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

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.

Achieving Human Resource Management Sustainability in Universities

The sustainability of human resource management (HRM) is the basis for an organization’s future growth and success. This study aims to investigate achieving HRM sustainability in universities. We use a quantitative research method design to investigate the factors that affect HRM sustainability at universities. The study was conducted during the spring and summer of 2020 at Iranian state universities. As the study’s statistical population included 2543 employees, a sample size of 334 employees was calculated using the Cochran formula. A questionnaire with 32 statements based on a 5-point Likert scale was used to collect the data, which were analyzed using PLS3 software. The findings show that human resource practices, social factors, psychological factors, employer branding, and economic factors have positive and significant effects on HRM sustainability at universities. Findings indicate that it is essential to consider the implementation of adequate HRM practices and related socio-economic and psychological supports for HRM sustainability in universities that can lead to the competitiveness of the higher education institutions such as universities.

Relationship Model between Human Resource Management Activities and Performance Based on LMBP Algorithm

The research on the relationship between human resource management activities and performance is an important topic of enterprise human resource management research. There are some errors between the relationship between human resource management activities and performance and the real situation, so it is impossible to accurately predict the performance fluctuation. Therefore, the relationship model between human resource management activities and performance based on the LMBP algorithm is constructed. Using the Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) algorithm and BP (back-propagation) neural network algorithm to establish a new LMBP algorithm, control the convergence of the new algorithm, optimize the accuracy of the algorithm, and then apply the LMBP algorithm to predict the risk of performance fluctuation under human resource management activities of enterprises, the indicators of human resource management activities of enterprises are determined, to complete the mining of enterprise performance data, the grey correlation analysis is combined, and the relationship model between human resource management activities and performance is built. The experimental samples are selected from CSMAR database, and the simulation experiment is designed. Using different algorithms to forecast the fluctuation of enterprise performance, the experimental results show that the LMBP algorithm can more accurately reflect the relationship between enterprise HRM and performance.

Student leadership programme: igniting the young minds

Learning outcomes This case will help students to understand the following: Develop a basic understanding of competency building processes. Learn about the mentoring process and its application in leadership development. Develop awareness about the methodology for assessment of the effectiveness of training. Case overview/synopsis Dr A. R. K. Pillai founded the Indian Leprosy Foundation in 1970 in response to the national call by late Mrs Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India, to the public-spirited people to take up leprosy eradication. It collaborated with international agencies to reduce leprosy drastically in India from four million, in 1982 to around a hundred thousand cases in 2006. In 2006, the Indian Leprosy Foundation was renamed as Indian Development Foundation (IDF) as the trustees decided to expand the work of IDF in the areas of health, children’s education and women’s empowerment. Dr Narayan Iyer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IDF initiated a leadership development intervention called the Students’ leadership programme (SLP) for children in the age group of 12 to 14, from the urban poor households in 2014. It was a structured mentoring programme spanning over three months in collaboration with the schools. It aimed at incubating skills in the areas of leadership, teamwork, personality, behavioural traits and provided career guidance. It had a humble beginning in 2014 with a coverage of 50 students. Initially, IDF welcomed executives from the corporate sector as mentors. As there was a need to rapidly expand the scope of SLP to the other cities of India, IDF tied up with the graduate colleges and invited the students to be the mentors. The other objective behind this move was to create social awareness among the students from more affluent strata of society. IDF was able to dramatically increase the participation of the students through SLP by approximately up to 100,000 by 2020. However, rapid progress threw up multiple challenges. The teachers complained about the non-availability of the students for regular classes to teach the syllabus as the students were busy with SLP. The schools forced IDF to shorten the duration of SLP to two months. Also, many undergraduate mentors were unable to coach the participants due to lack of maturity and found wanting to strike a rapport with them. There was a shortage of corporate executives who volunteered for the mentoring, due to work pressures. Dr Narayan, CEO & National Coordinator and Ms Mallika Ramchandran, the project head of SLP at IDF, were worried about the desired impact of SLP on the participants and its sustainability due to these challenges. So, with the support of Dr Narayan, she initiated a detailed survey to assess the ground-level impact of SLP. The objective was to get clarity about what was working for SLP and what aspects needed to improve, to make the programme more effective. Overall feedback from the survey was very positive. The mothers had seen very positive changes in the participants’ behaviour post-SLP. The teachers had specific concerns about the effectiveness of undergraduate mentors. The need for a refresher course to inculcate ethical behaviour and the inadequacy of the two-month duration of the SLP to reinforce values were highlighted. Respondents also voiced the requirement to build responsible citizenship behaviours among the participants. Mallika was all for preparing a model to further enhance the effectiveness of SLP. Dr Narayan and Mallika embraced the challenge and they were raring to go to develop SLP as a cutting-edge leadership programme and to take it to new heights. Complexity academic level This case can be used in courses on human resource management in postgraduate and graduate management programmes. It can also be used in the general and development management courses and during executive education programmes to teach methodologies for evaluating the effectiveness of the training interventions, with emphasis on the voluntary sector. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 6: Human Resource Management.

Feasibility of implementing the human resource payroll management system based on cloud computing

PurposeThe present study is descriptive research in terms of purpose, descriptive analysis in terms of nature and cross-sectional research in terms of time. The study’s statistical population includes all employees and managers of the China City Organization selected as sample members using random sampling method and Krejcie table of 242 people. The questionnaire was modified and revised based on the goals, tasks and mission of the target organization to collect information. In data analysis, due to the normality of data distribution, the structural equation modeling method is used to evaluate the causal model, reliability and validity of the measurement model. Evaluation and validation of the model are done through the structural equation model. Questionnaire-based model and data are analyzed using Smart PLS 3.0. The main purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of implementing the human resource payroll management system based on cloud computing technology.Design/methodology/approachNew technologies require innovative approaches for creating valuable opportunities in an organization to integrate the physical flows of goods and services and financial information. Today, cloud computing is an emerging mechanism for high-level computing as a storage system. It is used to connect to network hosts, infrastructure and applications and provide reliable services. Due to advances in this field, cloud computing is used to perform operations related to human resources. The role, importance and application of cloud computing in human resource management, such as reducing the cost of hardware and information software in hiring, job planning, employee selection, employee socialization, payroll, employee performance appraisal, rewards, etc., is raised. This way, human resource management teams can easily view resumes, sort candidates and observe and analyze their performance. Cloud computing is effective in implementing human resource payroll management systems. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of implementing the human resource payroll management system based on cloud computing technology.FindingsTesting the research hypotheses shows that the dimension desirability of ability and acceptance is provided in dimensions related to the minimum conditions required to implement cloud computing technology in the organization. For this reason, the feasibility of implementing the systems based on cloud computing in companies must be considered.Research limitations/implicationsThis study also has some limitations that need to be considered in evaluating the results. The study is limited to one region. It cannot be assured that the factors examined in other areas are effective. The research design for this study is a cross-sectional study. It represents the static relationship between the variables. Since cross-sectional data from variable relationships are taken at a single point in time, they are collected in other periods. As a proposal, future researchers intend to investigate the impact of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems based on cloud computing.Practical implicationsThe research also includes companies, departments and individuals associated with systems based on cloud computing.Originality/valueIn this paper, the feasibility of implementing the human resource payroll management system based on cloud computing is pointed out, and the approach to resolve the problem is applied to a practical example. The presented model in this article provides a complete framework to investigate the feasibility of implementing the human resource payroll management system based on cloud computing.