Calls for papers

 

European Journal of International Management

 

Thematic Issue on: "HRM Implementation Effectiveness in Europe: Mechanisms and Contextual Factors within the International Arena for Human Resource Management and Line Management"

Guest Editors:
Anna Bos-Nehles and Tanya Bondarouk, University of Twente, The Netherlands

We know from various studies that the implementation of human resource management is an important factor for the performance, quality and effectiveness of HRM (Gratton & Truss, 2003; Guest & Bos-Nehles, 2013; Huselid, Jackson & Schuler, 1997). Some scholars even go a step further in stating that even well-designed HRM practices will eventually become ineffective when they are not properly implemented (e.g. Khilji & Wang, 2006).

This thematic issue is inspired by the need for more research on HRM implementation effectiveness (Becker & Huselid, 2006; Guest, 2011; Guest & Bos-Nehles, 2013). Although some fundamental scholarly work has been done to date (e.g. the special issue on “Human Resource Management and the Line” in Human Resource Management, 2013), we call for expanding this research stream to explore HRM implementation effectiveness further.

The aim of this issue is to explore HRM implementation effectiveness in the international arena and examine its various mechanisms and contextual factors. The quality of HRM practices developed in headquarters; the relationship between the headquarters and the subsidiary; the relationship between line managers, employees and HR professionals; the impact of cross-cultural and -national relationships; support from HR professionals in how to implement HRM practices; (in)consistency of HRM practices within local and national cultures; or leadership styles of managers in different countries or cultures – these are but few examples of factors that might affect the way line managers implement HRM practices in an international context.

Subject Coverage
We welcome papers with methodological diversity. Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Comparative HRM implementation effectiveness: how effective are various HRM stakeholders in implementing HRM practices in various countries (e.g. comparative implementation techniques, comparative stakeholder involvement, comparative effectiveness criteria, etc.)?
• Effects of internationalisation on HRM implementation effectiveness (e.g. integration vs. local responsiveness of implementation policies in MNCs, international best practices in HRM implementation effectiveness)
• Cross-cultural influences on HRM implementation effectiveness: how does culture influence the effectiveness of HRM implementation (e.g. how is "effectiveness" defined in various cultures? Which factors influence the implementation of HRM in various cultures?)?
• The effect of leadership styles on HRM implementation effectiveness: which leadership style leads to the most effective HRM implementation (e.g. cross-cultural or international leadership styles)?
• Ethical influences on HRM implementation effectiveness: how to measure and compare HRM implementation effectiveness (e.g. is it ethical to measure how effectively line managers implement HRM practices between countries, regions or business units? Ethical perceptions of HRM practices, etc.)
• The effect of line manager-employee and line manager-HR professional relationships on HRM implementation effectiveness (e.g. the influence of LMX and HRM support)

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process.

All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.

Important Dates

Submission of draft manuscripts: 15 October, 2015