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In recent studies, researchers agree that there is a substantial gap between research and practice in the field of human resource management (HRM). The literature exploring the causes and consequences of this gap does not represent a finely structured discourse; it has focused on analysing the gap from the practitioner side, and it is based on opin...
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In the current study, we contend that one way in which the management of people and work impacts organization performance is through building capabilities. More specifically, expanding beyond the traditional HR systems–organization performance research literature, we examine how HR flexibility, technical HRM, strategically-oriented HRM, and workfor...
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... The novelty of this research lies in its qualitative approach, utilizing a literature review to synthesize findings from diverse studies and offering practical recommendations for HR practitioners (de Frutos-Belizón et al., 2021). The primary objective of this study is to elucidate the connection between HRMIS and employee satisfaction, while also highlighting the potential challenges organizations may face in implementing these systems (Quader, 2024). ...
This article evaluates the role of Human Resource Management Information Systems (HRMIS) in enhancing employee satisfaction through a qualitative literature review. As organizations increasingly adopt technology to streamline HR processes, understanding the impact of HRMIS on employee satisfaction becomes crucial. The review synthesizes findings from various studies, highlighting the key features of HRMIS that contribute to a positive work environment. These features include efficient communication channels, improved access to information, and streamlined administrative processes. The analysis reveals that HRMIS can significantly enhance employee satisfaction by fostering a sense of autonomy, facilitating career development, and promoting transparency within the organization. Furthermore, the study identifies potential challenges in the implementation of HRMIS, such as resistance to change and the need for adequate training. By addressing these challenges, organizations can leverage HRMIS to create a more engaged and satisfied workforce. This paper contributes to the existing literature by providing insights into the relationship between HRMIS and employee satisfaction, offering practical recommendations for HR practitioners aiming to improve employee experiences in the digital age.
... Research (e.g. de Frutos-Belizón et al., 2021;Gioia, 2022) has addressed the researchpractice gap, examining the disconnect between academic research and practical applications in organisational settings. de Frutos-Belizón et al. (2021) emphasised systemic and cultural barriers that prevent effective collaboration and knowledge transfer between researchers and practitioners, whereas Gioia (2022) argued for the perceived irrelevance of academic research to managerial practice. ...
... Research (e.g. de Frutos-Belizón et al., 2021;Gioia, 2022) has addressed the researchpractice gap, examining the disconnect between academic research and practical applications in organisational settings. de Frutos-Belizón et al. (2021) emphasised systemic and cultural barriers that prevent effective collaboration and knowledge transfer between researchers and practitioners, whereas Gioia (2022) argued for the perceived irrelevance of academic research to managerial practice. Despite these insights, few studies have focused on how practitioners perceive and navigate the gap. ...
... The qualitative and mixed-method studies used a variety of methodological adjustments. The approaches ranged from expert interviews (de Frutos-Belizón et al. 2021) and case studies (Hamlin et al. 1998), to the use of the repertory grid technique to explore thoughts and cognitive structures (König et al. 2011), and included combining survey data with in-depth interviews (e.g., Bezzina et al. 2017). While most of these studies also examined the practitioners' side of the gap, some placed stronger emphasis on causes rooted in HR research (e.g., de Frutos-Belizón et al. 2021). ...
... The approaches ranged from expert interviews (de Frutos-Belizón et al. 2021) and case studies (Hamlin et al. 1998), to the use of the repertory grid technique to explore thoughts and cognitive structures (König et al. 2011), and included combining survey data with in-depth interviews (e.g., Bezzina et al. 2017). While most of these studies also examined the practitioners' side of the gap, some placed stronger emphasis on causes rooted in HR research (e.g., de Frutos-Belizón et al. 2021). Overall, the focus of this study pool is more on the justifications for the use or rejection of certain selection tools. ...
... In-depth interview studies conducted with HR scholars provided further important insights into the presumed causes of the HR research-practice gap. The type of research (e.g., data on highly specific questions to be easily published in toptier journals) and the current climate at scholarly institutions (e.g., journal publications as the most valued output) are recognized by HR academics as influencing factors contributing to the low levels of research reception in HR practice (de Frutos-Belizón et al. 2021). This is consistent with other studies showing that HR practitioners value empirical evidence (e.g., Bailey 2022). ...
The call for evidence-based decisions in HR has become a heated debate in recent years. An alleged research-practice gap has been identified by a number of HRM scholars, leading to recommendations for practice. To what extent the assumption of this gap is justified, theoretically or empirically, remains vague, however. Thus, building on a systematic literature search and the formulation of eligibility criteria for articles, we conducted a scoping review of the current research landscape. Our aim was to explore the constituent components, causes and consequences of the gap. Overall, it was found that research activity has so far been heterogeneous, a significant number of articles were conceptually driven, and a large proportion related to knowledge deficits of HR practitioners. A subset of consistent survey-based studies indicated little awareness of empirically supported practices in personnel selection. The qualitative, mixed-method, and content-analysis studies revealed other influences, such as research with limited practical relevance or divergent interests between scholars and practitioners (e.g., employee motivation). Based on the conceptual contributions, three thematic clusters were identified as causes for the gap: (1) communication barriers (e.g., insufficient interfaces), (2) methodological issues (e.g., rigor-relevance tensions), (3) accessibility, visibility, and dissemination of HR research (e.g., oversimplification of practical implications). There was a strong emphasis on presumed causes and their resolution, with less consideration given to the expected consequences of the gap (e.g., poorer organizational outcomes). Despite preliminary empirical indications for the existence of a research-practice gap in particular areas of HRM, many articles tend to focus on overarching recommendations for practice. We conclude that the HRM research-practice gap in itself has not yet been sufficiently empirically investigated. In view of this, we discuss implications and develop an agenda for future research.
... Moreover, academics may have not believed that implementation issues are theoretically significant or represent any challenges (Kougiannou, & Ridgway, 2021). Scholars may have thought that implementation issues were minor, unimportant, and had no significance for theory building, so, they ignored it (De Frutos-Belizón, Martín-Alcázar, & Sánchez-Gardey, 2021). 4 Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to explore the shift from PM to HRM by using the neo-institutional theory as a theoretical lens, through which the researcher can investigate how the shift takes place. ...
Although research on human resource management has advanced in Western countries, almost no academic studies have addressed the process of transforming the legacy personnel management department into the more contemporary human resource management department. This issue is particularly important to organizations wishing to make this transformation in developing African countries. The purpose of this study was to bridge this knowledge gap by investigating the transformation process using two recent perspectives in the neo-institutional theory: institutional logics and institutional work. These perspectives represent a theoretical lens through which the researcher can investigate how change agents use institutional work to create, maintain, or disrupt institutional logics in building a legitimate human resource department. This study used an inductive and qualitative approach with the grounded theory methodology to examine in-depth interview data collected from a sample of human resource managers and consultants working in Egyptian private organizations. The findings revealed that there are two distinct contexts used in the transformation from PM to HRM logics, and that each context follows three distinct processes, each with its own set of supporting strategies. The study concluded with a set of recommendations for future research directions and HR professional practice in Egypt.
Keywords: Egyptian context, personnel management (PM), human resource management (HRM), institutional logics, institutional work, HRM departments.
... This phenomenon is frequently referred to as a gap between theory and practice (Foltean, 2019;Myers, 2008;Short, 2006;Wolfenden et al., 2019). Moreover, previous studies show that there are considerable discrepancies between the topics considered in HRM research and the topic interests of HR practitioners (de Frutos-Beliz on et al., 2021;Gill, 2018;Markoulli et al., 2017;Rynes et al., 2002). There is also a tendency to de-contextualise the research setting, even when it may offer crucial insights into what is happening in practice and how HR practitioners perceive the nature of their work (Cooke et al., 2020). ...
Purpose: This study aims to explore how human resource (HR) practitioners conceive of their practice, reveal challenges they grapple with in daily work and generate a conceptual framework of HR praxis.
Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on interviews with HR practitioners in Sweden and a review of articles that examine aspects of HR practitioners' work.
Findings: The HR practitioners' work is fragmented and reactive, filled with meetings and affords few opportunities to work undisturbed. Operational tasks are prioritised over strategic work, and their work sometimes involves tasks that are not HR's responsibility. The nature of HR practitioners' daily work mimics the work of their main “customer”, i.e. managers within the organisations.
Practical implications: The HR practitioners were working mainly in the service of managers, which suggests that they have an internal focus. Consistent with current, prescriptive HR discourse, HR practitioners should adopt a multi-stakeholder perspective of human resource management (HRM) and a more external focus that is necessary to contribute to wider, organisational effectiveness. The findings could enrich what is taught in higher education by providing students with an account of the reality of HR practitioners' daily work.
