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Structural spoilers or structural supports? Unions and the strategic integration of HR functions

Structural spoilers or structural supports? Unions and the strategic integration of HR functions
Structural spoilers or structural supports? Unions and the strategic integration of HR functions
The strategic integration of the human resource (HR) function is regarded as crucial in the literature on (strategic) human resource management ((S)HRM). Evidence on the contextual or structural influences on this integration is, however, limited. The structural implications of unionism are particularly intriguing given the evolution of study of the employment relationship. Pluralism is typically seen as antithetical to SHRM, and unions as an impediment to the strategic integration of HR functions, but there are also suggestions in the literature that unionism might facilitate the strategic integration of HR. This paper deploys large-scale international survey evidence to examine the organization-level influence of unionism on this strategic integration, allowing for other established and plausible influences. The analysis reveals that exceptionally, where the organization-level role of unions is particularly contested, unionism does impede the strategic integration of HR. However, it is the predominance of the facilitation of the strategic integration of HR by unionism which is most remarkable.
hr director, hr function, joint regulation, strategic integration, union, unionism
0958-5192
1113-1129
Vernon, Guy
07d124b8-c898-476e-b342-bd2bacc4107d
Brewster, Chris
0f0e3a6f-9886-469c-8f36-d822416b0a66
Vernon, Guy
07d124b8-c898-476e-b342-bd2bacc4107d
Brewster, Chris
0f0e3a6f-9886-469c-8f36-d822416b0a66

Vernon, Guy and Brewster, Chris (2012) Structural spoilers or structural supports? Unions and the strategic integration of HR functions. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24 (6), 1113-1129. (doi:10.1080/09585192.2012.703416).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The strategic integration of the human resource (HR) function is regarded as crucial in the literature on (strategic) human resource management ((S)HRM). Evidence on the contextual or structural influences on this integration is, however, limited. The structural implications of unionism are particularly intriguing given the evolution of study of the employment relationship. Pluralism is typically seen as antithetical to SHRM, and unions as an impediment to the strategic integration of HR functions, but there are also suggestions in the literature that unionism might facilitate the strategic integration of HR. This paper deploys large-scale international survey evidence to examine the organization-level influence of unionism on this strategic integration, allowing for other established and plausible influences. The analysis reveals that exceptionally, where the organization-level role of unions is particularly contested, unionism does impede the strategic integration of HR. However, it is the predominance of the facilitation of the strategic integration of HR by unionism which is most remarkable.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 25 July 2012
Published date: 2012
Keywords: hr director, hr function, joint regulation, strategic integration, union, unionism
Organisations: HRM and Organisational Behaviour, Management

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 154625
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/154625
ISSN: 0958-5192
PURE UUID: e0df3fa5-7dd4-4592-87a7-937cd4e253f7

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Date deposited: 25 May 2010 15:46
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 01:34

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Contributors

Author: Guy Vernon
Author: Chris Brewster

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