Title: Reviewing the traditional modes of theorising in SHRM: the necessity for a 'core plus context specific' paradigm

Authors: Pavlou Fotis

Addresses: Cyprus Institute of Marketing, 25 Zannettos St., Ayios Andreas, Nicosia 1100, Cyprus

Abstract: To reconcile the identified 'tensions' between the 'Best Practice' and 'Best Fit' models and to respond to their fallacies, this paper proposes a modernised paradigm, which calls for a 'core plus context' (CPC)-specific approach to strategic HRM (SHRM). The central argument is that the traditional routes for achieving strategic fit (horizontal integrations and vertical alignments) must be reconsidered. The aim is not to question the undeniable value of the dominant models, but to illustrate the necessity for a more tied-to-reality conceptualisation. The originality of this paper lies in the fact it puts forward a more integrated and pragmatic strand as a means to capture the complexities and to accommodate the particularities of human resource management (HRM) in the 21st century.

Keywords: strategic HRM; best practice; contingency approach; HR architecture; core plus content HRM; SHRM; human resource management; human capital; best fit; strategic fit; horizontal integrations; vertical alignments.

DOI: 10.1504/JGBA.2014.065588

Journal for Global Business Advancement, 2014 Vol.7 No.4, pp.271 - 286

Published online: 30 Apr 2015 *

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