Organisations, Innovation and Complexity: New Perspectives on the Knowledge Economy

University of Manchester
9-10th September 2004

Conference Aims | Paper Abstracts | Programme | Further Information

Human Resource Management: A Complexity Perspective

Catherine Truss & Jas Gill

k.truss@kingston.ac.uk
gill.j@kingston.ac.uk

SHaPe
Kingston Business School, Kingston University, UK

Abstract

Whilst a considerable amount of research has been conducted into human resource management, existing theories tend to be dominated by rationalistic assumptions regarding people and organisations. For example, although traditional frameworks have recognised a plurality of factors that may influence the relationship between HR practices and organisational outcomes, the assumption underpinning this strand of research is that the causality is linear and mono-directional.

This notion has been challenged by recent case-study based research conducted in the UK that has highlighted the extent to which causal inferences regarding this relationship are extremely problematic. These studies have shown that HR’s contribution to organisational outcomes is, in almost all cases, unpredictable based simply on an understanding of HR policies and strategies. However, despite the contribution of this research, it still fails to present an alternative framework or explanation as to how and why HR may influence organisational effectiveness.

In this paper, we present preliminary findings from an empirical study that seeks to address this fundamental issue in HRM research by adopting a complexity theory approach to help understand the role of HR in organisations. By viewing organisations as non-linear systems, focusing on interconnections between points in the system, and stressing the importance of network nodes in mediating organisational outcomes, complexity theory suggests, at a conceptual level, that the significance of HRM may lie more in its implementation, in facilitating network interconnections both inter and intra-organisationally, and the delegation of authority, than in the simple development of ‘best practice’ initiatives and policies.

In our research, we take three pairs of organisations in the public sector, matched as closely as possible for task and size (two Metropolitan Police Boroughs, two Local Authorities, and two NHS Trusts), and use the lens of complexity theory to explore the processes by which HR departments contribute to a major organisational change initiative. By shifting the focus of attention away from HR’s contribution to performance at an aggregate level, towards a more finely-grained analysis focusing specifically on the processes adopted by HR in helping to achieve organisational objectives, it is hoped that this study will contribute significantly to the HRM literature, as well as to the literature on complexity theory and organisations.

Back to paper abstracts

Top