Complementarities of HRM Practices

Englmaier, Florian and Schüßler, Katharina (3. March 2015): Complementarities of HRM Practices. A Case for Employing Multiple Methods and Integrating Multiple Fields. SFB/TR 15 Discussion Paper No. 503

Abstract

We provide an overview over different literature streams that aim at explaining the origin of persistent productivity differences across organization by variation in the use of management practices. We focus on human resource management (HRM) practices, document gaps in the literature, and show how insights from behavioral economics can inform the analysis. To this end, we develop a simple agency model illustrating how social preferences influence the design and impact of incentive schemes, investigate how auxiliary HRM practices can strengthen this interaction, and provide an overview over empirical investigations of this questions. Finally, we identify avenues for further research in this field.

• Item Type: Paper
• Keywords: Complementarities; HRM practices; Method mix; Social preferences; Persistent Productivity Differences.
• Faculties: Economics; Social Sciences; Special Research Fields > Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems > A4 - Unvollständige Verträge, Marktinteraktion und soziale Vergleichsprozesse
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics
• JEL Classification: D22, M50, M52
• Language: English