strategic human resource management research topics

Human Resource Management Research Paper Topics

Human resource management research paper topics are a critical area of study for students and professionals aiming to understand and advance the field of Human Resource Management (HRM). With the rise of complex organizational structures, diverse workplace environments, and evolving employment laws, HRM has become an essential part of any successful organization. This abstract provides an overview of the multifaceted world of HRM research and introduces a comprehensive list of research paper topics that cater to various aspects of HRM. From talent acquisition to employee retention, performance evaluation, training, and legal compliance, the following sections will offer detailed insights into these areas. Students interested in pursuing research in HRM will find these topics engaging and highly relevant to the current organizational landscape. Additionally, they will be introduced to iResearchNet’s writing services that provide expert assistance in producing custom HRM research papers, ensuring quality, depth, and adherence to academic standards.

100 Human Resource Management Research Paper Topics

Human Resource Management (HRM) is a field that delves into the multifaceted interactions between employees and organizations. The role of HRM has evolved over time to include not only the management of recruitment and employee relations but also strategic planning, legal compliance, and organizational development. Here, we present a comprehensive list of Human Resource Management research paper topics divided into 10 essential categories, each containing 10 specific topics.

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HRM is a dynamic and broad field that demands multidimensional approaches to study. As students explore various topics, they will find intricate connections between management strategies, organizational behavior, and employee satisfaction. The following list serves as an inclusive guide to inspire research and academic inquiry.

• The role of HRM in organizational strategy
• Integrating HRM and business planning
• Talent management strategies
• Outsourcing HR functions: Pros and cons
• Technology and HRM
• Cross-cultural HRM
• Mergers and acquisitions: HRM challenges
• Strategic HR planning and organizational success
• The future of strategic HRM
• Best HR practices in top-performing companies
• Innovative recruitment techniques
• Bias and discrimination in the recruitment process
• Role of artificial intelligence in recruitment
• Recruitment marketing strategies
• Social media as a recruitment tool
• Ethics in employee selection
• Assessing the effectiveness of recruitment strategies
• Diversity and inclusion in recruitment
• Remote hiring practices
• Campus recruitment strategies
• The effectiveness of training programs
• Employee development and organizational growth
• The role of mentors in employee growth
• E-learning and virtual training methods
• Personalized training approaches
• Training evaluation methods
• Cross-training and skill development
• The future of corporate training
• Impact of continuous learning culture
• Leadership development programs
• Modern performance appraisal techniques
• 360-degree feedback system
• Employee engagement and performance
• Performance management and job satisfaction
• Aligning performance goals with organizational objectives
• Challenges in performance evaluation
• Performance-based rewards
• Emotional intelligence and employee performance
• Performance management in remote work environments
• Real-time performance tracking systems
• Building trust and collaboration among employees
• Conflict resolution strategies
• Impact of organizational culture on employee engagement
• Managing generational differences in the workplace
• Role of leadership in fostering engagement
• Employee wellness programs
• The psychology of employee engagement
• Communication strategies for employee relations
• Remote employee engagement tactics
• Work-life balance initiatives
• Salary negotiation techniques
• The psychology of compensation
• Pay equity and gender wage gap
• The impact of benefits on employee retention
• Flexible compensation models
• Global compensation strategies
• Linking compensation to performance
• Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs)
• Non-monetary benefits and motivation
• Compensation transparency
• Labor law compliance in multinational corporations
• Whistleblowing and ethical considerations
• HRM in unionized workplaces
• Workplace harassment laws
• Employee rights and employer responsibilities
• Managing employee terminations ethically
• Diversity and anti-discrimination policies
• Legal aspects of employee benefits
• Remote work and legal challenges
• Ethical dilemmas in HRM
• Building a diverse workforce
• Strategies for fostering inclusion
• The impact of diversity on team performance
• Gender diversity in leadership roles
• Managing cultural diversity
• Age diversity in the workplace
• Disability inclusion strategies
• LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace
• Ethnic diversity and organizational success
• Bias reduction training
• The role of HRM in shaping organizational culture
• Employee behavior and organizational success
• Workplace norms and values
• Emotional labor in organizations
• Organizational change management
• Strategies for building a positive work environment
• Employee motivation and organizational culture
• The psychology of workplace relationships
• Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and culture
• The role of leadership in defining organizational culture
• Emerging Trends in HRM
• HRM in the gig economy
• Artificial intelligence and HRM
• Employee mental health and well-being
• Sustainability and HRM
• The future of remote work
• Integrating HRM and corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• Blockchain in HRM
• Personal branding in HR
• The role of big data analytics in HRM
• HRM challenges in the post-pandemic world

The list of human resource management research paper topics presented above offers a rich and diverse avenue for exploration. Each category delves into core aspects of HRM, reflecting the ever-changing nature of this field. As students embark on their research journey, they will discover a world that intricately connects people, organizations, and societal values. Whether focusing on traditional practices or emerging trends, these topics provide the starting point for meaningful inquiry and the creation of knowledge that contributes to the continued growth and evolution of HRM.

Human Resource Management and the Range of Research Paper Topics

Human Resource Management (HRM) is an interdisciplinary field that integrates aspects of management, psychology, sociology, economics, and legal studies. It is the art and science of managing people within an organization to maximize their performance, well-being, and alignment with strategic goals. As a broad and multifaceted domain, HRM opens doors to a wide array of research opportunities. This article will explore the essence of HRM, its historical evolution, theoretical frameworks, practical applications, and the myriad of research paper topics it offers.

Historical Background

The history of HRM can be traced back to the early 20th century, during the rise of the industrial revolution. The scientific management theory introduced by Frederick Taylor sought to apply scientific principles to worker productivity. As the business environment grew more complex, the Hawthorne studies emerged, highlighting the importance of social factors and human relations in the workplace. The evolution from personnel management to modern HRM reflects a shift from viewing employees as mere resources to recognizing them as valuable assets.

Theoretical Frameworks

HRM is underpinned by several key theories that guide practice:

• Resource-Based View (RBV): Emphasizes the role of human resources as a competitive advantage.
• Equity Theory: Focuses on fairness and justice in employee relations.
• Expectancy Theory: Explains how employees are motivated by the expected outcomes of their actions.
• Human Capital Theory: Regards employees as assets whose value can be enhanced through training and development.

These theories offer diverse perspectives for research, ranging from organizational behavior to strategic HRM.

Key Functions and Practices

The scope of HRM encompasses various functions that address the needs of both the organization and its employees:

• Recruitment and Selection: Designing and implementing processes to attract and hire suitable candidates.
• Training and Development: Enhancing employee skills and knowledge through continuous learning.
• Performance Management: Assessing and managing employee performance to align with organizational goals.
• Compensation and Benefits: Structuring pay and rewards to motivate and retain talent.
• Labor Relations: Navigating the legal landscape and fostering healthy employee-employer relationships.

Contemporary Challenges

Modern HRM faces several challenges that provide fertile grounds for research:

• Diversity and Inclusion: Creating a workforce that represents various backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives.
• Technology and Automation: Leveraging technology to enhance HR processes while considering its impact on jobs.
• Globalization: Managing HR practices across different cultures and jurisdictions.
• Ethical Considerations: Balancing organizational needs with ethical treatment of employees.

Emerging Trends

The ever-changing business landscape leads to new trends in HRM:

• Remote Work: The rise of virtual workplaces and the associated management challenges.
• Well-Being and Mental Health: Prioritizing employee health and well-being as part of HR strategy.
• Sustainability: Integrating social responsibility into HR practices.

Range of Research Paper Topics

The complexity and diversity of HRM lead to an abundance of research paper topics. Here are examples from different areas:

• Strategic HRM: Examining the alignment of HR practices with business strategy.
• Employee Engagement: Exploring factors that influence engagement and its impact on performance.
• Legal Aspects of HRM: Investigating laws and regulations affecting HR practices.
• Organizational Culture and Behavior: Analyzing the influence of culture on employee behavior and organizational success.

Human Resource Management is a vast and dynamic field that intertwines various disciplines, theories, practices, and challenges. From historical roots to contemporary issues, HRM offers a rich tapestry of research opportunities. Whether investigating traditional functions or delving into emerging trends, students and scholars can find a wealth of topics that resonate with their interests and contribute to our understanding of human interactions within organizational contexts. The spectrum of human resource management research paper topics reflects the depth and breadth of a field that continues to evolve, shaping the way we work, lead, and thrive in an ever-changing world.

How to Choose Human Resource Management Research Paper Topics

Selecting the right topic for a research paper in Human Resource Management (HRM) is a critical step that can shape the entire trajectory of your project. The topic you choose should align with your interests, academic level, the specific requirements of the assignment, and the current trends in the field. Here’s a guide to help you navigate the decision-making process and pinpoint a topic that resonates with you.

The realm of Human Resource Management is vast and diverse, encompassing various theories, functions, challenges, and emerging trends. Choosing a suitable research paper topic within this multifaceted field requires careful consideration and strategic thinking. This section will outline ten essential tips to guide you in selecting a meaningful, relevant, and engaging topic for your research.

• Identify Your Interests: Begin by reflecting on what aspects of HRM intrigue you. Are you passionate about organizational behavior, talent acquisition, employee welfare, or strategic HRM? Your research will be more enjoyable if it aligns with your interests.
• Understand the Assignment Requirements: Review the guidelines and grading criteria provided by your instructor. Consider the scope, length, and expected complexity of the paper.
• Conduct a Preliminary Literature Review: Explore existing research in areas that interest you. Identify gaps, controversies, or emerging trends that could form the basis for your study.
• Consider the Target Audience: Think about who will read your paper. Tailoring the topic to your audience’s interests, knowledge level, and expectations can enhance its impact.
• Evaluate Available Resources: Assess the availability of data, tools, and resources needed for your research. The feasibility of a topic depends on your ability to access relevant information and support.
• Align with Current Trends: Consider choosing a topic that relates to contemporary issues or recent developments in HRM. This alignment can make your research more relevant and appealing.
• Seek Guidance from Instructors or Peers: Don’t hesitate to consult with your instructor, classmates, or academic advisors. They may offer valuable insights, feedback, or suggestions.
• Ensure Ethical Consideration: Ensure that your chosen topic complies with ethical standards, particularly if it involves human subjects, sensitive data, or controversial subjects.
• Consider the Broader Impact: Reflect on how your research could contribute to the field of HRM. A topic with potential practical implications or theoretical advancements can add value to your work.
• Create a Shortlist and Evaluate: Draft a list of potential topics and weigh them against the criteria outlined above. This systematic approach can help you identify the most suitable option.

Selecting a research paper topic in Human Resource Management is a thoughtful and iterative process that requires introspection, exploration, and strategic thinking. By considering your interests, academic requirements, available resources, current trends, ethical considerations, and potential impact, you can identify a topic that not only resonates with you but also contributes to the vibrant discourse in HRM. Remember that your choice is not set in stone; it’s a starting point that you can refine and adapt as you delve into your research. Embrace the journey, for the right topic is a gateway to discovery, learning, and growth in the multifaceted world of human resource management.

How to Write a Human Resource Management Research Paper

Writing a research paper on Human Resource Management (HRM) is a complex task that requires a clear understanding of the subject matter, a methodical approach to research, and strong writing skills. The following section will guide you through the process of crafting a well-structured, insightful, and academically rigorous research paper in HRM.

Human Resource Management is at the core of organizational success, shaping the way businesses attract, retain, and develop talent. As a field that intertwines with psychology, sociology, business strategy, and law, writing a research paper on HRM is both challenging and rewarding. The following guide provides a step-by-step approach to help you navigate the research, writing, and revision stages, ensuring that your paper is thorough, coherent, and impactful.

• Understand the Assignment: Before diving into research and writing, clarify the assignment’s objectives, scope, format, and grading criteria. Ensure you understand what is expected in terms of content, structure, style, and depth of analysis.
• Choose a Relevant Topic: Select a topic that aligns with your interests, the course objectives, and current HRM trends. Refer to Section IV for guidance on choosing the right topic.
• Conduct Comprehensive Research: Utilize reputable sources such as academic journals, books, and industry reports to gather data, theories, and insights related to your topic. Evaluate the credibility and relevance of each source.
• Develop a Thesis Statement: Craft a clear and concise thesis statement that outlines the central argument or focus of your paper. The thesis should guide the reader on what to expect and provide a roadmap for your analysis.
• Create an Outline: Develop a detailed outline that breaks down the main sections and sub-sections of your paper. An outline will help you organize your thoughts, maintain coherence, and ensure a logical flow of ideas.
• Write the Introduction: Begin with an engaging introduction that introduces the topic, provides background information, highlights its significance, and presents the thesis statement.
• Develop the Body Paragraphs: Divide the body of your paper into clear sections and subsections. Use headings and subheadings to guide the reader. Each paragraph should have a clear topic sentence, supporting evidence, and a concluding sentence that links back to the thesis.
• Include Practical Insights and Case Studies: Where appropriate, include practical examples, case studies, or industry insights that illustrate your points. This application of theory to real-world scenarios can enhance the depth and relevance of your paper.
• Write the Conclusion: Summarize the key findings, restate the thesis in light of the evidence, and discuss the implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research or practice.
• Revise and Edit: Review your paper multiple times to check for clarity, coherence, grammar, and formatting errors. Consider seeking feedback from peers or instructors, and use plagiarism check tools to ensure originality.

Writing a research paper in Human Resource Management is a multifaceted process that requires careful planning, diligent research, critical analysis, and thoughtful writing. By following the tips outlined above, you can create a paper that not only meets academic standards but also contributes valuable insights to the dynamic field of HRM. Remember that writing is a process of continuous refinement; embrace revisions, seek feedback, and strive for clarity and depth. The journey of crafting an HRM research paper is an opportunity to deepen your understanding, hone your skills, and contribute to the ongoing discourse in a field that shapes the heart of organizations around the world.

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At iResearchNet, we pride ourselves on offering premium quality writing services for students focusing on Human Resource Management (HRM) research. We understand that every academic discipline requires a unique approach, and HRM is no exception. Our services stand out because of their superior quality, customization, and attention to detail. For a more thorough understanding of why iResearchNet is the go-to choice for many students worldwide, we have outlined a detailed list of 13 core features that give us an edge in the academic writing industry.

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• In-Depth Research: A cornerstone of our services is our commitment to comprehensive research. Our writers don’t just skim through the surface of your chosen topic. Instead, they delve deep, exploring various reputable sources and making sure that they provide a robust and critical analysis. This commitment to in-depth exploration ensures your work aligns with the academic rigor expected in HRM studies.
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149+ Best Human Resource Management Research Paper Topics

• Post author By Pooja Barman
• October 18, 2023

Are you looking for the best MBA HR research paper topics? If yes, here we give all the most exciting human resource project ideas for you.

If you’re studying human resource management (HRM), you know it’s a big and important field. People are the most vital part of any business. So, as a student, you often have to write assignments like essays, research papers, and theses about HRM. If your assignment doesn’t have a specific topic, it can be challenging. This article gives you a list of exciting HR topics to choose from. We’ve organized them into categories like training, talent management, leadership, and more, making it easier for you to pick the right one for your assignment.

In this blog, we will delve into HR research paper topics, explore how to choose the best ones, and understand why these topics benefit students.

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Table of Contents

What is HR Research Paper Topics?

HR research paper topics encompass a wide range of subjects related to managing human capital within an organization. These topics can be broadly categorized into areas such as recruitment, training and development, employee motivation, diversity and inclusion, labor relations, compensation and benefits, and more.

The goal of HR research is to provide insights and solutions to challenges that organizations face when dealing with their employees. It allows students to explore, analyze, and propose solutions to real-world HR issues, contributing to the field’s development.

How to Choose a Good HR Research Paper Topic

Here’s a guide on how to choose a topic that not only interests you but also aligns with your career goals:

1. Identify Your Interests

Start by considering your personal interests. What aspects of HR intrigue you the most? It could be talent acquisition, performance management, employee well-being, or any other facet of HR. Choosing a topic that aligns with your passion will make the research and writing process more engaging and fulfilling.

2. Consider Relevance

Look for topics that are relevant in the current HR landscape. HR is a dynamic field, and certain topics may gain more significance over time. Staying current with trends and emerging issues will help you choose a topic that resonates with the HR community and provides valuable insights.

3. Consult Your Advisor

Engage with your academic advisor or professor for guidance. They can provide suggestions, feedback, and help you refine your research topic. Advisors have a wealth of experience and can steer you in the right direction.

4. Define Your Scope

Ensure that your research topic is neither too broad nor too narrow. A topic that is too broad can be overwhelming, while a very narrow topic might limit the available research material. Find the right balance that allows you to delve deep into the subject while having access to relevant literature.

5. Explore Current Research

Review existing literature and research in the field. This will help you identify gaps and areas where further investigation is needed. Building upon existing research can lead to more meaningful contributions.

6. Practicality

Consider the feasibility of conducting research on your chosen topic. Can you access the necessary data, conduct surveys or interviews, or perform experiments if required? Ensure your chosen topic is practical within the scope of your resources and time constraints.

7. Ethical Considerations

Be mindful of ethical considerations when selecting a topic. Ensure that your research does not violate any ethical standards or raise ethical concerns. HR topics often involve sensitive issues, so it’s crucial to approach them with sensitivity and ethical integrity.

149+ Exciting MBA HR Research Paper Topics For Beginners

These are the major MBA HR research paper topics for beginners are given below.

Professional/Career Development HR Research Topics

Training and Development General/ Interesting Human Resource Research Topics

Employee Engagement HR Research Paper Topics

Compensation and Benefits

Mba Labor Relations Hr Research Paper Topics

Performance Management

Diversity and Inclusion Research Paper Topics

HR Technology Research Paper Topics

Workplace Well-being

Talent Management HR Research Paper Topics

Employee Turnover Trending Research Topics in Human Resources

HRIS topics for Dissertations, Essays, and Research Paper

Here are your HRIS (Human Resource Information System) research topics presented below.

Employee Benefits and Well-being Research Paper Topics

Here are simplified versions of your provided talent management research topics:

Equal Employment Opportunity HR Research Paper Topics

Following are the Equal Employment Opportunity HR Research Topics for students.

• Managing Equal Employment Opportunity : How HR departments make sure that everyone has a fair chance at work.
• Best EEO Practices : The right ways to ensure equal opportunities at work.
• Importance of Equal Opportunities : Why it’s crucial to treat everyone fairly in the workplace.
• EEO and Workplace Diversity : How equal opportunities connect with having a diverse workforce.
• Role of EEOC : What the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission does to enforce fair treatment at work.
• Workplace Discrimination Effects : How unfair treatment affects employee well-being.
• Direct vs. Indirect Discrimination : Different types of unfair treatment at work.
• Handling Unfair Dismissal : What to do when someone is fired unfairly.
• Mediation and Dispute Resolution : Using mediation to solve workplace problems.
• Including LGBTI Workers : How to make sure LGBTI employees are treated fairly.
• Employee Diversity and Performance : How having a diverse workforce affects a company’s success.
• EEO’s Impact on Organizations : How equal opportunities influence a company.
• Equal Opportunities and Employee Performance : How treating people fairly affects how well they work.
• EEO and the Transport Industry : Equal opportunities in the transportation field.
• EEO and the Glass Ceiling : Breaking down barriers for career advancement.
• Coordinating EEO Practices : Ensuring that companies follow EEO rules.

Top 10 Most Promising HR Research Paper Topics For College Students

Here are some promising HR research paper topics that students can consider:

• The Impact of Diversity and Inclusion Programs on Organizational Performance: Analyze how diversity and inclusion initiatives influence employee engagement, innovation, and overall organizational success.
• Remote Work and Employee Productivity: Examine the challenges and benefits of remote work arrangements, focusing on productivity, employee well-being, and work-life balance.
• The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership Effectiveness: Investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence among leaders and employee satisfaction, performance, and retention.
• Mental Health and Well-being Programs in the Workplace: Evaluate the effectiveness of mental health programs and their impact on employee well-being, absenteeism, and productivity.
• The Future of Work: AI and Automation in HR: Explore the implications of artificial intelligence and automation in HR, such as AI-driven recruitment and chatbots for employee support.
• Performance Appraisal Systems and Employee Motivation: Analyze different performance appraisal methods and their influence on employee motivation and job satisfaction.
• Workplace Harassment and Strategies for Prevention: Investigate the prevalence of workplace harassment, its effects on employees, and strategies for prevention and intervention.
• The Role of HR in Talent Acquisition in the Gig Economy: Examine how HR functions in organizations adapt to the gig economy and the challenges they face in attracting and retaining gig workers.
• The Impact of Training and Development on Employee Retention: Assess the relationship between investment in employee training and development and long-term employee retention.
• The Role of HR in Change Management: Explore the HR department’s role in managing organizational change, particularly in mergers and acquisitions.

