scholarly journals The study of knowledge employee voice among the knowledge-based companies: the case of an emerging economy

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elahe Hosseini ◽  
Saeid Saeida Ardekani ◽  
Mehdi Sabokro ◽  
Aidin Salamzadeh

PurposeA review of previous studies on the voices of employees and knowledge workers clarifies that paying attention to employees' voice is critical in human resource management. However, limited studies have been conducted on it, and much less emphasis has been placed compared to other human resource management activities such as human resource planning. Therefore, the voice of knowledge employees has been one of the critical issues that have attracted a great deal of attention recently. Nonetheless, there is no evidence of various comprehensive and integrated voice mechanisms. As a result, this study aims to design knowledge workers' voice patterns in knowledge-based companies specialising in information and communication technology (ICT) in Iran in May and June 2020.Design/methodology/approachThis study is a qualitative grounded theory research. We collected the data from a target sample of 15 experts in knowledge-based ICT companies using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Since all the participants had practised the employee voice process, they were regarded as useful data sources. Data analysis was also performed using three-step coding (open, axial and selective) by Atlas T8, which eventually led to identifying 14 components and 38 selected codes. We placed identified components in a paradigm model, including Personality Characteristics, Job Factors, Economic Factors, Cultural Factors, Organisational Policies, Organisational Structure, Climate Of Voice in the Organisation, Management Factors, Emotional Events, Communications and Networking, Contrast and Conflict and, etc. Then, the voice pattern of the knowledge staff was drawn.FindingsThe results showed that constructive knowledge voice influences the recognition of environmental opportunities and, additionally, it helps the competitive advantages among the employees. By forming the concept of knowledge staff voice, it can be concluded that paying attention to knowledge staff voice leads to presenting creative solutions to do affairs in critical situations. The presentation of these solutions by knowledge workers results in the acceptance of environmental changes, recognition and exploitation of new chances and ideas, and sharing experiences in Iranian knowledge-based companies.Practical implicationsStrengthening and expanding the voice of employees in knowledge-oriented companies can pave the way to growth and development towards a higher future that prevents the waste of tangible and intangible assets.Originality/valueCompanies' ability to engage in knowledge workers is a vital factor in human resource management and strategic management. However, the employee voice has not been involved integrally in the context of corporate.

Author(s):  
Babak Ziyae

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify the attention to the elements of human resource strategic management that can promote motivation of employees of knowledge-based institutions for developing corporate entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach – This study is considered as an empirical one in terms of objective, and its research methodology is descriptive-correlative type. More specifically, structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Findings – The findings demonstrate that promotion of skill and knowledge levels of people, as an operational strategy in the development of human resource in knowledge-based institutions, increases the demand for job promotion and enhances employees’ motivation in corporate entrepreneurship. On the other hand, organizational culture moderate the relationship between human resource management and corporate entrepreneurship. Originality/value – This paper fulfills an identified need to study the relationship between human resource management and corporate entrepreneurship. The manuscript creates a paradigm for future studies of the evolution of corporate entrepreneurship and human resource management.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Gopalakrishnan Narayanamurthy ◽  
Vijay Pereira

Subject area Human Resource Management and Public Sector Management. Study level/applicability The target audiences for the case study are BSc, MSc and MBA students and management trainees and executives who are interested in learning the human resource (HR) practices, policies and strategies adopted by the world’s largest commercial employer to ensure complete satisfaction and contentment of their employees and their employee’s family which, in turn, motivates them to contribute more efficiently and effectively for the organisation. Even senior management teams could be targeted in executive education programmes as this case discusses time-tested HR practices, policies and strategies which have been sparsely discussed so far and hence can be expected to provide insights to senior corporate managers. Case overview India has and is undergoing sweeping economic changes lately. There are several organisations that have supported this positive change. Of these, one such organisation, which shouldered the infrastructural burden of the transportation sector in India’s growth story, was the 160-year-old Indian Railways (IR), the world’s largest commercial employer. IR’s profit over the past few years was a far cry from its loss-making days, which tempted the government of India to consider privatisation in 2001. The transformational turnaround would not have been possible but for IR’s employees. After celebrating IR’s 160th anniversary in 2013, the case organisation wished to revisit its HR practices to understand its recent economic transformations and to strategise how they can improve and sustain maximum efficiency in future. The objective of this case study is to understand the “people side” of IR by explaining its current HR practices and to investigate and identify changes over the years so that changes then can be implemented in the context of HR practices for the future. Hence, the case attempts to explain the role of HR management in IR’s turnaround strategies. Resistance exhibited by IR staff towards its recent initiative of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation across India due to fear of job losses and insecurity is also discussed in the case. Teaching note for this case study explains existing people management frameworks published in the research literature to class participants by applying it to the case company. In addition, the teaching note also discusses how chief personnel officers (CPOs) of IR can pursue the change initiatives among the employees with least resistance. Changes/initiatives that can be imbibed by the CPOs in the existing HR practices to overcome the resistance exerted by the employees and to improve the existing system are also discussed. Expected learning outcomes This case study’s primary objective is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the HR practices being followed in IR, the world’s largest commercial employer. The case also attempts to assess the ERP system initiative by IR and analyse how it can be imbibed into the existing IR’s HR system. In short, the case study attempts to answer the following assignment questions which form the learning objectives of this case study: What are the HR practices that are being followed in the world’s largest commercial employer? How are the HR practices followed helpful in the retention of employees? How can IR pursue the change initiatives, especially ERP implementation, among the employees without any resistance? What are the changes/initiatives that can be imbibed in the HR practices to improve the existing system? Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 6: Human Resource Management.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liguo Xu ◽  
Pinging Fu ◽  
Youmin Xi

