Organisational values consist of enduring and indispensable tenets which underpin organisational culture and form the foundation for an organisation’s purpose and goals. It should represent a unique set of collectively shared values, which silently gives direction to the multitude of decisions to be made on a daily basis within the organisational domain. Unfortunately, companies seem to place an overt focus on articulating and promulgating their values as opposed to embedding it in the hearts and minds of their employees, who ultimately have to live the values. The challenge therefore still remains for organisations to not only articulate their values, but rather focus on inculcating and, in actuality, living these values, thereby making them a business ‘weapon’ - a powerful source to be reckoned with. The question arises: Are they getting it right? / Mini Dissertation (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2013. / ai2014 / Human Resource Management / MCom (Industrial Psychology) / Unrestricted

Utgångspunkten för denna studie är att mångfald i arbetslivet är ett komplext område som är i ständig utveckling. Syftet med studien är att belysa en kommuns interna mångfaldsarbete   utifrån ett ledningsperspektiv. Detta undersöks utifrån kommunens styrdokument, användningen av dessa och respondenternas uppfattning kring mångfaldsområdet. Empiri har inhämtats genom fem semistrukturerade intervjuer och analyserats med inspiration från hermeneutiken. Resultatet påvisar att styrdokumenten, dess implementering samt uppfattningen kring mångfaldsarbetet och mångfaldsområdet är oförenade. Det råder en enhetlighet kring vilka styrdokument som är kopplade till mångfald och hur dessa ska användas. Den faktiska användningen av dessa är dock sparsam och det råder bristande   överensstämmande kring vad mångfaldsarbete och mångfaldsområdet innebär. Baserat på detta diskuteras utmaningarna kring mångfaldsarbetet i kommunen utifrån bristen av kontextualisering och utifrån mångfaldsarbetet som en förändringsprocess. Avslutningsvis redogörs en slutsats utifrån studien och förslag på vidare forskning inom ämnet. / The approach for this study is that diversity in working life is a complex area which is constantly evolving. The purpose of the study is to investigate a municipality's inhouse diversity work from a management perspective. This is examined by viewing the municipality's governing documents, the use of these and the respondents' perception of   diversity. Empirical data has been gathered through five semi-structured interviews and analyzed with inspiration from hermeneutics. The result shows that the governing documents, its implementation and the perception of  diversity and diversity work are disconnected. There is uniformity around which governance documents that are linked to diversity and how these should be used. However, the actual use of these documents is sparse and there is insufficient consistency about diversity work and the respondent’s perception of diversity. Based on this, the challenges of diversity work in the municipality are discussed based on the lack of contextualization and by viewing diversity work as a change process. Finally, a conclusion for the study is   presented and proposals for further research on the subject is offered.

Syftet med studien var att kartlägga vilka förutsättningar boendestödjare i Värmland och Dalsland har att hantera sina arbetsuppgifter utifrån kompetens och evidens. Vi använde oss av en kvantitativ metod och gruppenkäter för att kunna göra denna kartläggning. Studien riktade sig till enhetschefer inom socialpsykiatrin samt dess personal som jobbar inom boendestöd mot brukare med egen bostad. Två enkäter gjordes varav den ena riktades mot enhetscheferna och den andra mot personal. Totalt tillfrågades 23 kommuner att delta i studien och av de svarade 17 kommuner på enkäterna vilket ger en svarsfrekvens på 74 %. Svarsfrekvensen bland boendestödjarna var 63 %. Studien ger en överblick hur verksamheterna inom boendestöd i Värmland och Dalsland arbetar med kompetens och evidens. Studiens resultat visade att majoriteten av personal inom boendestöd i Värmland och Dalsland hade den utbildning som fanns att tillgå för att jobba inom socialpsykiatrin, vilket är vård- och omsorgsutbildning. För att få reda på hur det ser ut med kompetensutveckling i kommunerna slogs tre frågor samman och bildade ett index. De flesta kommuner i studien hade kompetensutvecklingsplaner och studien visade ingen skillnad mellan stora och små kommuner. Personalen hade en positiv attityd till hur genomförandeplaner används. När det gäller att arbeta med ny forskning bör det enligt studiens resultat ske en förändring då det var få som hade en positiv attityd till hur ny forskning tas in i arbetet. / The purpose of the study was to identify preconditions for housing support within competence and evidence- based work in Värmland and Dalsland. We used a quantitative method with questionnaires. The study was directed to unit managers in social psychiatry and its staff working in housing support for clients in their own homes. Two questionnaires were maid, one which was directed to unit managers and the other towards staff. A total of 23 municipalities were asked to participate in the study and of the 17 municipalities that responded to the questionnaire giving a response rate of 74%. The response among using support was 63%. The study provides an overview how competence and evidence- based work are used of housing support in Värmland and Dalsland. The results of the study show that the majority of staff in housing support in Värmland and Dalsland has the education that is available to work in social psychiatry, which is health and social care education. Most municipalities in the study has development plans, and there is no difference between large and small municipalities. The test gave a positive result showing a high reliability value. The staff had a positive attitude towards the execution plans used in work. When it comes to working with new research a change should take place according to the result of the study because the attitude was not positive how new research are used in work.