What’s Next?

Once you’ve chosen your HR research topic, the next steps will depend on your academic or professional goals. Here are some general guidelines:

• Research and Data Collection : Start by conducting thorough research on your chosen topic. Gather relevant information, academic articles, books, and any necessary data. Use reliable sources to ensure the quality of your research.
• Outline Your Paper : Create a clear and organized outline for your paper. This will help you structure your ideas and arguments effectively.
• Writing Your Paper : Based on your outline, start writing your paper. Ensure you follow the appropriate formatting and citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) as required by your institution or publication.
• Proofreading and Editing : After writing, carefully proofread and edit your paper. Check for grammar, spelling, and formatting errors. You can also seek feedback from peers or mentors.
• Research Paper or Dissertation : If you’re working on a research paper or dissertation, make sure to follow the specific guidelines and expectations set by your academic institution or publication.
• Professional Writing Service : If you prefer expert assistance, consider hiring a professional writing service. Expert writers can help you create a well-researched, properly formatted, and organized HR paper on your chosen topic. You can use this paper as a reference and guide for your own assignment.

Selecting the right HR research paper topic is the first step toward a successful research journey. By considering your interests, the relevance of the topic, and ethical considerations,. You can choose a subject that not only aligns with your academic and career goals but also contributes to the ever-evolving field of HR. HR research paper topics offer numerous benefits for students, from practical application to skill development and the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the field.

So, adopt the opportunity to explore HR topics and let your research be a beacon of knowledge and innovation in the world of human resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the four core hr areas.

These are recruitment, selection, and placement; learning and development; performance management; and rewards and recognition.

What are the 5 functional areas of HR?

These are talent management, compensation, employee benefits, training, and development.

What are the areas of strategic HR?

Examples of strategic HR functions include compensation planning, recruitment, succession planning and employee development.

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HRM Dissertation Topics

Published by Carmen Troy at January 6th, 2023 , Revised On April 16, 2024

Introduction

Human resource management studies stated that employees should be hired, retained and managed. It is an extensive field that requires an in-depth understanding of the underlying factors and concepts.

As a human resource management student, you will study many different concepts, frameworks, and theories related to employee management. However, before your graduation, you will be required to submit a dissertation on a human resource management research topic of your choice.

Even though several topics and concepts are yet to explore in the field of human resource management, you will want to make sure that your proposed topic has sufficient literature to support and justify the content of a theoretical framework , or else you might struggle with data collection .

This article provides you with a comprehensive list of HRM topics that are relevant to your field and identifies some interesting literature gaps.

Choosing from our list of topics will certainly improve your chances of submitting an outstanding dissertation. So, go ahead and choose an HRM dissertation topic of your interest. We can even customize these topics based on your project needs.

PhD qualified writers of our team have developed the proposed topics, so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

Note –

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting  a brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the topic,  research question ,  aim and objectives ,  literature review  along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted.  Let us know  if you need any help in getting started.

Check our  dissertation examples  to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

Review the full list of  dissertation topics for here.

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• Management Dissertation Topics
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2024 HRM Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: how human resources departments achieve equal employment opportunities.

Research Aim: The research will aim to investigate how HR departments achieve equal employment opportunity in organizations. EEO, or Equal Employment Opportunity, is the notion everybody has an equal chance to pursue a job on the basis of merit, regardless of skin color, gender, or gender identity. It is the duty of HR department to give every employee and equal right in the organization. The research will examine how HR department keep the organization environment friendly by controlling equal employment opportunities.

Topic 2: The effect of motivating strategies on employee performance

Research Aim: The research will aim to find the impact of motivating strategies on employee performance. Employee motivation plays a huge part on performance. Employee engagement cannot be substituted by anything else in order for any organisation to run efficiently and without interruption. It is critical that a company and its employees not only have a strong connection with the top management, but also have a good and healthy relationship with their colleagues. The study will also make recommendations on what further might be done to obtain optimal results utilising motivating methods for the benefit of both the company and the individual.

Topic 3: Organizational Conflicts as Antecedents of Staff Turnover: Evidence from the UK Food Sector

Research Aim: The research will aim to review recent available literature on employee turnover in order to determine organizational conflicts as antecedents of employee turnover in the UK food sector in order to close gaps in the literature and present a broader range of turnover factors and understanding of employee motivational factors in their job decision.

Topic 4: How does AI involvement in HRM provide Zara with a competitive advantage?

Research Aim: The research will aim to inspect the benefit of competitive advantage at Zara through the involvement of artificial intelligence in their HRM. AI assists the human resources department in identifying their personnel’ skill sets and recommending a training programme based on their work positions. It combines all of the data and assists the HR staff in making succinct decisions about what training to do in which sector to boost abilities. The study will also explain the importance of AI in organizations and organizations success. It will also look into strategies and policies Zara used to achieve competitive advantage.

Topic 5: The role of HR in creating a respected working environment that contributes in sustainable revenue growth

Research Aim: The research aims to examine the role of HR in creating a respected working environment and sustainable revenue growth. The study will identify current misunderstandings and disparities in understanding of topics such as sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, and the link between strategic human resource management and sustainable HRM through a comprehensive literature review. It will also identify and recognise the challenges that sustainable HRM encounters in reality, with a particular emphasis on the prevalent strategic HRM schema and the misunderstanding of corporate social responsibility.

Covid-19 HRM Research Topics

The role of managers during the pandemic.

Research Aim: In this study, the Human resource management techniques which HR managers will adopt for performing their operations during the COVID -19 will be discussed.

The management techniques for employees.

Research Aim: This study will focus on how the employees are trained during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The economic Crisis for HR Managers during Covid-19

Research Aim: This study will discuss how the economic crisis will disturb the payroll and how the managers will work.

The policies of HR for affected employees.

Research Aim: In this study, HR will design policies on how HR will manage when there is a gap between employees working. How will the ill patients be provided with support by companies through HR?

The employees' cooperation for HR

Research Aim: This study will highlight how well the employees support the decisions of the HR policymakers during the pandemic.

HRM Dissertation Topics for 2023

Topic 1: effect of employee engagement on customer loyalty in the service-based industry.

Research Aim: Employees engagement means that employees are passionate and committed to their work. In the service industry, where employees’ performance can greatly influence the quality of service, it is worth exploring employee engagement in customer loyalty in the service-based industry. Therefore, in this study, survey-based research will be conducted to identify employee engagement in customer loyalty.

Topic 2: Contingent workforce and its impact on organisation’s performance – Evaluating the IT Industry

Research Aim: Nowadays, companies hire freelancers and contractual workers, unlike permanent payroll employees. Various cost benefits can be obtained by hiring such a workforce. However, such a workforce may not have the required skills to do a job as effectively as a trained staff would have done. Thus, the present study focuses on identifying the impact of a contingent workforce on its performance in the IT industry.

Topic 3: Factors of growing mental health issues of employees at workplace in service-based industries

Research Aim: The wellness of employees at the workplace is necessary for their mental health and work performance. This study will identify the factors that can increase employees’ mental health issues at the workplace based on survey-based of employees and managers of service-based industries.

Topic 4: Analysing the importance and impact of training and development on an organisation’s sustainability during economic crises.

Research Aim: to achieve organizational objectives and milestones, leaders and business owners have realized the importance of training and developing their workforce to align with the organizational objectives. This research aims to analyze the importance and impact of employee training and development on the organization’s sustainability during economic downturns.

Topic 5: How online digital platforms have helped organisations in recruiting effectively and efficiently

Research Aim: With the advent of technology, firms have revolutionized their business operations. Under this revolution, many organizations have adopted different techniques and methods to recruit talented employees. Therefore, this research intends to determine how online digital platforms have helped organizations find employees more efficiently and effectively.

Topic 6: Analysing the factors which directly impact an employee's personal decision to leave employment

Research Aim: Employee turnover rate has always been a major concern for many organizations regardless of their size and nature. A valuable and talented employee is usually hard to find and retain. However, it has been found out that different factors motivate an employee to search for a new job. Keeping this phenomenon in mind, the current research will be analyzing the factors that directly impact the employee’s personal decision to leave employment.

Topic 7: Critically analysing the concept of workplace flexibility and how it impacts employee and organisational performance

Research Aim: In today’s modern era, the workplace environment has been transformed drastically from a strict and conventional style to a more flexible one. Therefore, this research aims to critically analyze the concept of workplace flexibility and how it impacts employee and organizational performance.

Topic 8: A comparative analysis of employees' job satisfaction and motivational factors in public versus private organisations.

Research Aim: Job satisfaction and employee motivation are regarded as the most important element of HR practices. The main aim of HR policies is to satisfy, retain, and motivate employees. Therefore, this research aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the employee’s job satisfaction and motivational factors in public versus private organizations.

Topic 9: The influence of COVID-19 on virtual employee management practices by organisations

Research Aim: This research is highly useful in the current context of COVID-19. Organisations all around the world are getting impacted by the COVID-19 and are closed at the moment. The current study will focus on using different virtual employee management practices that companies can use in the current context of COVID-19. These practices will be beneficial for organizations in almost all business sectors.

Topic 10: The role of using transformational leadership style in the improvement of organisational creativity at Morrisons

Research Aim: The aim of this research will be the benefits of using the transformational leadership style by Morrisons’ leaders to improve organizational creativity. This study will research how leaders can get the advantage of a transformational leadership style for increasing creativity at the organization.

Topic 11: The green HRM practices and their impacts on the corporate image of IKEA

Research Aim: This study will aim to study different green HRM practices and their role in improving IKEA’s corporate image and reputation. It will be researched how companies can improve their corporate image by focusing on green HRM practices and processes. The findings will be beneficial for the management, customers as well as employees.

Topic 12: Involving employees in the decision-making process and its influence on employee productivity at Subway

Research Aim: It will be researched in this study how Subway and other companies in this industry can involve the workers in the decision-making process to improve employee productivity. It will be studied that employee productivity is increased by involving the employees in the decision-making process. The findings will be useful in designing useful HR practices by Subway.

Topic 13: The impact of a flat organisational structure on the decision-making process

Research Aim: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the decision-making difficulties and issues faced by HR managers of companies with a flat organizational structure. This study will also investigate the benefits and challenges related to the flat organizational structures used by companies. A case study approach will be used.

Topic 14: The role of workforce diversity in improving organisational capability and innovation at Toyota Motors

Research Aim: To carry out this study, an innovative company named Toyota Motors will be selected. The main objective for carrying out this study will be to analyze how the organizational capability and innovation at Toyota Motors are improved due to workforce diversity. The main emphasis will be on studying the workforce diversity present at Toyota Motors and its significance in improving innovation and organizational capability. The success factors of Toyota Motors for HR will be studied.

Topic 15: The impact of digitalization on changing HRM practices at Aviva

Research Aim: The contemporary business world moves towards digitalization due to technological advancements. This research will study the different impacts of digitalization in changing various HRM practices at Aviva. Different HRM practices used by Aviva before and after the digitalization era will be discussed, and the changes will be analyzed. This study will show how digitalization has changed HRM practices in the contemporary business world.

Topic 16: The influence of employee learning and development opportunities on employee satisfaction at British Airways

Research Aim: It will be studied in this research that how employee satisfaction at British Airways is influenced by employee learning and development opportunities. Different employee learning and development opportunities at BA will be studied, along with their impact on workforce satisfaction.

Topic 17: The impact of recognizing employee contributions on employee retention at Shell

Research Aim: This study’s main objective is to analyse whether Shell can retain its employees by recognizing their contributions or not. Different strategies used by Shell for recognizing employee contributions will be studied that lead towards motivating the employees, which ultimately impact the retention of workers.

Topic 18: The role of green HR practices in employee engagement and retention

Research Aim: Green HR practices is a newly emerged concept in HRM. The study will aim to research the impact of green HR practices on employee engagement and retention. It will be studied how companies can improve employee engagement and retention by focusing on green HR practices.

Topic 19: The role of providing daycare facilities in increasing the productivity of female employees

Research Aim: This study will be focusing on the productivity of female workers. It will be studied how female workers’ productivity is increased by providing daycare facilities for their children. The impact on the satisfaction level of female employees due to the daycare facility will also be explored.

Topic 20: The impact of artificial intelligence on enhancing the human resource practices of Zara

Research Aim: For this study, the researcher will focus on the concept of artificial intelligence and use it in the HR context. It will be studied that either the HR practices at Zara can be enhanced by implementing AI. The benefits and implications of implementing AI in the HR context will also be part of this study.

Topic 21: The role of e-leadership in improving employee productivity and motivation.

Research Aim: The contemporary business world has become highly advanced due to technological capabilities. The concept of e-leadership has emerged due to advancements in technology. The purpose of this study will be to analyse the impact of e-leadership in improving the productivity and motivation level of the workforce.

Topic 22: The role of effective HR planning in a successful strategic alliance process.

Research Aim: This study will study the importance of effective HR planning for the strategic alliance process. It will be studied how HR management can mould the HR practices and focus on effective HR planning to make the strategic alliance process successful.

Topic 23: The impact of different personality traits on teamwork at Microsoft

Research Aim: The main focus of this research will be studying Microsoft’s teamwork. It will be further analyzed how Microsoft’s teamwork is influenced by the personality traits possessed by different team members. Different types of personality traits will be studied in this research that impacts teamwork positively and negatively.

Topic 24: The impact of career growth opportunities on employee loyalty at HSBC Holdings.

Research Aim: This study will aim to review different types of career growth opportunities offered by HBSC Holdings to its employees. Moreover, it will also be studied how employee loyalty is improved due to various career growth opportunities. The findings of this study will be beneficial for the banking sector.

Topic 25: The role of adapted HR practices in improving organisational performance at the international branch of DHL.

Research Aim: The study’s main objective will be to analyse companies’ changes in their HR practices for international branches. How and why the HR practices are adapted by HR management for improving the organisational performance at the company’s branch, which is located outside the country. For this, the DHL case study will be selected, and it will be assessed how and why DHL has used adapted HR practices across different countries.

HR Learning and Development Dissertation Topics

All organisational activities aimed at improving the productivity and performance of groups and individuals can be classified as HRM’s learning and development function elements. Learning and development encompass three pivotal activities, including education, training, and development.

As such, the training activities help to evaluate an employee based on his existing job responsibilities. Educational activities include those focusing on jobs that an employee can expect to carry out in the future.

Finally, the development activities are those that the employer may partake in the future. If you’re interested in exploring this human resource topic in-depth, we have some interesting dissertation topics for you:

Topic 1:The importance of appreciative inquiry with respect to organisational learning and development culture – A case study of ExxonMobil

Research Aim: This research will discuss the importance of appreciative inquiry and its impact on organisational learning and development culture with a specific focus on ExxonMobil.

Topic 2:To establish the correlation between organisation competency development and learning activities & programmes

Research Aim: This research will discuss how organisational competency development and organisational learning activities are correlated.

Topic 3:An examination of knowledge management and organisational learning for sustained firm performance. A case study of British Telecom

Research Aim: This research will examine how organisational learning and knowledge management helped British Telecom sustain their firm performance.

Topic 4:Investigating learning and development of human resources in the public sector in the UK

Research Aim: This dissertation will evaluate the different ways of achieving the learning and development of human resources in the UK’s public sector.

Topic 32:The importance of HR learning and development activities for SMEs

Research Aim: This research will focus on how SMEs utilize HR learning and developmental activities to improve their employees’ performance.

Topic 33:Human resource practices and employees’ decision to quit – Does Lack of Learning and Development play a Role.

Research Aim: This research will focus on whether or not lack of learning and development in an organization leads to employee turnover,

Topic 34:Developing organisational competitive advantage through strategic employee training in computer knowledge

Research Aim: This dissertation will explore how companies can gain a strategic advantage over their competitors through employee training.

Topic 35:The impact of various training and learning based activities on employees’ productivity

Research Aim: The main aim of this research will be to determine the impact of different pieces of training and learnings on employees’ productivity.

Topic 36: The role of HR analytics and metrics in improving organizational performance at Tesco

Research Aim: This study aims to research a new concept in human resource management, named HR analytics and metrics. Moreover, their impact on improving organizational performance will also be studied. This study will be beneficial for Tesco in using HR analytics and metrics in different HR practices that can lead to improved organizational performance.

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HR Performance Review Dissertation Topics

A performance review, also known as a career development discussion, performance evaluation and employee appraisal, can be defined as a method to evaluate an employee based on their job performance, mainly for appraisals. This might be an interesting area to focus your dissertation on. Here are some interesting topics in this area of HRM:

Topic 37:To understand the relationship between performance review and employee motivation in large and diversified business organisations

Research Aim: This research will understand the relationship between employee motivation and employee performance review. Large and diversified businesses will be the main focus of this study.

Topic 38:Effective performance appraisal – A study to establish a correlation between employer satisfaction and optimising business results

Research Aim: This research will analyse the impact of performance appraisal on employer satisfaction and how it optimises business results.

Topic 39: Investigating the efficacy of performance appraisal from the perception of employees in UK retail industry – A case study of Tesco

Research Aim: This research will analyse the efficacy of performance appraisal concerning employees, with a specific focus on Tesco.

Topic 40: Employee performance appraisal and the role of fairness and satisfaction

Research Aim: This dissertation will explore whether employees report satisfaction and fairness when performance appraisal is conducted.

Topic 41:Investigating performance review and appraisal methods employed by human resource department of any large oil and gas company

Research Aim: This research will study the human resource department of a large oil and gas company and will investigate how “performance review” and appraisals are conducted.

Topic 42: Job satisfaction and performance appraisals – Are they Interconnected?

Research Aim: This research will study in-depth whether job satisfaction and performance appraisals are interconnected or not.

Topic 43:Investigating the relationship between public sector appraisals and the spinal pay reward

Research Aim: This research will talk about the spinal pay reward system and evaluate its effectiveness in the public sector.

Topic 44:Analysing the impact of performance management on employee performance improvement

Research Aim: This research will investigate how performance management helps companies improve their employees’ performance.

Topic 45: Can HR performance drive employee engagement? Studying the UK banking industry

Research Aim: This research will talk about the different ways through which HR performance review helps in improving employee engagement. The UK banking industry will be in focus in this study.

Topic 46:The role of HR performance review in increasing employee retention and productivity

Research Aim: This research will investigate how organisations utilize performance reviews as a tool to improve employee retention and productivity.

HR Employee Motivation Dissertation Topics

Employees need objectives and goals to remain focused. The quality of work may significantly drop if they are not constantly motivated by their employers.

Business organizations employ various employee motivation methods and techniques to keep their employees motivated. Thus, this is an interesting topic to explore for your final year dissertation. Here are some HRM dissertation topics related to employee motivation.

Topic 47:To investigate the role of motivation in HRM – A study highlighting the most important motivation factors for future business leaders

Research Aim: This research will discuss the different motivation factors organisations should use to develop future leaders. In addition to this, the role of motivation throughout HRM will be discussed.

Topic 48:Employee satisfaction and work motivation – Are they both related?

Research Aim: This research will understand the relationship between motivation and employee satisfaction and the different motivation techniques companies can employ to increase employee satisfaction.

Topic 49: Evaluating the Role of Employee motivation in performance Enhancement

Research Aim: This study will discuss the role of employee motivation concerning employee performance, i.e. whether it enhances performance or not.

Topic 50:Human resource management – Motivation among workers in large and diversified business organisations

Research Aim: This dissertation will talk about motivation in large and diversified organisations and how these companies ensure that their employees are motivated at all times.

Topic 51:Effects of motivational programmes and activities on employee performance

Research Aim: This research will focus on the different motivational techniques and programs that impact employee performance.

Topic 52: Does motivation play a role in decreasing employee turnovers? A case study of British Airways

Research Aim: This research will discuss the role of motivation in decreasing employee turnover with a specific focus on British airways.

Topic 53:Motivation and performance reward – Are the two interrelated?

Research Aim: This research will talk about motivation and performance rewards and will assess whether the two are interrelated and directly related.

Topic 54: Work productivity and the role of employee motivation programmes and activities

Research Aim: This study will assess employee motivation programs’ impact on employee productivity, i.e. if it increases or decreases.

