Using a large sample of 175 firms in the service-focused sector in Taiwan, the study examined the customer service-focused employee competency as the mechanism through which customer service-focused HR practices facilitate firm performance. In addition, it examined whether the fit of customer service-focused HR practices and customer service-focused strategy may promote firm performance. To confirm the hypotheses, the study collected data for each construct from different sources (i.e. executives, HR members, line managers) in the same firm, generating 2,120 respondents in total, 12.11 respondents per firm in average. This study utilized LISREL 8.3 to perform maximum likelihood (ML) structural equation modeling (SEM) to test mediation hypotheses and hierarchical moderated regression to test moderation hypotheses. Results showed that customer service-focused employee competency fully mediated the relationship between customer service-focused HR practices and firm performance. Firm performance was confirmed as the function of the fit of customer service-focused HR practices and customer service-focused strategy. Suggestions for further research were also discussed.

ABSTRACT Drawing on the upper-echelons (UE) theory and strategic human resources management (SHRM) framework, this study aims to study the effects of top management team (TMT) characteristics on business strategy, strategic HR system relationship, and TMT behavioral integration as a moderating variable among the relationships. This research used both a survey and company data of 122 publicly listed firms in Taiwan to tested an integrated theoretical model relating to TMT characteristics (i.e., TMT demographic heterogeneity and TMT perception towards HR value), business strategies (i.e., differentiation strategy), strategic HR system (i.e., high performance work system ¡VHPWS) and TMT behavioral integration. The findings of this study included: (1) the direct positive relationship between the differentiation strategy and HPWS; (2) the significant relationship between the TMT demographic heterogeneity (i.e. TMT functionality heterogeneity and TMT educational background heterogeneity) and TMT perception towards HR value, and differentiation strategy; (3) the significant relationships between TMT perception towards HR value and differentiation strategy as well as its relationship with HPWS; and (4) a full moderation effect of TMT behavioral integration in the relationship between TMT perception towards HR value and HPWS. This study demonstrates significant associations between TMT, business strategy and HPWS. Reported results support some of the previously established relationships. Implications for future research are discussed.

This thesis deals with talent management. Its aim is to identify the best practices in talent management based on secondary and primary research of selected talent management programs. The theory is focused on definition of strategic HR management and especially talent management as one of its priorities. It is followed by explanation of the basic concepts of talent (such as high-potential, high performing and key employees) and talent management. Further descriptions of talent management process as well as TM challenges are included. The practical part is divided into two main sections. The first one is related to research in four companies and evaluation of their current talent management programs. Due to the fact that Generation Y is still more and more included in talent pool, the second part covers description of work life from its point of view. The final section contains a summary and the best practices.

