Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T03:31:55.523Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

International Strategic Human Resource Management: A Comparative Case Analysis of Spanish Firms in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Yingying Zhang ,
Simon Dolan ,
Tony Lingham  and
Yochanan Altman
Translated by
张莹莹
Yingying Zhang
Affiliation:
Complutense University of Madrid (CUNEF), Spain
Simon Dolan
Affiliation:
Ramon Llull University (ESADE), Spain
Tony Lingham
Affiliation:
Case Western Reserve University, USA
Yochanan Altman
Affiliation:
University of Paris (II), France
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study examines the role of human resources in strategy formulation processes in China's emerging market. Employing a qualitative data driven thematic analysis, we present evidence collected from six comparative case sites of Spanish firms in China. Our findings suggest that high performing firms use a dynamic adaptive logic while lower performing firms use a static structural logic. A dynamic adaptive model of strategic human resource management is identified, emphasizing a fluid and informal process between strategy, human resources and international management.

Keywords

Chinahuman resourcesinternational businessSpainstrategy中国人力资源国际商业西班牙战略
Type
Articles
Information
Management and Organization Review , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , July 2009 , pp. 195 - 222
Copyright
Copyright © International Association for Chinese Management Research 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adler, P. A., & Adler, P. 1994. Observational techniques. In Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research: 377–392. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Arthur, J. B. 1994. Effects of human resource systems on manufacturing performance and turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 37(3): 670–687.Google Scholar
Barner-Rasmussen, W., & Björkman, I. 2007. Language fluency, socialization and inter-unit relationships in Chinese and Finnish subsidiaries. Management and Organization Review, 3(1): 105–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barney, J. B. 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1): 99–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barney, J. B. 2001. Resource-based theories of competitive advantage: A ten-year retrospective on the resource-based view. Journal of Management, 27(6): 643–650.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baruch, Y., & Altman, Y. 2002. Expatriation and repatriation in MNCs: A taxonomy. Human Resources Management, 41(2): 239–259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bayo-Moriones, J., & De Cerio, J. 2001. Size and HRM in the Spanish manufacturing industry. Employee Relations, 23(2): 188–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Becker, B., & Huselid, M. 2006. Strategic human resources management: Where do we go from here? Journal of Management, 32(6): 898–925.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bell, J., McNaughton, R., Young, S., & Crick, D. 2003. Towards an integrative model of small firm internationalization. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 1(4): 339–362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bird, A., & Beechler, S. 1995. Links between business strategy and human resource management strategy in US based Japanese subsidiaries: An empirical investigation. Journal of International Business Studies, 26(1): 23–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boisot, M., & Meyer, M. W. 2008. Which way through the open door? Reflections on the internationalization of Chinese firms. Management and Organization Review, 4(3): 349–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boxall, P. 1996. The strategic HRM debate and the resource-based view of the firm. Human Resource Management Journal, 6(3): 59–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. 2003. Strategy and human resource management. New York: Palgravc Macmillan.Google Scholar
Boyatzis, R. E. 1998. Thematic analysis and code development: Transforming qualitative information. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.Google Scholar
Bregolat, E. 2007. La segunda revolucion China. Madrid: Destine Google Scholar
Brewster, C. 1993. Developing a ‘European’ model of human resource management. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 4(4): 765–784.Google Scholar
Cabrera, E., & Carretero, J. 2005. HRM in Spain: Are cultural barriers preventing the adoption of global practices? Management Research, 3(2): 149–160.Google Scholar
Cacho, L. 2006. Presencia económica española en China: Perspectivas para el futuro In Exterior, E. (Ed.), La presencia española en paises de fuerte crecimiento: China e India: 85–159. Madrid: Estudios de Politicas Exteriores.Google Scholar
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. 1994. Personal experience methods. In Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research: 413–427. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.Google Scholar
Delery, J. E., & Doty, D. H. 1996. Modes of theorizing in strategic human resource management: Tests of universalistic, contingency, and configurational performance predictions. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4): 802–835.Google Scholar
Dolan, S. L., & Garcia, S. 2002. Managing by values: Cultural redesign for strategic organizational change at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Journal of Management Development, 21(2): 101–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolan, S. L., Garcia, S., & Richley, B. 2006. Managing by values: A corporate guide to living, being alive, and making a living in the 21st Century. London: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolan, S. L., Mach, M., & Sierra, V. 2005. HR contribution to a firm's success examined from a configurational perspective: An empirical study based on the Spanish CRANET data. Management Revue, 16(2): 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duran, J. J. 1999. Multinacionles Espanolas en Ibero America: Valor estrategico. Madrid: Ediciones Piramide. Google Scholar
Dyer, L. 1983. Bringing human resources into the strategy formulation process. Human Resource Management, 22(3): 257–271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eriksson, K., Johanson, J., Majkgard, A., & Sharma, D. D. 2000. Effects of variation on knowledge accumulation in the internationalization process. International Studies of Management and Organization, 30(1): 26–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fanjul, E. 2004. China, ejemplo y oportunidad de la globalizacion. In Exterior, E. (Ed.), China: 62–68. Madrid: Estudios de Politicas Exteriores.Google Scholar
Filella, J. 1991. Is there a Latin model in the management of human resources? Personnel Review, 20(6): 14–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fontana, A., & Frey, J. H. 1994. Interviewing: The art of science. In Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research: 361–376. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.Google Scholar
Hendry, C., & Pcttigrew, A. 1992. Patterns of strategic change in the development of human resource management. British Journal of Management, 3(3): 137–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hodder, I., 1994. The interpretation of documents and material culture. In Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research: 393–402. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.Google Scholar