Topic 55:To discuss the role of employee motivation in relation to retention levels

Research Aim: This research will analyze employee motivation’s role to help companies retain employees.

Topic 56:Differences and similarities between traditional and contemporary theories

Research Aim: This research will discuss and compare traditional and contemporary motivation theories implemented by companies.

Topic 57: The role of employee empowerment in employee motivation and satisfaction at British Petroleum.

Research Aim: This study will aim to analyse different strategies of employee empowerment carried out by British Petroleum and their impact on workers’ motivation and satisfaction. The research will be studied that either different employee empowerment strategies improve employee motivation and satisfaction. The findings will be beneficial for companies working in the petroleum sector.

Topic 58: The impact of open communication in improving employee engagement at Zara

Research Aim: In this research, different modes of communication used by organisations will be studied and especially the impact of open communication in improving employee engagement at Zara will be analyzed. The importance of open communication for different organisations in the fashion and retail sectors will be discussed. Moreover, different communication strategies that can help improve employee engagement at Zara will be discussed based on past literature, theories, and framework.

HR Performance Management Dissertation Topics

All processes and activities to consistently meet organisational goals and objectives can be considered the HR performance management mechanism elements. Different organisations employ different performance management strategies to gain a competitive advantage. To explore this area of human resources, here are some intriguing topics for you:

Topic 59:Investigating different performance management techniques for retaining employees

Research Aim: This research will talk about companies’ various performance management techniques to retain employees.

Topic 60:The role of performance management activities in improving employees’ skills and abilities

Research Aim: This research will discuss how performance management helps employees improve their skills and abilities and how it ultimately helps companies.

Topic 61:Managing performance of workers through performance management techniques – A Case Study of Google

Research Aim: This research will explore how organisations use different performance management techniques to manage employees and their performance. A specific focus of this study will be Google Incorporation.

Topic 62:Employee performance and performance management systems – A qualitative study

Research Aim: This study will conduct a qualitative study to understand the different performance management systems for improving employee performance.

Topic 63:Performance management examinations in human resource management of profit-oriented organisations

Research Aim: This research will understand performance management in profit-oriented companies regarding how their human resource department ensures optimal performance.

Topic 64:Exploring the essentials elements of the performance management framework

Research Aim: This research will explore its vital features and performance management framework.

Topic 65:Human resource management practices and business performance – The role of environmental uncertainties and strategies

Research Aim: This research will explore whether environment uncertainties and strategies play a role in employee and business performance.

Topic 66:The efficacy of performance management systems in the UK’s retail industry

Research Aim: This research will explore the UK’s retail industry’s performance management efficacy.

Topic 67:Towards a framework for performance management in a higher education institution

Research Aim: This research will investigate performance management in the educational setting.

Topic 68:Should wages be capped through performance management – A qualitative study

Research Aim: This research will analyse whether wages should be adjusted and capped concerning performance management with a focus on its effects.

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Strategic Human Resource Management Dissertation Topics

Strategic human resource management is tying the human resource management objective to the company’s goals and objectives. This helps companies in innovating and staying ahead of their competitors by gaining a competitive advantage.

Being a relatively new concept, there are various aspects of strategic HRM that are left to be explored. Here are some interesting strategic HRM dissertation topics for you:

Topic 69:The efficacy of communication processes and employees’ involvement plans to improve employee commitment towards organisational goals – A case study of Sainsbury

Research Aim: This research will study the role and efficacy of the communication processes and employees’ involvement in order to improve employees’ commitment towards organisational goals.

Topic 70:To investigate SHRM theory and practice in a call centre – A case study of any UK call centre

Research Aim: This dissertation will discuss the various SHRM theories and how it is implemented. A UK-based call center will be focused on this study.

Topic 71: Differences and similarities between SHRM strategies and policies employed by German and Japanese automobile companies

Research Aim: This research will compare the different SHRM techniques and policies implemented by German and Japanese automobile companies.

Topic 72: A resource-based view assessment of strategic human resources quality management systems

Research Aim: This research will understand the resource-based view of strategic human resources quality management systems.

Topic 73: To understand and critically evaluate the HRM strategies employed by small and medium sized enterprises in the UK

Research Aim: This research will discuss and evaluate the different strategic HRM strategies employed by small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK.

Topic 74: Relating organisational performance to strategic human resource management – A study of small scale businesses in the UK

Research Aim: This study will analyse whether organisational performance and strategic human resource management are interconnected by assessing small scale businesses in the UK.

Topic 75: Investigating strategic human resource management in Singapore – A qualitative study

Research Aim: This research will analyse strategic human resource management in Singapore by undertaking a qualitative method.

Topic 76: The role of organisational support programmes to enhance work outcome and employees behaviour

Research Aim: This research will understand the organisational support program in order to enhance employee work outcome and their behaviour.

Topic 77: To establish the most important components of strategic HRM for SMEs in the UK to develop a competitive advantage

Research Aim: This research will talk about the relationship between the different SHRM components for SMEs in the UK in order to gain a competitive advantage.

Topic 78: To establish the significance of the relationship between organisational performance and strategic human resource management

Research Aim: This research will explore the relationship between organisational performance and strategic human resource management and how it helps companies achieve their objectives.

Human Resource Theory Dissertation Topics

The human resource theory framework consists of a soft and hard approach to human resources management. Various theories cover the different aspects of the soft and hard human resource approach.

Exploring this area of HRM will help in understanding more about the soft and hard HRM approaches. Here are some dissertation topics in this area that you can choose from.

Topic 79: A comparative analysis of various human resources theory approaches

Research Aim: This research will discuss various human resource theories and approaches and provide a comparative analysis.

Topic 80:To study human resources systems practiced by Multinationals in the UK

Research Aim: This research will discuss the various human resource systems as practised by multinational companies operating in the UK.

Topic 81:The role of human resources management (HRM) in regards to addressing workers’ concerns.

Research Aim: This research will discuss the importance of human resources in understanding and addressing worker’s concerns.

Topic 82: Can HRM have a negative influence on the performance of business organisations – A qualitative study?

Research Aim: This research will discuss a unique aspect of human resource management, i.e. whether it harms the company’s performance or not.

Topic 83: Is Human resources the only option for employees? An exploratory study

Research Aim: This study will analyze human resources’ role in solving employee issues and assess whether it is the only option for employees.

Topic 84:Exploring the contribution of human resource to the success of organisations

Research Aim: This research will aim to understand the role and contribution of the human resource department in companies’ success.

Topic 85:To investigate the most predominant human HRM and control strategies employed by business organisations

Research Aim: This research will discuss an interesting topic, i.e. the most predominant HRM strategies organisations implement.

Topic 86:To investigate the role of HR as a shared service.

Research Aim: This study will discuss human resources’ role as a shared service in the organisation.

Topic 87:Does a supervisor has a role to play in implementing HR practices – A critical study

Research Aim: This study will critically analyze supervisors’ role in implementing human resource practices in an organization.

Topic 88:The ethics of firing employees – Do companies really follow it?

Research Aim: This research will focus on how employees are fired at organizations and whether human resources follow the ethics of firing or not.

HR Organisational Culture Dissertation Topics

Organisational culture, also known as organisational climate, is defined as the process by which an organisation’s culture can be quantified. The properties of the work environment that are either considered positive or negative by the employees (and that may influence their behaviour) are the most important components of the organisational culture framework.

Studying this aspect of human resources will help you gain an in-depth knowledge of the role of culture in human resource management. Here are some interesting dissertation topics in this area:

Topic 89:The role of leadership, HRM and culture in vitalising management systems in firms

Research Aim: This research will understand the role of leadership and culture in human resource management and how it helps companies manage their systems.

Topic 90:Finding the right balance between differentiation and standardisation of HRM practices and policies – HRM of multinational companies operating within the European Union

Research Aim: There are certain human resource practices that are standardized throughout the world. This research will investigate the differences between such standard policies with respect to culture. Multinationals operating in the European Union will be focused.

Topic 91:Cross-cultural human resource management – The role it plays in the success of different organisations

Research Aim: This research will study the role of cross-cultural human resource management in the success of companies.

Topic 92:The impact of cross-cultural competencies in start-up companies

Research Aim: A lot of companies do not encourage cross-cultural human resources in the workplace. This research will analyse how cross-cultural competencies help startups grow and succeed.

Topic 93:The role of organisational cultural on HRM policies and practices – A case study of Cambridge University

Research Aim: This research will aim to understand the role of organisational culture on human resource policies and practices. The main focus of this study will be at Cambridge University.

Topic 94:The relationship between human resource management practices and organisational culture towards organisational commitment

Research Aim: This research will assess the relationship between different cultures and human resource practices with respect to organisational commitment.

Topic 95: Investigating cultural differences between the work values of employees and the implications for managers

Research Aim: This study will conduct an investigation related to the work values of employees based on their various cultural differences. It will then be concluded what this means for the managers.

Topic 96:To effectively manage cultural change without affecting work productivity

Research Aim: This research will discuss an interesting topic as to how managers should manage organisational cultural change without harming productivity.

Topic 97:Inducting new employees into the culture – Does it help organisations?

Research Aim: This research will discuss whether or not it is feasible for organisations to hire employees when the company is undergoing a cultural change.

Topic 98:Recruiting to change the culture – The Impact it has on the Profitability of the Company

Research Aim: This research will discuss whether companies should hire to lead change in the organisation, i.e. whether hiring should be done for this specific purpose, and what this new hiring means for the company in terms of profitability.

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HR Diversity Dissertation Topics

The changing corporate world has provoked organisations to develop and implement diversity management systems as part of their human resource management system. Although relatively new, diversity management is an important research area of human resource management that brings challenges and learning to employees.

With many areas unexplored and literature gaps in this subject, there are some extremely interesting dissertation topics you can select for your final year project. Some of them are listed here:

Topic 99: Investigating the difference between discrimination and diversity – How Do they Impact Organisations

Research Aim: This research will discuss the differences between the two concepts, diversity and discrimination and their impact on organisations.

Topic 100:Managing diversity through HRM: A conceptual framework and an international perspective

Research Aim: This study will discuss how the human resource department can manage diversity. The study will be conducted in an international setting.

Topic 101:Managing diversity in the public sector – How do companies manage to remain successful

Research Aim: This research will explore managing diversity in the public sector and how these companies can be successful even through diversity.

Topic 102:Managing cultural diversity in human resource management

Research Aim: As much as a human resource helps companies manage diversity, how will companies manage diversity in their main HR department. This research will answer this exact question.

Topic 103:The managerial tools, opportunities, challenges and benefits associated with diversity in the workplace

Research Aim: This research will focus on the tools available to human resources in managing diversity, and how they change it to opportunities and overcome diversity-related challenges.

Topic 104: Investigating the challenges of exclusion and inequality in organisations – Assessing HR’s role.

Research Aim: This research will first investigate the exclusion and inequality challenges that organisations face and how human resources overcome these challenges.

Topic 105:How does HRM Help in managing cultural differences and diversity

Research Aim: This research will discuss HR’s role in managing cultural differences and diversity in organisations.

Topic 106: Can HR eliminate diversity-related discrimination from workplaces? Assessing its role

Research Aim: This research will talk about HR’s role in eliminating diversity-related discrimination from organisations, and whether it will be successful in doing so or not.

Topic 107:Training managers for diversity – How difficult is it for companies and HR

Research Aim: This research will discuss and analyse the role of HR and companies in ensuring manager’s learning and development for diversity.

Topic 108:Training the newly hired staff for diversity in a large and diversified business organisation

Research Aim: This research will investigate the role of HR in training employees and staff to deal with, manage and coexist with diverse employees.

Important Notes:

As a human resource management student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing human resource management theories – i.e., to add value and interest to your research topic.

Human resource management is vast and interrelated to many other academic disciplines like management , operations management , project management , business , international business , MBA and more. That is why it is imperative to create a human resource management dissertation topic that is articular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation , as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best human resource management dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample human resource management dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure your HRM Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analyzing published and unpublished literature on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths while identifying research gaps. Break down the topic and key terms that can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes research design , research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis : Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of the results in this chapter and state whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section is establishing the link between the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to the implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References : Make sure to complete this following your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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Human Resources Research Paper Topics for 2024

Table of contents

• 1 How to choose a Human Resources topic for your project?
• 2 Human Resources Management Research Topics
• 3 HR Topics for Discussion
• 4 HR Research Topics for Presentation
• 5 HRM Research Topics on Talent Management
• 6 Equal Employment Opportunity HR Research Topics
• 7 Career Development HR Research Topics
• 8 Research Topics on Recruitment and Selection
• 9 HR Risk Management Topics
• 10 Workplace Safety Human Resource Management Topics
• 11 HR Research Topics on Performance Management and Appraisal
• 12 HR Research Topics on Performance Management and Appraisal
• 13 Trending Human Resource Management Topics

Human Resources is one of the most popular and essential topics for business-minded individuals. If you recall your basic economics, you might remember that the essential components necessary for production in any economy are land, capital, and labor.

Human labor is an essential resource that keeps a business running. Like any other resource, it needs to be managed. This is where the term ‘Human Resources’ and related research topics come into play.

Finding relevant data for a research paper is easy if you know where to look. There are lots of online sources and books in libraries to use in your task. Make sure you spend sufficient time planning before beginning your task.

How to choose a Human Resources topic for your project?

Choosing research topics in human resource management is not as simple as picking a title and writing about it. To get a good grade, the paper must be original and well-researched. It needs to cover all relevant aspects of the chosen HR topics. Writing on HR-related research topics is a highly structured and analytical process. This is true for all fields, including human resources research topics.

The first step is topic selection . This is where we can help you. This page features a list of over 90 human resources topics. If you are struggling to come up with your own ideas, please select HR-related research topics from this list instead.

These titled papers all have a great deal of material about human resource management research topics out there. These are trending topics in HRM research and have plenty of resources available on the internet. Each of them is also relevant to the actual field of human resources management. Choosing the right human resources research topic is crucial for academic success. However, writing a high-quality paper can be challenging. If you’re looking for expert assistance, consider using the best research paper writing service to ensure your paper is thoroughly researched and professionally written. So, while writing HR-related research topics is not a typical activity for an HR employee, it will provide valuable insights and information. These insights could give you a leg up in the future when you have graduated from School and College.

Human Resources Management Research Topics

At most large companies, ‘Human Resources’ is an entire department of its own. Most other departments at the company typically deal with producing a good or service. Others, like the public relations department, work with the media and other external affairs. Hence, there are many ways to approach HR research topics.

• How HR helps companies remain competitive in a global market
• Managing part-time, full-time, and freelancing employees
• How much paid leave is optimal?
• What occasions deserve raises and bonuses?
• The simplest way to resolve interpersonal conflicts
• The most effective team-building strategies
• Organizing teams according to personalities
• Can an introverted employee be a good team leader?
• How to improve productivity through a goal-oriented approach
• The agile method and how it helps
• The best way to utilize productivity metrics
• Methods for disciplining employees
• Managing international employees
• Ways to prevent workplace violence
• Benefits of regular psychological counseling for all employees
• Assessing the impact of leadership development programs
• Effective strategies for HR risk management
• The role of job satisfaction in employee retention
• How to conduct a thorough job analysis
• Innovative HR research methods for better decision-making

HR Topics for Discussion

Are you interested in discussing the latest trends in human resource management? The following list of HR topics will be useful to you:

• The impact of remote work on employee productivity
• Strategies to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace
• Dealing with mental health issues among employees
• Improving overall employee wellness
• Utilizing data-driven HR strategies
• Meeting the needs of Gen Z employees
• Providing professional development opportunities for employees
• Enhancing employee experience to boost retention
• Making recruitment processes mobile-friendly
• The role of HR in addressing social issues
• Building resilience in the workplace
• Avoiding business buzzwords in communication
• Cultivating empathy among employees
• Expressing gratitude to reduce workplace stress
• Fostering psychological safety at work
• HR’s role in promoting sustainability
• Leading a hybrid work environment effectively
• Strategies for leading effective meetings
• Managing pay equity in organizations
• Addressing workplace safety compliance
• Benefits of psychological counseling for employees
• Managing a global workforce
• Preventing workplace violence
• Exploring virtual reality in training programs
• Evaluating the impact of employee wellness initiatives
• How job analysis influences employee performance
• The link between employee engagement and job performance
• Strategies for improving employee productivity
• How to measure job satisfaction effectively
• The role of career development in boosting employee engagement
• Methods to enhance employee retention

HR Research Topics for Presentation

Here are several engaging HR research topics suitable for presentation. These topics aim to explore current trends and essential issues in Human Resources, providing a broad spectrum of ideas for your next project.

• How to utilize independent contractors and other gig workers
• Ways to recognize hidden bias
• Steps to document employment actions
• Methods to conduct performance appraisals
• Approaches to confront workplace bullying
• Implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
• Building company culture with trust
• Strategies to enhance employee wellness and well-being
• Ideas to promote sustainable work practices
• Exploring new frontiers of AI in HR
• Evaluating the role of HR in modern organizations
• Developing effective employee training programs
• Understanding IBM talent management techniques
• Crafting successful talent acquisition strategies
• Ensuring workplace safety compliance
• Benefits of regular psychological counseling for employees
• Addressing workplace violence prevention
• Exploring the use of virtual reality in training
• Examining the impact of employee wellness programs
• The importance of the performance management cycle
• Talent management strategies for modern organizations
• The role of human resource managers in shaping organizational culture

HRM Research Topics on Talent Management

Exploring interesting HR research topics in talent management can provide valuable insights for improving organizational success. Here are some fresh ideas to consider for your next project:

• How to attract top talent in a remote-first world
• The role of AI in identifying and nurturing high-potential employees
• Balancing talent acquisition and development in a hybrid work environment
• Leveraging data analytics for effective talent management
• The impact of employer branding on talent attraction and retention
• Adapting talent management practices for Gen Z and millennials
• The role of continuous learning and development in talent retention
• Implementing inclusive talent management strategies for a diverse workforce
• The effectiveness of employee referral programs in talent acquisition
• Managing talent mobility and internal career pathing
• How to foster innovation through effective talent management
• Evaluating the impact of remote work on employee engagement and talent retention
• The use of gamification in enhancing employee development and performance
• The role of leadership development programs in talent management
• How to boost employee motivation through talent management
• Effective workplace stress management techniques in talent management
• The evolving role of human resource managers in talent acquisition
• Innovative employee performance management styles for talent development
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Equal Employment Opportunity HR Research Topics

To manage employee performance effectively while ensuring fairness, consider these thought-provoking topics on equal employment opportunity for your research.

• Are women more likely to get paid less for the same position as a man?
• Do men and women deserve the same pay?
• How to manage equal opportunity employment?
• The best tactics for implementing equal opportunity
• Recruiting as an equal opportunity employer
• How to recognize and manage discrimination in the workplace
• The glass ceiling and how to break it
• Best practices for mediating disputes between employees
• Dealing with intimate relationships between employees
• How to create a diverse workplace?
• Making the workplace an inclusive and accessible place for disabled employees
• Preventing unfair discrimination against LGBT+ employees
• The costs of an unequal workplace
• The benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace
• Government requirements for equal opportunity

Career Development HR Research Topics

Those who are interested in working in the field could take their first steps by writing a paper on human resource management topics. There is a huge variety of possible human resource topics for research papers, so everyone will likely find some aspect of it they enjoy.

• Growing leaders among employees
• Why does professional career development matter?
• How career development helps both employees and organizations
• The best approaches to on-the-job training
• Should training be prioritized over completed current work?
• Best practices for training interns
• Should interns be paid more?
• Professional certification training for employees
• How does active professional development affect productivity?
• Is it worth it to help an employee develop if they find a new, better-paid job afterward?
• Skills that all employees should develop
• Must-have training and development for all employees
• Advantages and disadvantages of paying for an employee’s professional training
• Advantages and disadvantages of leading professional development sessions
• Should companies help employees pay for school?

Research Topics on Recruitment and Selection

Studying human resources is a crucial part of management studies. Whether you are a college or university student, you can buy paper online to save time and effort. There are lots of reputable services that can provide excellent assignments to boost your academic performance.

