TY - JOUR

T1 - The whole is more than the sum of its parts? How HRM is configured in NPOs and why it matters

AU - Ridder, Hans Gerd

AU - Baluch, Alina Mc Candless

AU - Piening, Erk P.

PY - 2012/3

Y1 - 2012/3

N2 - A greater emphasis on demonstrating effectiveness and efficiency has emerged as nonprofit organizations (NPOs) seek to improve performance and face the increased demand for services while spending fewer resources. Human Resource Management (HRM) is claimed to play an important role in enhancing the performance of NPOs. Research suggests that the effects of HRM do not stem from single HR practices alone but from the configuration of interrelated HR practices within the organization's HR architecture. The nonprofit literature, however, investigates mainly into the relationship between single HR practices and their effects. Therefore, this paper aims to conceptualize about how and why HR practices are configured into an HR architecture in NPOs and how and why such HR architectures affect HR outcomes and organizational performance. Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of the strategic and the resource based approaches, a typology of ideal HR architectures in NPOs is introduced that considers the specific characteristics of NPOs. We advance a conceptual model that captures the relationship between the types of HR architectures and performance in NPOs. According to this model, theoretical propositions are developed that explain how strategic and HR orientations shape the HR architectures in NPOs. Furthermore, we propose that the relationship between these HR architectures and organizational performance is mediated by HR outcomes. As a result, this paper contributes to the nonprofit literature by providing a better understanding of the configuration of HR practices into HR architectures in NPOs and their effects.

AB - A greater emphasis on demonstrating effectiveness and efficiency has emerged as nonprofit organizations (NPOs) seek to improve performance and face the increased demand for services while spending fewer resources. Human Resource Management (HRM) is claimed to play an important role in enhancing the performance of NPOs. Research suggests that the effects of HRM do not stem from single HR practices alone but from the configuration of interrelated HR practices within the organization's HR architecture. The nonprofit literature, however, investigates mainly into the relationship between single HR practices and their effects. Therefore, this paper aims to conceptualize about how and why HR practices are configured into an HR architecture in NPOs and how and why such HR architectures affect HR outcomes and organizational performance. Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of the strategic and the resource based approaches, a typology of ideal HR architectures in NPOs is introduced that considers the specific characteristics of NPOs. We advance a conceptual model that captures the relationship between the types of HR architectures and performance in NPOs. According to this model, theoretical propositions are developed that explain how strategic and HR orientations shape the HR architectures in NPOs. Furthermore, we propose that the relationship between these HR architectures and organizational performance is mediated by HR outcomes. As a result, this paper contributes to the nonprofit literature by providing a better understanding of the configuration of HR practices into HR architectures in NPOs and their effects.

KW - Human resource management

KW - Nonprofit organizations

KW - Organizational performance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85009423878&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.hrmr.2011.11.001

DO - 10.1016/j.hrmr.2011.11.001

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:83155180170

VL - 22

SP - 1

EP - 14

JO - Human Resource Management Review

JF - Human Resource Management Review

SN - 1053-4822

IS - 1

T2 - 71st Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management - West Meets East: Enlightening, Balancing, Transcending, AOM 2011

Y2 - 12 August 2011 through 16 August 2011

ER -