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the indigenous concept of suzhi at individual and organizational levels, and identify its dimensions for human resource management (HRM) research and practice in China. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a comprehensive review of suzhi literature, Chinese cultural and historical literature, as well as Western mainstream HRM research, a multidimensional suzhi framework is conceptualized. Findings – As an indigenous expression, suzhi can be and has been adopted for Chinese HRM research and practice. As a multidimensional construct, one’s cognitive suzhi is jointly determined by corresponding moral suzhi, wenhua (knowledge-based) suzhi and zhuanye (professional) suzhi. Cognitive suzhi, in turn, determines one’s behavioral suzhi that drives employees to enhance organizational performance, and this relationship is moderated by psychological suzhi. Research limitations/implications – The proposed framework provides new insight for Chinese indigenous management research, particularly in developing suzhi measurement for different dimensions. It also informs HRM practices in recruiting, selection, performance analysis and employee career development. Originality/value – The complexity of suzhi dimensions from an organizational HRM perspective is analyzed. The resulting suzhi framework offers new insight for HRM research and practices in China.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuh-Jiuan Parng ◽  
Taufik Kurrahman ◽  
Chih-Cheng Chen ◽  
Ming Lang Tseng ◽  
Hiền Minh Hà ◽  
...  

PurposeThis study aims to construct a valid hierarchical sustainable human resource management (SHRM) model with interrelationships among its attributes in terms of qualitative information.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies the fuzzy Delphi method to validate SHRM attributes and visualize the causal interrelationships among these attributes using a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method.FindingsThis study finds that green performance management and compensation lead to human resource benefits and economic sustainability in the HRM model.Practical implicationsOpen environmental communication, green human resource planning, green training and development, employee eco-friendly behavior and organizational culture are the top five criteria supporting practical improvement in the healthcare industry.Originality/valueThe emergence of new, unprepared, and inexperienced health care entities with inadequate human resource management (HRM) potentially causing social problems within the industry, SHRM is necessary to balance the social, environment, and economic performance and must be studied by both academicians and practitioners. However, the HRM application field is still in its infancy, which limits the understanding of its potential.


2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 1222-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Meyer ◽  
Steve Dunphy

Purpose – Responding to Colbert’s (2004) call for research examining the complexity of work systems’ effect on performance, and following Meyer and Dunphy’s (2014, 2015) work determining the general manner by which the complex mechanism of strategy choice and its implementation effect corporate performance, the purpose of this paper is to specify and test a model of the effects of workplace factors affecting employee responses to the demand for increased knowledge in using technology. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on the literature on the resource-based view of strategy and the knowledge-based (KB) view of human resource management system implementation, theory is developed, and hypotheses are generated, regarding employee attitudes toward skill development, technology, employment security, and feedback and their impact on competence and impact. Meaningfulness, self-determination, work conditions, and intensity are controlled for. Data from a sample of 888 employees, 24 managers, and corporate executives across eight Detroit-area automotive supplier firms are used to test the model using structural equation modeling. Findings – Individual psychological states of competence and impact are positively and strongly associated with KB psychological climates that foster and condition positive beliefs about the importance of learning new skills and about the effects of the diffusion of new technologies on employees. Research limitations/implications – The complexity of the interactions of management implementation of workplace practices on employee performance still needs more sorting out. Only unionized employers pursuing high-involvement work systems were studied. Other types of employers would have very different workplace climates. Practical implications – Only unionized employers pursuing high-involvement work systems were studied. Other types of employers would have very different workplace climates. Social implications – In order to have employees be receptive to changing technology and the resulting, increased demands for knowledge and skill, employers have to provide long-term employment security. Originality/value – The results provide the specific manner by which employers can increase employee receptiveness to increase workplace knowledge and training to have more impact on their performance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noopur Noopur ◽  
Rajib Lochan Dhar