• What does the ideal new employee look like?
• When is the best time to recruit a new employee?
• When is the worst time to recruit a new employee?
• Should highly skilled but untested individuals be recruited for senior positions?
• Best practices for improving employee retention.
• How to attract good employees?
• The best platforms to recruit on
• Is social media an effective way to recruit?
• What kind of employees should small businesses look for?
• What kind of employees are needed for a large company?
• Criminal background checks – Do’s and Don’ts
• How to effectively assess skills during an interview.
• How does HR evaluate a potential new recruit?
• Is it better to recruit an employee with experience but no skill, or the other way around?
• Recruiting university graduates directly – a good idea or a bad one?

HR Risk Management Topics

With so many moving parts working together in one company, it is natural for confusion or conflicts to arise. In order to make sure all these departments, employees, and managers work together, Human Resources is essential. In companies with hundreds of employees, their job simply cannot be understated.

• What kind of risks does HR have to manage?
• What role does HR take in risk management?
• How does HR ensure worker protection?
• Is HR there to protect employees or protect the company?
• Legal measures HR can take.
• Risk management during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• How HR managed risks revolving around COVID-19.
• Reasons to carry out regular internal audits.
• Risk management among the ‘#metoo’ movement.
• Training the workplace to minimize potential risks.
• Risk management when working from home.
• Ways to ensure all your employees follow masking and social distancing rules.
• Ways to ensure all employees get vaccinated.
• Responding to a legal action taken by an employee.
• When should HR take legal action?

Workplace Safety Human Resource Management Topics

To improve workplace safety through effective human resources management, consider these essential topics for your research papers:

• How to ensure compliance with workplace safety rules.
• The consequences of not following workplace safety.
• Ways to prevent Osha violations.
• How to ensure all employees follow health and safety protocols?
• How to ensure all employees get vaccines?
• Fines and penalties for violating workplace safety rules.
• Consequences of violating safety rules.
• Steps to minimize or prevent burnout.
• Bringing dangerous weapons into the workplace.
• Steps to take when an employee is assaulted at work.
• How to ensure psychological wellbeing during remote work.
• Ensuring company leadership also follows safety roles.
• Combating sexual harassment at the workplace.
• Monitoring employees during remote work – is it ethical?
• Developing specialized safety standards for the workplace.

HR Research Topics on Performance Management and Appraisal

Delve into the core aspects of performance management and appraisal with these compelling HR research topics that offer fresh perspectives and practical insights.

• How to evaluate the impact of remote work on performance appraisals?
• What role does artificial intelligence play in performance management systems?
• How to approach performance feedback in virtual teams?
• What are the benefits of continuous performance management in agile organizations?
• How effective is 360-degree feedback in enhancing employee performance?
• How to link employee performance to organizational goals in hybrid work models?
• What are the best practices for performance appraisals in multinational companies?
• How to measure employee engagement through performance metrics?
• What impact does diversity and inclusion have on performance appraisals?
• How can gamification techniques be used in performance management?
• What role does employee well-being play in performance appraisal outcomes?
• How to adapt performance management systems for Gen Z employees?
• How do leadership styles affect performance management effectiveness?
• How to integrate learning and development with performance appraisal systems?
• What is the role of data analytics in predicting employee performance trends?
• What are the challenges in conducting fair performance appraisals during economic downturns?
• How beneficial is employee self-assessment in performance appraisals?
• What role does emotional intelligence play in performance reviews?
• How to customize performance management approaches for different job roles?
• How does performance management influence employee retention rates?

Trending Human Resource Management Topics

Explore the latest trends in human resource management with these current and relevant topics that reflect the evolving landscape of HR practices:

• Unique ways to keep morale up during the pandemic.
• Online recreational activities to develop teamwork during remote work.
• Use of VR and AR in the workplace.
• Famous figures or celebrities in the workplace.
• Analyzing and updating how much a particular job is worth.
• Steps to take to improve long-term retention.
• Ways to handle overqualified employees or applicants.
• Is an HR department necessary for smaller, family-owned businesses?
• Defusing a tense and volatile moment in the workplace.
• DRM tools for keeping in-house training methods proprietary.
• Use of artificial intelligence for HR topics and tasks.
• How big data is useful to human resources.
• Virtual and online onboarding and orientation.
• Hiring the most talented personnel from a global marketplace.
• Are virtual interviews better than in-person interviews?

Conducting research on human resources is essential for any business looking to enhance their staff’s productivity, skills, and management. Accessing the most effective resources is critical to achieving this goal. This is where an online essay writer can be an invaluable asset in producing high-quality research papers related to human resources. By leveraging the knowledge and expertise of an online essay writer , you can conduct thorough research and create a top-notch human resources research paper that meets your needs.

HR is one of the most dynamic fields of work currently available. It is at the crossroads of psychology, sociology, accounting, and business. In the last few years, there have been many exciting changes in how human resources are handled, due to the rise of virtual platforms and working from home.

Only time will tell if these changes are temporary or permanent. But whichever way they go, our list of HR topics for research project 2023 will always be here for perusal.

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A Study of the Impact of Strategic Human Resource Management on Organizational Resilience

Jingjing yu.

1 Business School, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China

Lingling Yuan

Guosheng han.

2 School of Economics and Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai 264200, China

3 School of Public Health and Management, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China

Organizational resilience is a key capability for modern firms to survive and thrive in the VUCA environment. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism of strategic human resource management on organizational resilience and the mediating and moderating roles of self-efficacy and self-management, respectively, in the relationship between the two. A total of 379 valid questionnaires were obtained from employees of Chinese companies in August 2022, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and Amos. The results showed that strategic HRM can effectively contribute to organizational resilience; self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between strategic HRM and organizational resilience; self-management can effectively contribute to the impact of self-efficacy on organizational resilience; and self-management can hinder the ability of strategic HRM to contribute to organizational resilience. This paper breaks with the previous literature that studied organizational resilience from a single perspective by studying organizational resilience from the perspective of strategic human resource management (SHRM) and verifies that SHRM can be a possible path for Chinese firms to improve organizational resilience.

1. Introduction

In recent years, unexpected events such as natural disasters, financial crises, industrial accidents, trade embargoes, and even terrorist attacks have occurred frequently, and sudden “black swans” and “gray rhinoceroses” have led to a business environment that has become more full of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) [ 1 , 2 ]. The still-unresolved novel coronavirus epidemic has caused more than 40% of Chinese companies to lose money or suffer severe losses, and employees to lose their jobs or take pay cuts [ 3 ], which has a major negative impact on China’s social and economic development. It also revealed that many Chinese companies are “rigid” but “not resilient”. Organizational resilience is the core capability of today’s enterprises to cope with crises in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) market environment. It helps companies to remain sensitive and adaptable to the external environment and to recover and bounce back quickly from the challenging impact of adverse events. Additionally, in the process of reflection and improvement, it goes against the trend to become the key to gain core competitiveness and even steady progress [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Thus, how to enhance organizational resilience in a dynamically changing business environment has become a hot topic for entrepreneurs and scholars to address [ 7 ].

A review of the literature related to organizational resilience at home and abroad reveals that the current research on organizational resilience in China is still in its infancy. The research is mainly concerned with the elaboration of the concept and principles of organizational resilience, and the scarce literature on the antecedents of organizational resilience are studied from one aspect, such as management methods, human capital, social capital, business environment, organizational system, etc. [ 8 ]. Organizational resilience is a reflection of an enterprise’s comprehensive ability to cope with an uncertain environment, and the study of a single factor cannot comprehensively explain the formation of the mechanism of resilience in an enterprise and cannot well integrate the impact of the interaction of various factors on organizational resilience, which lacks operability in enterprise practice and cannot effectively help enterprises to improve organizational resilience [ 9 ]. At present, there is an urgent need to study the formation mechanism of organizational resilience from a holistic perspective considering the comprehensive effect of each antecedent factor and provide a theoretical basis for Chinese enterprises to improve organizational resilience. Strategic human resource management is a system, process, or measure consisting of a series of temporal activities taken in order to fit with the organization’s strategy and long-term development goals and thus maintain competitive advantage. Lengnick-Hall [ 10 ] believes that organizational resilience works through the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes of people within an organization, and that strategic human resource management can be achieved by changing management styles, processes, practices, and HR policies, etc. to develop these qualities in employees to enhance organizational resilience.

In exploring the role of modeling the relationship between strategic human resource management and organizational resilience, this paper found the “key” of self-efficacy, drawing on the literature on emotional competence. All HR policies and plans in an organization require employees to take specific actions to achieve the desired goals. Thus, self-efficacy, an essential emotional competency on the part of employees, is critical to the effectiveness of plan implementation. Early warning capability, flexibility during a crisis, and learning and growth capability following a crisis are three core competencies included in organizational resilience [ 11 ]. Self-efficacy refers to a strong belief in one’s own ability to comply with a corporate strategy, which enables employees to relieve psychological pressure in time, stabilize the psychological reactions of personnel to adversity, actively obtain environmental resources and external support to optimize human resource allocation, and integrate human resource management practices with corporate strategy organically by focusing on internal personnel selection and appointment, performance evaluation and assessment, and external active recruitment; this approach allows organizations to shape a corporate culture of overcoming difficulties, create dynamic and flexible adaptation mechanisms, construct internal knowledge structures, and actively seek foreign environmental resources, thereby enhancing corporate resilience capabilities by providing solutions to crises and addressing corporate structural problems [ 12 ]. Thus, self-efficacy is an essential perspective for the study of organizational resilience that can explain why strategic HRM are able to influence organizational resilience capabilities; therefore, this study intends to discuss the relationship between strategic HRM and organizational resilience as mediated by self-efficacy.

In addition, we cannot ignore the key issue that strategic HRM must be implemented and accomplished through corporate employees no matter what policies are formulated, and corporate organizational resilience capabilities must also function through corporate employees as mediators. Thus, studying the mechanism of strategic HRM’s effect on organizational resilience is inevitably influenced by employees’ work style. As a result of the rapid development of the economy and excellent material abundance of China, employees’ sense of autonomy and their self-working ability are becoming increasingly prominent. According to the traditional HRM model, it is difficult for leaders to supervise and constrain employees. It is more practical to study the effects of strategic HRM with respect to enhancing organizational adaptability and flexibility to the environment from the perspective of employees’ sense of autonomous work. Therefore, this paper uses self-management as a moderating variable to determine whether self-management plays a moderating role in the relationship between strategic HRM and organizational resilience.

According to a report by Fortune magazine, the average life expectancy of small enterprises in China is 2.5 years, and the average life expectancy of large enterprises is 7-8 years, which is far behind those of European and American countries. From the side, it shows that Chinese enterprises lack the ability of resilience to cope with the crisis. Especially under the impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic, many enterprises have experienced serious losses or even bankruptcy, resulting in employee pay cuts and unemployment, adding a heavy burden to China’s social stability and economic development. In summary, this paper takes conservation of resources theory and self-cognitive theory as the theoretical basis and empirically investigates the intrinsic mechanism of strategic human resource management on organizational resilience. It provides references for Chinese companies to enhance organizational resilience.

The main contributions of this study include two main aspects. On the one hand, this study can enrich the literature related to the study of strategic human resource management and organizational resilience; on the other hand, the research results of this paper can guide the managers of Chinese enterprises to formulate strategic human resource planning, coordinate all resources of human, financial and material resources, optimize enterprise processes, improve enterprise management policies, increase enterprise innovation, etc., so as to enhance organizational resilience.

2. Literature Review and Research Hypothesis

2.1. strategic human resource management and organizational resilience.

Strategic HRM was developed to facilitate the strategic management of organizations, and Wright and McMahan [ 13 ] give a more representative definition of this concept. They consider strategic HRM to represent an organization’s plans for human resource deployment and behavioral norms with the aim of achieving the organization’s goals. This definition emphasizes both the vertical and horizontal fit of strategic HRM: vertically, strategic HRM refers to the match between and mutual adaptation of HRM practices and the organization’s strategic management process, whereas horizontally, strategic HRM emphasizes the coherence among various HRM practices based on the planned action model. The vertical and horizontal fit of strategic HRM ensures that HRM is fully integrated into strategic planning to guarantee that HR policies and practices are generally accepted and widely used by managers and employees, such that companies can obtain inimitable or alternative competitive advantages by leveraging their HR strengths [ 9 , 14 ]. According to conservation of resources theory, strategic HRM, as a strategic organizational resource, represents an organic combination the talent resource elements in an organization as well as the allocation of resources among members of the organization; thus, strategic HRM emphasizes the flexible adjustment of staffing policies and practices, training and development programs, performance standards, selection criteria, and rewards and punishments in response to changes in external contexts, thus providing strategic tools to promote resource integration, crisis prevention and control, and learning and innovation in organizations [ 15 ].

The concept of resilience originated in the fields of physics, ecology, and environmental science, and Meyer [ 16 ] first introduced this concept into the field of management, thereby opening up a new chapter in the study of organizational resilience, which was quickly and widely studied in the fields of crisis management, disaster management, and high-reliability organizations. Previous research on organizational resilience has been focused on two main research perspectives: the rebound perspective and the rebound + overtake perspective [ 10 ]. The rebound perspective views organizational resilience simply as the ability of the organization to recover from an accident, stress, or crisis to return its original state, i.e., the ability of an organization to take countermeasures to return to its precrisis level of performance. The rebound + overtake perspective views organizational resilience not merely as the organization’s ability to respond to challenges and changes to return to its original state but also as the organization’s ability to develop new capabilities or create new opportunities for the organization to continue to thrive and grow [ 17 ]. This paper considers organizational resilience to be a dynamic and flexible organizational capacity that allows organizations to survive, adapt, recover, and even return to prosperity in an adverse environment. Lengnick [ 18 ] claimed that organizational resilience capacity is rooted in the psychology and behavior of individual employees. Employees’ knowledge, skills, and strengths regarding their values, mindsets, levels of stress tolerance, and innovation abilities are essential sources of organizational resilience [ 18 , 19 ]. These employee qualities and capabilities are closely related to the individual’s ability to adapt to dynamic environments and to develop creative solutions to resolve crises. Employee resilience is an important source of and foundation for organizational resilience; thus, organizations can enhance their organizational resilience capabilities by developing employee resilience.

In this paper, we argue that strategic HRM can influence individual resilience and thus enhance organizational resilience via the development of HRM policies and practices that match both the external environment and organizational goals [ 20 ]. Specifically, the effects of HRM policies and practices on organizational resilience can be elaborated in terms of three aspects of human resources: human capital, social capital, and psychological capital [ 15 ].

First, human capital primarily includes the physical quality and physical health of employees on the one hand and the knowledge, skills, and experience possessed by employees on the other hand. In a crisis, members of an organization can make timely judgments and actions based on the knowledge, skills, and experience they possess to change the organization’s passive situation as much as possible, thus influencing its resilience [ 19 ]. The exchange of knowledge and experience among organizational members and their interactions can promote the formation of the collective cognition of the organization. This collective cognitive ability encourages organizational members to cooperate tacitly, trust each other, and unite in the face of adversity, thus developing the unique organizational ability of the enterprise to cope with crises and affecting the organizational resilience ability [ 21 ].

Second, social capital is a potential resource possessed by the organization within the social network system, which is essentially an environmental factor that is mainly divided into internal environmental factors (e.g., colleague relationships, learning atmosphere, team spirit) and external environmental factors (e.g., partnership with suppliers or distributors, flexible external information system) [ 22 ]. Social capital can increase the levels of coordination and cooperation that employees exhibit in their work, which in turn increase the motivation and efficiency of the organization with respect to coping with a crisis. Moreover, social capital can be used to obtain resources and information from the external environment that are critical for crisis resolution and the reallocation of resources both inside and outside the organization, thus enhancing organizational resilience and mitigating the negative impacts of the crisis for the organization.

Finally, employees with high psychological capital can withstand the tremendous pressure entailed by a crisis and face challenges and changes with a positive and confident attitude, create a good organizational climate, and apply their knowledge and skills based on the local conditions to create opportunities for the organization to survive and grow in the face of adversity, which has a significant impact on the organization’s ability to enhance its resilience and obtain competitive advantage [ 23 ]. In addition, previous studies have demonstrated that strategic HRM that is well matched with the organizational environment, strategic planning, and corporate culture is closely related to organizational resilience. For example, Shafer et al. [ 23 ] found that when organizational HR practices are aligned with organizational values, organizations can promote organizational agility through staffing policies, personnel training, career development programs, and performance standards, thereby enhancing organizational resilience. Okuwa [ 24 ] found positive relationships among training, human resource development, and organizational resilience. Mienipre [ 25 ] found that talent management was significantly correlated with organizational risk monitoring and crisis response capacity. In summary, the following hypothesis is proposed.

Strategic human resource management has a positive effect on organizational resilience.

2.2. The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy

The concept of self-efficacy was introduced by Bandura [ 26 ], an American psychologist who believed that self-efficacy represents an individual’s subjective evaluation and perception of his or her abilities, which in turn influences the individual’s behavioral choices, beliefs regarding success, and level of effort, and can to some extent determine the individual’s ability to fulfill the requirements of a particular job; that is, self-efficacy is dynamic and can change due to different levels of access to external resources, the acquisition of new knowledge and skills, or an increase in experience. According to previous studies, the factors affecting self-efficacy mainly include the following. (1) Individuals’ ability levels are evaluated prior to performing certain activities; individuals evaluate their own ability based on their past successes or failures, such that individuals who exhibit a strong sense of self-efficacy do not deny their ability due to occasional failures but rather search for the causes of environmental factors, strategies, and experiences and adjust their future actions accordingly. (2) Individuals who observe the behavior of others and encounter people with similar abilities who have achieved success can greatly enhance their own self-efficacy and increase their firm belief in achieving success. (3) Individuals receive evaluations, encouragement, and self-motivation from others. Evaluations or encouragement based on the facts of the situation can increase the individual’s belief in his or her ability to accomplish the goal. (4) The individual’s own emotional and physiological state also affects self-efficacy, such as the ability to remain calm under tremendous pressure, avoid exhibiting arrogance, analyze the pros and cons of the actual situation, and make the most appropriate decision, which can increase the individual’s ability to accomplish the goal as well as his or her sense of self-efficacy [ 26 ].

Self-efficacy is an important component of human capabilities that can influence individuals’ perceptions, ways of thinking, motivation, and actions [ 27 ]; in addition, it varies with people’s knowledge and external environment [ 28 ]. Thus, organizations can improve employees’ self-efficacy by implementing human resource practices such as communication, training, sharing successful experiences, and providing opportunities for success. For example, organizations can increase employees’ relevant work experience by providing training and organizational learning [ 29 ]. When employees are trained in job-related practices, they are able to acquire relevant job knowledge and information that can enhance their self-efficacy to perform their jobs competently. Second, employees’ self-efficacy can be stimulated by sharing the successful experiences of colleagues with similar abilities to enhance their beliefs in their ability to overcome specific job difficulties and their efforts to do so, thus moderating the empowerment of employees and providing them with opportunities to grow and succeed to ensure that employees feel supported by the organization and trusted by their leaders; this approach increases employees’ sense of organizational belonging and self-efficacy, thus allowing the organization to take full advantage of employees’ knowledge and skills and to face challenges and cope with stress actively. Strategic human resource management refers to the alignment of organizational strategic planning with human resources, which is used to guide human resource practice activities and is frequently considered to be an essential factor influencing the cognitive, motivational, and affective processes of self-efficacy [ 30 ]. Organizations can ensure sound planning and develop action plans for future operations by engaging in HR activities such as training, sharing successful experiences, role models or motivation, and developing employees’ confidence in dealing with dynamic environmental challenges and complex work. In summary, the following hypothesis is proposed.

Strategic HRM has a positive effect on self-efficacy.

According to conservation of resources theory, self-efficacy, as an essential psychological resource, is closely related to employees’ self-beliefs and can motivate them to accept challenges and persevere in the task of accomplishing their work goals [ 31 ]. Thus, when facing complex tasks, on the one hand, self-efficacy can strengthen employees’ determination and confidence to complete tasks and allow them to unite their colleagues actively, integrate relevant resources and information, and courageously face difficulties and challenges [ 32 ]; on the other hand, self-efficacy can motivate employees to self-regulate in a timely manner, relieve tension and anxiety, and reallocate resources and set goals based on the specific situational conditions at hand to ensure that difficulties can be broken down into simple goals and achievable work objectives [ 33 , 34 , 35 ]. In addition, employees who exhibit a high sense of self-efficacy are skilled at using new methods and ideas to solve unconventional problems, thus enabling the organization to find alternative ways of surviving situations of adversity and contributing to the organization’s resilience [ 35 ]. In conclusion, self-efficacy enables employees to believe in their ability to work in situations of adversity, recover quickly from anxiety, and invest the necessary effort and creativity to accomplish challenging tasks. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed.

