An Appraisal of the Effects of Human Resource Flexibility on Competitive Advantage

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Shahid Chamran Ahvaz university

Abstract

Human resource is now considered as a strategic component and an essential element in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of organizations. Flexibility is also regarded as the most important factor in the survival of organizations in this chaotic and unpredictable situation. It is known as the dynamic ability of the organization to show a forceful reaction in facing the competitive and changing environment. It can bring about a constant competitive advantage for the organization. This research is aimed at appraising the effects of human resource flexibility on competitive advantage. This is a descriptive-survey research in which the data is gathered through questionnaires. Research population contains productive companies in Khozestan province from which 100 great ones make the sample group. Structured equation modelling and PLS are employed in data analysis. The results indicates that human resource flexibility is effective on competitive advantage. Relational flexibility, from the aspects of flexibility, does not affect competitive advantage.

Keywords


آقاخانی، سیما و دانایی،حبیب­اله (1390)، بررسی مزیت‌های رقابتی بازار تابلو برق ایران ( بررسی موردی شرکت پارس تابلو) وزارت علوم، تحقیقات و فناوری، دانشگاه پیام نور، دانشگاه پیام نور استان البرز، دانشکده مدیریت و اقتصاد.
اسماعیلی، محمودرضا و رحیمی اقدم، صمد (1394)، بررسی تأثیر سرمایۀ فکری بر انعطاف منابع انسانی در صنعت بانکداری، فصلنامۀ پژوهش‌های مدیریت منابع انسانی دانشگاه جامع امام حسین (ع)، سال 7، شمارۀ 2: 129-151.
باباشاهی، جبار؛ احمدزاده، سلیمان؛ شریعت، حسین و افخمی اردکانی، مهدی (1393)، مدل تعاملی انعطاف منابع انسانی و تحلیل‌رفتگی، دوفصلنامۀ پژوهش­های مدیریت منابع انسانی دانشگاه جامع امام حسین(ع)، سال 6، شمارۀ2، :79-97.
داوری، علی و رضازاده، آرش (۱۳۹۲)، مدل‌سازی معادلات ساختاری با نرم‌افزار PLS، انتشارات جهاد دانشگاهی، چاپ اول.
رحیمی، فرج‌اله؛ پورزارع، هدی و محمدی، جیران (1394)، بررسی تأثیر مدیریت منابع انسانی تعهدمحور بر انعطاف­پذیری منابع انسانی و مزیت رقابتی (مطالعه موردی: شرکت­های تولیدی استان خوزستان)، پایان‌نامۀ، کارشناسی ارشد رشته مدیریت، دانشگاه شهید چمران اهواز.
سرمد، زهره؛ بازرگان، عباس و حجازی، الهه (1387)، روش تحقیق در علوم رفتاری؛ چاپ دوازدهم، تهران: انتشارات آگه.
سیدنقوی، میرعلی و حقیقی کفاش، مهدی (1390)، ارتیاط بین انعطاف­پذیری منابع انسانی و خلق ارزش در سازمان (مورد مطالعه: صنعت بیمه در ایران)، پایان‌نامۀ دولتی، وزارت علوم، تحقیقات و فناوری، دانشگاه علامه طباطبایی.
سیدنقوی، میرعلی؛ حقیقی کفاش، مهدی و نجفی کلیانی، وحید (1391)، انعطاف‌پذیری منابع انسانی و عملکرد سازمان در صنعت بیمه، فصلنامۀ علمی پژوهشی مطالعات مدیریت: 129-153.
مهری، علی و خداداد حسینی، سید حمید (1383)، طراحی مدل مزیت رقابتی برای صنعت خودرو ایران، فصلنامۀ مدرس علوم انسانی، دورۀ 9، شمارۀ 2.
Appelbaum, Steven H. (2000). The Competitive Advantage of Organizational Learning, Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 12, Issue 2.
Barney, J. B. (1999). Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage, Journal of Management, 17,(1):112-132.
Beltran-Martin, I., Roca-Puig, V., Escrig-Tena, A., & Bou-Llusar, J. C. (2008). Human Resource flexibility as a Mediating Variable between High Performance Work Systems and Performance. Journal of Management, 34, 1009-1044.
Bhattacharya, M., Gibson, D., & Doty, D. (2005). The Effects of Flexibility in Employee Skills, Employee Behaviors, and Human Resource Practices on Firm performance. Journal of Management, 31, 622-640.
Boxall, P. (1999). Human resource strategy and industry-based competition: A conceptual framework and agenda for theoretical development, Research in personnel and Human resources management: Suppl. 4, 259-281.
Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2000). Strategic human resource management: Where have we come from and where should we be going? International Journal of Management Reviews, 2: 183-203.
Chahad, J.P.Z. (2004) “Non-Standard of Labour Contract in the Consolidated Employment Law (CLT) and the Flexibility of the Brazilian Labour Market”, ILO, Geneva, pp.1-24.
Claretha, H. (2010). "People as Technology" Conceptual Model: Toward a New Value Creation Paradigm for Strategic. Human Resource Development Review, 9, 48-71.
Collins, C. (2003). Strategic human resource management and knowledge-creation capability: examining the black box between HR and firm performance. Doctoral dissertation. University of Maryland, college park. 31(12), 119-144.
Cordery, J., Sevastos, P., Mueller, W. & Parker, S. (1993). Correlates of Employee Attitudes Toward Functional Flexibility , Human relations, 46(6): 705-723.
