Skip to main content

Late to the Party: HR’s Contribution to Contemporary Theories of Strategy

  • Chapter
Neostrategic Management

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

  • 1590 Accesses

Abstract

Drawing insights derived from systems theory, the resource theory of the firm and historical developments within the functional areas of management, this paper calls attention to the emergent importance of HR system design to firm competitiveness. The reader is introduced to the FourSquare Model and its premise that successful strategy formulation and implementation requires integrated decision-making across four primary functional domains. The Model makes three significant contributions to our understanding of organizational performance: (1) it brings together important insights from a range of theoretical perspectives; (2) it presents a parsimonious yet theoretically sophisticated model for empirical investigators and management theorists; and (3) it provides practicing organizational leaders with a cogent and accessible tool to guide executive development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Critiques of Thomas Piketty’s “grand theory of inequality” as presented in his book Capital in the Twenty-First Century provides a good example of the current mood of skepticism toward grand theory.

  2. 2.

    Researches in this community formed themselves, in 1948 into the Operational Research Club of Britain. The Operations Research Society in America followed and was formed in 1952.

  3. 3.

    Winner of the Pulitzer and Bancroft prizes.

  4. 4.

    The Journal of Marketing initiated publication in 1937.

  5. 5.

    In 1989, the American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA) changes its name to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to reflect its broadened scope and influence in business and political worlds internationally.

References

  • Amit, R., & Schoemaker, P. J. (1993). Strategic assets and organizational rent. Strategic Management Journal, 14(1), 33–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, K. (1971). The concept of corporate strategy. Homewood: Dow-Jones-Irwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous. (1997). Core competences and R&D. Research Technology Management, 40(3), 60–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ansoff, I. H. (1965). Corporate strategy: An analytic approach to business policy for growth and expansion. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arthur, J. B. (1992). The link between business strategy and industrial relations systems in American steel minimills. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 45(3), 488–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Athanassiou, N., & Nigh, D. (1999). The impact of U.S. company internationalization on top management team advice networks. Strategic Management Journal, 20(1), 83–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baird, L., & Meshoulam, I. (1988). Managing two fits of strategic human resource management. Academy of Management Review, 13(1), 116–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bamberger, P., & Meshoulam, I. (2000). Human resource strategy. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bantel, K. A., & Jackson, S. E. (1989). Top management and innovations in banking: Does the composition of the top management team make a difference? Strategic Management Journal, 10, 107–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barney, J. B. (1986). Organizational culture: Can it be a source of sustained competitive advantage? Academy of Management Review, 11(3), 656–665.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baskin, J. B., & Miranti, P. J., Jr. (1997). A history of corporate finance. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, B., & Gerhart, B. (1996). The impact of human resource management on organizational performance: Progress and prospects. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 779–801.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogner, W. C., & Thomas, H. (1994). Core competence and competitive advantage: A model and illustrative evidence from the pharmaceutical industry. In G. Hamel & A. Heene (Eds.), Competence-based competition (pp. 111–147). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. (1993). Post-modern marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 27(4), 19–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, M. A., & Fredrickson, J. W. (2001). Top management teams, global strategic posture, and the moderating role of uncertainty. Academy of Management Journal, 44(3), 533–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, E. (1971). The behavioral theory of the firm and top-level corporate decisions. Administrative Science Quarterly, 16, 413–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaffee, E. E. (1985). Three models of strategy. Academy of Management Review, 10(1), 89–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaganti, R., & Sambharya, R. (1987). Strategic orientation and characteristics of upper management. Strategic Management Journal, 8(4), 393–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chandler, A. D. (1962). Strategy and structure: Chapters in the history of the industrial enterprise. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chandler, A. D. (1977). The visible hand: The managerial revolution in American business. Cambridge, MA: Belknap.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chandler, A. D. (1990). Scale and scope: The dynamics of industrial capitalism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crook, T. R., Todd, S. Y., Combs, J. G., Woehr, D. J., & Ketchen, D. J., Jr. (2011). Does human capital matter? A meta-analysis of the relationship between human capital and firm performance”. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96, 443–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cyert, R., & March, J. G. (1992). A behavioral theory of the firm (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Datta, D. K., & Guthrie, J. P. (1994). Executive succession: Organizational antecedents of CEO characteristics. Strategic Management Journal, 15(7), 569–578.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doty, H. D. (1994). Typologies as a unique form of theory building: Toward improved understanding and modeling. Academy of Management Review, 19(2), 230–252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drucker, P. F. (1959). The landmarks of tomorrow. New York: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, L. (1983). Bringing human resources into the strategy formulation process. Human Resource Management, 22, 257–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, L. (Ed.). (1988). Human resource management: Evolving roles and responsibilities, ASPA/BNA handbook of human resource management (Vol. 1). Washington, DC: Bureau of National Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M., & Zbaracki, M. J. (1992). Strategic decision making. Strategic Management Journal, 13(2), 17–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiol, C. M. (1991). Managing culture as a competitive resource: An identity-based view of sustainable competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17, 191–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiol, C. M., & Lyles, M. A. (1985). Organizational learning. Academy of Management Review, 10(4), 803–813.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gass, S. I., & Assad, A. A. (2004). An annotated timeline of operations research: An informal history. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, D. R. J., Hartman, E., Mauriel, J. J., & Freeman, R. E. (1988). A logic for strategy. New York: Ballinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golden, K. A., & Ramanujam, V. (1985). Between a dream and a nightmare: On the integration of the human resource and strategic business planning processes. Human Resource Management, 24(4), 429–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goll, I., Sambharya, R. B., & Tucci, L. A. (2001). Top management team composition, corporate ideology and firm performance. Management International Review, 41(2), 109–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, R. M. (1993). The resource-based theory of competitive advantage: Implications for strategy formation. California Management Review, 33, 114–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guest, D. (2011). Human resource management and performance: Still searching for some answers. Human Resource Management Journal, 21, 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hambrick, D., & Mason, P. (1984). Upper echelons: The organization as a reflection of its top managers. Academy of Management Journal, 15, 514–535.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hitt, M. A., Bierman, L., Shimizu, K., & Kochhar, R. (2001). Direct and moderating effects of human capital on strategy and performance in professional service firms: A resource-based perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 44(1), 13–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huselid, M. A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38(4), 429–452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibarra, H. (1992). Structural alignments, individual strategies, and managerial action: Elements toward a network theory of getting things done. In N. Nohria & R. G. Eccles (Eds.), Networks and organizations: Structure, form and action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School.