Self-efficacy has a positive effect on organizational resilience.

Self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between strategic human resource management and organizational resilience.

2.3. The Moderating Role of Self-Management

According to self-cognitive theory, individuals have certain values, beliefs, knowledge systems, and behavioral norms. Individuals form their unique control systems based on these internal resources and accordingly set goals, engage in self-assessment, and exhibit self-motivation as a means of guiding their work activities, i.e., self-management [ 36 ]. The awareness of the practice community that organizational control and supervision must be achieved by influencing the self-management system to achieve this goal, i.e., by harmonizing organizational control and individual motivational orientation, is increasing [ 37 ]. Self-management refers to the process by which employees set goals, take positive actions, and engage in a series of behaviors, including self-monitoring and evaluation as well as self-reward and punishment, to promote their own intrinsic self-worth based on their personal needs. Self-management results from the interaction of individual cognition, behavior, and the external environment. Bandura [ 38 ], in developing social cognitive theory, proposed that individuals exhibit self-rationality, that is, that the individual’s response to the external world is not mechanical and passive but rather represents a form of goal-oriented behavior following self-regulation of and self-reflection on their activities; in addition, the achievement of such a goal can allow the individual to obtain self-worth and meaning (such as monetary or spiritual rewards, social needs, or self-actualization). Bandura’s model of individual self-management [ 39 ] includes three components: self-observation, self-assessment, and self-response. The process of self-observation involves actively identifying the quality, quantity, and frequency of the performance accomplishment of other individuals and comparing those individuals with oneself to make an objective assessment of one’s own work ability; the process of self-assessment entails comparing one’s actual performance with the company’s performance standards, thereby assessing one’s own performance and developing strategies for improvement; and the process of self-reaction implies rewarding and punishing oneself according to the results of the assessment as well as reflecting on and improving oneself continuously.

According to conservation of resources theory, organizational resilience is an essential intangible resource that allows the organization to survive and develop in adverse situations, thus enabling organizations to make decisive decisions in dynamic situations, flexibly deploy their internal and external resources, and take appropriate actions to ensure that the organization is always able to adapt to the business environment and obtain competitive advantage [ 11 ]. In times of crisis, only if the organization is united, determined, and confident can it seize the fleeting moment, make decisive decisions, and act efficiently to take full advantage of its own resilience. A high level of self-management ability on the part of employees, with good self-cognitive ability and the ability to obtain and process environmental information to ensure that they can quickly judge the situation in times of crisis and work in an orderly manner based on the situation, is target management. Thus, a high level of self-management can increase employees’ sense of psychological security and self-efficacy in times of crisis, thereby enhancing the resilience of the organization. Specifically, on the one hand, the process of self-management is driven by employees’ intrinsic values, and the achievement of the organization’s goals is a testament to employees’ self-worth [ 40 ]. Employees view the challenges presented by adversity as opportunities to prove their own ability and value. They view work as their responsibility and believe in accomplishing challenging goals by taking full advantage of their professional skills and creativity and working with other members of the organization to deal with environmental challenges and smoothly survive crises, thereby enhancing organizational resilience. On the other hand, employees with high levels of self-management are skilled at assessing their own abilities and performance levels or those of others as well as setting reasonable work goals and developing reasonable action strategies based on the resources and information that they obtain because employees who are skilled at self-management tend to take the initiative to collect and process environmental information, remain sensitive to the external environment and organizational operations, and ensure that they are always needed by the organization as a means of maintaining their competitive positions in the organization. In times of crisis, when the organizational landscape changes, employees quickly orient themselves to their goals with self-management ability, integrate their accessible resources, develop reasonable action plans and smoothly execute them, reduce their confusion and anxiety, increase their self-efficacy, and take full advantage of organizational resilience [ 41 ]. In conclusion, self-management can enhance the contribution of self-efficacy to organizational resilience. In summary, the following hypothesis is proposed.

Self-management plays a positive role in regulating the impact of self-efficacy on organizational resilience.

Previous studies have shown that the application of self-management in organizations can reduce the costs of business supervision and management and improve business performance and employee well-being, among other effects [ 42 ]. However, self-management is not effective in all situations [ 43 ]. Employee self-management is based on mutual trust between leaders and employees, such that leaders trust employees to be capable of accomplishing the established goals, and employees trust that they will receive set rewards for accomplishing such goals [ 44 ]. However, critical moments that require companies to demonstrate their resilience to cope with difficult times can lead to changes in companies’ human resource management plans and thus in their goals and development direction as well as the reshuffling of personnel rights and interests within such companies. In this situation, employee self-management hinders the ability of strategic human resource management to promote the company’s organizational resilience capabilities. Specifically, first, according to conservation of resources theory, the achievement of self-management goals requires the input of individual and organizational resources [ 45 ]. Crises cause the achievement of goals to be rife with uncertainty. Employees have negative attitudes toward the implementation of the company’s strategic human resource plan and corporate goals due to their desire to prevent their resources from being lost. In addition, organizational resources become scarcer and more difficult to acquire in a crisis. Employees tend to compete for internal resources to maintain their existing resources and rights, which strains the relationships among people within the organization and is not conducive to communication, cooperation, and knowledge sharing among members of the organization. In contrast, organizational resilience requires a high degree of team cohesion, mutual trust, assistance, and cooperation and thus is not conducive to organizational resilience. Second, the adjustment of strategic HR policies in times of crisis can lead to the reformulation of individual goal management. Employees’ internal self-actualization and self-growth are essential drivers of self-management goals. Once corporate goals deviate from individual goals, employees’ actions may impede or even prevent the implementation of strategic HRM plans, thus rendering the organization unable to deploy people and resources rapidly and perhaps even causing the organization to miss the best time to act, which is not conducive to the development of organizational resilience [ 46 ]. Finally, strategic HRM is a management approach that aligns HRM with corporate strategy. Corporate strategy often takes the form of management involving multiple goals, such as corporate performance, social responsibility, and brand image. The complexity of work and teamwork cause corporate goals to become indistinguishable or unclear, which makes it difficult for employees to set and implement their personal self-management goals, thereby causing them to become confused and uncomfortable and to experience self-doubt or negative emotions, which is not conducive to the development of organizational resilience. In summary, the following hypothesis is proposed.

Self-management negatively affects the impact of strategic human resource management on organizational resilience.

In summary, based on conservation of resources theory and self-cognitive theory, this paper constructs a moderated mediation model, as shown in Figure 1 , and examines the relationships among strategic human resource management, self-efficacy and self-management, and organizational resilience.

Hypothetical model of the mediating effect of self-efficacy and the moderating effect of self-management.

3. Methodology

3.1. study sample.

This study was conducted to investigate the organizational resilience of enterprises within China. In order to guarantee the accuracy, reliability of data, and wide distribution of the research sample, this study follows the principle of randomness to select the employees of enterprises with different industries, ages, education levels, positions, and income statuses in several cities within China. Due to the special national conditions of China, there are major disparities in the development levels of various regions, so the sample source of this paper includes developed large cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, etc., medium development level cities, such as Jinan, Qingdao, Dongguan, Huizhou, Haikou, Lanzhou, etc., and developing small cities, such as Jiuquan, Weihai, Hami, etc. For the convenience of sample collection, a combination of online and on-site distribution was chosen for this study. In order to guarantee the authenticity and accuracy of the acquired data, a partial reverse setting of the question items was used. It was filled out voluntarily and anonymously to reduce the concerns of those who filled it out. A lottery link was also included with the questionnaire to incentivize the completion of the questionnaire. A total of 441 questionnaires were collected for one month starting from August 2022, excluding invalid questionnaires that were completed too quickly, filled out incorrectly, had omitted answers, or were duplicates. 379 valid questionnaires were obtained, for a return rate of 86%. The gender distribution of the sample was 53% males and 47% females; the age distribution included 16.9% of participants aged 25 and below, 37.2% aged 26–35, 28.5% aged 36–45, 14.8% aged 46–55, and 2.6% aged 55 and above; the education distribution included 20.6% of participants with a high school/junior college education, 43.3% with bachelor’s degrees, 10.3% with master’s degrees, and 2.1% with doctoral degrees.

3.2. Variable Measurement

All variables included in this study questionnaire were measured using the seven-point scale developed by Richter. All the scales used in this paper are well-established scales with good reliability and validity that have been validated many times in the Chinese cultural context. Additionally, a small sample of 73 people was taken for pre-study. Afterwards, two professors and three PhD and MSc students in the field of business management and human resource management examined and adjusted the new questionnaire according to the research questions, validity, and reliability of the questionnaire results, Chinese cultural background, and readability.

Organizational resilience: this variable was measured using a 15-item organizational resilience scale developed by Xiu’e Zhang et al. [ 47 ] in the context of China. This scale contains items such as “ability to adapt and creatively solve problems when a crisis occurs” and “ability to access needed resources quickly to address challenges in times of crisis”.

Strategic human resource management: this variable is assessed using a 19-item scale based on Delery’s Strategic Human Resource Management Scale [ 48 ], adapted to the Chinese cultural context, which contains items such as “Individuals in this job have clear career paths within the organization“ and “Individuals in this job have very little future within this organization (reverse-coded)“.

Self-management: this variable is assessed using a 10-item scale based on Renn ‘s self-management scale [ 49 ], adapted to the Chinese cultural context, including “I set specific goals for myself at work”, “I establish challenging goals for myself at work”, and “I clearly define goals for myself at work”.

Self-efficacy: this variable was measured using an eight-item scale developed by Chen et al. [ 50 ]. This scale contains items such as “I will be able to achieve most of the goals that I have set for myself” and “When facing difficult tasks, I am certain that I will accomplish them”.

Control variables: this paper investigates the effects of organizational human resource management policies, self-efficacy, and self-management on organizational resilience from the perspective of human resource management. To make the questionnaire data as accurate as possible, the gender, age, and education of employees are used as control variables in this paper to reduce the influence of errors on the analysis of the relationships among variables.

4.1. Common Method Biases Test

This study draws on Podsakoff et al. [ 51 ] to procedurally reduce homogeneous method bias by selecting different spatial survey respondents, anonymous surveys, and partial question item reversal settings at the time of data acquisition. Harman one-way analysis of variance was used to measure the presence of severe common method bias. The results of the SPSS 22.0 test revealed a total of six factors with eigenvalues greater than one for the unrotated exploratory factor analysis. Additionally, the maximum factor variance explained was 28.22%, which was much less than 40%; thus, there was no serious common method bias in this study.

4.2. Reliability and Validity Tests

First, this study used SPSS 22.0 and AMOS statistical software to analyze the data from 379 samples. Internal consistency tests were conducted based on the criteria of whether the coefficient of internal consistency was greater than 0.7 and whether the coefficient of internal consistency would increase after the deletion of a question item. The test results are described in Table 1 . The Cronbach’s α values of all variables are above 0.90, and the deletion of any question item does not increase the Cronbach’s α value significantly, indicating that the variables have good internal consistency. The CR values are all greater than 0.90, and the AVE values are all greater than 0.55. This indicates that the variables have good composite reliability.

Reliability test results for each variable.

Note: SHRM represents Strategic Human Resource Management; SM represents Self-Management; SE represents Self-Efficacy; OR represents Organizational Resilience.

Second, this study developed confirmatory factor analysis models for strategic human resource management, self-management, self-efficacy, and organizational resilience and conducted confirmatory factor analysis on the research models using AMOS. The results showed that all model indicators met the statistical benchmark values (χ 2 /df = 2.658, RMSEA = 0.066, CFI = 0.905, IFI = 0.905), thus indicating that the model goodness of fit well. In addition, the fit indices of the randomly selected two-factor model and those of one-factor and three-factor models were compared, as shown in Table 2 . The results showed that the fit indices of the original model were significantly better than those of the one-factor, two-factor, and three-factor models, thus indicating that the original model had good discriminant validity.

Results of validation factor analysis.

Note: *** denotes p < 0.001.

4.3. Descriptive Statistics and Correlation Analysis

The mean and standard deviation of each variable as well as the correlations among all the variables were analyzed using SPSS 22.0, and the results of this analysis are shown in Table 3 . There was a positive and strong correlation between strategic HRM on the one hand and organizational resilience (r = 0.722, p < 0.01) and self-efficacy on the other (r = 0.676, p < 0.01); the relationship between self-efficacy and organizational resilience (r = 0.711, p < 0.01) also exhibited a positive and robust correlation, thereby providing preliminary evidence to support the research hypotheses.

Means, variances, and correlation coefficients of the variables.

Note: ** denotes p < 0.01; SHRM represents Strategic Human Resource Management; SM represents Self-Management; SE represents Self-Efficacy; OR represents Organizational Resilience.

4.4. Test of Mediation Model with Moderation

In this paper, we refer to Wen [ 52 ] with the moderated mediation model test method to test the mediation model first, and, on the basis of significant mediation effect, we conduct the moderated mediation model significance test to verify whether each model proposed in this paper is significant.

First, this study tested the mediating effect on the relationship between self-efficacy on strategic HRM and organizational resilience using Model 4 (mediating model) in the SPSS macro developed by Hayes [ 53 ]. The results of this test are shown in Table 4 . Strategic HRM has a significant positive effect on organizational resilience (B = 0.711, t = 19.952, p < 0.001); strategic HRM has a significant positive effect on self-efficacy (B = 0.568, t = 17.180, p < 0.001); and self-efficacy has a significant positive effect on organizational resilience (B = 0.459, t = 9.098, p < 0.001). In addition, the upper and lower limits of the bootstrap 95% confidence intervals pertaining to the direct effect of strategic HRM on organizational resilience and the mediating effect of self-efficacy do not contain 0, as shown in Table 5 , thus indicating that strategic HRM affects organizational resilience not only directly but also indirectly via the mediating effect of self-efficacy, with the direct and indirect effects accounting for 63% and 37% of the total utility, respectively.

Mediated model test of self-efficacy.

Note: * denotes p < 0.05; *** denotes p < 0.001; SHRM represents Strategic Human Resource Management; SM represents Self-Management; SE represents Self Efficacy; OR represents Organizational Resilience.

Decomposition of total utility, direct effects, and mediating effects.

Second, the moderated mediation model was tested using Model 15 in the SPSS macro prepared by Hayes (2012) [ 53 ]. The results of the test are shown in Table 6 and Table 7 . After including self-management in the model, the product term of strategic HRM and self-management has a negative effect on organizational resilience (B = −0.144, t = 6.617, p = 0.01). Furthermore, the moderating effect of self-management contains 0 between the upper and lower limits of the bootstrap 95% confidence intervals at the eff1 (M − 1SD) level. In comparison, this effect does not contain 0 between the upper and lower limits of the bootstrap 95% confidence intervals at the eff1 (M + 1SD) level, thus indicating the significant moderating effect of self-management. The product term of self-efficacy and self-management positively affected organizational resilience (B = 0.137, t = 6.617, p = 0.001). Further simple slope analysis indicated that the effect of strategic HRM on organizational resilience tends to decrease gradually as the level of self-management increases and that the effect of self-efficacy on organizational resilience tends to increase in this context, as shown in Figure 2 a,b.

( a ) The moderating role of self-management in the relationship between strategic human resource management and organizational resilience; ( b ) the moderating role of self-management in the relationship between self-efficacy and organizational resilience.

Mediated model tests with moderation.

Note: * denotes p < 0.05; ** denotes p < 0.01; *** denotes p < 0.001; SHRM represents Strategic Human Resource Management; SM represents Self-Management; SE represents Self-Efficacy; OR represents Organizational Resilience.

Direct and mediated effects at different levels of self-management.

5. Discussion

Based on the conservation of resources theory and self-cognitive theory, this study takes employees in Chinese culture as the research object and explores the mechanism and boundary conditions of strategic human resource management on organizational resilience. The three aspects of human capital, social capital, and psychological capital are explained to ensure that the human resources of a company fit with the corporate strategy to ensure that the strategic goals of the company match with the external environment, and that the internal resources are rationally allocated to promote the organizational resilience. Self-efficacy, as an emotional ability, is an employee’s attitude and belief about the company’s ability to cope with crises. Organizational resilience is a corporate soft capability embedded in employees’ knowledge, skills, and traits. Thus, employees’ beliefs about achieving strategic human resource management goals will influence employees’ performance in times of crisis and thus the ability to perform with organizational resilience. Therefore, the potential impact of self-efficacy on the performance of organizational resilience capabilities cannot be ignored. The impact of self-management on organizational resilience is uncertain. Self-management can enhance the positive impact of strategic HRM on organizational resilience but hinders the positive impact of self-efficacy on organizational resilience.

• (1) Hypothesis 1, that strategic HRM in the Chinese context facilitates organizational resilience, was confirmed. Facing a VUCA environment, business operations are fraught with many uncertainties, a point which is especially salient to this study since it was conducted in the middle of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has had a massive impact on the global economy and people’s lives. To address this major crisis that can reshape the global economic landscape, it is imperative for companies to adjust their corporate strategies and long-term development plans, encourage their employees to respond to the associated challenges actively, and transform the crisis into an opportunity for growth. The empirical study of strategic human resource management and organizational resilience in the face of crisis shows that strategic human resource management can actively transform corporate development strategies, reorganize and reallocate corporate human resources, lead companies to adapt to changes quickly, act flexibly and innovate actively, and have a positive effect on the improvement of organizational resilience. Accordingly, strategic human resource management is an effective way in which enterprises can ensure their survival and obtain competitive advantages in the face of a crisis.
• (2) This study tested hypothesis 2, that strategic human resource management has a positive effect on self-efficacy, hypothesis 3, that self-efficacy has a positive effect on organizational resilience, and hypothesis 4, that self-efficacy mediates the effect of strategic human resource management on organizational resilience. Based on the argument that strategic human resource management positively affects organizational resilience, this study further argues that strategic human resource management can enhance organizational resilience by increasing employees’ self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to an employee’s strong belief in his or her own ability to do his or her job and accomplish the associated tasks. Self-efficacy enables employees to act rationally in times of crisis, to believe that the company has the strength to deal with the crisis, to respond positively to the company’s HR policies and practices, to unite with colleagues, and to dare to solve corporate problems in innovative ways. Self-efficacy enables the company’s strategic human resource management policies and practices to be implemented quickly throughout the company, thereby enhancing the company’s operations and flexibility in times of crisis and enabling the organization to recover quickly from a crisis and respond to a variety of environmental challenges, thus enhancing the organizational resilience that allows the organization to deal with complex environments.
• (3) Hypothesis 5 was tested, that is, the positive moderating role of self-management in the effect of self-efficacy on organizational resilience. Self-management has a nonnegligible impact on the effect of self-efficacy on organizational resilience. The achievement of corporate strategic goals is ultimately based the actions taken by employees at work, and the self-management ability of employees is related to the efficiency and effectiveness of policy implementation. Employee self-management motivates employees to combine corporate goals with their own internal needs, set their own goals, actively access and use external information and resources, assess the gaps between goals and actual performance as well as the difficulties associated with crossing those gaps, and choose creative action paths to achieve their goals. Thus, self-management ability can enhance the organization’s sensitivity to the external environment, thus allowing the organization to prepare for crises in advance to ensure that employees can act with plans and goals in times of crisis, thereby enhancing their self-efficacy and making full use of their creativity and professional skills; given such preparation, the organization can smoothly survive the crisis and continue normal operations or even increase the prosperity of the enterprise.
• (4) Hypothesis 6 was also tested, that is, the negative moderating role of self-management in the effect of strategic HRM on organizational resilience. Self-management negatively influences the impact of strategic human resources on organizational resilience. Previous research on self-management has focused on the positive effects of self-management on business management, such as its effects on business performance, employee satisfaction, employee happiness, and creativity. However, this study finds that employee self-management capabilities at the strategic level may be detrimental to organizational resilience. The original driving force behind the role of self-management is rooted in the deep-seated needs of employees. In times of crisis, if adjustments to corporate strategies and resource reorganizations deviate from the goal of self-management, employee self-management may impede or jeopardize the implementation and achievement of corporate strategic goals. Self-management causes the organization to become slow to act, rigid in its operations, and inflexible and insensitive in times of crisis, and it is detrimental to the development of organizational resilience.