I studien har fyra faktorer identifierats som anses ha en påverka påmedarbetarengagemang inom SME företag; Värderingar som anses öka känslan av meningsfullhet hos medarbetaren. Studiens resultat förespråkar fokus på bland annat individuella värderingar samt gemensamt framställda värderingar.Decentralisering anses också ha en påverkan på känslan av meningsfullhet hos medarbetaren. Här rekommenderas hög grad av autonomi och medarbetarinvolvering inom beslutsfattanden. Trygghet i chefer och kollegoranses bidra till en ökad psykologisk säkerhet hos medarbetaren. Studiens resultat förespråkar transparens och öppenhet, kontinuerliga dialoger om välmående samt gemenskap. Stöd och kommunikation anses påverka medarbetarens psykologiska samt fysiska tillgänglighet. Här rekommenderas kontinuerliga puls-mätningar och möten för att identifiera kompetensgap och behov av stöd. I följd av detta ska medarbetarna även ha tillgång till coachning eller andra former av stöttning.

Talent Management (TM), as a new managerial concept with regard to Human Resource Management (HRM), has increasingly gained concern and attention from the academic as well as business world, but there are many gaps and omissions left for further theoretical development and empirical study. Hence, understanding the differences between TM and HRM becomes necessary. Given an absence of clarity in the literature, the aim of the present study is to gain a thorough understanding of TM among Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in Beijing, to explore to what extent this managerial idea represents anything new, and to find out why organisations adopt TM. A case study method was selected as the main research methodology. The study was undertaken in Beijing, and the target companies were limited to four MNCs, respectively from the IT (two organisations), health care and education industries, and three consultancy companies. The theoretical perspective largely draws upon the literature on TM, management fashion and institutional theory. Findings show that the topic of TM has been enthusiastically pursued. However, there is not a single concise definition shared by all the case study organisations, even though different strands of understanding regarding TM are explored in this study. The thesis has also explored what is distinctive about TM, and the factors and purposes influencing the adoption of TM in China. Through comparing HRM with literature and empirical findings relating to TM, this thesis has found that TM seems to presage some new approaches to the management of the people resource in organisations, rather than a simple repackaging of old techniques and ideas with a new label. Meanwhile, this thesis strongly challenges the idea that TM is another struggle by HR professionals to enhance their legitimacy, status and credibility. Therefore, TM should not be considered as ‘old wine in new bottles’, at least with respect to the case of MNCs in China.

