 1). We reproduce and extend these findings—that supervisors implement prohibitive voice because it triggers an urgency to respond—in a recall experiment in which we find that prevention focus enhances supervisors’ response urgency toward prohibitive voice (Study 2). Taken together, our findings demonstrate that despite the potential negative consequences voicers may incur for speaking up with prohibitive voice, a primary function of prohibitive voice is to elicit response urgency that ultimately generates real change.

In the current study, we contend that one way in which the management of people and work impacts organization performance is through building capabilities. More specifically, expanding beyond the traditional HR systems-organization performance research literature, we examine how HR flexibility, technical HRM, strategically-oriented HRM, and workforce strategic importance build a specific type of capabilities, namely organization strategic human capabilities, which in turn drives organization performance. Within a global, cross-industry sample composed of 9,923 individuals from 505 for-profit organizations, HR flexibility, strategically-oriented HRM, and workforce strategic importance were found to have positive effects on organization strategic human capabilities. Our findings also indicate that both technical and strategically-oriented HRM affect organization strategic human capabilities indirectly through HR flexibility. Furthermore, in addition to its positive effect on organization strategic human capabilities, workforce strategic importance was found to moderate HR flexibility's positive effect on organization strategic human capabilities. Finally, within a subsample composed of 8,060 individuals from 284 for-profit organizations, organization strategic human capabilities were found to be a key proximal precursor of organization performance.

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The current study contributes to the ongoing discourse in the extant literature concerning the performance effects of the commitment-inducement and the compliance-enforcement approaches to the management of people and work. We expand on two research studies conducted in China to assess if the finding that commitment-inducement and compliance-enforcement result in higher organization financial and operational performance generalizes to corporate social responsibility performance and to countries and cultures across the globe. Using the current study’s large global multi-source sample, our findings illuminate that compliance-enforcement explained significant incremental variance in both organization financial and operational performance and organization corporate social responsibility performance beyond that of the commitment-inducement approach alone. Moreover, the highest levels of both performance outcomes were obtained by organizations that simultaneously used both commitment-inducement and compliance-enforcement; that is, hybrid governance. Compliance-enforcement was also found to have a more substantive relative effect on organization financial and operational performance while commitment-inducement was found to have a more substantive relative effect on organization corporate social responsibility performance. Furthermore, as hypothesized, at the between country-level, the relationship between the commitment-inducement approach of managing people and work and corporate social responsibility performance was found to be more negative both for a high individualism than a low individualism culture and for a high uncertainty avoidance than a low uncertainty avoidance culture, respectively. Whereas, the relationship between the compliance-enforcement approach and corporate social responsibility performance was found to be more positive for a high uncertainty avoidance than a low uncertainty avoidance culture. Finally, as hypothesized, at the between country-level, commitment-inducement and compliance-enforcement were found to be substitutes and have a negative synergistic effect on corporate social responsibility performance. Implications, limitations, and avenues for future research are discussed.

An open question among scholars and practitioners is whether and when the employment of star employees is likely to pay off. Addressing this query, we integrate insights related to star performers' experiences of cumulative advantage and disproportionate bargaining power with insights from the careers literature to develop theory related to stars' direct and indirect value creation and value capture as they age. Specifically, we first develop arguments that stars, as a function of their disproportionate status and bargaining power, will enjoy higher pay relative to individual performance (PRIP) in comparison to their non-star peers. Second, we argue that this difference in PRIP will be greater among older employees, as stars' cumulative advantage is a progressive phenomenon that continues to widen the initial gaps in their PRIP relative to others over their careers. Next, countering the apparent implication that the value proposition associated with employing stars deteriorates as stars age, we find that the magnitude of stars' indirect contributions through positive spillovers to their peers' performance increases with age. Lastly, we account for some of the mechanisms through which older stars have a more positive impact on their peers. General support for predictions is found in a financial services organization.

For over two decades, there has been increasing theory and research on HR flexibility, however, there is still much to be understood regarding its relationship with other constructs and the potential boundary conditions to its effectiveness. This study replicates and extends this work using a global multi-source, multi-respondent sample composed of 8,139 respondents from 306 organizations. The results provide additional evidence for the mediating role of HR flexibility in the high-performance work system—organization performance relationship. Additionally, they illuminate the mediating role of HR flexibility in the organization high technology focus—performance relationship and the mediating effects of organization size on this relationship as well as on the relationship between HR flexibility and organization performance. In sum, the findings underscore the advantage of being large and contributes to our understanding of HR flexibility’s impact on organization performance and further illustrates that HR flexibility can be an organization-level asset in certain circumstances (for very large organizations) and a liability in others (for smaller organizations)

Despite growing evidence of HRM-performance linkages, the department entrusted to implement High Performance Work Practices (HPWPs), the Human Resource function, is perceived to lack organizational power. Drawing on political perspectives on organizational behavior, we argue that the HR function can increase its influence on strategic decision making in the organization by developing symbolic HR function actions such as interacting effectively with directors, involving line managers in HRM, outsourcing, and using HR metrics. Next, we explore how HR function influence is associated with implementation of HPWPs. Finally, we test whether the mediation mechanism is moderated by industry type within a global sample of 11,780 raters at 409 business units. The findings of this study have important implications for HR professionals who seek to implement HPWPs in their organizations. It provides insight into how HR functions can develop and use influence toward increasing line managers’ willingness to implement such practices.