Based on these findings, this paper argues that strategic human resource management is conducive to the enhancement of organizational resilience and is a possible way in which organizations can cope with potential crises and turbulent business environments. Strategic HRM allows companies to create innovations in their organizational staffing structures and systems actively, thereby enhancing the ability to self-repair and self-rebound at the organizational level; it allows companies to respond to the diverse and constantly changing needs of the market and customers and enhance the adaptability and flexibility of the organization, which is crucial for the organization’s competitiveness in the market.

6. Conclusions

Strategic human resource management facilitates organizational resilience capacity enhancement and is a possible path for organizations to respond to potential crises and turbulent business environments. Strategic HRM facilitates companies to actively innovate their organizational staff structure and system, enhance the ability to repair and rebound at the organizational level, respond to the diversified and changing needs of the market and customers, and enhance the adaptability and flexibility of the organization to the market. This is the reason why many companies are consciously implementing strategic human resource management. Thus, strategic HRM is a possible path for Chinese companies to enhance organizational resilience.

6.1. Theoretical Contributions

• (1) This paper expands the conservation of resources theory and discusses important antecedent variables that facilitate the organization’s ability to exhibit organizational resilience. Organizational resilience is an essential resource and capability that allows companies to adapt to changes actively following a crisis, seek opportunities for survival and innovation, and overcome difficulties and achieve counter prosperity. In a dynamic and changing business environment and given human-centered management trends, it is crucial to clarify the manner in which strategic human resource management can enhance organizational resilience. Managing and utilizing the company’s employees well in a manner that takes advantage of the company’s talent and allows the company to cope with an unpredictable business environment has become a hot topic for both corporate managers and academic researchers. This paper focuses on the ways in which a human resource management model that fits with corporate strategy can enhance employees’ self-efficacy and thus organizational resilience, thereby providing a new perspective on the relationship between strategic human resource management and organizational resilience, theoretically considering possible ways of enhancing organizational resilience, and helping expand research on the mechanisms underlying the impact of strategic human resources.
• (2) This paper validates the important influence effect of self-efficacy, and it explores the relationship between strategic human resource management, self-efficacy, and organizational resilience from the perspective of conservation of resources theory and self-cognitive theory, using strategic human resource management as an antecedent variable of self-efficacy, which helps to understand the intrinsic correlation between strategic human resource management, self-efficacy, and organizational resilience in depth. The mechanisms of how strategic HRM affects organizational resilience have been unclear in past previous research. This paper explores the “black box” of the relationship between the mechanisms of strategic HRM’s impacts on organizational resilience through the self-efficacy variable and highlights the vital role and value of self-efficacy in organizational resilience.
• (3) This paper analyzes the theoretical mechanisms and boundary conditions according to which organizational resilience can function in crises. Regardless of the uniqueness and effectiveness of the strategies and responses that are adopted by enterprises, these strategies and responses must be implemented and facilitated by employees. Therefore, in times of crisis, enterprises should pay more attention to employees’ psychology, attitudes, and abilities, stimulate their creativity and motivation, and take the best path of action. Therefore, this paper includes self-management as a moderating variable to deepen our understanding of organizational resilience at the enterprise human resource management level. Through theoretical extrapolation and empirical research, the paper reveals that employees’ self-management is not conducive to the promotional effect of strategic HRM on organizational resilience, a conclusion which differs from the findings of many previous studies regarding the positive effects of self-management on enterprises; the paper thus argues that the promotional effect of self-management on enterprise management must have an appropriate background and conditions.

6.2. Practical Implications

Previous research has failed to answer the question of why some companies can transform themselves and survive when faced with a significant crisis, whereas others fall apart. This paper has significant practical value for understanding the ways in which strategic human resource management can help companies survive and grow in a dynamic environment by enhancing organizational resilience when faced with a crisis and uncertainty.

First, enterprises should actively guarantee that their corporate strategies match their human resource management to ensure that human resources can serve as critical capital to help enterprises survive the crisis and achieve their strategic goals smoothly. The novel coronavirus epidemic is a significant test of enterprise human resource management and continuous operation and development. Companies should optimize their corporate strategies and human resource structures continuously as part of their daily operations and should focus on the power of talent. When facing a crisis, companies should be skilled at exploring the potential opportunities associated with the challenges, thereby improving the cohesiveness of employees, taking full advantage of the creativity of employees, and skillfully using the company’s potential resources so that the company can endure the crisis smoothly; accordingly, the company should actively reflect on the problems and loopholes in the company’s operation after the crisis, further adjust the company’s strategic layout, and be fully prepared to deal with possible crises in the future.

Second, the enterprise should focus on improving employees’ self-efficacy and enhancing their work execution and enthusiasm. Employees are the primary capital of an enterprise and represent the only driving force for the creation of value. In an enterprise, human resource management should focus on adopting people-oriented management policies, cultivating employees’ self-efficacy, and allowing employees to realize that the enterprise values them. This paper explores the role of self-efficacy in enhancing organizational resilience from a practical perspective and shows that the enhancement and utilization of the enterprise’s organizational resilience capability ultimately depends on the power of its employees.

Finally, the enterprise should focus on employees’ self-management capabilities and simultaneously enhance its own internal management capabilities. Previous research has illustrated a variety of benefits of employee self-management on corporate performance. However, based on both theoretical extrapolation and practical research, this paper demonstrates that self-management is not beneficial to organizational development under all conditions. Only when employees’ self-goals and organizational goals are aligned do employees exert their utmost efforts to accomplish overall corporate goals. In management practice, managers should focus on employees’ career development plans and intrinsic needs to ensure that the organization’s strategy matches their jobs and to guarantee that their jobs meet their intrinsic needs.

6.3. Limitations and Prospects

This study employs a combination of theoretical derivation and empirical research. It achieves some success regarding both the theoretical and practical aspects of organizational resilience research, but it also faces certain limitations. First, this paper uses only the questionnaire method to obtain sample data, i.e., it relies on a single data source. Future research can employ experimental, interview, and other methods combined with a questionnaire to improve data accuracy. Second, the data used in this study were obtained from employees’ self-reports, and no attention was given to temporal changes when the respondents completed the questionnaires. Although this paper examined the possibility of common method bias using Harman’s one-way analysis of variance method, the results of which were within an acceptable range, the effect of common method bias could not be avoided entirely. Future studies can reduce common method bias by obtaining objective data from companies or enhancing the design of the study. Finally, this study explored only the mediating variable of self-efficacy. Future research can explore other mediating variables associated with the relationship between strategic HRM and organizational resilience from other perspectives with the aim of gradually improving the research on the mechanism underlying the effects of strategic HRM and organizational resilience.

Funding Statement

This research was funded by Natural Science Foundation of China grant number 42201224 and the Innovative Team Development Project of Inner Mongolia Higher Education Institutions, grant number: NMGIRT2206.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, J.Y. and L.Y.; methodology, L.Y.; software, L.Y.; investigation, L.Y.; resources, P.L.; data curation, H.L.; writing—review and editing, G.H.; visualization, H.L.; supervision, G.H.; project administration, G.H.; funding acquisition, P.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Ethics Committee of Shandong University (Project identification code: 3885535).

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Strategic Human Resource Management (2024 Guide)

Updated: Jun 8, 2024, 9:04am

Table of Contents

What is strategic human resources, why strategic human resources is important, 5 steps to strategic human resources, bottom line, frequently asked questions (faqs).

Strategic human resource management (SHRM) is a process that organizations use to manage their employees. It is a way to ensure that the organization’s HR are used in a way that supports the organization’s goals. Think of it as a bridge connecting human resources and the goals of the company. With SHRM, businesses can more effectively manage employee performance and development, as well as create programs and policies that support the company’s overall strategy.

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The goal of SHRM is to create policies and programs that align with the company’s business strategy. The main difference between human resources and strategic human resources is that human resources focus on the day-to-day management of employees, while strategic human resources focus on how employees can achieve the company’s overall goals. This means that SHRM must first understand the company’s business goals and then create programs and policies that support those goals.

Some common examples of SHRM programs and policies include:

• Performance management: Creating systems to track and improve employee performance
• Training and development: Identifying employees’ development needs and providing training and resources to help them improve
• Compensation and benefits: Designing compensation and benefits programs that attract and retain employees
• Employee relations: Managing employee relations to create a positive work environment

These are just a few examples of the types of programs and policies that can be part of SHRM. The specific programs and policies will vary depending on the company’s goals and the needs of its employees.

SHRM is important because it helps businesses achieve their goals. By aligning HR programs and policies with the company’s business strategy, SHRM can help businesses improve employee performance, develop the workforce and create a positive work environment. SHRM can also help businesses save money by reducing turnover and improving productivity.

• Improve employee performance: SHRM can help businesses improve employee performance by creating systems to track and improve performance.
• Develop the workforce: SHRM can help businesses develop the workforce by identifying employees’ development needs and providing training and resources to help them improve.
• Create a positive work environment: SHRM can help businesses create a positive work environment by managing employee relations.
• Reduce turnover: SHRM can help businesses reduce turnover by designing compensation and benefits programs that attract and retain employees.
• Improve productivity: SHRM can help businesses improve productivity by improving employee performance and creating a positive work environment.

Now that you know what SHRM is and why it’s important, you may wonder how to get started. The process involves knowing the goals of your company, its abilities, future needs and resources. From there, you put your plan into action, then reassess and pivot if necessary.

Here are the five steps to strategic human resources plan:

1. Know your company’s goals and abilities

The first step to SHRM is understanding your company’s goals and abilities. When you know your company goals and can articulate them, you’ll have an easier time creating programs and policies that support those goals. You’ll also be able to more effectively measure the success of your SHRM programs and make changes as needed.

Consider the following questions:

• What are your company’s long-term goals?
• What are your company’s strengths and weaknesses?
• What resources does your company have now?
• What skills does your workforce currently have?
• Are there any gaps in talent or skills?

Answering these questions will help you understand your company’s goals and abilities, and how SHRM can help you achieve those goals.

2. Forecast future needs

Now that you have an idea of your company’s goals and abilities, you need to forecast future needs. In order to ensure your company’s future success, you need to predict how many employees with the required skills will be necessary and measure it against your company’s current workforce. This will help you determine what skills your company will need in the future and how to develop those skills in your workforce.

• What skills will your company need in the future?
• How many employees with those skills will you need?
• How does that compare to your current workforce?

By answering these questions, you will be able to comprehend what abilities your company will need in the future and how to cultivate a workforce with those required skills.

3. Determine the resources needed to achieve company goals

After you know your company’s goals and have forecasted future needs, you need to determine the resources needed to achieve those goals. This includes identifying the financial resources, human resources and physical resources required.

• What financial resources will you need to achieve your company’s goals?
• What human resources will you need to achieve your company’s goals?
• What physical resources will you need to achieve your company’s goals?

To determine these, you’ve got to conduct an audit of both your internal and external resources. This will give you a sense of what types of resources you have available to achieve your goals and where you may need to supplement.

For example, if you’re looking to expand your workforce, you may need to invest in recruiting programs. Or, after conducting a needs assessment, you may find that your current workforce doesn’t have the necessary skills to achieve your company’s goals, so you’ll need to invest in training programs.

Another example is if you’re looking to launch a new product. In this case, you’ll need to consider the financial resources required to develop and market the product, as well as the physical resources required to produce it. You’ve also got to consider talent and skill set when launching a new product. Do you have the right people in place to bring your product to market? And do they have the necessary skills to do so?

4. Execute your plan

Now that you’ve set your company’s goals, forecasted its future needs and gathered the resources required to achieve those goals, it’s time to put your SHRM plan into action. Most companies start by recruiting the right candidates, training and development and then performance management. However, this will vary depending on your company’s specific needs.

If you already have a large talent pool to choose from, you may be better off cultivating skills of current employees before recruiting outside talent. After you’ve satisfied that resource, you may find you still need to hire. If so, you’ll need to have clear expectations and skill requirements before recruiting.

Once you’ve hired talent, it’s imperative to have a proper onboarding process. This will help ensure that your new hires are set up for success and understand what’s expected of them. After you’ve brought new talent into the fold, you need to focus on development. This includes training programs as well as opportunities for professional growth. By offering these opportunities, you’ll be able to retain top talent and keep them engaged in their work.

Last but not least is performance management. This includes setting clear expectations, providing feedback and conducting performance reviews. Performance management is a key part of SHRM as it helps ensure that your workforce is meeting expectations and contributing to your company’s bottom line.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when executing your SHRM plan:

• Set realistic goals and timelines. Trying to accomplish too much in a short period of time can be overwhelming and lead to mistakes.
• Get buy-in from upper management. If those at the top aren’t on board with your SHRM plan, it’s going to be difficult to get everyone else on board.
• Communicate with your employees. Employees should be aware of the goals of the SHRM plan and how it will affect them. This will help get them on board and ensure that they’re working towards the same goals.
• Be prepared to adjust your plan. As with any plan, things may not go as expected. Be prepared to make adjustments to ensure that you’re still on track to achieve your company’s goals. We’ll discuss this in detail in the next section.

5. Assess and pivot

After you’ve executed your SHRM plan, it’s important to assess how things are going. This includes looking at what’s working and what’s not. Based on your assessment, you may need to make adjustments to your plan. For example, if you’re not seeing the results you want, you may need to change your recruiting strategy. Or, if you’re finding that your training programs aren’t effective, you may need to make changes to those as well.

It’s also important to keep in mind that your SHRM plan is not a one-time thing. As your company grows and changes, so too will your SHRM needs. As such, it’s important to revisit your SHRM plan on a regular basis to ensure that it’s still relevant and effective.

Strategic human resource management is a process that helps companies achieve their goals by better managing their workforce. By taking the time to develop a SHRM plan, companies can ensure that they have the right people in place to achieve their goals. While developing a SHRM plan can be time-consuming, the benefits outweigh the costs. Not only will a well-executed SHRM plan help you achieve your company’s goals, but it will also help you retain top talent and keep your employees engaged in their work.

What is strategic human resource management (SHRM)?

Strategic human resource management is a process that helps companies manage their workforce in a way that aligns with their company’s goals.

Why is SHRM important?

SHRM is important because it helps companies ensure that they have the right people in place to achieve their company’s goals. Additionally, SHRM can help companies retain top talent and keep their employees engaged in their work.

What's the difference between human resources and strategic human resource management?

The difference between human resources and strategic human resource management is that human resources focuses on the day-to-day management of employees while SHRM takes a more strategic approach.

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Innovation and human resource management: a systematic literature review

European Journal of Innovation Management

ISSN : 1460-1060

Article publication date: 18 January 2022

Issue publication date: 19 December 2022

This study aims to map scientific publications, intellectual structure and research trends in the development of human resource management (HRM) by adopting innovative practices. Specifically, it aims to (1) identify the fundamental contributions of research and to (2) determine the lines of research that constitute the most prominent intellectual structure to contribute to defining a future research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs bibliometric, bibliographic coupling and cluster analysis techniques. To evaluate any potential patterns among the articles, it is analyzed how those were jointly cited. Hierarchical cluster analysis was also applied to those subject to bibliographic coupling analysis within the scope of grouping the interrelated articles into distinct sets.

The results enabled the identification and classification of various theoretical perspectives on human resources development through the adoption of innovative practices into four main approaches: (1) organizational factors of success, (2) strategic HRM, (3) human behavior and (4) learning management.

Originality/value

This study identifies, explores, analyzes and summarizes the main themes contributing to deepening the literature by identifying the priority areas concerning HRM through the adoption of innovative practices that can guarantee international standards of excellence.

• Systematic literature review

Jotabá, M.N. , Fernandes, C.I. , Gunkel, M. and Kraus, S. (2022), "Innovation and human resource management: a systematic literature review", European Journal of Innovation Management , Vol. 25 No. 6, pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-07-2021-0330

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Mariana Namen Jotabá, Cristina I. Fernandes, Marjaana Gunkel and Sascha Kraus

Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

1. Introduction

Potgieter and Mokomane (2020) argue that the strategic emphasis of a human resource management (HRM) department can be summarized as the effective management of teams and individuals in an organization aimed at competitive advantage and performance success. Thus, there is growing interest in investigating the role of HRM departments and practices in supporting companies' capacity for innovation ( Engelsberger et al. , 2021 ). Due to the recent transformation (such as digitization) of most organizations, HRM's role in strategic management has become more important ( Zhou et al. , 2020 ), as these practices can provide tools for change and innovation and support strategic decision-making in organizations ( Sheehan et al. , 2016 ).

The HR strategy is increasingly related to the prevailing organizational strategy, experiencing the direct impact of ongoing changes while supporting the organization's development in the emerging digital environment. Thus, HRM practices have increasingly considered the needs of Industrial Revolution 4.0, which inevitably points to huge changes in the established system and its contexts. Within this scope of change, high-performing organizations adopt radically different forms and become more digital and innovative ( Deloitte, 2017 ).

HRM plays a significant role in supporting changes. Thus, several studies have begun to examine the relationship between HRM and innovation, specifically, practices that contribute to innovation in organizations. Looise and van Riemsdijk (2004) suggest that four aspects of HR are important for innovation in an organization, namely, work design, people, performance management and rewards, as well as communication and participation. De Leede and Looise (2005) present a model relating the HRM strategy to organizational results, such as innovation and success, noting that HRM practices, resulting from the strategy, can lead to results such as creativity, commitment and competencies, resulting in the organizational results of innovation and success.

Although HR practices and employees seem essential for innovation, empirical research linking the areas of HRM and innovation is quite scarce ( De Leeds and Looise, 2005 ; Laursen and Foss, 2014 ; Seeck and Diehl, 2017 ). Given the strong and growing focus on innovation, the HRM of organizations also needs to review their employees' skills. According to Meskó et al. (2018) , 50% of all current jobs will be outdated in the next two decades. This leads to the imperative challenges faced by HRM in advancing at a faster pace, adapting practices and routines as well as facilitating organizational learning ( Muñoz-Pascual et al. , 2019 ). HR practices are innovative and support innovation within organizations ( Kossek, 1987 ; Looise and van Riemsdijk, 2004 ).

Innovation in HR is related to changes in the social systems of organizations and the adoption and diffusion of these innovations, due to environmental forces and social processes ( Koosek, 1987 ). As noted by Looise and van Riemsdijk (2004) , these HR innovations are fundamental to innovation within organizations. Supporting employees' careers and establishing a goal and objective systems with rewards for successfully undertaking and conducting innovation ( Cano and Cano, 2006 ) are important for innovation. Thus, reflecting on the impacts that innovation can enhance regarding the future of work and employment is important. Furthermore, the HRM's role in supporting these changes should be carefully analyzed. Hence, a more in-depth analysis of HRM structures, rethinking routine activities, reviewing policies, developing new knowledge and skills and enabling teams to work in work environments that are completely different from previous ones.

Seeck and Diehl (2017) were the first and so far only scholars to systematize the theme of innovation in HRM, identifying 35 empirical studies linking HRM and innovation over 25 years (1990–2015). The results indicate the importance of the relationship: HRM practices implemented by organizations have a positive effect on innovation. Given the growing importance, and the speed of innovation, examining the development of this strand of literature is of utmost importance. This is also observed by Natalicchio et al. (2018) who conclude that the direct effect of HRM is of interest to research and the moderating role of HR practices requires a broader debate in the literature.

Thus, inspired by the work of Seeck and Diehl (2017) and building upon as well as updating it, we aimed to stimulate academic improvement and provide a better sense of direction and offer a thorough and systematic review of this expanding literature. We focus on addressing the following questions: What constitutes innovation in HRM? What theories support research on innovation in HRM? Our study makes several important contributions to the literature. First, we present a systematic review of the literature on innovation in HRM using bibliometric techniques (e.g. Donthu et al. , 2021 ). This helps identify the previous literature's findings and sets the stage for new research, summarizing the main knowledge gaps and directions. Second, our review challenges several theoretical/conceptual assumptions prevalent in HRM innovation research and offers new perspectives that can shape future research. Third, we define a road map for an informed research agenda that proposes multiple improved directions.

Overall, our study aimed to conduct a mapping of scientific publications, intellectual structure and research trends in the area of innovation in human resources management. Specifically, we intend to (1) identify the fundamental contributions of research in this area and (2) determine the lines of research that constitute the most prominent intellectual structure to contribute to the definition of a future research agenda.

