New insights into strategic HRM: a configurational and Bayesian network approach to HR practices, organization of work and leadership

Research in Strategic HRM has mainly focused on the relationship between HR practices and firm performance. In this project, we argue that this focus is one-sided and too simplistic. First, next to HR practices, the organization of work and leadership should be considered, as they also influence employees' behavior and therefore drive firm performance. Second, in an era of sustainable and employee-centred HRM, research should not only focus on firm performance, but also on employee well-being. We therefore study configurations of HR practices, the organization of work and leadership, and relate these to employee well-being (e.g. organizational commitment, stress), operational firm performance (e.g. labour productivity) and financial firm performance (e.g. return on equity). The aim of this project is (1) to detect 'powerful connections' and 'deadly combinations', i.e. configurations of HR practices, the organization of work and leadership with synergistic respectively destroying effects for employee well-being and firm performance, and (2) to understand how and why these different configurations influence employee well-being and firm performance. To address this aim, we will combine quantitative (multi-source survey) and qualitative (in-depth interviews) research methods and use novel analysis techniques in line with the theoretical assumptions of the configurational perspective underlying our approach (i.e. Bayesian network and necessary condition analysis).