Det är inte svårt att hitta ord och fraser med oklar eller otydlig innebörd i organisationers strategiska processer. Dessa kan påverka hur ledarskapet uppfattas, hur beslut tas och hur processer implementeras. HR har möjlighet att påverka relationen mellan medarbetare och chefer men HR’s språk är idag outforskat. Därför ämnar denna studie utforska användningen av dessa oklara och otydliga ord och fraser i en HR-kontext. I vår studie benämns oklara och otydliga ord och fraser som buzzwords, och HR-kontexten avser HR som ledning och styrning.  Studien har ett induktivt förhållningssätt där en fallstudie har ramat in buzzwords inom en HR-kontext. Empiri samlades in med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer och en kvalitativ dokumentundersökning, då vi menar att buzzwords är socialt konstruerat av människor i HR- kontexten. Därefter genomfördes en tematisk analys med ett tolkande synsätt som skapade teman för att strukturera vårt utforskande. Dessa 4 teman tolkades sedan i relation till en kvalitativ teoretisk förankring.  I första temat framgår det att ett slutgiltigt lexikon för buzzwords inte finns, men att buzzwords går att dela upp i olika användningsområden kopplade till olika HR-processer. Nästa tema symboliserar olika syner av buzzwords som avgör om det behöver hanteras eller inte. Det tredje temat beskriver varför buzzwords används i HR-kontexten och här kopplas buzzwords till retorikens behov av att behöva övertala, buzzwords är då antingen ett verktyg eller ett krav. Slutligen fann vi att det är lätt att dribbla bort sig själv genom buzzwords om HR inte förstår sin verksamhet.  Svaret på vårt utforskande syfte symboliserar hur frågor kring vad, hur, när och varför buzzwords används i HR-kontexten, vilket ger mer klarhet i organisationers fina men otydliga språk. / It is not hard to find words and phrases with an unclear or inexplicit meaning in organization’s strategical processes. These can impact how the leadership is perceived, how decisions are made and how processes are implemented. HR has the opportunity to influence the relationship between managers and employees, but the language of HR is unexplored today. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the usage of unclear of inexplicit words and phrases in an HR-context. In our study, unclear and inexplicit words is defined as buzzwords, and the HR-context refers to HR as management and control.  This study has an inductive approach where a case study helped us to frame buzzwords in an HR- context. Empiri has been gathered with the help of semi-structured interviews and a qualitative document-investigation, since we mean that buzzwords are socially constructed by people in the HR- context. Thereafter, we did a thematic analysis with an interpretive approach which created themes to be able to structure our exploring. These four themes were interpreted in relation to a qualitative theoretical grounding.  In the first theme it appears that there is no final lexicon for buzzwords, but that buzzwords can be divided into different kinds of areas of application linked to different HR-processes. The next theme symbolizes different views of buzzwords which decides if it needs to be dealt with or not. The third theme describes why buzzwords is used in the HR-context and here buzzwords are linked to the rhetoric’s need to persuade, buzzwords are then rather a tool or a demand. Finally, we found that it is easy to dribble yourself away by using buzzwords if HR does not understand one’s organization.  The answer to our exploring purpose symbolizes how questions about what, how, when and why buzzwords are used in the HR-context, which gives more clarity in organization’s nice but unclear language.

Bakgrund: De senaste tjugo åren har HR-rollen fått en mer strategisk inriktning men inte haft en stark position i ledningsgruppsmöten. HR-chefer, framförallt inom den privata sektorn, kan känna sig marginaliserade i ledningsgruppsmöten. Deras deltagande i dessa möten kan vara utmanande eftersom de inte alltid får lika stort utrymme som de andra medlemmarna. Det kan bero på att det finns en okunskap och ett ointresse hos de övriga medlemmarna i ledningsgruppen om hur HR-chefen kan bidra strategiskt. Även om HR-chefen blivit tilldelad en stol vid ledningsgruppsmöten kan deltagandet ändå vara tufft. En stol vid ledningsgruppsmöten behöver inte betyda att funktionens frågor blir prioriterade.  Syfte: Studiens syfte är att skapa en förståelse om hur HR-chefen kan stärka sin strategiska roll i ledningsgruppsmöten. Studien riktar främst in sig på HR-chefer inom privat sektor som arbetar i olika branscher. Metod: I studien användes en kvalitativ metod där studiens författare genomförde åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med olika HR-chefer inom den privata sektorn. HR-cheferna som intervjuades arbetar inom olika branscher och har flera års erfarenhet av HR-arbete. Samtliga HR-chefer som deltagit i studien är medlemmar i verksamhetsledningen och har varit det sedan flera år. En abduktiv ansats användes för att hitta kopplingar mellan det teoretiska och det empiriska materialet.  Slutsats: Studiens slutsats blev att HR-chefers strategiska roll kan stärkas på flera olika sätt. Dels kan HR-chefen själv stärka rollens position och dels kan den stärkas beroende påandras uppfattning och inställning till rollen. Den kan också stärkas av faktorer som HR-chefen inte kan kontrollera, som exempelvis digitaliseringen / Background: For the past twenty years, the HR role has taken a more strategic focus but has not had a strong position in management team meetings. HR managers, especially in the private sector, can feel marginalized in management team meetings. Their participation in this kind of meetings can be challenging since they do not always get as much space as the other members. This may be because there is an ignorance and a lack of interest on the part of the other members of the management team about how the HR manager can contribute strategically. Even if the HR manager has been assigned a chair at management team meetings, participation can still be tough. A chair at the management team meetings does not mean that the function's issues are given priority. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of how the HR manager can strengthen their strategic role in management team meetings. The study mainly focuses on HR managers in the private sector who work in different industries. Method: The study used a qualitative method where the study's authors conducted eight semi-structured interviews with various HR managers in the private sector. The HR managers who were interviewed work in different industries and have several years of experience in the HR function. All HR managers who participated in the study are members of the management team and have been for several years. An abductive approach was used to find connections between the theoretical and the empirical material. Conclusion: The study concluded that the strategic role of HR managers can be strengthened in several different ways. On the one hand, the HR manager themselves can strengthen the role's position and on the other hand, it can be strengthened depending on others' perception and attitude to the role. It can also be strengthened by factors that the HR manager cannot control, such as digitalisation.