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to try to profess that human resource management and knowledge are key antecedents, the amalgamation of which helps in developing the human capital (HC) which in turn generates employee’s service innovative behavior. Previous researches have studied the combination of human resource management (HRM) and knowledge perspective but not explicitly, there remains a significant gap and the HRM-innovative behavior literature remains unexplored. Design/methodology/approach SPSS 21, AMOS 21 and SAS 9.1 software were used to calculate the reliability of the scales, convergent, discriminant validity and overall fitness of the proposed model. SPSS macro called PROCESS was used to determine the indirect effect if any. Further, hierarchical linear modeling was performed to test the group level effect on the proposed model. Findings The research work confirms the role of knowledge-based human resource management (KHRM) practices as a precursor to HC, thus influencing the employee service innovative behavior when the person–organization fit is high rather than low. The literature has also elaborated on the central role of knowledge mechanisms in influencing a firm’s capability to support novel ideas and creative work patterns. Originality/value The present study has tried to investigate a very novel topic, i.e., KHRM practices whose literature are negligible. The research work has highlighted as to how KHRM practices which are basically non-tangible, rare, non-imitable can influence the innovative work-behavior of employees in a less knowledge-intensive industry such as the tourist hotels.


Author(s):  
Margaret Moussa ◽  
Mathew Bright ◽  
Maria Estela Varua

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the suitability of job and work design theory for investigating knowledge workers’ productivity. The review is a response to recommendation and adoption of the motivational human resource management approach by a number of knowledge management researchers. The authors show that the existing literature on this topic overlooks key criticisms of HRM job and work design theory itself. The authors suggest modifications. Design/methodology/approach The paper proceeds by outlining knowledge management researchers’ arguments rejecting the application of traditional measurement approaches to investigating knowledge workers’ productivity. The review develops to examine the various arguments for adopting work design theory and considers the key contributions and critiques in this field. Drawing on the insights of key HRM work design critics, the paper concludes by offering suggestions for a model suitable for examining the drivers of knowledge work productivity in process. Findings The principle finding is that Morgeson and Humphrey’s (2006) Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ) stand as the most conceptually consistent and methodologically considered human resource management work design theory. However, this model must itself be modified to include a category of organizational contextual work characteristics. For application to the filed of knowledge management, WDQ must also be expanded to include knowledge sharing, role breadth self-efficacy and employee well-being as key work design mediators and outcomes. Research limitations/implications Greater consideration needs to be given to the distinction between knowledge sharing as a work design mediator and as a work design outcome. Morgeson and Humphrey themselves note that the “common method variance” problems arising in psychometric research have been reduced but not completely eliminated from their model. Practical implications Survey instruments based on the recommended model potentially provide a valuable means for understanding and enhancing productivity in a variety of knowledge intensive service industries. The pronounced benefit of this model is that it is applicable in cross-industry and cross-occupational contexts, unlike many existing knowledge worker productivity models. This is an advantage, given the centrality of the inter-connectivity of different types of activities and industries in knowledge work. Social implications Work design prioritizes employee motivation and support and links this to the quality of work and the well-being of clients. The benefits of well-designed knowledge work extend well beyond the generation of specific innovations and macroeconomic productivity improvements. Originality/value Job design and work design theory have been applied in the field of knowledge management. However, the applications have largely overlooked key critiques of the established models in the human resource management literature. The paper fills this gap. Its original suggestions for modifying Moregeson and Humphry’s (2006) WDQ reflect the authors’ in-depth analysis of the literature.


SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824402098300
Author(s):  
Norwan Ahmad ◽  
Ng Siew Imm ◽  
Yuhanis Abdul Aziz ◽  
Norazlyn Kamal Basha

This article is aimed at examining the effect, direct and indirect, of knowledge-based human resource management on innovative offerings of service small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Knowledge-based human resource management essentially reflects the central role played by the embedded knowledge-centric human resource management practices, which may lead to new or improved services. A cross-sectional survey was implemented involving a sample of 278 business service SMEs from Malaysia and indicated two key findings from the study. First, knowledge-based human resource management was found to positively influence innovative service offerings. Second, dynamic capability in the aspects of entrepreneurial orientation, marketing capability, and technological capability were found to mediate the knowledge-based human resource management–innovative service offerings relationship. This study espouses the potentials of creating innovative service offerings among business service SMEs through embedding knowledge perspective in human resource management practices as well as investment in dynamic capabilities.


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.


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