Recent years have shown an increased focus on workforce analytics and the importance of workforce analytics in helping HR professionals to be more useful business partners. This suggests that HR professionals may need to become more and more data savvy and develop better analytical abilities if they hope to perform well and contribute meaningfully in the future. Despite this emphasis, there has been no research explicitly connecting the individual level analytical abilities of HR professionals to their job performance. Using a proprietary sample of 360 feedback surveys from 1,117 HR professionals in 449 unique organizations we test this general relationship. We also test whether the relationship varies by industry-, company-, and job-level factors. We find support for our main hypotheses that HR professionals with higher analytical abilities will also have higher perceived job performance. We also find that the strength of this relationship varies by some job roles. We explore and discuss these empirical results.

Drawing from strategic human resource management and organizational theory, this article develops an integrated typology of employee governance. This typology is based on the dimensions of eliciting employees’ commitment to the organization (commitment-eliciting) and achieving employees’ compliance to rules (compliance-achieving), which yields four approaches to governing employees: disciplined governance, bonded governance, hybrid governance, and unstructured governance. Results from 337 firms show that the hybrid governance approach is linked with significantly higher organizational performance than alternative approaches in the Chinese context. In addition, both commitment-based practices and compliance-based practices are positively related to organizational performance, and their interaction produces additional positive effects.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact that HR departments have on alternative stakeholders when they focus on improving the organization’s information capability instead of focusing their information agenda on human resource (HR) departmental activities. Design/methodology/approach The findings are based on the 2016 offering of the HR Competency study that is sponsored by the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and the RBL Group. The data set consists of over 36,000 respondents from around the world. Data were gathered through a 360 methodology that includes self-ratings and HR and non-HR associate ratings. Findings The findings show that HR’s involvement in leveraging business information has more impact than any other HR department activity on creating value for key external stakeholders. When controlling for other HR activities, the analysis shows that 77.4 per cent of HR total impact on customer value and 55.6 per cent of shareholder value occurs through HR’s involvement in information management. This impact occurs as HR departments contribute to identifying important external information (including customer and competitive information), importing important external information into the firm, analyzing information through both quantitative and qualitative algorithms, disseminating key facts and findings throughout the firm and ensuring the full utilization of information in decision making. The authors provide examples of how HR departments in leading companies are contributing to each of these phases of organization information management. Originality/value These findings have potentially important implications for how HR professionals add value to their key stakeholders. It suggests that HR departments will add greater value to their firms as they shift the focus of their information agenda from application to internal HR processes and practices to creating competitive advantage through organization-wide information management capability.

Despite substantive organizational ramifications, surprisingly little theory explains executive succession planning processes. A firm's board of directors has the fiduciary responsibility to select CEOs, but, historically, boards have failed to exercise this authority. Increasing focus on corporate governance has prompted directors to become more engaged in organizational management, but boards face significant barriers to gathering and processing information. However, there is a dearth of research examining how boards overcome informational barriers to enhance decision-making effectiveness. Accordingly, the current study integrates procedural rationality in decision-making with research on boards as information-processing groups to explore how and why boards conduct succession planning processes. Procedural rationality results in formalized processes designed to collect essential information about CEO succession candidates; these processes, in turn, lead to a greater quantity and quality of CEO succession candidates. We also illustrate how CEOs can influence the effectiveness of board information gathering and processing. The tests of the theoretically generated hypotheses rely on in-depth qualitative interviews, coupled with unique survey and archival data from 355 firm-year observations of 218 large organizations, collected over three years.

Researchers have argued the importance of human capital to organizations for many years. Recent theoretical developments have distinguished between human capital, which is owned by individuals, and human capital resources, which are available to units for performance and competitive advantage. This distinction calls attention to different types of human capital, generic or specific. Studies have found positive unit-level effects emanating from both human capital resource types yet few studies have considered multiple types simultaneously, making it challenging to know which has greater explanatory power. Additionally, studies have also not considered the impact of organizational capabilities in conjunction with human capital resources. This study tests the effects of multiple types of human capital resources and organizational capabilities to determine the relative influence an organizational subunit has on strategic decision making. These tests are conducted using a large international dataset including multiple types of individual human capital and subunit capabilities, allowing us to compare the relative weights of each.