Kandidatuppsats i Företagsekonomi III, Organisation 15 hp, 2FE78E, Ekonomihögskolan vid Linnéuniversitetet i Kalmar. VT 2023. Titel: HR-paradoxen: Att arbeta med mänskliga resurser som inte är på plats. Författare: Kajsa Roos och Petra Ruzsa-Pal Lärosäte: Linnéuniversitetet Ämne: Organisation Handledare: Iva Josefsson Examinator: Mikael Lundgren  Problemformuleringar: Hur uppfattar HR-medarbetare att deras yrke förändrats, vad gäller arbete med organisationskultur och gemenskap, i och med det ökande distans- och hybridarbetet?  Hur kan HR-medarbetare arbeta för att skapa och upprätthålla gemenskap och en gynnsam organisationskultur vid distans- och hybridarbete? Syfte: Syftet med studien är att ge en bild av hur HR-yrket förändrats i och med det ökande distans- och hybridarbetet samt att redogöra för hur HR-ansvariga kan arbeta med att skapa och upprätthålla gemenskap och en positiv organisationskultur i en tid präglad av distans- och hybridarbete.  Metod: Studien följer en induktiv ansats som bygger på en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi där studiens empiri samlats in genom nio intervjuer förlagda på åtta olika organisationer med hjälp av semistrukturerade frågor. Empirin har senare analyserats, tolkats och kategoriserats.  Slutsats: Utifrån studien går det att se att HR-medarbetare behöver tänka och agera på ett annat sätt än tidigare, gällande både aktiviteter, rekrytering och relationsbyggande. Den främsta skillnaden är att de fysiska träffarna och relationerna hamnat i bakgrunden, därför behöver HR-medarbetare arbeta för att skapa nya arenor där dessa möten kan uppstå. Studien visar vidare att det är fördelaktigt att lägga ner mer tid och planering på aktiviteter som ämnar ersätta fysiska aktiviteter. Att vidare involvera personalen i viktiga beslut skapar ett bättre klimat och kultur, som präglas av tillit, fria val och god kommunikation. / Bachelor thesis Business Administration III, Organization 15 credits, 2FE78E, School of Economics at Linnaeus University of Kalmar. Spring 2023. Title: The HR-Paradox: Working with human resources that are not present in the workplace Authors: Kajsa Roos and Petra Ruzsa-Pal Institution: Linnaeus University Subject: Organization Advisor: Iva Josefsson Examiner: Mikael Lundgren   Research questions: How do HR-employees perceive that their profession has changed, in terms of working with organizational culture and a sense of community, in relation to the increased occurrence of remote- and hybrid work? How can HR-employees work to create and maintain a favorable organizational culture and a sense of community in remote- and hybrid work? Purpose: The aim of this study is to present a picture of how the HR-profession has changed due to the increasing distance- and hybrid work and to explain how strategic HR-employees can work to create and maintain a sense of community and togetherness as well as a positive organizational culture in a time embossed by distance- and hybrid work. Method: This study follows an inductive approach based on a qualitative research strategy, where the study's empirical data has been collected though nine interviews held at eight different organizations, using semi-structured interview questions. The empirical material has later been analyzed and categorized.  Conclusion: Based on this study, we can see that HR-employees need to think and act in a different way than before, regarding both activities, recruitment and relationship building. The main difference has been that the physical meetings and relationships have fallen into the background, therefore HR-employees need to create new arenas where such meetings can occur. The study further shows that it is beneficial to spend more time and planning on activities that replace physical activities. Furthermore, involving the staff in important decisions creates a better climate and culture and should be characterized by trust and good communication.