The aim of this paper is to analyse the explanatory power of the universalist vs. cultural perspective of human resource management (HRM) through the examples of Austria, Germany and Sweden. This comparison is based on results from the Cranet-E surveys of European HRM. A statistical analysis of these results indicates that country differences matter. As expected they were larger between the two Germanic countries and Sweden than between Austria and Germany. We were able to provide some explanations for these differences. Some were cultural, others more institutional. However, at least one result also supports a universalist perspective. In all three countries there has been a devolvement of responsibility from human resource specialists to line management. One implication of the research presented here is that European economic integration has not led to a European HRM yet. Companies operating in different European countries still have to adapt their human resource policies to the particular national context.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AckermannK.F. (1992): Auf der Suche nach kundenorientierten Organisationsformen des Personalmanagements. In: KienbaumJ. (Hg.): Visionäres Personalmanagement. Stuttgart, 241–254.
2.
AuerM. (1994): Personalentwicklung und betriebliche Mitbestimmung: Eine mikropolitische Analyse. Wiesbaden.
3.
BeginJ.P. (1997): Dynamic Human Resource Systems – Cross-National Comparisons. Berlin.
4.
BerglundJ.LöwstedtJ. (1996): Sweden: The Fate of Human Resource Management in a ‘Folkish’ Society. In: ClarkT. (Hg.): European Human Resource Management. Oxford, 215–243.
5.
BoxallP. (1995): Building the theory of comparative HRM. In: Human Resource Management Journal5 (5), 5–17.
6.
BrewsterC. (forthcoming): Different paradigms in strategic HRM: Questions raised by comparative research. In: WrightP.M. (Hg.): Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management. Jai Press.
7.
BrewsterC.SöderströmM. (1994): Human Resources and Line Management. In: BrewsterC.HegewischA. (Hg.): Policy and Practice in European Human Resource Management: The Price Waterhouse Cranfield Survey. London, 51–67.
8.
BrewsterC.TregaskisO.HegewischA.MayneL. (1996): Comparative Research in Human Resource Management: A Review and an Example. In: International Journal of Human Resource Management7 (3), 585–604.
9.
BrückF. (1999): Österreichische Kulturstandards im Vergleich zu Deutschland und deren Auswirkungen auf interkulturelles Managementtraining in Österreich. In: Der Donauraum, Spezialheft: Kulturstudien (im Druck).
10.
BudhwarP.S.SparrowP.R. (1997): Evaluating Levels of Strategic Integration and Devolvement of Human Resource Management in India. In: International Journal of Human Resource Management8 (4), 476–494.
11.
BühnerR. (1992): Effiziente Organisationsstrukturen in der Personalarbeit. In: KienbaumJ. (Hg.): Visionäres Personalmanagement. Stuttgart, 97–123.
12.
CarlzonJ. (1987): Moments of Truth. Cambridge, M.A.
13.
CavusgilS.T.DasA. (1997): Methodological Issues in Empirical Cross-cultural Research: A Survey of the Management Literature and a Framework. In: Management International Review37 (1), S. 71–96.
14.
ClarkP.MuellerF. (1996): Organizations and Nations: From Universalism to Institutionalism?. In: British Journal of Management7 (3), 125–139.
15.
ClarkT.PughD. (1998): Convergence and Divergence in European HRM: An Exploratory Polycentric Study. Unpublished Mimeo: Kings's CollegeLondon.
16.
Czarniawska-JoergesB. (1993): A Modern project, a Postmodern Implementation. In: HicksonD.J. (Hg.): Management in Western Europe: Society, Culture and Organization in Twelve Nations. Berlin, 229–247.
17.
DammM.WolffR. (1994): Personalwirtschaft in Schweden – Zur Nichtinstitutionalisierung eines Faches. In: Zeitschrift für Personalforschung8 (3), 239–250.
18.
DarlingtonG. (1996): Culture: A theoretical review. In: JoyntP.WarnerM. (Hg.): Managing Across Cultures: Issues and Perspectives. London, 33–55.
19.
DrummH.J. (1993): Personalwirtschaft – Auf dem Weg zu einer theoretisch-empirischen Personalwirtschaftslehre?. In: HauschildtJ.GrünO. (Hg.): Ergebnisse empirischer betriebswirtschaftlicher Forschung: Zu einer Realtheorie der Unternehmung. Stuttgart, 673–712.