Regardless of whether organizations are in the private sector or in the public sector, there is a general agreement that human resources are critical to keeping organizations effective as well as maintaining a high level of organizational performance. While more serious effort has been made to empirically examine how human resources influence organizational performance (e.g., studies about turnover consequences, studies about the relationship between human resource management practices and organizational performance) in the private sector, it is rare to find similar empirical studies in the public sector partly because it is hard to define public organizational performance. In my dissertation, I basically investigate how human resources are critical to organizational performance in the public sector with a question, "Do human resources really matter in the public sector, too?" Focusing on the crime control performance of municipal police departments, I examine the relationships among turnover, police performance, and human resource management (HRM) characteristics by surveying police departments of the U.S. cities whose population range is between 100,000 to 500,000 (Out of 205 surveyed cities, 65 cities participated). Firstly, I explore how human resource management practices (individually and systematically) influence crime control performance of the police. Based on universalistic HRM perspective (i.e., best HRM practices) and control theory perspective, I hypothesize that commitment HRM system (and individual practices) will have positive effect on crime control performance of the police. Secondly, I investigate more specific questions such as if turnover has significant effect on crime control performance and if HRM system has moderating effect on turnover consequence. Results about turnover effect confirm human capital theory that predicts the negative effect of turnover when employees with specific knowledge quit. However, no significant relationships are found between commitment HRM system (and individual practices) and organizational performance. The results might help municipal police departments deal with sworn officers' turnover as well as set up proper HRM practices.

Tourism and hospitality play a crucial role in the growth of the Thai economy and hoteliers need to consider how to retain their talented employees. The major output of tourism and hospitality is service and this is most critically driven by the human capital of the organisation and supported by human resource practices. This study examined workforce expectations and experiences of work relationships, job security, WLB, pay and remuneration, PM systems, career promotion, training and development and challenging job roles in luxury five-star hotels in Thailand. It employs a multi-method research design using a pragmatic lens, mixed methods and sequential explanatory design through a survey of 578 respondents, followed by 62 semi-structured interviews, the study shows that national chain hotels are more willing and better able to adapt their HR practices initiatives to local conditions when compared to local and international chain hotels. Thai hotel employees emphasise harmonious social relations and a physical closeness to be taken care of by their supervisors and management team like family members. They are increasingly aware of the need for bundles of HR practices and managers therefore need to understand their workforce and the need to incorporate more flexibility in their working practices as part of a brandconsistent system. Finally, managers need to consider the relational psychological contract of the workforce and understand workforce commitment and how this relates to the broader strategy of the organisation.

yes / The academic literature widely acknowledges changes and variation in the practices of small firms but only a small amount of empirical work has explored the processes through which HRM practices undergo change. Research has tended, instead, to examine the presence and effectiveness of HRM in small firms and has often viewed this in terms of a deficit model relating such practices to an understanding of HRM derived from larger firms. This chapter focuses on the recruitment and selection and staff payment practices in use in three small services firms to explore the everyday, ongoing detail of their HRM processes and practices. Identifying the different processes through which recruitment and selection and staff payment practices changed in the participant firms provides a base for discussing persistent forms of informality and the lack of stability that reflects the everyday realities of the firms, not only in contrast to their formalized policies but in engagement with them. This chapter advances understanding of selected HRM practices in small services firms after periods of formalization and adoption of HRM policies and practices. The chapter also discusses how developing knowledge of small firms’ HRM practices in this way has implications for researchers and practitioners.

