Organizing Logics and Human Resource Management: A 'Chain of Being' Perspective

No consensus has been made on the nature, boundary, and constitution of a human resource management (HRM) configuration, especially high performance work systems. This paper attempts to resolve this long-standing issue using the 'chain of being' perspective, which is an ontological approach suggesting the hierarchy of HRM entity (i.e., organizing logic, HRM configuration, HRM practices). The purposes of this paper include examining the relationship between organizing logic and HRM, as well as defining the nature and boundary conditions of an HRM configuration. Accordingly, we propose the following four organizing logics based on two fundamental dimensions, i.e., autonomy (A) and solidarity (S): transactional (low A and S), hierarchical (low A but high S), competitory (high A but low S), and communal (high A and S). An HRM configuration relies on HR practices as particulars of the comprehensive HRM entity. However, a bundle of HR practices is controlled by HRM configuration, which is in turn controlled by ...