Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations in the Latin American Context

Author(s):  
Wilson Aparecido Costa de Amorim ◽  
Antonio Carvalho Neto

With a particular focus on the Mercosur bloc, this chapter examines key features of human resource management (HRM) and industrial relations systems (IRS) in Latin America. Several key themes are explicated in the chapter. The first theme is whether the dissemination of HRM practices in an institutional setting that emphasizes the hierarchical and market characteristics of IRS will also produce some kind of convergence in these practices. The second theme is to what extent the rather different national institutional environments generate similar or different HRM practices. The third theme, relatedly, is whether evidence exists of mimetic influences in the spread of HRM practices. The framework discussed in the chapter could serve as a useful theoretical point of departure for identifying both national and regional contextual influences on HRM and IRS. It may ignite interest in comparative analyses in the Latin American context. Accounts of HRM in the Latin American context, along with comparative analyses of IRS of specific countries in the region, are significantly underrepresented in the literature. Furthering national comparative research on HRM practices of organizations in the Mercosur region could open up new lines of inquiry, in particular, on the likelihood of convergence or divergence.

Author(s):  
Stephen James ◽  
Mawazo. H. Baruti

Standardization and localization are two debatable concepts in human resource management of Multinational Companies (MNCs) subsidiaries. Standardization involves conducting subsidiaries HRM practices in similar ways as conducted at headquarters of Multinational Companies while localization is adaptation of subsidiaries HRM practices to ways used by local firms in the host countries of subsidiaries. The objective of this paper was to explore determinants associated with standardization and localization of HRM practices in Multinational Companies’ subsidiaries. Method used was a review of literature retrieved from Google, Google Scholar and Jstor as electronic data bases. Interpretation of findings from the literature showed that there were various determinants associated with standardization and localization of HRM practices in Multinational Companies’ subsidiaries and mostly included: cultural and institutional factors, country-of-origin dominance and HRM approaches adopted by Multinational Companies for overseas subsidiaries. It was concluded that the national contexts of the parent and host countries as reflected in the individual determinants had a huge role to play in standardization and localization of HRM practices such as staffing, training and development, compensation, communication, job design, promotion, recognition, job security, industrial relations, and performance management among MNCs’ subsidiaries. The paper also provided implications to international human resource management practitioners. KEY WORDS: HRM practices, Localization, Standardization, Subsidiaries


2021 ◽  
pp. 095001702199736
Author(s):  
Syed Imran Saqib ◽  
Matthew MC Allen ◽  
Geoffrey Wood

New institutionalism increasingly informs work on comparative human resource management (HRM), downplaying power and how competing logics play out, and potentially providing an incomplete explanation of how and why ‘HRM’ and associated practices vary in different national contexts. We examine HRM in Pakistan’s banking industry and assess how managers’ espoused views of HRM practices reflect prevailing ones in dominant HRM models, and how they differ from early-career professionals’ perceptions of these practices. The cultural script of ‘seth’ (a neo-feudalist construction of authority) influences managers’ implementation of HRM policies and competes with the espoused HRM logic. We argue that managers will pursue a ‘seth’ logic when managing employees, as it reproduces existing power differentials within companies. By doing so, they render HRM unrecognizable from dominant models. Indeed, by using the term ‘HRM’, much of the existing, new institutionalism-influenced literature rationalizes a particular view of organizations and management that is inappropriate and analytically misleading in emerging economies.


Author(s):  
Baofeng Huo ◽  
Zhaojun Han ◽  
Haozhe Chen ◽  
Xiande Zhao

Purpose – Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the purpose of this paper is to combine concepts from human resource management (HRM) and supply chain management (SCM) fields and explore the effects of high-involvement HRM practices on supply chain integration (SCI). Design/methodology/approach – Using empirical survey data collected from ten countries, the authors examine the specific effects of three dimensions of high-involvement HRM practices – employee skills, incentives and participation – on three types of SCI – internal integration, supplier and customer integration. The authors use structural equation modeling and the maximum-likelihood estimation method to test the proposed relationships. Findings – The results confirm the overall relevancy of HRM to SCI. However, several proposed links are not supported by the data collected. Originality/value – This study makes both theoretical and managerial contributions by empirically examining the interface between HRM and SCI. More specifically, it examines the effects of different high-involvement HRM practices on different types of SCI. The findings will not only help researchers to better understand the interface, but will also guide managers in adjusting HRM practices to achieve desired operational goals.


Author(s):  
Kim Lian Lee ◽  
Sarvanan Singram ◽  
Christopher Luke Felix

Objective - The study explores the relationships between human r esource management practices on employee retention in Malaysian industrial setting s . The human resource management practices such as selection, training and development, performance appraisal and reward were considered in this study as the main factors that impact the employee retention in an organization Methodology/Technique - All d ata used in th is study consist s of respondents of executives and managers in manufacturing companies located in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Data processing and statistical analyses were mainly carried out using SPSS. Reliability test was used to check the con sistency and dimensionality of the scale items. P e a rson Intercorrelation was used to measure the associations among the human resource practices and employee retention and Multiple Regression Analysis to check the criterion - related validity of the scale i tems and to complement the correlation results. Findings - Data from 151 respondents from various industries show ed that the reward was most correlated with employee retention. This is followed by performance appraisal, in which fair and inclusive appraisa l leads to better retention. On the contrary, selection was found to have least significance relationship with employee retention. Novelty - The contribution of the study is in asserting some findings for human resource manager to understand the importanc e of an effective HRM practices on employee retention in the manufacturing industry. Apart from that, this research provides an understanding of some important elements in human resource management practices that are more effective in employee retention. Type of Paper - Empirical Type of Paper - HRM Practices; Employee Retention; Relationship; Significance .


2021 ◽  
pp. 097215092110372
Author(s):  
Satyanarayana Parayitam ◽  
Shaik Mohamed Naina ◽  
Timothy Shea ◽  
Abdul Hameed Syed Mohideen ◽  
Alex Aruldoss

The objective of the present study is to examine the impact of human resource management (HRM) practices on organizational performance. Knowledge management (KM) practices as a moderator in the relationship between HRM practices and organizational performance are studied by developing a conceptual model. Using a structured survey instrument, the data were collected from 979 employees from 10 hospitals in the southern part of India (Tiruchirappalli District of Tamil Nadu). After thoroughly checking the instrument’s measurement properties using the LISREL, hierarchical regression was performed to test the hypotheses. The results support (a) compensation and rewards, performance appraisal and learning culture that are positively and significantly related to organizational performance; (b) recruitment and selection, training and development that are not significantly related to organizational performance; and (c) KM practices that moderate the relationship between (a) training and development and organizational performance, and (b) learning culture and organizational performance. Finally, the implications for HRM and KM are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arosha S. Adikaram ◽  
N.P.G.S.I. Naotunna ◽  
H.P.R. Priyankara

PurposeThis paper aims to present an empirically driven crisis management framework of complementary human resource management (HRM) bundles that can be utilized in simultaneously managing the health crisis, financial crisis and disruptions to business operations through lockdown and other government restrictions propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe framework is developed employing qualitative methodology, drawing from the successful HRM practices adopted by 26 Sri Lankan companies in battling the many crises of COVID-19 and using the soft HRM approach as the theoretical basis.FindingsThe findings report a framework that consists of three key HRM bundles (health and safety bundle, cost-saving bundle and employee motivation and engagement bundle) entailing an array of inter-related, internally consistent, complementary and mutually reinforcing HRM practices and HRM activities. These HRM bundles and the HRM practices as well as the HRM activities therein, indicate how a softer approach to managing employees can be used during a crisis.Practical implicationsThe framework will inform the HRPs of the HRM bundles, HRM practices and HRM activities that can be used to manage the multiple crises created by COVID-19 and other similar pandemics.Originality/valueThe study contributes to and expands the knowledge of HRM in crisis management generally and HRM in a global pandemic more specifically.


2018 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond Tutu Ayentimi ◽  
John Burgess ◽  
Kantha Dayaram

AbstractLocal isomorphism constitutes the regulatory, cognitive and normative profile of a host country. The regulatory institutional setting reflects the rules and legislation governing collective bargaining agreements, trade unions, local content laws and employment relationships. The cultural or cognitive dimension supports the widely held cultural and social knowledge and the normative profile acknowledges the influences of social groups and organizations on acceptable normative behaviour. Earlier literature lends support to the importance of institutional profile and its influence on the design and implementation of multinational enterprises’ human resource management policies and practices. This paper seeks to advance the concept of local isomorphism and highlight the implications of local isomorphism for future research on the transfer of multinational enterprises’ human resource management practices across and between subsidiaries.


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