20.
DülferE. (1997): Internationales Management in unterschiedlichen Kulturbereichen. 5. Aufl. München.
21.
von EckardsteinD.JanesA.PrammerK.WildnerT. (1997): Muster betrieblicher Kooperation zwischen Management und Betriebsrat. Die Entwicklung von Lohnmodellen im System österreichischer Arbeitsbeziehungen. München.
22.
von EckardsteinD.MüllerM. (1998): Personalmanagement in Österreich. In: KumarB.N.WagnerD. (Hg.): Handbuch des internationalen Personalmanagements. München, 263–284.
23.
EngwallL. (1998): Stars and Stripes in Scandinavia. Invited paper to the Brown-Bologna Conference on the American cultural impact on Europe and Japan, Bologna, 19–21.3.1998.
24.
FernerA.HymanR. (Hg.) (1998). Changing Industrial Relations in Europe. 2. Aufl. Oxford.
25.
FrankC.VejbrinkK. (1994): Framtidens Personalarbete. Stockholm.
26.
GuestD. (1993): Current Perspectives on Human Resource Management in the United Kingdom. In: HegewischA.BrewsterC. (Hg.): European Developments in Human Resource Management. London.
27.
HaireM.GhiselliE.F.PorterL.W. (1966): Managerial Thinking: An International Study. New York.
28.
HanelU.HegewischA.MayrhoferW. (1996): Institutionelle Aspekte der Personalarbeit in den neuen Bundesländern. Eine empirische Längsschnittanalyse 1990–1995. In: BeckerM.LangR.WagnerD. (Hg.): Sechs Jahre danach: Personalarbeit in den neuen Bundesländern. München, 317–352.
29.
HanelU.HegewischA.MayrhoferW. (Hg.) (1997): Personalarbeit im Wandel. Entwicklungen in den neuen Bundesländern und in Europa. München.
30.
HedlundE.SyrénS.SöderströmM.VejbrinkK. (1990): Personalfrågor I tredje vågan. Uppsala.
31.
HellerF.WilpertB. (1981): Competence and Power in Managerial Decision-Making. Chichester.
32.
HicksonD.J.PughD.S. (1995): Management Worldwide: The Impact of Sociental Culture on Organizations around the Globe. London.
33.
HofstedeG (1980): Motivation, Leadership and Organization: Do American Theories Apply Abroad?. In: Organizational Dynamics, 16 (4), 4–21.
34.
HofstedeG. (1991): Culture and Organisations. New York.
35.
IDE (1993): Industrial Democracy in Europe Revisited. Oxford.
36.
JenningsP.D.MooreL.F. (1995): Introduction and Theoretical Rationale. In: JenningsP.D.MooreL.F. (Hg.): HRM on the Pacific Rim. Berlin, 7–27.
37.
von KellerE., (1982): Management in fremden Kulturen. Bern, Stuttgart.
38.
von KellerE. (1989): Comparative Management. In: MacharzinaK.WelgeM.K. (Hg.): Handwörterbuch Export und internationale Unternehmung. Stuttgart, 231–241.
39.
KerrC.DunlopJ.HarbisonF.MyersJ. (1960): Industrialism and Industrial Man. Cambridge, Mass.
40.
KumarB.N.WagnerD. (Hg.) (1998): Handbuch des internationalen Personalmanagements. München.
41.
LawrenceP.SpybeyT. (1986): Management and Society in Sweden. London.
42.
LockeR.KochanT.PioreM. (1995): Reconceptualizing Comparative Industrial Relations: Lessons from International Research. In: International Labour Review134 (2), 139–161.
43.
LockeR.R. (1996): The Collapse of the American Management Mystique. Oxford.
44.
LuthansF.MarsnikP.A.LuthansK.W. (1997): A Contingency Matrix Approach to IHRM. In: Human Resource Management36 (2), 183–199.
45.
MabonH. (1995): Human Resource Management in Sweden. Employee Relations17 (7), 57–82.
46.
MauriceM.SellierF.SilvestreJ.-J. (1986): The Social Foundations of Industrial Power. London.
47.
MayrhoferW. (1995): Human Resource Management in Austria. In: Employee Relations17 (7), 8–30.
48.
MayrhoferW. (1998): Integration und Differenz – Personalarbeit zwischen Stabsabteilung und Linienmanagement in internationaler Perspektive. In: KutschkerM. (Hrsg.): Integration in der internationalen UnternehmungWiesbaden, 297–324.
49.
MetzT. (1995): Status, Funktion und Organisation der Personalabteilung: Ansätze zu einer institutionellen Theorie des Personalwesens. München.
50.
MullerM. (1997): Institutional Resilience in a Changing World Economy? The Case of the German Banking and Chemical Industries. In: British Journal of Industrial Relations35 (4), 609–626.
51.
MullerM. (1998): Human Resource Management in Austria, Sweden and Germany. Paper presented at 14th EGOS Colloquium, Maastricht, July 9–11, 1998.
52.
MullerM (1999a): Unitarism, Pluralism and Human Resource Management in Germany, In: Management International Review, Special Issue, (im Druck).
53.
MullerM. (1999b): Enthusiastic Embrace or Critical Reception? – The German HRM Debate. In: Journal of Management Studies35 (4), (im Druck).
54.
MullerM.MayrhoferW. (1998): Human Resource Management in Austria: The Importance of the Context. Arbeitspapier Nr. 1 der Interdisziplinären Abteilung für Verhaltenswissenschaftlich Orientiertes Management. Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien.
55.
OechslerW.A. (1997): Neue Produktionskonzepte in einem antiquierten Arbeitsrecht. Wie sich Betriebsräte informell arrangieren. In: Zeitschrift für Personalforschung11 (2), 128–139.
56.
OlieR. (1995): The Culture Factor in Personnel and Organization Policies. In: HarzingA.W.RuysseveldtJ.V. (Hg.): International Human Resource Management. London, 124–143.
57.
RonenS. (1986): Comparative and Multinational Management. New York.
58.
SackmannS.PhillipsM.E.KleinbergM.J.BoyacigillerN.A. (1997): Single and Multiple Cultures in International Cross-Cultural Management Research: Overview. In: SackmannS. (Hg.): Cultural Complexity in OrganizationsLondon, 14–48.
SchreyöggG.OechslerW.A.WächterH. (1995): Managing in a European Context: Human Resources, Corporate Culture, Industrial Relations. Wiesbaden.
61.
SmithP.B. (1996): National Cultures and the Values of Organizational Employees: Time for Another Look. In: JoyntP.WarnerM. (Hg.): Managing Across Cultures: Issues and Perspectives. London, 92–104.
62.
SmithP.B. (1992): Organizational Behaviour and National Cultures. British Journal of Management3 (1), 39–51.
63.
SöderströmM. (1997): HRM in Sweden – A Strategic Challenge or a Struggle for Survival? In: TysonS. (Hg.): The Practice of Human Resource Strategy. London, 325–339.
64.
SparrowP.R.HiltropJ.M. (1997): Redefining the Field of European Human Resource Management: A Battle between National Mindsets and Forces of Business Transformation? In: Human Resource Management36 (2), 201–219.
65.
StewartR.BarsouxJ.L.KieserA.GanterH.D.WalgenbachP. (1996): A Comparison of British and German Managerial Roles, Perceptions and Behaviour. In: JoyntP.WarnerM. (Hg.): Managing Across Cultures: Issues and Perspectives. London, 202–211.
66.
StreeckW. (1995): Works Councils in Western Europe: From Consultation to Participation. In: RogersJ.StreeckW. (Hg.): Works Counils: Consultation, Representationand Cooperation in Industrial Relations. Chicago, 313–350.
WeberW.KabstR. (1998): Personalwirtschaftliche Strategien im europäischen Vergleich – Eine Analyse organisations- und landesspezifischer Prädikatoren. In: KlimeckiR.RemerA. (Hg.): Personal als Strategie: Mit flexiblen und lernbereiten Human-Ressourcen Kernkompetenzen aufbauen. Neuwied, 20–45.
72.
WeverK.S. (1995): Negotiating Competitiveness, Employment Relations and Industrial Adjustment in the US and Germany. Boston.
73.
WhitleyR. (1994): Dominant Forms of Economic Organization in Market Economies. In: Organization Studies15 (2), 153–182.
