Chapter 6: HPWS

Question 1

revisionistic perspective

Answer 1

McGregor

Question 2

90s STS theory

Answer 2

combining production elements + social elements for more org flexibility and job enrichment

closely related to the developments in the oil, mining, textile and car industry

Question 3

What made major transitions from personnel management to HRM? (Legge)

Answer 3

developments in Asia - cheap + high quality –> the TQM

Question 4

high-performance culture

Answer 4

an orgs culture among employees sharing corporate norms and values aimed at achieving excellent performance

Question 5

management control theory

Answer 5

the way management is organized

Question 6

Walton’s control strategies

Answer 6

dividion of work into small, fixed jobs for which ind could be held accountable

Question 7

Walton’s commitment strategies

Answer 7

create leeway for employees, provide challenges, extensive teamwork and involvement in decision making

Question 8

AMO theory

- Boxall and Purcell

Answer 8

underlying theory for an HPWS reflecting employee abilities, motivation and opportunity to participate

Question 9

3 most popular theories

Answer 9

AMO
strategic contingency approaches
the RBV

Question 10

HR practices to AMO model

Answer 10

ability -> selective rec and selection + training and development

motivation - PA, PRP, coaching, mentoring etc

opportunity - autonomy, involvement, job rotation, job enlargement etc

Question 11

5 key HPWPs

Answer 11

1. Selective recruitment and selection.
2. Compensation and PRP.
3. Appraisal and PM.
4. Training and development.
5. Employee involvement.

Question 12

what is central in lean management

Answer 12

the customer

Question 13

LM emphasis is on

Answer 13

• Teamwork.
• Continuous improvement.
• Individual and team responsibility.
• Long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term financial goals.
• Standardized tasks.
• Visual controls.
• Leadership development.
• Employee development towards quality and efficiency standards.
• Consensus-driven decision making.

Question 14

Six Sigma - originaly developed by Motorola and then adapted by General Electric

Answer 14

all about minimizing costs and errors through focus and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes

empgasis on measurement and leadership

Question 15

critique of Six Sigma

Answer 15

focus on short-term financial success

Question 16

climate governance

Answer 16

the part of HR governance and risk management that is
concerned with creating an appropriate organizational climate for compliant behaviour. It is focused
on creating an organizational climate that stimulates compliance without hindering proactive and
innovative behaviour.

Question 17

Boxall and Mack also highlight the relevance of what they call

Answer 17

‘related management
actions/investments’, including production technologies in use and degree of product innovation.
These elements interact with work and employment practices, but also affect perceived work and
practices by employees.

Question 18

The indirect effect of the AMO on operating outcomes

Answer 18

Suggests that operating or organizational performance can be increased through high trust
levels, high job and need satisfaction levels and high levels of organizational commitment.

Question 19

The direct effect of AMO on op outcomes

Answer 19

the cognitive path
- Builds on the notion that enhancing skills and knowledge has a direct effect on operating and
organizational outcomes. Providing extensive employee development opportunities and employee involvement potentially
increases employee trust in managers and organizational commitment. High trust and commitment
levels are most likely to be positively related to employee retention (in contrast to employee
turnover) and employee presence (in contrast to employee absence due to illness).

Question 20

mini-bundles

Answer 20

includes a limited number of HR practices.
These mini-bundles are perhaps not as successful in increasing long-term success of an
organization in comparison to the more sophisticated HPWSs, but the mini-bundles can still
increase the organization’s performance and outperform the situation in which individual HR
practices are not aligned or fitted at all.

Question 21

Guest et al sequential tree analysis + mini bundles relationship

Answer 21

1. Teamworking applied to 75% of the workforce or more, in combination with training and
   development applied to 75% or more, causes the highest scores on employee performance
    Mini-bundle: teamworking and training/development.
2. PA applied to all workers in combination with employee involvement practices applied to more
   that 75% of the workforce and, in combination with job design applied to all employees,
   causes the highest scores on innovative employee behaviour.
    Mini-bundle: PA, employee involvement and job design.
3. PA applied to all workers, in combination with all employees being kept well informed and in
   combination with job design applied to 75% or more, causes the highest scores on employee
   relations.
    Mini-bundle: PA, information sharing and job design.
4. The lowest labour turnover reported in case of job design applied to the total workforce in
   combination with employee involvement applied to all employees.
    Mini-bundle: job design and employee involvement.

Question 22

3 different ways of applying HPWPs

Answer 22

1. The application of individual HPWP (best practices in HRM) with no further horizontal
   alignment or fit.
2. The application of mini-bundles that represent the alignment of 2 or 3 HPWPs.
3. The application of a sophisticated HPWS, including multiple HPWPs.