The Impact of Strategic Human Resource

Management Implementation on Firm Performance

"Empirical Study on the Telecommunication Sector in Jordan"

BBS Doctoral Symposium 23rd & 24th March 2009

Tamer K. Darwish NewRoute PhD / First Year Id: 0821681

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Abstract:

Many authors have maintained that strategic human resource managements directly

linked to organizational performance. However, despite the increasing popularity of

SHRM; there have been very few systematic evaluations of the claims that it is linked to

performance and doubts remain as to its theoretical foundations. Therefore, the purpose

of this research is to examine the impact of SHRM implementation on the organizational

performance. Empirical data will be collected from Telecommunication firms in Jordan

via questionnaire.

Introduction: Nowadays, it is a common belief in the business world that the human resources of an

organization can be a source of competitive advantage, provided that the policies and

practices for managing people are integrated with strategic goals and objectives. Strategic

human resource management (SHRM) emphasizes the importance of establishing

congruence between human resource policies and organizational strategic goals.

Problem Statement

Human Resource Management (HRM) has been developed into Strategic Human

Resource Management (SHRM) by researchers seeking to emphasize the importance of

the concept to the effective functioning of organizations. To this end, many authors have

maintained that SHRM is straightforwardly linked to organizational performance and

there is a preponderous of opinion that high-performing work organizations pay special

attention to adopting particular HRM policies and linking these to the strategies of their

organizations. However, regardless of the rising popularity of SHRM, there has been very

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few systematic evaluations of the claims that it is linked to performance and doubts

remain as to its theoretical foundations (Harris & Ogbonna 2001). This problem can be

particularly examined through answering the research main question:

How does strategic human resource management implementation affect the

Telecommunication sector firms' performance in Jordan?

Importance and Justifications of the Study

The importance and justification for conducting this study by the researcher is as follows:

1- As the literature shows, such a study has not previously been conducted in

Jordan, especially what is related to strategic human resource management

implementation in the Telecommunication sector. The research objective is to

explore the impact of SHRM implementation on the organizational performance

of the Telecommunication sector in Jordan, which is considered as one of the

leading growth sectors in the economy.

2- The positive results of foreign studies on strategic human resource management,

and the interest of renowned thinkers and researchers in this field.

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Objectives of the Study

The main objectives of this study are:

1. To gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between SHRM implementation

and the organizational performance.

2. To know if the relationship between SHRM implementation and organizational

performance is affected by firms' size and age.

Theoretical Framework and Study Variables

For better understanding of the relationships among variables, the relationships

schematically diagrammed in the figure (1):

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I.V D.V

M.V

Figure (1): The impact of SHRM implementation on organizational performance

Strategic Human Resource

Management Implementation

Organizational Performance

Firm Size

Firm Age Number of employees in the organization

Number of years the organization has been operating

HR Involvement (Integration)

HR Devolvement

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Literature Review

Within the last two decades, there has been a number of important contributions in the

literature dealing with issues pertaining to the management of people. Significant

attention has been directed towards human resource management (HRM), which many

have seen as representing a distinct approach to managing people (Guest, 1997).

Interestingly, although researchers have highlighted the holistic nature of HRM, much of

the initial research into the concept focused on a limited range of issues and has been

criticized as `micro analytic' (Delery and Doty, 1996). However, in the last decade,

researchers have sought to show the importance of HRM in influencing organizational

performance and it is from this premise that the current interest in SHRM has developed

(Cappelli and Crocker-Hefter, 1996).

Rapid environmental change, globalization, innovations to provide competitive products

and services, changing customer and investor demands have become the standard

backdrop for organizations. To compete effectively, firms must constantly improve their

performance by reducing costs, enhancing quality, and differentiating their products and

services. To improve firm performance and create firm competitive advantage, HR must

focus on a new set of priorities. These new priorities are more business and strategic

oriented and less oriented towards traditional HR functions such as staffing, training,

appraisal and compensation. Strategic priorities include team-based job designs, flexible

workforces, quality improvement practices, employee empowerment and incentive

compensation (Jing and Huang 2005). SHRM was designed to diagnose firm strategic

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needs and planned talent development which is required to implement a competitive

strategy and achieve operational goals (Huselid et al., 1997).

SHRM and Performance

Strategic Human Resource Management is the planned pattern of human resource

deployment and activities intended to enable the organization to meet organizational

goals and objectives (Noe et al. 2007). In other words, the definition of SHRM

represented by the degree of participation in core decision-making and partnership

undertaken by HRM departments, and the specificity and formality that HRM

departments require in planning and implementing, all of that, to ensure that firm human

capital contributes to achieving firm business goals.

Interestingly, the burgeoning interest in SHRM has not been matched by the development

of appropriate theoretical constructs for the concept (Guest, 1997). Indeed, researchers

have criticized the underpinning theoretical foundations of SHRM and many have called

for the formulation of a theory of SHRM (Dyer, 1985). Two major reasons account for

this criticism. The first is that the concept of HRM, from which SHRM originated, has

itself been subjected to extensive criticisms for its poor theoretical framework (Legge,

1994). The second, and perhaps more important reason, is that researchers have

approached the field of SHRM from a variety of perspectives with little

acknowledgement of the differences within them and no attempt has been made to

identify the common threads in the perspectives (Delery and Doty, 1996). Such an

understanding is important to enable an assessment of the viability and adoption of the

concept. A brief discussion is proffered in what follows.