2. Methodology

This study aimed to critically analyze studies that examine HRM's role in innovative companies through a systematic literature review (SLR), bibliographic coupling and cluster analysis techniques. The SLR process starts with the definition, objectives and conceptual limitations ( Kraus et al. , 2020 ). This study concentrates on the macro-context of strategic HRM associated with innovation to broaden the conceptual understanding of the adoption of such practices. For this, the following goals were established: (1) identifying studies published in scientific journals on HRM practices related to adopting and conducting innovation in organizations; (2) proposing an integrated evaluation of the problems and discoveries of the leading individual studies to understand the scenario surrounding human resources and innovation; and (3) presenting implications for HRM practices ( Denyer and Tranfield, 2009 ).

Next, the software package VOSviewer was used to generate bibliometric maps and identify bibliographic coupling in the article references. Bibliographic coupling classifies two articles when they make recourse to the same reference item ( Kessler, 1963 ). Each cluster was determined by analyzing the content and keywords, and thus, the most pertinent information of the articles in the sample. The resulting clusters serve as a starting point for organizing the scientific outputs.

2.1 Selecting the review method

This work aimed to overcome the challenges associated with the increasing volume of scientific production (e.g. subjectivity), as evaluating and comprehending a topic's literature requires scientific analytical tools ( Kraus et al. , 2021 ). Therefore, it engages in a systematic process of identifying, analyzing and synthesizing discrete streams ( Snyder, 2019 ; Kraus et al. , 2020 ; Vrontis and Christofi, 2021 ) to establish the theoretical underpinnings of in–home service consumption. For this, we adopted a hybrid review methodology by combining a bibliometric and framework-based review ( Figure 1 ) ( Snyder, 2019 ). The bibliometric review enabled us to quantify the productivity of scientific research, identify thematic clusters and establish the foundations of in–home service consumption ( Mas-Tur et al. , 2020 ). The framework-based review set the foundations for the proposed innovation and HRM framework and a comprehensive understanding of innovation and HRM. A review based on bibliometric analysis provides a powerful set of methods and measures for studying the structure and process of scholarly communication. To study the available literature, we relied on three widely used techniques of bibliometric analysis: evaluative, relational and review techniques ( Echchakoui, 2020 ). The evaluation technique focuses on the academic impact and includes three types of measures: influence (e.g. number of citations per year and per author), productivity (e.g. number of publications per year and per author) and hybrid (a combination of influence and productivity) (e.g. the average number of citations per paper). The relational technique explores the relationship between units of analysis on a specific topic or research field, identifying patterns and networks among journals, publications and/or authors. Co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, co-authorship analysis and co-word analysis are examples of relational techniques (e.g. Kraus et al. , 2012 ). The review techniques refer to systematic literature reviews, meta-analyses or qualitative studies ( Echchakoui, 2020 ). The present study encompasses all three bibliometric techniques.

2.2 Data collection and processing methods

A literature search was conducted using the Web of Science database. The search terms used were “innovation” and “human resource management” (and possible abbreviations). A total of 532 articles were obtained.

To obtain the primary objective and specific goals, the search focused on articles from academic journals, narrowing them to 446 articles; followed by the filters “topic,” in the categories of “management” and “business,” in English language and in December 2020. In summary, 241 articles indexed in the database were identified in the Web of Science , which can be considered “the most prestigious database and leading academic institutions and the research world” ( Gasparyan et al. , 2013 , p. 1271). Figure 1 provides the details of the research protocol.

The data were processed using VOSviewer software (version 1.6.15), which sets the parameters for bibliographic coupling at a minimum cluster size of six articles. This procedure resulted in a final sample of 237 articles, which were grouped into four clusters. Among them, four articles excluded by the software were disregarded. Furthermore, based on the exclusion criteria, after reading the publications, 201 articles were excluded because they were not related to HR and innovation and the adoption of innovative practices in HRM, including theoretical/conceptual and empirical publications. Descriptive statistics were produced using SPSS Statistics software version 27.0.

Each scientific publication included in the sample was analyzed regarding (1) the performance, thus, the descriptive statistical data and (2) trends in clusters along with the cluster descriptions.

3.1 Performance

As demonstrated by the previous overview study of Seeck and Diehl (2017) , the number of publications relating HRM to innovation is relatively low. However, our study shows that there has been a rising interest in the topic, as presented in Figure 2 . From 2015, in which the overview study of Seeck and Diehl ended its analysis, there has been a sharp increase in the number of publications. There were only 18 studies on the topic from 1987 (the date of the first publication) to 2015, but another 18 from 2016 to 2020.

When examining the research methods of the publications, we found that the majority, namely 20 studies (55.6%), were quantitative by nature, followed by 11 (30.6%) qualitative studies. Among them, four (11%) were conceptual, and one (2.8%) was a mixed-method study that applied qualitative and quantitative methods.

A broad range of methods were employed across the articles. Regarding the quantitative articles, five publications utilized structural equation modeling, and four used regression analyses as methods, making them the most common methods. Case studies were the most popular method for qualitative studies with seven publications, followed by two studies using document analysis, and two using mixed methods design. Regarding conceptual studies, three were theory publications, and only one was a literature review. The only mixed-method study utilized linear regressions and telephone interviews as the quantitative qualitative methods, respectively.

3.2 Cluster trend s

To portray the trends in the literature regarding innovation and HRM, we approached the bibliographic confluences among the 36 studies in the sample. This resulted in the definition of the four clusters. This organization of the clusters and respective publications contained in each was designated by the software tool for the construction and visualization of bibliometric networks ( VOSviewer, 2021 ). Figure 3 presents a visual model of the cluster network.

Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine patterns in journals, groups of authors and publications related to the group and topic, as well as the number of citations related to the authors. Table 1 presents the journals in which the studies were published and the number of citations in the publications during data collection.

The identified articles can be grouped into four clusters ( Figure 4 ):

The following table provides an overview of the articles in the four clusters:

Although the overall number of publications in the area was low, a broad range of journals served as an outlet for the studies. Human Resources Management and the International Journal of Manpower published the largest number of publications (three publications each). In the former, two publications belong to Cluster 2, in 2020 and 2019, and one article to Cluster 1, which was published in 1987 and is the first publication in our study sample. In the latter, one article belongs to Cluster 3 (year of publication 2020), another to Cluster 1 (year of publication 2011) and one to Cluster 2 (year of publication 2005). International Journal of Project Management, Journal of Management, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Organization Science and Technovation have served as an outlet for two studies, whereas the remaining journals have published only one study in the area.

An examination of the citations revealed five author teams with over 100 citations: Seibert et al. (2001) with 637 citations under the auspices of Cluster 1, Lopez-Cabrales et al. (2009) with 175 citations belong to Cluster 2, Akgun et al. (2007) received 137 citations for their articles in Cluster 3, Chou (2014) with 108 citations in Cluster 2 and Kwak and Anbari (2009) gained 103 citations for an article in Cluster 4. Of the 36 published articles, four were not cited during data collection, which may be because they were all published in 2020.

4. Cluster descriptions

In the next step, all articles in each respective cluster were read and analyzed to determine whether they responded to the research objective of providing implications for HRM. The analysis enabled the identification of shared characteristics and points of divergence, which led to the establishment of the research categories for each cluster. The four research clusters are discussed below:

4.1 Cluster 1: Organizational factors of success

The cluster “organizational success factors” comprising 11 articles, focuses on understanding the relationship between proactivity and innovation and the appropriate role of the HR manager.

Proactiveness is a personality trait that is positively related to career growth and innovation ( Seibert et al. , 2001 ). HRM systems are mediators that influence the development of work and increase proactive behaviors and motivation, vital for the development of organizations ( Tummers et al. , 2015 ). According to Shaw et al. (2005) , the adoption of human resources compensation models is crucial for organizational innovation, regardless of the adopted compensation models.

Baruk (2017) clarifies that employer branding is important, and necessary for companies, such as employer brands, to establish strategies that allow them to achieve organizational innovation. From the viewpoint of Bayo-Moriones et al. (2020) , HR and their performance evaluation must be aligned with the company's innovation strategy.

In this cluster, a group of three authors who focused their publications on knowledge management as a success factor for innovation can be identified.

The creation, transformation and use of different types of knowledge must be considered fundamental assets in innovative performance ( Nielsen and Rasmussen, 2011 ). For these authors, knowledge management is strictly related to learning, organization and innovation, which have a direct impact on the performance of companies. According to Feldman et al. (2019) , regarding innovation, companies must adopt five practices: promote human resources based on their characteristics related to taking initiative and ability to lead, perform job rotation, pay attention to the remuneration system, provide job security and hire workers based on knowledge and experience. Ganz (2020) argues that companies with clear innovation goals should experiment with the best strategies to adopt, according to their human resources. For this, they must experiment in low-risk environments and then apply the definitive strategy in a real context.

Kossek (1987) clarified that business innovation is directly linked to the ability to form networks and HRM alliances with professors and consultants. Moreover, it clarifies that senior management's role is to present the HR department and its respective executives as crucial elements in strategic decisions, in the construction of a work environment in which workers believe that executives care about their welfare. According to Ottenbacher and Harrington (2010) , there are two global success factors for innovation: market attractiveness and strategic HRM. Thus, service advantage, empowerment, employee training and behavior-based assessment all influence the intended outcomes of innovation.

4.2 Cluster 2: Strategic HRM

This cluster consists of 10 articles that contribute to understanding the impact of strategic HRM on innovation.

For Natalicchio et al. (2018) , the success of innovation practices is not in the recruitment of highly qualified employees but in the ability to implement employee training activities. In other words, innovation occurs through teams, with a focus on learning and developing innovative minds. Thus, it is important to adopt collaborative and competitive mechanisms to manage innovative ideas that arise within a company ( Cano and Cano, 2006 ; Bergendahl and Magnusson, 2014 ). According to Wang et al. (2005) , HRM has a direct and positive impact on the entrepreneurship process and, consequently, on the success of innovation activities. Omta et al. (1994) add the importance of management control and human resource practices to innovation's success.

Companies should also adopt advanced technological systems in HRM to create a collaborative culture that establishes alliances and partnerships; they should promote relationship networks for the exchange of experiences and technological support. This stimulus to organizational learning, through the development of human capital and its absorption capacity, is a predictor of organizational innovation ( Perez et al. , 2002 ; Muñoz-Pascual et al. , 2019 ; Pradana et al. , 2020 ). Hence, Lopez-Cabrales et al. (2009) argue that the impact of innovation and organizational performance depends on the systematization of HR knowledge. They argue that knowledge-based HRM practices have a positive influence on innovation and profit. However, it is important to realize that these practices become more difficult in small-and medium-sized companies ( Muñoz-Pascual et al. , 2019 ). Della Torre et al. (2020) remind us that, despite the importance of technological systems for innovation activities to be successful, it is essential to implement motivational systems dedicated to raising workers' motivation.

4.3 Cluster 3: Human behavior

This cluster consists of nine articles that help us understand how human behavior contributes to innovation activities.

Along with physical and financial capital, human capital drives companies toward innovation activities. Several authors argue that organizational development is achieved through human capital, as it enables companies to obtain an innovative capacity that allows them the necessary resilience to face the obstacles and challenges arising from globalization, competitiveness and the knowledge-based economy ( Menéndez Blanco and Montes-Botella, 2017 ; Marjanski et al. , 2019 ). For Yazici et al. (2016) , innovation and proactivity are key factors for organizational growth. The organizational climate also promotes the well-being of employees and, therefore, if companies have more satisfied employees, they can implement innovative activities to achieve better results ( Chou, 2014 ; Kao et al. , 2020 ).

In innovation activities, the leader's behavior has a direct impact. In organizational environments, marked by high competitiveness and uncertainty, innovation is vital for survival and long-term success. In these circumstances, leaders with altruistic behavior can create business environments that facilitate innovation, through appropriate learning atmospheres ( Escrig et al. , 2016 ; Kiesnere and Baumgartner, 2019 ).

Another promoter of innovation and its success is the emotional capacity of companies and its impact on organizational learning. This learning ability is directly linked to product innovation and company performance ( Akgün et al. , 2007 ; Soomro and Shah, 2015 ).

4.4 Cluster 4: Learning management

This cluster is composed of six articles that relate learning management to innovation.

HR practices (recruiting and selecting activities, as well as training programs) must be effective and aligned with the knowledge management strategy and the business, regarding organizational strategy, for innovation activities ( GOPE, Elia and Passiante, 2018 ). Companies that adopt knowledge management practices can generate a competitive advantage as a result of the innovative process ( Gonzalez and de Melo, 2018 ). Gonzalez and de Melo (2018) show that the knowledge management process is impacted by five contextual factors: HRM, supportive leadership, learning culture, autonomy and information technology systems. Olander et al. (2015) argue that human capital and knowledge are the Allies of innovation. There are several practices related to commitment, trust, motivation and a sense of responsibility, which strengthen loyalty and improve the preservation of the company's intellectual capital.

For Calamel et al. (2012) , the solution of sustainable models lies in innovation practices and identifying increasing levels of cooperation as well as creating collaborative projects in HRM; through collective learning different skills can be developed. In sustainable models focused on industrial ecology, the optimization and better efficiency of resources are achieved through the integration and coordination of skills, innovations and new routines in functional areas, innovation and development of all technologies, waste control, human resource adjustments, management of environmental constraints and networking and marketing ( Kwak and Anbari, 2009 ; Kabongo and Boiral, 2017 ).

5. Discussion

To support future research on HRM practices on innovation, we established the conclusions from a review of the evidence derived from the peer-reviewed literature using the Web of Science database. This was aimed at developing a structure that illustrates the core considerations around this theme, enabling the identification of behaviors for the adoption of innovative practices in HRM, evaluating the problems and discoveries and providing indications for human resource strategic management and policy practices ( Aguinis et al. , 2021 ). For this, we used a framework that categorizes the clusters, specifically, organizational factors of success, strategic HRM, human behavior and learning management.

This duly highlights that this conceptual structure was developed by ascertaining the facts supporting the development of the knowledge base. This study identified, along with the four direct clusters around the core areas in strategic HRM, 15 themes/subareas of interest: proactivity, innovation in services, factors of influence in HRM, HR subsystems, knowledge management in HRM, organizational performance, HRM practices, learning capacity, impact on the organizational climate, impact on entrepreneurship, leadership, factors of organizational growth, impact on the organizational climate, project management and sustainable business models.

The subareas arise from the content analysis of the articles in each cluster. In Cluster 1, organizations with greater chances of obtaining superior organizational results present elements such as proactivity, the practice of innovation in services offered, knowledge management practices, the adoption of HR systems and innovation in HRM subsystems in their routines. These success factors are interconnected with Cluster 2, which complements the strategic management of the area and its practices as key elements for performance and competitiveness gains. In Cluster 3, the relevance of behavior and human capital emerges to capture and enjoy the benefits of innovation, contributing to the growth and learning capacity of the organization through people, promoting impact on the organizational climate and developing the entrepreneurial spirit within the company itself. Moreover, the importance of leadership was analyzed to stimulate the construction of environments that allow their employees to be open to radical and incremental innovations. Finally, in Cluster 4, high-performance HRM practices as well as their effective ability in the relationship with knowledge management convey reiterate the existence of HR practices aimed at enabling individual learning, motivation and staff retention. This may prove favorable for HR managers to encourage employees to engage in learning processes and, consequently, improve organizational results and innovation.

Hence, we detailed the main trends in the literature on the motivations and obstacles to the adoption of innovation in HRM, as shown in Figure 5 .

Based on the reviewed articles, we identified various limitations of the research and, consequently, representing some potential contributions for consideration by future research projects, as outlined in Table 2 .

6. Conclusion

This study sought to critically analyze the literature to drive the development of HR through the adoption of innovative practices. We may affirm that this research field has been ongoing since 1987. Despite the 33 years of research, the field remains in the construction phase, and a significant proportion of the studies only adopt exploratory qualitative approaches. The trends regarding the number of articles published in this timeframe, despite the relatively low total number (only 36 publications), reflect an increasing level of academic interest in studying innovation in association with HRM, whether at the conceptual understanding level or through empirical studies enabling the development of new policies and more modern HRM practices, bringing better results that can benefit the company–HR sector–teams triad. The results obtained demonstrate that 2019 may turn out to be a landmark in this scientific field regarding associating innovation in HR given the surge in publications.

There was also the scope for identifying how the authors' main interests focus on understanding and developing mathematical models that can assist in identifying the organizational success factors in knowledge management, proactivity and HR subsystems. This objective arises from providing greater recognition of the factors that favor innovation-friendly management, as well as helping HR managers plan where they can prioritize efforts for organizational growth.

Furthermore, the research, to a certain extent, advances conclusions on the debate about knowledge management in the majority of these studies and that permeates throughout the clusters. These emphasize the relevance of learning and stimulating the development of teams and, as such, standing out on the list of priority tasks for HRM. This also pointed out how, paradoxically, this interlinkage between knowledge management and the clusters in the current research – the “learning management” cluster registered the lowest number of publications regarding the other groups. The justification may reflect how this theme underlies all approaches and is, therefore, not an individual theme of lesser interest.

This also advanced with the need to reflect on the importance of the HRM role within the organizations deemed innovative as well as those seeking to develop their innovative environments and as a mediator in this process to assist companies facing competitive markets.

This also verified only a low level of research on approaches to the deployment of technologies, specifically, the adoption of systems versus innovation in the HR department. This raises questions about how HR might better accompany technological practices and means. Would it be a good innovation practice for HR to adopt systems that facilitate routine tasks and management? What image should HR convey in support of other sectors and the organization without bolstering its position, thus, without adopting innovative practices by deploying software and “tech practices” that facilitate and enable their tasks?

The research also corroborates an understanding of the future of work in approaching research that presents sustainable business models, acclaimed for applying more modern and longer-lasting organizational practices.

As every study, also ours has a number of limitations. First, our keywords, process and use of specific databases (Web of Science) may have resulted in the omission of potentially relevant other studies. Second, because we concentrated on analyzing and integrating existing research, we did not provide research propositions connecting the themes and elements of innovation and HRM. Third, this review only included studies published in peer-reviewed academic journals written in English; it excludes books, conference proceedings and other literature, as well as articles written in other languages that might have be relevant. Although we are aware of and confident in our results, we believe they are representative of the research conducted in this field. Hence, we believe that we provided a perspective of the intellectual structure of this field of study, along with the contribution of our conceptual model, for future investigation.

Research protocol

Number of publications per year

Cluster network

Clusters of innovative practice adoption

Framework for adopting innovation in HRM

Key journals with the most cited publications and authors

Future directions

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• Strategic Human Resource Management 101:...

Strategic Human Resource Management 101: Your Essential Guide

What is Strategic Human Resource Management?

Traditional HRM vs Strategic HRM

Strategic human resource management examples, example 1: nissan.

• Recruiting the right talent, and
• Building a secure workplace environment where employees feel entrusted to meet challenges with autonomy and fresh ideas that drive achievement.

Example 2: Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Example 3: sainsbury’s, importance of strategic human resource management.

• Connecting employees with organizational goals – The Strategic Human Resource Management process ensures that HR practices, policies, and strategies link employees with the company’s path to accomplishing its broader organizational objectives. 
• Gaining a competitive advantage – Knowing exactly where leadership wants to take the organization allows the HR department to focus on the skills and abilities people need to do the work it takes to get there. Through effective talent management , training, and development, SHRM can lead to a more competent and skilled workforce that yields a competitive edge over rivals.
• Adapting to change – A strategic approach to HRM means continually looking ahead, allowing organizations to anticipate and quickly adapt to changes in the business environment. Plans can adjust to accommodate technological advancements, market shifts, or evolving workforce demographics. Meanwhile, HR supports, motivates, and communicates with employees throughout the adjustments. According to Simon A. Taylor , Head of Organization Effectiveness at Gap Inc., with an understanding that change is the new constant and no one knows the future, the best thing an organization can do to prepare for the future is to build the capacity to change quickly, hone in on what’s important, and quickly adapt. “Practically, this means two things: 1) building the mindsets, practices, and capabilities within the organization to spot and rapidly adapt to change, and 2) designing HRM practices with an understanding that they can – and maybe should – evolve in the not-too-distant future as the business strategy evolves,” says Taylor.
• Enhancing employee performance – Strategic HRM determines how employees add value and facilitates performance management systems that ensure they are motivated, well-trained, and properly evaluated. HR can implement methods for addressing employee weaknesses and reinforcing their strengths, leading to optimal job performance and productivity. What’s more, it can strive to improve performance through improved employee wellbeing.
• Driving business growth – With its emphasis on proactive planning, SHRM identifies gaps in current resources and forecasts future workforce needs. As a result, the organization is equipped with the necessary human capital to launch initiatives, enter new markets, and drive growth.
• Improving operational efficiency – A strategic approach to HR is about meticulously designing roles, responsibilities, and workflows to specifically suit the company’s human capital needs. This clarity streamlines operations to reduce redundancies and boost overall efficiency, directly contributing to better business performance.

How to create a Strategic Human Resource Management plan

1. create an hr strategic plan that follows the business.

• Understanding the broader business strategy so you know what success looks like and how to measure it. 
• Evaluating strengths and weaknesses to uncover where you need to make improvements.
• Aligning what you’re doing in HR with the business strategy to build the capabilities needed to carry it out.
• What are the long-term goals of the organization?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses?
• What are your current resources? 
• What current skills does your workforce have, and are there any gaps?

2. Align HR activities with the strategy

3. emphasize data, 4. don’t forget hr’s other responsibilities, 5. take an outside-in approach, a final word.

Erik van Vulpen

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Strategic human resource management

Understand how strategic HRM works, and its relationship with business strategy, human capital management and performance

Strategic human resource management (strategic HRM) provides a framework linking people management and development practices to long-term business goals and outcomes. It focuses on longer-term resourcing issues and other HR strategies, such as reward or performance, determining how they are integrated into the overall business strategy.

This factsheet looks at how thinking on strategic HRM has developed and describes strategic HRM in relation to business strategy, human capital management and business performance.

Explore  our viewpoint on productivity and people management  in more detail, along with actions for government and recommendations for employers.

On this page

• What is strategic HRM?
• Strategic HRM and business strategy
• Strategic HRM and human capital management
• Strategic HRM and business performance
• Strategic HRM and people analytics
• Further reading

Strategic HRM, or ‘people strategy’, is about creating a coherent framework for employees to be hired, managed and developed to support an organisation’s long-term goals. It helps ensure that the various aspects of people management work together to drive the behaviour and climate to meet performance targets. It focuses on longer-term people issues, matching resources to future needs, and large-scale concerns about structure, quality, culture, values and commitment. It must also be a response to the evolving nature of work itself, which is explored in our  Profession for the Future  work.

There’s no single HRM strategy that will deliver success in all cases. Organisations must define their own unique strategy according to their specific context, culture and objectives. People professionals are instrumental in applying their expertise to understanding organisational circumstances and designing workforce pipelines that reflect stakeholder demands.

Strategic HRM: the key to improved business performance explains the various definitions and approaches to strategic HRM. They state that strategic HRM is a complex process that’s constantly evolving and a topic of ongoing debate.

The idea of strategic HRM started around the early 1990s, when academics developed definitions such as:

The undertaking of all those activities affecting the behaviour of individuals in their efforts to formulate and implement the strategic needs of business ( Schuler ).

The pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to enable the organisation to achieve its goals ( Wright and McMahan ).

Boxall and Purcell describe strategic HRM as explaining how HRM influences organisational performance. They argue that strategy is not the same as strategic planning:

Strategic planning is a formal process, usually in larger organisations, defining how things will be done.

Strategy , by contrast, exists in all organisations (even if it’s not written down and articulated) and defines the organisation’s behaviour and how it attempts to cope with its environment.

Strategic HRM can include a number of individual HR strategies, for example:

• To deliver fair and equitable reward.
• To improve employee performance.
• To streamline organisational structure.

These strategies are not ‘strategic HRM’ alone. Strategic HRM is the framework that determines the delivery of individual strategies, systematically linking people with organisations by integrating HRM strategies into organisational strategies to deliver organisational success.

A good business strategy is informed by its people. Most organisations today recognise that people are fundamental to sustainable  value creation , which is why they are often referred to as an organisation's ‘most important asset’. Employees’ knowledge, skills and abilities are assets which the organisation should invest in and use to create sustainable value for the organisation and its various stakeholders. 

Individual HR strategies may be shaped by the business strategy, but it’s too simplistic to suggest that strategic HRM simply follows on from business strategy – the two must inform one another. The way in which people are managed, motivated and deployed, and the availability of skills and knowledge, should all shape the business strategy. Indeed, it’s now increasingly common to find business strategies that are inextricably linked with, and incorporated into, strategic HRM, defining the management of all resources within the organisation.

Our  Profession Map  is based on key principles that govern how HR and other people professionals behave and deliver value through their work. The principles  ‘Work matters, People matter, Professionalism matters’  describe clear pathways to strategic decision making to ensure value is created sustainably for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Links with workforce planning

One important area of people strategy is  workforce planning . Workforce planning involves putting business strategy into action. It must therefore be an iterative process - feeding information upwards on the capability and capacity of the workforce to deliver - and acting on forecast need for skills and capabilities to take the organisation forward. Workforce planning helps organisations meet their future skills needs and support their long-term business goals. 

The term ‘human capital’ describes people’s potential to create value for their organisations. Heery and Noon’s A dictionary of human resource management defines human capital as “the knowledge, skills, and abilities that workers possess and which have been acquired through education, training, and experience both within and beyond the workplace”. Human capital management treats people as assets and focuses on adopting an integrated and strategic approach to managing people, which is the concern of all organisational stakeholders, not just people management professionals.

Human capital management can complement and strengthen strategic HRM by:

• Clarifying the links between what people do in their jobs, the value they create, and business strategy. One way to demonstrate the impact of the workforce and establish a clear line of sight between HR interventions and organisational success is through workforce reporting .
• Strengthening the belief that people are assets rather than costs. PrOPEL Hub includes a blog and short videos on how employees contribute to workplace innovation.
• Underlining the importance of using human capital reporting to prove that great people management delivers great results, and to influence the direction of the people strategy.
• Reinforcing the need to base HRM strategies and processes on value created by the workforce to achieve organisational goals.
• Emphasising the role of HR specialists as business partners.

Strategic HRM can be seen as the framework for understanding and measuring the value of the workforce and how this converts into organisational value. Workforce reporting is useful in that it provides information about people’s current and potential capabilities to inform the strategy. 

Since around the mid-1990s, the CIPD has been gathering evidence of the impact of people management practices on business performance. Research emphasises the importance of ‘fit’, i.e. the alignment of HR interventions and other organisational strategies, for maximum impact. 

CIPD-sponsored work at Bath University, Understanding the people and performance link: unlocking the black box , emphasises the importance of individual HR strategies fitting together and operating within a strategic framework that incorporates both people and business issues.

This research has also found that individual HR practices alone do not drive better business performance. For example, highly skilled individuals with valuable talent can only generate value if they also have positive relationships with their managers in a supportive, value driven environment. All these factors will promote ‘discretionary behaviour’, for example an individual’s willingness to perform above the minimum standard or give extra effort. Therefore, strategic HRM should consider employee engagement , motivation and commitment, all of which support organisational performance.

The term people analytics is often used to describe the use of data about people to solve business problems. It is sometimes known as HR analytics or workforce analytics.

The quality of strategic HRM can be measured by key performance indicators that show the impact of strategic practices on both the HR function and the wider organisation. People analytics is crucial for understanding these outcomes, and especially for developing insights to drive strategic decision making. Without people analytics capability, the delivery of effective strategic HRM becomes difficult, and more likely to fail. So it’s important that HR functions are developing their strategic activity and build a firm foundation of people analytics practices.

To find out more on establishing effective people analytics practice, take a look at our practitioner guide .

Books and reports

Armstrong, M. (in press) Armstrong's handbook of strategic human resource management . 8th ed. London: Kogan Page.

Bassett-Jones, N. (2023) Strategic human resource management: a systems approach . London: Routledge.

Beaven, K. (2019) Strategic human resource management: an HR professional’s toolkit . London: Kogan Page.

Crawshaw, J., Budhwar, P and Davis, A. (eds.) (2023) Human resource management: strategic and international perspectives . 4th ed. London: Sage Publications.

Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., Donelly, R. and Kynighou, A. (2020) Human resource management at work: the definitive guide . 7th ed. London: CIPD Kogan Page.

McGee, R. and Rennie, A. (2009)  HR strategy . CIPD Toolkit. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Rees, G. and French, R. (2022) Strategic people management and development: theory and practice . 6th ed. London: CIPD Kogan Page.

Rees, G. and Smith, P. (eds.) (2021) Strategic human resource management: an international perspective . 3rd ed. London: Sage Publications.

Journal articles

Atkinson, C., Lupton, B., Kynighou, A. and Antcliff, V. (2022) Small firms, owner-managers and (strategic?) human resource management . Human Resource Management Journal. Vol 32, No 2, April. pp449-469.

Boxall, P. (2018) The development of strategic HRM: reflections on a 30-year journey. Labour & Industry . Vol 28, No 1, March. pp21-30.

Cascio, W.F. (2015) Strategic HRM: too important for an insular approach.  Human Resource Management . Vol 54, No 3, May/June. pp423-426.

Collins, C.J. (2021) Expanding the resource based view model of strategic human resource management . International Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol 32, No 2, January. pp331-358.

Jiang, K. and Messersmith, J. (2018) On the shoulders of giants: a meta-review of strategic human resource management. International Journal of Human Resource Management . Vol 29, No 1, January. pp6-33.

Reilly, P. (2012) The practice of strategy.  Strategic HR Review . Vol 11, No 3, pp129-135.

Ren, S., Cooke, F.L., Stahl, G.K., Fan, D. and Timming, A.R. (2023) Advancing the sustainability agenda through strategic human resource management: insights and suggestions for future research. Human Resource Management . Vol 62, No 3, May/June, pp251-265.

Sunghoon, K., Vaiman, V. and Sanders, K. (2022) Strategic human resource management in the era of environmental disruptions. Human Resource Management . Vol 61, No 3, May/June, pp283-293.

International Standards

International Organization for Standardization (ISO30414) - Human capital reporting

CIPD members can use our  online journals  to find articles from over 300 journal titles relevant to HR.

Members and  People Management  subscribers can see articles on the  People Management  website.

This factsheet was last updated by Rebecca Peters: Research Adviser, CIPD

Rebecca leads on several research projects including the People Profession Survey which provides a snapshot of the current HR landscape on an international scale. Rebecca regularly presents her research at conferences and business events and is passionate about bridging the gap between research and practice. 

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Practicing Strategic Human Resources

Overview Background Benefits of HR Strategic Planning Developing a Strategic HR Plan

Assess the Current Situation

Envision the future, develop strategic hr objectives, monitor and evaluate, additional resources.

This article provides a definition, background, information, resources and suggested reading on how to begin the process of strategic human resources. Topics include the following:

• Benefits to HR to engage in strategic planning.
• Developing a strategic HR plan.
• Assessing the organization's current environment.
• Creating statements of vision, mission and values.
• Implementing, monitoring and evaluating the HR strategic plan.

Strategic human resource management involves a future-oriented process of developing and implementing HR programs that address and solve business problems and directly contribute to major long-term business objectives.

HR management was once largely an administrative function focused on day-to-day responsibilities such as employee recruiting and selection and managing employee benefits. Changing labor market conditions and new business thinking call for HR business strategies that include recruiting and retaining the right people, as well as providing ethical and cultural leadership.

Strategic planning presents great challenges and opportunities for HR professionals. Nearly all HR leaders in the largest global companies are involved in strategic decision-making and participate on the organization's strategy team, and a majority of HR professionals report that strategic planning is part of their function. In contrast, HR professionals in many medium and small organizations are not often involved in organizational or functional strategic planning. Consequently, to achieve long-term strategic HR objectives and to be a key player in the organization's strategic planning process, some HR departments may need to convince senior management of the value and contribution HR can provide.

Benefits of HR Strategic Planning

The closer the alignment between HR and an organization's overall business strategy, the better the company's ability to anticipate and respond to customer needs and to maintain competitive advantage. Rigorous research, planning and development involving workforce culture, behaviors and competencies promote the successful execution of business strategy.

Particular benefits of HR strategic planning include the following:

• Avoiding costly and disruptive surprises that interfere with achieving goals.
• Addressing key issues in a timely manner to avoid crises.
• Promoting employee productivity and overall organizational success.
• Providing a sense of direction to positively affect how work gets done.
• Keeping employees focused on organizational goals.
• Providing a strategic focus to guide training and development initiatives.
• Giving leaders tools to help focus and implement their strategic initiatives.

Developing a Strategic HR Plan

HR's role includes developing a plan of HR initiatives to achieve and promote the behaviors, culture and competencies needed to achieve organizational goals.

Results-oriented goals broadly include the following:

• Correctly assessing staffing and skills needs and keeping training up-to-date.
• Developing and maintaining competitive pay and benefits.
• Managing performance and designing a rewards system that keeps employees motivated.
• Knowing what competitors are doing to recruit and retain talent.
• Providing training, including ethics, which reinforces corporate values.

The strategic planning process begins with four critical questions:

• Where are we now? (Assess the current situation.)
• Where do we want to be? (Envision and articulate a desired future.)
• How do we get there? (Formulate and implement a strategy and strategic objectives.)
• How will we know if we are on track toward our intended destination? (Establish a mechanism to evaluate progress.)

See  HR as Strategic Planning Facilitator .

The following sections examine each step in greater detail.

Being a strategic business partner means carrying out HR activities with the long-range goals of the organization in mind. To do this, HR professionals must do the following:

• Understand how the various organizational components interact and recognize the long-term implications of HR decisions. The impact of HR decisions must be thoroughly researched and analyzed before changes are implemented.
• Have a firm grounding in business basics, including finance, marketing, sales, operations and IT. These skills help with budgeting and with maintaining a workforce with the correct mix of skills.
• Develop and exercise analytic skills directed at "the why" as well as "the what." This may mean spending more time on so-called translational work (such as coaching business leaders, planning and implementing HR practices that effectively execute strategy, and helping teams manage change) than on transactional work (such as recruitment, training, human resource information systems and other traditional HR functions).
• Conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of their organizations. The SWOT approach offers a clearer picture of customers, markets and competitors.

What are the basics of environmental scanning as part of the strategic planning process?

What is SWOT analysis, and how does it apply to an HR department?

How to Make Strategic Choices in Uncertain Conditions

Aligning the HR function to the organization's business strategy

For HR departments, intradepartmental strategic planning can be a good way to start the functional alignment process. However, regardless of whether strategic planning begins in the HR department or in another department, or is managed on an organization wide scale, the actions of the HR department will be integral to the success of the strategic plan. Thus, HR professionals must take care to align the HR function with every aspect of the strategic plan, even if the strategic plan does not explicitly address HR issues. Recent SHRM research reveals that HR professionals foresee significant workplace challenges, including rising health care costs, the retirement of large numbers of Baby Boomers and the increased demand for work/life balance. Retention programs, work/life programs, succession planning, and health, safety and security programs are among the HR efforts that are viewed as key workplace challenges through which HR can strategically contribute to organizations. See  Aligning Workforce Strategies with Business Objectives.

The HR alignment process is often driven by workforce composition issues. Although every organization's particular strategic plan is unique, the demographics and other characteristics of the available workforce have a major effect on the way businesses are staffed. In turn, the way organizations are staffed has a significant impact on the execution of the organization's strategy.  

HR professionals should monitor and respond accordingly to factors that may affect workforce composition, including the following:

• Age. The age of the existing employees, the age of the available workforce, and the patterns of retirement for older workers and for the entrance of younger workers can significantly affect workforce availability.  
• Current economic conditions. Unemployment rates, natural disasters and political changes can also have an impact the availability of workers.  
• Globalization. One aspect of globalization that will affect almost all organizations is the increasing diversity of the workforce. Another aspect of globalization is the economic incentive to outsource labor and production activities to wherever such costs are lower. A third, and related, aspect is immigration, both legal and illegal, in the United States and abroad.

Conducting a SWOT analysis

Understanding of the current situation can be enhanced by conducting a SWOT analysis. This analysis includes an internal assessment of the organization's capabilities and limitations as well as an external environmental scan to review its customers, markets and competitors, and to forecast to external opportunities and threats.

What is a S.W.O.T. analysis, and how does it apply to an HR department?

Cultivate Critical Evaluation with a PESTLE Analysis

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Major areas to consider during an external scan include economic, demographic, political, social and technological trends. An analysis of customers, markets and competitors is used to determine how the market is changing, to predict who the future customers will be and to analyze competitors in the marketplace. See Strategic Planning: What are the basics of environmental scanning? and Report: HR Lags in Using Data to Make Decisions .

When conducting a customer/market/competitor analysis, HR professionals should answer the following questions:

• What business are we in?
• What is going on in the world in which we do business?
• What business should we be in?
• What are our resources?
• What are our core competencies?
• Who are our competitors?
• How will we compete?

When the HR strategic planning team has fully evaluated the current situation, it should consider what the ideal future would look like from an organizational perspective.

The question "Where do we want to be?" can be answered and clearly articulated by creating statements of vision, mission and values. A vision statement provides a description of what an organization wants to become or hopes to accomplish in the future. An effective vision statement paints a mental picture of the organization's preferred future that is inspirational, aspirational, compelling and concise. See  Human Resources Mission Statement Examples .

A values statement describes what the organization believes in and how it will behave. This statement can serve as the organization's moral compass and should be used to guide decision-making and assess actions taken. See  Mission: What Is the Difference Between a Company's Mission, Vision and Values Statements?

Setting strategic objectives is an important part of the strategic planning process. Therefore, these objectives must be aligned with the organization's mission, vision and overall strategy. Strategic objectives will vary from organization to organization.

To identify whether strategic objectives have a solid foundation for success, HR should consider the following questions:

• Have the benefits of obtaining the defined objectives been outlined and communicated?
• Are the strategic objectives relevant to the organization's position in the external market? For example, do they consider competitor positions, organizational size and financial strength?
• Do the strategic objectives recognize the organization's strengths and weaknesses?
• Do employees throughout the company understand how these objectives affect them and how they contribute independently and collectively to the defined objectives?
• Are the strategic objectives realistic and feasible? Unrealistic objectives typically result in disappointment for all involved.
• Have timelines for benchmarking progress and targets for completed objectives been set?
• Will the organization realistically be able to identify the success or lack of success in the accomplishment of strategic objectives in some quantitative fashion?
• Can the strategic objectives be linked back to the organization's overall strategy?

As an example, ABC Company may identify in its strategic planning analysis a need to improve the talent acquisition process. The strategic objective to address this issue is to design selection criteria to ensure best-fit hiring while reducing the time-to-fill positions.

Once a key initiative is identified, the organization should do the following:

• Continuously ensure that the objective and action plan are aligned with the organizational and HR strategy.
• Identify the primary actions required to achieve the objective.
• Set milestones for each action, and plan for contingencies.
• Identify the required resources, including budget and staff.
• Establish success measures.
• Communicate key messages.

Ultimately, a strategic objective is only as good as the overall strategic plan.

At this step of the strategic planning process, the focus is on specifying short-term answers to the question "How do we get there?" Specific, concrete short-term objectives that can be completed within six months to a year should be established to answer this question.

Although many organizations engage in strategic planning, very few of them believe they are highly successful at strategy execution. According to a survey by the American Management Association and the Human Resources Institute, only 3 percent of executives polled said their organizations were very successful at executing corporate strategy, whereas 62 percent stated their organizations were moderately successful. However, the companies that reported relatively high success in strategy execution were more likely to realize favorable revenue growth, market share, profitability and customer satisfaction.

Though every organization has its own strategy execution challenges, this study found that mastering the following areas is essential to successfully implementing strategic plans:

• Clarity of communication.
• Alignment of practices.
• Leadership.
• An adaptive organizational infrastructure.
• Resource management.

The single greatest barrier to executing strategy is the lack of adequate resources, the study found.

The final step should be establishing a mechanism to monitor and evaluate progress toward the achievement of strategic objectives. Most organizations conduct annual or quarterly strategic reviews for this purpose. These reviews do the following:

• Determine whether the organization is on track to achieve key objectives.
• Provide the opportunity to identify and adapt to significant internal or external changes that affect the strategic plan.
• Update annual action priorities.

Some organizations may find that systems or tools such as balanced scorecards, benchmarking and dashboards are helpful for keeping focus and monitoring results.

How can the balanced scorecard be applied to human resources?

How do I determine which HR metrics to measure and report?

9 Tips for Using HR Metrics Strategically

How AI Is Changing HR Jobs and Tasks

Wilkinson, Michael (2011) The Executive Guide to Facilitating Strategy Atlanta, GA: Leadership Strategies Publishing.

Stroble, K. R., Kurtessis, J. N., Cohen, D. J., & Alexander, A. (2015). Defining HR Success: 9 critical competencies for HR professionals. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management.

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