Detta examensarbete har haft som syfte att undersöka hur det gränslösa arbetet uttrycker sig bland chefer inom stadsbyggnadsförvaltningen i Luleå kommun. Därför har studien haft följande frågeställningar; 1) Hur uttrycker sig det gränslösa arbetet hos chefer på olika nivåer vid stadsbyggnadsförvaltningen i Luleå kommun? 2) På vilket sätt har cheferna påverkats av det gränslösa arbetet? Vilka konsekvenser har det fått? 3) Vilka insatser kan förvaltningens HR-funktion tillämpa för att förbättra eller utveckla chefernas arbetssituation i relation till det gränslösa arbetet? Studien har haft en kvalitativ ansats där femton stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer har legat som grund för studiens resultatavsnitt. Studiens teoretiska ramverk har bestått av en samlad teoribildning om gränslöst arbete (Allvin, et, al,1998;2006). Det teoretiska ramverket har även kompletterats med Karasek och Theorells (1990) trefaktors-modell om krav, kontroll och socialt stöd för att få en djupare förståelse om intervjupersonernas arbetssituation. Studiens resultat har visat att det gränslösa arbetet uttrycker sig främst genom en hög grad av flexibilitet och arbetsbelastning. Resultatet har även visat att både positiva och negativa konsekvenser av det gränslösa arbetet framkommit bland cheferna. Inom diskussionsavsnittet argumenteras det därför att stadsbyggnadsförvaltningen behöver applicera ett antal insatser för att minska och förebygga de negativa effekterna av det gränslösa arbetet. Argumentationen har mynnat ut i förslag om att reducera antalet fysiska möten, ett säkerställande av kompetensutveckling bland nya chefer, uppmuntra och kommunicera inför chefer om att ta till vara på sin lediga tid, skapa mer privat arbetstid bland cheferna och slutligen säkerställa en tillräcklig nivå av stöd från olika stödfunktioner. / This master thesis has been designed to investigate how the boundaryless work is expressed among managers of City building department in Lulea county. The purpose of the study has therefore been communicated with the following research questions; 1) How does the boundaryless work among managers at various levels of the City building department express itself? 2) In which ways have the managers been affected by the boundaryless work? What consequences has it resulted in? 3) What actions can the departments HR function apply by improving or developing the managers' work situation in relationship to the boundaryless work? The study has had a qualitative approach in which fifteen semi structured interviews have been the basis for the study’s result. The theoretical framework of the study has consisted theories on boundaryless work by Allvin et al. (1998; 2006). The theoretical framework has also been supplemented with Karasek and Theorell's (1990) three-factor model to gain a deeper understanding of the interviewees' work situation. The study's results have shown that the boundaryless work expresses itself through a high degree of flexibility and workload. Both positive and negative consequences of the boundaryless work have emerged among the managers. Within the discussion section, it is argued that the City building department needs to apply several efforts to reduce the negative effects of boundaryless work. The argument has resulted in proposals to reduce the number of physical meetings, increase the skills development of new managers, encourage and communicate to managers that they need to be off duty on their spare time, create more private working hours among managers and finally ensure an increasing level of support from the supporting functions (HR, etc.) among managers.

Studien undersöker ledningens och medarbetarnas uppfattning om utvecklingen av en ny HRM-funktion på ett svenskt medelstort företag, med följande frågeställning: Hur uppfattar ledningen och medarbetarna utvecklingen av HRM-funktionen i förhållande till deras behov och förväntningar? För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställning har semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med ledning och medarbetare för att utforska implementeringen av arbetsmiljöarbete med HRM-funktionen inom det medelstora företaget. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys tillämpades för att analysera intervjudata och identifiera mönster kring HRM-funktionens påverkan på arbetsmiljön. Det framkom att HRM-funktionen har spelat en viktig roll i struktureringen och förbättringen av arbetsmiljön med en högre delaktighet hos medarbetare och social hållbarhet. Det har skapat en ökad trygghet och öppenhet på arbetsplatsen. Trots positiva förändringar mötte HRM-funktionen initiala utmaningar med kommunikationsbrister, vilket understryker behovet av en tydlig och tidig dialog för att maximera dess positiva effekter och minimera hinder. / The study examines management's and employees' perception of the development of a new HRM function at a Swedish medium-sized company, with the following question: How do management and employees perceive the development of the HRM function in relation to their needs and expectations? In order to answer the study's purpose and question, semi-structured interviews have been conducted with management and employees to explore the implementation of work environment work with the HRM function within the medium-sized company. A qualitative content analysis was applied to analyze the interview data and identify patterns around the HRM function's impact on the work environment. The study concluded that the HRM function has played an important role in the structuring and improvement of the work environment with a higher participation of employees and social sustainability. This has created increased safety and candidness in the workplace. Despite positive changes, the HRM function faced initial challenges with communication gaps, underscoring the need for a clear and early dialogue to maximize its positive effects and minimize barriers.