    Google Scholar 

  • Institute of Management Accountants. (1996). The practice analysis of management accounting: Results of research. Montvale, NJ: IMA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanigel, R. (2005). The one best way: Frederick Winslow Taylor and the enigma of efficiency. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, B. (2012). Strategic human resource management research in the United States: A failing grade after 30 years? Academy of Management Perspectives, 26, 12–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, W., & Mauborgne, R. (1991). Implementing global strategies: The role of procedural justice. Strategic Management Journal, 12, 125–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kleiner, A. (1995). Twenty-first century organizations: Four plausible prospects. Retrieved August 1, 2013, from http://www.gbn.com/public/gbnstory/articles/ex_21st_cen_org.htm

  • Knight, D., Pearce, C. L., Smith, K. G., Olian, J. D., Sims, H. P., Smith, K. A., et al. (1999). Top management team diversity, group process, and strategic consensus. Strategic Management Journal, 20, 445–465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koontz, H. (1980). The management theory jungle revisited. Academy of Management Review, 5(2), 175–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krishnan, H. A., Miller, A., & Judge, W. Q. (1997). Diversification and top management team complementarity: Is performance improved by merging similar or dissimilar teams? Strategic Management Journal, 18, 361–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lado, A. A., & Wilson, M. C. (1994). Human resource systems and sustained competitive advantage: A competency-based perspective. Academy of Management Review, 19(4), 699–727.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laird, J. P. N. (1998). Imagery, visualization, and thinking. In J. Hochberg (Ed.), Perception and cognition at the century’s end. San Diego, CA: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leonard-Barton, D. (1992). Core capabilities and core rigidities: A paradox in managing new product development. Strategic Management Journal, 13, 111–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liker, J. K., Fruin, M. W., & Adler, P. S. (Eds.). (1999). Remade in America: Transplanting and transforming Japanese management systems. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucia, A. D., & Lepsinger, R. (1999). The art and science of competency models: Pinpointing critical success factors. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macharzina, K. (2000). The Japanese model–out of date? Management International Review, 40(2), 103–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAfee, A., & Brynjolfsson, E. (2012). Big data: The management revolution. Harvard Business Review, 90, 60–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCormick, E. J. (1976). Job and task analysis. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology. Chicago: Rand-McNally.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miles, R. E., & Snow, C. C. (1978). Organizational strategy, structure, and process. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milkovich, G., Dyer, L., & Mahoney, T. (1983). HRM planning. In S. Carroll & R. Schuler (Eds.), Human resources management in the 1980s. Washington, DC: Bureau of National Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, M. H. (1999). The history of finance. Journal of Portfolio Management, 25(4), 95–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mills, C. W. (1940). Methodological consequences of the sociology of knowledge. American Journal of Sociology, 46(3), 316–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mintzberg, H., Raisinghanim, D., & Theoret, A. (1976). The structure of “unstructured” decision processes. Administrative Science Quarterly, 21(2), 246–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mintzberg, H., & Waters, J. (1985). Of strategies: Deliberate and emergent. Strategic Management Journal, 6(3), 257–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morishita, F. (1959). The modern nature of managerial marketing, no. 1. The Business Review [Keiei Kenkyu], Osaka City University, 40(2), 1–29 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, A. I. (1989). Top management group heterogeneity and firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 10(1), 125–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, R. R. (1991). Why do firms differ and how does it matter? [Special issue]. Strategic Management Journal, 12, 61–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, R. R., & Winter, S. (1982). An evolutionary theory of economic change. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newbert, S. (2007). Empirical research on the resource-based view of the firm: An assessment and suggestions for future research. Strategic Management Journal, 28(2), 121–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norburn, D., & Birley, S. (1988). The top management team and corporate performance. Strategic Management Journal, 9(3), 225–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osterman, P. (1987). Choice of employment systems in internal labor markets. Industrial Relations, 26(1), 46–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ouchi, W. (1982). Theory Z: How American business can meet the Japanese challenge. New York: Avon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Penrose, E. T. (1959). The theory of the growth of the firm. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, M. (1980). Competitive strategy. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prahalad, C. K., & Hamel, G. (1990). The core competence of the corporation. Harvard Business Review, 63(3), 79–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rumelt, R. P. (1991). How much does industry matter? Strategic Management Journal, 12(3), 167–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schuler, R. S., & Jackson, S. E. (1987, August). Linking competitive strategies with human resource management practices. The Academy of Management Executive, 1(3), 207–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schuler, R. S., & Jackson, S. E. (Eds.). (1999). Strategic human resource management. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, H. A. (1997). Administrative behavior: A study of decision-making processes in administrative organizations (4th ed.). New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sivasubramaniam, N., & Kroeck, G. K. (1995). Alternative conceptualizations of fit in strategic human resources management. Ithaca, NY: Human Resource Planning Society Research Symposium.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snell, S. A. (1992). Control theory in strategic human resource management: The mediating effect of administrative information. Academy of Management Journal, 35(2), 292–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spell, C. S. (2001). Management fashions: Where do they come from, and are they old wine in new bottles? Journal of Management Inquiry, 10(4), 358–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stalk, G., Evans, P., & Shulman, L. E. (1992). Competing on capabilities: The new rules of corporate strategy. Harvard Business Review, 70(2), 57–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swiercz, P. M. (1995). Strategic human resources management orientation: Developing and testing a measure. Ithaca, NY: Human Resource Planning Society Research Symposium.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swiercz, P. M., & Ross, K. T. (2003). Rational, human, political and symbolic text in Harvard business school cases: A study of structure and content. Journal of Management Education, 27(3), 407–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swiercz, P. M., & Spencer, B. A. (1992). HRM and sustainable competitive advantage: Lessons from Delta Air Lines. Human Resource Planning, 15(2), 35–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tedlow, R. S. (1990). New and improved: The story of mass marketing in America. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomer, J. F. (1987). Organizational capital. New York: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ulrich, D., & Lake, D. (1990). Organizational capability. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wangrow, D. B., Schepker, D. J., & Barker, V. L. (2015). Managerial discretion: An empirical review and focus on future research directions. Journal of Management, 41(1), 99–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiersema, M. F., & Bantel, K. A. (1992). Top management team demography and corporate strategic change. Academy of Management Journal, 35(1), 91–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P. M., & McMahan, G. C. (1992). Theoretical perspectives for strategic human resources management. Journal of Management, 18(2), 292–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, P. M., Smart, D. L., & McMahon, G. C. (1995). Matches between human resources strategy among NCAA basketball teams. Academy of Management Journal, 38(4), 1052–1073.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeung, A., Brockbank, W., & Ulrich, D. (1994). Lower cost, higher value: Human resource function in transformation. Human Resource Planning, 17(3), 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul Micheal Swiercz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Swiercz, P.M. (2016). Late to the Party: HR’s Contribution to Contemporary Theories of Strategy. In: Vrdoljak Raguž, I., Podrug, N., Jelenc, L. (eds) Neostrategic Management. Contributions to Management Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18185-1_13

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics