Human resource management

We promote both the research and practice of human resource management (HRM). A key objective of our research is to examine the relationships between human resource management practices and policies and individual and organisational performance.

We also encourage discourse and debate about research methodologies and find innovative ways to improve the quality of methods used by HRM researchers. The group aims to provide an international forum for discussion and to stress the critical importance of people management to a wide range of economic, political and social concerns.

We tackle employability, the acquisition of key skills and the analysis of internships and university placements as routes into employment.

In addition, we consider how a customer-oriented culture has changed the skills required and behaviour exhibited within the workplace and examine how these changes influence both customer satisfaction and priorities for industry.

Penny Simpson

Dr Penny Simpson

Human resource management and organisational performance

Our research focuses on determining the relationships between HRM practices and organisational performance. We examine whether HR best practice can create a real impact in the workplace and determine its power to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

We conduct detailed comparative research into the differing cultural barriers to devolving HR responsibilities in a range of countries. Where there is considerable divergence in process and attitudes, we look at how HR is delivered, what support is required and highlight the importance of the value management place on HR responsibilities.

We consider succession planning, talent management and the development and implementation of creative and strategic HR solutions. Crucially, we bring a strong international dimension to our research, examining organisational practices across differing national contexts, as well as within multinational organisations.

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Watch Dr Maura Sheehan and find out more by reading the project pages for Managing global human resources and Employment patterns for Polish migrants in south-east England

EU-funded research in action

Group member Maura Sheehan (EU Marie Curie Scholar 2009-2012) conducted an EU-funded empirical study on the determinants and performance of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the emerging economies of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

The project compared how labour is managed and by whom in foreign and domestic subsidiaries of the same organisations. The relationships between strategic HRM, devolvement of HR to line managers and subsidiary performance were examined. The significance of country and organisational culture in understanding differences in HRM and the delivery of HR were central to this investigation.

Employability and skills

Our research group focuses primarily on employability, together with skill acquisition and development. Internships, university placements and apprenticeships are scrutinised as routes into employment. We distinguish between countries with traditions of extensive vocational training, those where general qualifications are encouraged and those with low levels of educational attainment. We also explore employment outcomes for interns from educational programmes, and government or employer initiatives.

We explore factors influencing educational outcomes. In particular, we unearth the challenges of merging professional and academic aspects of professional doctorates, critiquing and devising methodologies for practitioner research.

Technology has a role to play in skill acquisition and we question how online learning has been harnessed and added value to the education experience. 

Unpicking how universities prepare graduates for the workplace is, perhaps, of understandable interest to this group. We consider a new vocationalism where graduates develop a robust ability and willingness to learn rather than concentrate on a specific skill set. Our research in this area means we are best placed to advise on next steps from university to the workplace and have produced expert guides on making this key transition.

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Watch Asher Rospigliosi explain about skill acquisition and development and find out more by reading the project page for New vocationalism. 

Customer service behaviour

Customer satisfaction is a key priority for business. Increasingly, organisations focus on providing a customer-oriented experience and must consider how service employees on the frontline deliver.

Research links employee customer service behaviours with customer satisfaction. By identifying the nature and drivers of this behaviour, organisations can target employee behaviours more effectively to enhance customer satisfaction.

Dr Penny Simpson examines the nature and antecedents of customer-oriented behaviour in a case study context. This investigation has unravelled the factors that engender this behaviour. Training is often assumed to be of critical importance, however, findings suggest that ability, motivation and opportunity to perform provide a vital framework to use when considering behaviour. Read our Customer service behaviour project page for more details.

Through exploring the individual and situational factors which contribute to a customer-oriented approach, we can improve the debate about how best to address this issue.

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Watch Dr Penny Simpson and find out more by reading the project page for Customer service behaviour

Gamification in human resources

Gamification is the process of applying game design theories to everyday situations, including business. The concept is simple: redesign everyday routines and tasks — in everything from employee training and recruiting to product testing and sales force management — to be more game-like and interactive, ultimately enhancing work experiences to be more engaging, fulfilling, fun and productive.

Gamification is no longer just a buzzword: the gamification market is forecast to be worth $5.5 billion annually by 2018, according to market research company, Markets and Markets. Gartner, a world-leading advisory company delivering technology-related insight, previously predicted that by 2015 more than 50 per cent of organisations would gamify their processes.

SAP, global specialists in enterprise software, uses games to educate its employees on sustainability. Unilever uses games for training, Hays uses it for hiring recruiters and the Khan Academy uses it for online education.

Organisations that use gamification from the initial induction stage of employees see better business outcomes such as performance, engagement and retention, according to the industry research company, Aberdeen Group. Dr Penny Simpson and Pete Jenkins, our entrepreneur in residence at Brighton Business School and founder of e-Advantage Solutions Ltd, work together on researching gamification specifically applied to Human Resources.

See an overview of Gamification and HR (pdf).

Psychological experience of work

Our research considers the impact of human resource management practices on performance outcomes and wellbeing. We gain insight into the psychological experience of work through the examination of everyday aspects of working lives.

Dr Luke Fletcher leads on this theme, exploring the importance of work design, variety and autonomy on engagement and the ability of managers to make a positive impact through being accessible, showing appreciation and giving recognition. He has also examined how feeling valued and significant and being heard feed into higher levels of engagement through his analysis of meaningfulness and employee voice.

We continue to investigate how the issues of engagement, performance, wellbeing and meaningfulness impact on employee attraction, motivation and retention with the aim of improving understanding and influencing policy and practice.

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Watch Dr Luke Fletcher explain about his research into the psychological experience of work. Find out more by visiting the project pages for Employee performance and wellbeing, Engagement and Meaningfulness initiatives. 

Research projects


Employee performance and wellbeing

Gamification within human resources

Employment patterns for Polish migrants in south-east England

Engagement

Customer service behaviour

Managing global human resources in UK multinational corporations

Meaningfulness initiatives

New vocationalism

Research team

Dr Penny Simpson, Principal Lecturer
Dr Maura Sheehan, Reader
Dr Sue Greener, Principal Lecturer
Dr Luke Fletcher, Lecturer
Dr Linda Heath, Senior Lecturer
Dr David Lain, Senior Research Fellow
Keith Mattacks, Senior Lecturer
Vicky Richards, Senior Lecturer
Sue Will, Senior Lecturer

Output

Selected publications

Sheehan, M. and Michie, J. (2010) Human resource management and corporate performance: Evidence from UK and US small firms In: International Handbook Of Entrepreneurship And HRM. Edward Elgar Publishing, London, UK, pp. 137-164. ISBN 978 1 84980 050 1

Bachan, R. and Sheehan, M. (2009) On the Labour Market Progress of Polish Accession Workers in South-East England International Migration. ISSN 1468-2435 (Submitted)

Michie, J. and Sheehan, M. (2008) Business Strategy, Human Resource Management and Corporate Performance: Evidence from Small Firms in the UK and US In: Determinants of Innovative Behaviour. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK, pp. 13-42. ISBN 9780230206328

Cosgrove, M., Singh, C. and Sheehan, M. (2008) Euro Area Money Demand Stability Journal of Business & Economics Research, 6 (2). pp. 15-21. ISSN 1542-4448

Sheehan, M. (2012) Developing managerial talent: exploring the link between management talent and perceived performance in multinational corporations European Journal of Training and Development, 36 (1). pp. 66-85. ISSN 2046-9012

Sheehan, M. (2012) Devolvement of HRM and perceived performance within multinational corporations (MNCs) European Journal of International Management, 6 (1). pp. 101-127. ISSN 1751-6765

Sheehan, M. (2012) Exploring the link between management development and perceived performance in multinational corporations (MNCs): an analysis of Polish and UK subsidiaries Human Resource Management (Poland) (In Press)

Sheehan, M. and Sparrow, P. (2012) Global human resource management and economic change: a multiple level of analysis research agenda International Journal of Human Resource Management . ISSN 0958-5192 (In Press)

Sheehan, M. (2012) Investing in management development in turbulent times and perceived organisational performance: a study of UK MNCs and their subsidiaries International Journal of Human Resource Management  ISSN 0958-5192 (In Press)

Lain, D. Hadjivassiliou, K. Corral Alza, A. Isusi, I. Higgins, T. O’Reilly, J. Richards, V. Will, S. (forthcoming) ‘Evaluating Internships in terms of Governance structures: contract, duration and partnership’, European Journal of Training and Development

O'Reilly, J, Lain, D, Sheehan, M, Smale, B and Stuart, M. (2011) Managing uncertainty: the crisis, its consequences and the global workforce Work, Employment & Society, 25 (4). pp. 581-595. ISSN 1469-8722

Bachan, R. and Sheehan, M. (2011) On the labour market progress of Polish accession workers in South-East England International Migration, 49 (2). pp. 104-134. ISSN 1468-2435

Drake P and Heath L (2010) Practitioner Research at Doctoral Level: Developing Coherent Research Methodologies. Routledge: Abingdon, Oxon.

Michie, J., Sheehan, M. and Zubanov, N. (2010) Corporate strategy, HR and employee attitudes International Journal of Business and Economics (IJBE), 2 (1). pp. 17-33. ISSN 1906-5582

Sheehan, M. and Michie, J. (2010) Human resource management and corporate performance: Evidence from UK and US small firms In: International Handbook Of Entrepreneurship And HRM. Edward Elgar Publishing, London, UK, pp. 137-164. ISBN 978 1 84980 050 1

Michie, J. and Sheehan, M. (2008) Business strategy, human resource management and corporate performance: evidence from small firms in the UK and US In: Determinants of Innovative Behaviour. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK, pp. 13-42. ISBN 9780230206328

Cosgrove, M, Singh, C. and Sheehan, M. (2008) Euro area money demand stability Journal of Business & Economics Research, 6 (2). pp. 15-21. ISSN 2157-8893

Michie, J. and Sheehan, M. (2005) Business strategy, human resources, labour market flexibility and competitive advantage. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16 (3). pp. 445-464. ISSN 1466-4399

Wall, T, Michie, J, Patterson, M, Wood, S, Sheehan, M, Clegg, C. and West, M. (2004) On the validity of subjective measures of company performance Personnel Psychology, 57 (1). pp. 95-118. ISSN 1744-6570

Guest, D, Michie, J, Neil, C. and Sheehan, M. (2003) Human resource management and corporate performance in the UK British Journal of Industrial Relations, 41 (2). pp. 291-314. ISSN 1467-8543

Sheehan, M, Kitson, M. and Michie, J. (2003) Markets, competition, cooperation and innovation In: Industrial and Labour Market Policy and Performance Issues and Perspectives. Routledge, London, UK, pp. 29-44. ISBN 9780415267861

Michie, J and Sheehan, M. (2003) Labour market deregulation, 'flexibility' and innovation Cambridge Journal of Economics, 27 (1). pp. 123-143. ISSN 1464-3545

Sheehan, M and Michie, J. (2002) Labour 'flexibility': securing management’s right to manage badly? In: Systems of Production: Markets, Organisations and Performance. Routledge, London, UK, pp. 178-191. ISBN 9780415282833

Michie, J and Sheehan, M. (2001) Labour market flexibility, human resource management and corporate performance British Journal of Management, 12 (4). pp. 287-306. ISSN 1045-3172

Greener, Susan (2012) Editorial: interactive learning environments? Interactive Learning Environments, 20 (2). pp. 101-102. ISSN 1049-4820

Rospigliosi, A., Greener, S. and Bourner, T. (2011) Graduate employability and the propensity to learn in employment: a new vocationalism Higher Education Review, 43 (3). ISSN 0018-1609

Greener, S. (2010) Plasticity: the online learning environment's potential to support varied learning styles and approaches Campus-Wide Information Systems, 27 (4). pp. 254-262. ISSN 1065-0741

Rospigliosi, A., Greener, S, and Bourner, T (2009) Mathematics students’ next steps after graduation International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 40 (6). pp. 777-793. ISSN 0020-739X

Greener, S. (2009) e-Modelling: helping learners to develop sound e-learning behaviours Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 7 (3). pp. 265-272. ISSN 1479-4403

Greener, S. (2009) Talking online: reflecting on online communication tools Campus-Wide Information Systems, 26 (3). pp. 178-190. ISSN 1065-0741

Greener, S. (2008) Self-aware and self-directed: student conceptions of blended learning Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4 (2). ISSN 1558-9528

Greener, S. (2005) Using the C word People Management 

Sources/links

A New Vocationalism website

SueG's Weblog

Collaborations

Institute for Employment Studies
ODDCoPs, with Southern Water
University of Sussex
IKEI Research and Consultancy (Spain)

Funding

EU Marie Curie Scholarship (€74,039)
Economic and Social Research Council (£1,063)
The Santander Foundation (£9,900)
Richard Benjamin Trust (£9,319)

Awards, recognition, impact

UFHRD 2013 Conference: Maura Sheehan was the core coordinator of the UFHRD Conference 2013 HRD in Turbulent Seas - Continued Global Economic Uncertainty: Challenges and Opportunities, 5–7 June 2013, Brighton Business School, University of Brighton.

Leith, J.Q., Zara, J.M. and McInnes, M. (2011) Can e-learning enhance practice-based design courses? In: 10th European Conference on e-Learning, Brighton Business School, University of Brighton, UK, 10-11 November, 2011.

Greener, S. (2009) What does the HR literature tell us about promoting reflective learning to improve performance? In: UFHRD Europe 2012, Newcastle Business School, Newcastle, UK.

Greener, S. and Benn, A. (2009) How best to learn about and apply technologies for learning? Early stage research In: The Bera Annual Conference 2009, 2-5 September 2009, Manchester, UK.

Greener, S. and Rospigliosi, A. (2009) Tread softly... making secure steps towards wider adoption of pedagogically-focused e-learning at Brighton Business School In: ALT-C 2009, 8-10 September 2009, Manchester, UK. (Unpublished)

Shurville, S., Greener, S. and Rospigliosi, A. (2008) Educational technology: An ecumenical stance In: ICICTE 2008, 10 - 12 Jul 2008, Corfu, Greece. (Unpublished)

Greener, S. (2008) Plasticity: The online learning environment’s potential to support varied learning styles and approaches In: The 3rd International Conference on e-Learning, 26 - 27 Jun 2008, Cape Town, South Africa.

Greener, T., Greener, S. and Rospigliosi, A. (2008) Strategic learners at a distance In: The 3rd International Conference on e-Learning, 26 - 27 Jun 2008, Cape Town, South Africa.

Greener, Susan (2008) Getting online to learn: researching preparation for online learning In: UFHRD 2008, 21 - 23 May 2008, Lille, France.

Greener, Susan (2008) Leadership and management development in a not-for-profit context In: UFHRD 2008, 21 - 23 May 2008, Lille, France.

Greener, Susan, Shurville, S. and Rospigliosi, Asher (2007) The value of social cognitive theory in online discussion: reflection via a critical incident repertory grid In: International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies in Education (ICICTE) 07, 12 - 14 Jul 2007, Crete, Greece. (Unpublished)

Greener, S. (2007) Blending pedagogies: evaluative case study of a learning package for learning and development In: Universities Forum on HRD (UFHRD) 2007, Oxford, UK. (Unpublished)

Greener, S., Rospigliosi, A. and Shurville, S. (2007) Engaging from the inside: reflections on the value of social cognitive theory for learning in online discussions In: ICEL 2007, 28 - 29 Jun 2007, New York, USA. (Unpublished)

Greener, S. (2007) Helping managers to discover the value of reflection: professional and academic approaches contrasted In: Universities Forum on HRD (UFHRD) 2007, Oxford, UK. (Unpublished)

Greener, S. (2007) Higher Education teachers' perspectives on student readiness for online learning In: Universities Forum on HRD (UFHRD doctoral presentation) 2007, Oxford, UK. (Unpublished)

Greener, S. (2006) Self aware and self directed: student conceptions of blended learning In: 4th International Conference on Education and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications, 20 - 23 Jul 2006, Florida, USA. (Unpublished)

Greener, S. (2005) A classroom role for studentcentral In: Learning and Teaching Conference 2005, 15 Jul 2005, Brighton, UK. (Unpublished)

Macdonald, J., Greener, S. and Thomas, N. (2005) Learning to love studentcentral In: University of Brighton Centre for Learning and Teaching seminar, 13 May 2005, Brighton, UK. (Unpublished)

Greener, S. (2004) Diverse student approaches to learning online In: Learning and Teaching Conference July 2004, 11 Jul 2004, Brighton, UK. (Unpublished)