Crant, J. M. (1995). The proactive personality scale and objective job performance among real estate agents. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80: 532-537.
Domínguez-Falcón, C., Domínguez-Falcón, C., Martín-Santana, J. D., Martín-Santana, J. D., De Saá-Pérez, P., & De Saá-Pérez, P. (2016). Human resources management and performance in the hotel industry: The role of the commitment and satisfaction of managers versus supervisors. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(3), 490-515.
Fornell, C. & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error, Journal of marketing research,21(5): 39-50.
Fraser, K. & Hvolby, H.-H. (2010). Effective team working: can functional flexibility act as an enhancing factor? Team Performance Management, (16 ):74-94.
Hitt, M.A. Bierman, L., Shirnizu, K. & Kochhar, R. (2001). Direct and moderating effects of human capital on strategy and performance in professiional service firms: a resource-based perspective.Academy of Management Journal, 44(1):13-28.
Huggins, R., & Izushi, H. (2015). The Competitive Advantage of Nations: origins and journey. Competitiveness Review, 25(5), 458-470.
Kelliher, C., & Riley, M. (2003). Beyond Efficiency: Some By-products of Functional Flexibility. The Service Industries Journal, 23: 98-113.
Ketkar, S., & Sett, P. (2010). Environmental dynamism, human resource flexibility, and firm performance: analysis of a multi-level causal model. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21.
Kirkman, B. L., & Rosen, B. (1999). Beyond self-management: Antecedents and consequences of team empowerment. Academy of Management Journal, 42: 58-74.
Lado, A. A., & Wilson, M. C. (1994). Human resource systems and sustained competitive advantage: A competencybased perspective. Academy of Management Review, 19: 699-727.
Leana, C. R. & Van Buren, H. J. (1999). Organisational social and employment practices, Academy of Management Review, 24:538-555.
Martín, I. B. (2007). Influence of high commitment management on organisational performance: human resource flexibility as a mediator variable (Doctoral dissertation, Universitat Jaume I.Academy of management review, 12(2) 563-576
Michie, J. & Sheehan, M. (2005). Business Strategy, Human Resources, Labour Market Flexibility and Competitive Advantage, International Journal of Human Resource. 24(6)538-555.
Nahapiet, J. & Ghoshal, S. (1998). " Social Capital, Intellectual Capital and the Organisational Advantage", Academy of Management Review, 23:242-266.
Ngoa.and H.-Y, Loi, R. (2008). Human resource flexibility, organizational culture and firm performance: an investigation of multinational firms in Hung Kong. The Journal of Human Resource Management,19:1654-1666.
Peiro, J. M,, Garcia- Montalvo, J. & Gracia, F. (2002). How Do Young People Cope with Job Flexibility ?: Demographic and Psychological Antecedents of the Resistance to accept a job with Non-Preferred Flexibility Features" Applied Psychology :An International Review, 51 (1):43-66.
Rosenblatt, Z. & Inbal, B. (1999). Skill Flexibility among School Teachers: Operationalization and organizational Implications", Journal of Educational Administration, 37: 345-366
Sanchez, R. (1995). Strategic Felexibility in Product Competition, Strategic Management Journal, (16):135-159.
Sanchez, R. (2004). Preparing for an uncertain future. Managing organizations for strategic flexibility. International Studies of Management and Organizations, 27(1): 71-94.
Seibert, S. E., Crant, J. M., & Kraimer, M. L. (1999). Proactive personality and career success. Journal of Applied.416-427.
Tenenhaus, M. Amato, S. & Esposite Vinzi, V. (2004). A global goodness-of-fit index for PLS structural equation modeling. In Proceedings of the XLII SIS scientific meeting, 739-742.
Valverde, M., Tregaskis, O., & Brewster, C. (2000). Labor flexibility and firm performance. International Advances in Economic Research, 6: 649-661.
Vinzi, V. E. Trinchera, L. & Amato, S. (2010). PLS path modeling: from foundations to recent developments and open issues for model assessment and improvement. Handbook of Partial Least Squares, 47-82.
Vivares, J. A., Sarache Castro, W. A., & Naranjo-Valencia, J. C. (2016). Impact of human resource management on performance in competitive priorities. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 36(2):132-138.
Wojtczuk-Turek, A. & Turek, D. (2015). Innovative behaviour in the workplace: The role of HR flexibility, individual flexibility and psychological capital: the case of Poland. European Journal of Innovation Management, 18(3), 397-419.
Youndt, M. A. & Snell, S. A. (2004). Human resource configurations, intellectual capital, and organizational performance. Journal of Managerial Issues,16: 337-360.9.