Originality/value: The study provides a situated account of the daily work of HR practitioners, which is largely absent from the literature.
... According to Groysberg and Connolly (2015), given the global operations prevailing in contemporary markets, talent management remains very much a key priority for CEOs. Within this framework, we may expect the major multinationals to have developed highly efficient and effective talent management systems, which significantly contribute toward their sustainable organizational performance (Collings, 2016;de Frutos-Beliz on, Martín-Alcázar, & Sánchez-Gardey, 2020). Global talent management (GTM) includes all the organizational activities undertaken with the objective of attracting, selecting, developing, and retaining the best employees in the most strategic roles on a global scale (Collings, Mellahi, & Cascio, 2019;Scullion et al., 2010;Tarique & Schuler, 2009). ...
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought terrifying effects for labor markets all around the world. Just as we witness rapid changes in terms of the ways of working (working from home), we are also observing an increase in unemployment. The ways in which major corporations with international operations process their global talent management (GTM) already represents a challenge in relatively stable times and clearly, in a period of such great and sustained turbulence as current experienced, this task becomes still more difficult. Hence, our research aims to study the impact of GTM on the international performance of major companies during the COVID-19 pandemic period. To this end, we surveyed a sample of 59 large companies that act in external markets. Through recourse to multiple linear regressions, we conclude that GTM practices return positive impacts on levels of international performance. Our research returns theoretical implications in terms of the application of integrated GTM models and with the results of significant relevance to corporations operating internationally, and thus enabling them to better understand which strategic human resource management policies will return the best GTM results.
Public administration (PA) is a practical discipline that faces persistent challenges in establishing effective connections between researchers and practitioners. This divide between theory and practice hinders practitioners’ use of research findings and the integration of practical experiences into scholarly work. Bridging this divide holds practical significance and leads to a deeper understanding of PA’s disciplinary identity as more than just a form of science. This paper brings together the philosophies of Western thinker William James and ancient Eastern philosopher Wang Yangming, promoting a virtuous pragmatic approach to bridge the theory–practice divide in PA. This approach offers a teleological and embodied perspective on knowledge, providing a nuanced framework for understanding the theory–practice divide. By drawing on Wang’s coherent virtue–ethical framework and James’ embodiment and pragmatic philosophy, this paper argues that unifying theory and practice requires establishing a common purpose that is perceptually familiar to both parties. Moreover, shaping and acting on this purpose inherently involves cultivating the virtues of Cheng (Sincerity, 诚) and Ren (Benevolence, 仁). Grounded in the virtuous pragmatic approach, we introduce a three–stage research praxis framework to guide the research process and encourage practitioner engagement in existing research endeavors. This study serves as a valuable contribution to bridging the theory–practice divide in PA and advancing pragmatic PA studies in both Eastern and Western cultural contexts.
While management research is often criticized for not sufficiently addressing practical or socially relevant issues, it has also been noted that business practice often does not adequately consider scientific findings. This leads to a perceived gap between academia and practical applications. This article discusses potential underlying causes for this phenomenon. In addition, considerations for bringing science and practice closer together are presented.
BACKGROUND: For last decade, human resource (HR) function has had to move from its traditional operational, administrative role towards a more strategic role. In the light of transformation and drawing upon business partnering concept (the most well-known Ulrich model), a new formal position of an HR business partner, who acts as an HR subject-matter expert for the leaders of that particular business, has been established in some organisations. Although previous literature suggests the involvement of human resource management (HRM) in the development and implementation of socially responsible business activities, there is a lack of evidence on HR professionals’ role regarding internal corporate social responsibility (CSR), which implies behaviour towards employees. OBJECTIVE: To reveal the role of an HR business partner while developing and implementing internal CSR activities. METHODS: Qualitative research; semi-structured interviews with employees working as HR business partners in the banking sector were conducted. RESULTS: The results revealed a significant HR business partner role in addressing internal CSR, in terms of work-life balance (WLB), diversity and inclusion, learning and development, and psychological and physical well-being. CONCLUSIONS: The research results expand the knowledge on the link between HRM and internal CSR. Moreover, the findings have significant implications encouraging organisations to empower HR professionals to act within the internal CSR field.