Employment Relations TodayVolume 44, Issue 2 p. 37-44 Feature Competencies for HR Professionals Who Deliver Outcomes Dave Ulrich, Dave Ulrich RBL Group, Alpine, UtahSearch for more papers by this authorDavid Kryscynski, David Kryscynski Marriott School of Business, Brigham Young University, Provo, UtahSearch for more papers by this authorMichael Ulrich, Michael Ulrich Huntsman School of Business, Utah State University, Logan, UtahSearch for more papers by this authorWayne Brockbank, Wayne Brockbank Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Alphine, UtahSearch for more papers by this author Dave Ulrich, Dave Ulrich RBL Group, Alpine, UtahSearch for more papers by this authorDavid Kryscynski, David Kryscynski Marriott School of Business, Brigham Young University, Provo, UtahSearch for more papers by this authorMichael Ulrich, Michael Ulrich Huntsman School of Business, Utah State University, Logan, UtahSearch for more papers by this authorWayne Brockbank, Wayne Brockbank Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Alphine, UtahSearch for more papers by this author First published: 12 September 2017 https://doi.org/10.1002/ert.21623Citations: 8Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume44, Issue2Summer 2017Pages 37-44 RelatedInformation

Leadership can seem confusing and complex because there aren't easy answers much of the time, and we must confront polarities. Ulrich and his co‐authors present a table of six stages of paradox management, beginning with ignorance and denial and ending with making small adjustments and transcending paradox. That final stage can be attained by methods such as seeing others' points of view, defining best outcomes, and finding common ground. They believe that “the first step is to recognize the importance of paradox in being an effective leader, then to assess both the stage of organization and skills of individual leaders in navigating paradox.”

This article provides an overview of the field of strategic human resource management (SHRM) by tracing its roots, describing its current state, and predicting its future directions. We discuss some past stages in the evolution of the field, including eras of conceptual models, empirical examinations, and empirical critiques. We then discuss the present state regarding theory, the human resources (HR) system–performance relationship, multilevel analyses, fit and flexibility, and international HR research. Finally, we propose that future research needs to be more rigorous, more multilevel, more global, more focused on human capital, more integrated with strategy, and more integrated with practice.

CEO succession is one of the most important transitions in any firm’s life cycle. However, despite substantive ramifications for the actors and the firm, and the potentially competing interests that can arise among the actors who influence the decision, there remains surprisingly little theory or exploration about the processes used for making executive succession decisions. Two competing parties, the Board of directors and the outgoing CEO, have strong interests in influencing succession processes. In this manuscript, we illustrate how these competing parties work to influence the succession planning process. Based on in-depth interviews with senior insiders, and survey data obtained from 156 Chief Human Resource Officers at large, primarily Fortune 500 firms, we develop and test theory about the planning processes and find that Boards try to increase the number of candidates evaluated and the use of external help. Simultaneously, we find that CEOs try to decrease the number of candidates evaluated and the likelihood that external help is used. Finally, the relationship between the board and the CEO positively moderates the relationship between Board processes and number of successors identified. We discuss the implications of our findings for future research on CEO succession and succession planning, in particular.

“The investment industry community will be well served to develop more rigorous analytical tools to determine the quality of leadership within potential investment opportunities.”

Purpose In light of educators’ concerns that lecture attendance in medical school has declined, the authors sought to assess students’ perceptions, evaluations, and motivations concerning live lectures compared with accelerated, video-recorded lectures viewed online. Method The authors performed a cross-sectional survey study of all first- and second-year students at Harvard Medical School. Respondents answered questions regarding their lecture attendance; use of class and personal time; use of accelerated, video-recorded lectures; and reasons for viewing video-recorded and live lectures. Other questions asked students to compare how well live and video-recorded lectures satisfied learning goals. Results Of the 353 students who received questionnaires, 204 (58%) returned responses. Collectively, students indicated watching 57.2% of lectures live, 29.4% recorded, and 3.8% using both methods. All students have watched recorded lectures, and most (88.5%) have used video-accelerating technologies. When using accelerated, video-recorded lecture as opposed to attending lecture, students felt they were more likely to increase their speed of knowledge acquisition (79.3% of students), look up additional information (67.7%), stay focused (64.8%), and learn more (63.7%). Conclusions Live attendance remains the predominant method for viewing lectures. However, students find accelerated, video-recorded lectures equally or more valuable. Although educators may be uncomfortable with the fundamental change in the learning process represented by video-recorded lecture use, students’ responses indicate that their decisions to attend lectures or view recorded lectures are motivated primarily by a desire to satisfy their professional goals. A challenge remains for educators to incorporate technologies students find useful while creating an interactive learning culture.