Hoskisson, R. E., Hitt, M. A., Wan, W. P., & Yiu, D. 1999. Theory and research in strategic management: Swings of a pendulum. Journal of Management, 25(3): 417–456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Husclid, M. 1995. The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38(3): 635–672.Google Scholar
Huysman, M. 2000. An organizational learning approach to the learning organization. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 9(2): 133–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J. E. 2003. Business relationship learning and commitment in the internationalization process. Journal of International Entrepreneur ship, 1(1): 83–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knoppen, D., Dolan, S. L., Diez-Pinol, M., & Bell, R. 2006. A triangulation analysis of value congruency in corporate Spain: American dream or Spanish reality? International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(3): 539–558.Google Scholar
Kwon, Y., & Hu, M. Y. 2000. Market orientation among small Korean exporters. International Business Review, 9(1): 61–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leininger, J. 2004. The key to retention: Committed employees. The China Business Review, January-February: 16–39.Google Scholar
Lengnick-Hall, C. A., & Lcngnick-Hall, M. L. 1988. Strategic human resource management: A review of the literature and a proposed typology. Academy of Management Review, 13(3): 454–470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lepak, D., & Snell, S. 2002. Examining the human resources architecture: The relationships among human capital, employment and resource configurations. Journal of Management, 28(4): 517–543.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacDuffie, J. P. 1995. Human resource bundles and manufacturing performance: Organizational logic and flexible production systems in the world auto-industry. Industrial and Labour Relations Review, 48(2): 197–221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marquardt, M. 1996. Building the learning organization. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Mayrhofer, W., & Brewster, C. 2005. European human resource management: Researching developments over time. Management Revue, 16(1): 36–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nippa, M., Becchler, S., & Klossek, A. 2007. Success factors for managing international joint ventures: A review and an integrative framework. Management and Organization Review, 3(2): 277–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peng, M. W. 2001. The resource-based view and international business. Journal of Management, 27(6): 803–829.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Penrose, E. T. 1997. The theory of the growth of the firm. In Foss, N.J. (Ed.), Resources, firms, and strategies: A reader in resource-based perspective: 27–39. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Pryor, M. G., Anderson, D., Toombs, L. A., & Humphreys, J. H. 2007. Strategic implementation as a core competency. Journal of Management Research, 7(1): 3–17.Google Scholar
Quinn, J. B. 1980. Strategies for change: Logical incrementalism. Homcwood, IL: Irwin.Google Scholar
Rogers, E. W., & Wright, P. M. 1998. Measuring organizational performance in strategic human resource management: Problems, prospects and performance information markets. Human Resource Management Review, 8(3): 311–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schein, E. 1999. The corporate culture survival guide: Sense and nonsense about culture change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.Google Scholar
Schuler, R. S. 1992. Strategic human resources management: Linking the people with the strategic needs of the business. Organizational Dynamics, 21(1): 18–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schuler, R. S., & Jackson, S. E. 2005. A quarter century review of human resource management in the U.S.: The growth in importance of the international perspective. Management Revue, 16(1): 1–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schuler, R. S., & Tarique, I. 2007. International human resource management: A North American perspective, a thematic update and suggestions for future research. International Journal of Human Resources Management, 18(5): 717–744.Google Scholar
Senge, P. 1990. The fifth discipline, the art and practice of the learning organization. London: Random House.Google Scholar
Siegel, I. H. 2001. From symbols, stories and social artifacts to social architecture and individual agency: The discourse of learning and the decline of ‘organizational culture’ in the ‘new work order’. Adult Education Research Conference Proceedings. [Cited 16 November 2005.] Available from URL: http://www.edst.educ.ubc.ca/aerc/2001/2001sicgel.htm.Google Scholar
Sparrow, P., & Brewster, C. 2006. Globalizing HRM: The growing revolution in managing employees internationally. In Cooper, C. & Burke, R. (Eds.), The human resources revolution: Research and practice: 99–121. London: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Stake, R. E. 1994. Case studies. In Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research: 236–247. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.Google Scholar
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. 1992. Basics of qualitative research. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Takeuchi, N., Wakabyashi, M., & Chen, Z. M. 2003. The strategic HRM configuration for competitive advantage: Evidence fromjapancse firms in China and Taiwan. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 20(4): 447–480.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Truss, C., & Gratton, L. 1994. Strategic human resources management: A conceptual approach. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 5(3): 663–686.Google Scholar
Tsui, A. S. 2006. Editorial: Contextualization in Chinese management research. Management and Organization Review, 2(1): 1–13.Google Scholar
Tsui, A. S., Schoonhoven, C. B., Meyer, M. W., Lau, C. M., & Milkovich, G. T. 2004. Organization and management in the midst of societal transformation: The People's Republic of China. Organization Science, 15(2): 133–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodcock, P. C., Beamish, P. W., & Makino, S. 1994. Ownership-based entry mode strategics and international performance. Journal of International Business Studies, 25(2): 253–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wozniak, L. 2003. Companies in China struggle to train, retain qualified managers. Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition, December 30: A8.Google Scholar
Wright, P., Dunford, B., & Snell, S. 2001. Human resources and the resource-based view of the firm. Journal of Management, 27(6): 701–721.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, P. M., & McMahan, G. C. 1992. Theoretical perspectives for strategic human resource management. Journal of Management, 18(2): 295–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yan, A., & Gray, B. 1994. Bargaining power, management control, and performance in United States - China joint ventures: A comparative case study. Academy of Management Journal, 37(6): 1478–1517.Google Scholar
Ycoh, P. L., & Jeong, I. 1995. Contingency relationships between entrepreneurship, export channel structure and environment. European Journal of Marketing, 29(8): 95–115.Google Scholar
Yin, R. K. 2003. Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.Google Scholar