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In an extensive review of the literature, Delery and Doty (1996) identify three categories

of researchers and the perspectives that they have adopted in theorizing SHRM. They tag

the first group of researchers `universalists' largely because of their interest in identifying

`best practice' SHRM policies. Delery and Doty (1996, p. 803) note that ``these

researchers . . . posit that some human resource practices are always better than others

and that all organizations should adopt these best practices.'' It is within this perspective

of theorizing in SHRM that the present interest in developing `high performance work

practices' is located (Osterman, 1994). Thus, the assumption is that the adoption of

certain SHRM policies is likely to result in increased organizational performance

(Kochan and Dyer, 1993).

The second strand of theorizing identified by Delery and Doty (1996) comprises those

researchers adopting a contingency approach. In keeping with the early foundation of the

contingency perspective within organizational theory, these researchers argue that the

success of HRM policies is contingent upon the achievement of a match between human

resource policies and other aspects of the organization. For example, researchers adopting

this perspective have demonstrated that different human resource policies may be

required at different stages in an organization's life cycle (Bird and Beecher, 1995).

Delery and Doty (1996) identified a third group of SHRM theorists as adopting a

`configurational' approach. Delery and Doty (1996, p. 808) noted that this approach is

more complex and consists of researchers who seek to `` . . . identify configurations, or

unique patterns of factors, that are posited to be maximally effective.'' This category of

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researchers are also said to approach their subject from a more theoretical perspective and

many of the phenomena they identify may not necessarily be empirically observable

(Doty and Glick, 1994).

A consistent theme in all three theoretical perspectives of SHRM is the assumption that

SHRM is linked to organizational performance. However, while the literature is rich with

claims that both HRM and SHRM are linked to performance, there is little empirical

evaluation of this and the theoretical foundations upon which these links are based have

been described as inadequate (Guest, 1997).

Accordingly, a better understanding of the role of the implementation of strategic human

resources management in creating and sustaining organizational performance and

competitive advantage should be achieved through further theoretical development

and empirical evidence (Jing and Huang 2005).

In conclusion, the research for this study involves looking at SHRM approach. It

examines the hypothesis that organizations that implement SHRM approach achieve

higher performance than organizations that do not. This research will focus on this issue

and will add to the body of knowledge about the effect of strategic human resource

implementation on firm performance.

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Research Hypotheses

This research will examine two main directional hypotheses; additionally two sub-

hypothesis will be generated from the first main hypothesis as follow:

H1 – There is a significant impact of strategic human resource management

implementation on organizational performance.

H1/1 - There is a significant impact of HR devolvement on organizational

performance.

H1/2 - There is a significant impact of HR strategic involvement on organizational

performance.

H2 - There is a significant variation in the impact of Strategic human resource

management implementation on organizational performance in terms of firm size and

firm age.

Methodology:

A survey method will be used. It is one of the most common used methods for data

collection using standardized measurement tools. To differentiate the SHRM

implementation level in the targeted firms, a questionnaire will be designed based on the

definition of strategic human resource management. Additionally, objective and

subjective variables will be used to measure the organizational performance.

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Target Population: The study population is the telecommunications sector in Jordan, Which is considered as

one of the leading sectors in Jordan economy.

Data Analysis Method

The researcher will use the appropriate data analysis tool, which is: Descriptive statistics

(e.g. mean, standard deviation), ANOVA, multivariate analysis, and other analysis tools

will be applied.

References: Bird, A. and Beecher, S. (1995) Links between Business Strategy and Human Resource Management Strategy in US-based Japanese Subsidiaries: an empirical investigation. Journal of International Business Studies (First Quarter), pp. 23- 46. Delery. J.E. and Doty. H.D. (1996) 'Modes of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource Management: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency, and Configurational Performance predictions'. Academy of Management Journal. 39(4): 802-35. Doty D.H, Glick W.H. (1994) Typologies as unique form of theory building: toward improved understanding and modeling. Academy of Management Review, 19:2. pp. 30 - 51. Dyer L. (1985) Strategic Human Resource Management and Planning. Rowland K. Ferris G. editors. Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management (Vol. 31), pp. 488- 511. Cappelli, P. Crocker-Hefter, A. (1996) Distinctive Human Resource are Firms Core Competencies. Organizational Dynamic. 24(3). Guest, D.E. (1997). Human Resource Management and Performance: A Review and Research Agenda, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 263-276. Harris, L. Ogbonna, E. (2001) Strategic Human Resource Management, Market orientation, and Organizational Performance. Journal of business research,51, pp. 157-166. Huselid, M.A. Jackson, S.E. and Schuler, R.S. (1997), “Technical and Strategic Human Resource Management Effectiveness as Determinants of Firm Performance”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 40, pp. 171-88. Jing, W. Huang, T. (2005) Relationship between Strategic Human Resources Management and Firm Performance, International Journal of Manpower, pp. 434-449.

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Kamoche, K. (1994) A Critique and a Proposed Reformulation of SHRM. Human Resource Management, 4(4):29 - 43. Kochan, T.A. Dyer, L. (1993) Managing Transformational Change: the role of human resource professionals. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 4:569 - 90. Legge K. (1994) Managing Culture: Fact or Fiction: Sisson, K, editor. Personnel Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice in Britain. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 397 – 433. R. Noe, J. Hollenbeck, B. Gerhart, and P. Wright (2007) Human Resources Management: Gaining A Competitive Advantage, 5th.Ed.,Mc- Graw-Hill Co. New York. Osterman P. (1994) How common is workplace transformation and who adopts it? Industrial Labor Review, 47:173 - 88.

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