How should human resources be managed? From comparing models of staff development in a German and Russian professional service firm: a conventionalist approach

This paper seeks to advance research on how ideals of human
resource management (HRM) differ cross-nationally by examining the typical
plurality of HRM models within organisations. Drawing on French convention
theory, we argue that HRM incorporates a compromise between market,
industrial and domestic models of managing and that the way in which they are
invoked within organisations differs across settings. Examining stories of
experiences with staff development in two professional service firms in
Germany and Russia, we investigate the importance and the alignment of HRM
models as well as their appreciation among organisational members. Findings
reveal that the German firm is characterised by the predominance of the
industrial model, a high degree of compromises and similar priorities of
managers and employees. In contrast, the Russian firm shows lack of a
dominant model, a low degree of compromises and different priorities between managers and employees. By comparing the typical plurality of HRM models, we gain a deeper understanding of the tensions associated with HRM within organisations and the different sources of agreements across settings.