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The article offers information on a study conducted by the authors on how organizational performance is affected by human resource (HR) leadership. Topics discussed include characteristics of HR leaders according to the authors such as business expertise, linking workforce strategy with business strategy, being trustworthy and creating organizational culture.

Purpose -- The purpose of this two-part paper is to explore the current practices being employed in the formal performance appraisal process in a cross-section of US service and manufacturing organizations. In this paper, the authors identify the current trends that emerged from this research study and the improvement opportunities that exist for organizations that currently engage in the practice of formally appraising their personnel. Design/methodology/approach -- The formal performance appraisal process, procedure, and rating form from 183 US organizations were reviewed by a three-person review panel and were content analyzed to identify current trends and opportunities for improvement. Findings -- This qualitative analysis revealed that the average rating procedure had been in place for 5.5 years, to serve a wide variety of purposes, identified critical gaps in training, made it clear that organizations employ a wide variety of performance criteria in assessing their people. Research limitations/implications -- The biggest limitation of this research is the fact that a convenience sample of 183 organizations was employed as the basis for this study. Practical implications -- Data on the actual formal performance appraisal process of organizations is rather limited and this research provides critical insight into current practice limiting potential generalizability. Social implications -- The social implications of this research suggests that organizations can do a much better job of equipping their leaders/employees to more effectively reap the organizational benefits of this key practice. Originality/value -- Research in this area is not prevalent so this is a descriptive research study that both researchers and organizations can use to further their knowledge in formal performance appraisals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this two-part paper is to explore the current practices being employed in the formal performance appraisal process in a cross-section of US service and manufacturing organizations. In this paper, the authors identify the current trends that emerged from this research study and the improvement opportunities that exist for organizations that currently engage in the practice of formally appraising their personnel. Design/methodology/approach – The formal performance appraisal process, procedure, and rating form from 183 US organizations were reviewed by a three-person review panel and were content analyzed to identify current trends and opportunities for improvement. Findings – This qualitative analysis revealed that the average rating procedure had been in place for 5.5 years, to serve a wide variety of purposes, identified critical gaps in training, made it clear that organizations employ a wide variety of performance criteria in assessing their people. Research limitations/implications – The biggest limitation of this research is the fact that a convenience sample of 183 organizations was employed as the basis for this study. Practical implications – Data on the actual formal performance appraisal process of organizations are rather limited and this research provides critical insight into current practice limiting potential generalizability. Social implications – The social implications of this research suggests that organizations can do a much better job of equipping their leaders/employees to more effectively reap the organizational benefits of this key practice. Originality/value – Research in this area is not prevalent so this is a descriptive research study that both researchers and organizations can use to further their knowledge in formal performance appraisals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to discuss specific HR practices that business leaders must embrace to create HR value and competitive advantage for their organizations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper integrates the authors' previous research on critical HR practices.Findings – The paper reveals that HR value creation is driven by: progressive HR thinking and planning; staffing for success; talent development; results-orientated performance management and appraisal systems; aligned compensation and incentive systems; line-managers acting as HR managers; and fostering an ethical culture.Practical implications – The paper discusses specific practices directly related to improving an organization's ability to create competitive advantage through its people.Social implications – The paper contends that better HR practices lead to stronger organizational performance and greater use of human-resource assets.Originality/value – The paper reinforces the importance of taking HR beyond administrative activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This article is intended to provide the necessary tools to attack the causes of management training failures. Design/methodology/approach – The top ten managerial training failures identified from a sample of 323 seasoned managers in rapidly changing organizations are discussed along with specific suggested solutions. Findings – A revised content analysis revealed the most frequently cited causes of why organizations fail to train their managers properly. Originality/value – The findings provide an up-to-date list of the causes of ineffective training and the discussion focuses on ways to close the managerial skills gap by providing specific solutions to identified problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to explore why organizations often focus little attention and resources on management training and provides a useful checklist of ways to close the managerial skills gap through training. Design/methodology/approach - Seasoned managers (278) in rapidly changing organizations were surveyed on their experiences with management training. Findings - A content analysis revealed the most frequently cited causes of why organizations fall to properly train their managers. Research limitations/implications - Generalization of these findings to non-rapidly changing organizations may be limited. Practical Implications - Results indicate that organizations fail to properly train managers for a host of reasons. Many of failures to train are caused by misconceptions about training needs, the ability of managers to handle their own training or the value of training to the organization compared with other efforts. Lack of accountability and poor implementation are other key reasons cited for training failures. Originality/value - The findings provide a useful list of the causes for The effective training and the discussion focuses on ways to close the managerial skills gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper explores the benefits of effective management training and consequences of ineffective training programs. Design/methodology/approach - Seasoned managers (278) working in rapidly changing organizations were surveyed on issues related to management training. Findings - Content analyses revealed a number of specific benefits associated with management training. Conversely managers identified a series of problems caused by ineffective management training. Research limitations/implications - Generalization of these findings to non-rapidly changing organizations is unclear Practical implications - Findings suggest that the effectiveness of management training has a significant impact on managerial and organizational performance. Originality/value - This paper voices the concerns and observations about managerial training from seasoned managers in rapidly changing organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Presents the distilled wisdom of two human-resource (HR) award facilitators. Design/methodology/approach – Takes in the form of ten questions that make a difference for HR leadership. Findings – Asks: Are you trusted by the members of your organization? Do you possess a real and comprehensive understanding of how your business makes money? Do you keep yourself up to speed on the legal and compliance issues that are most important to your organization? Do you think strategically and execute operationally? Are you measuring and monitoring the most meaningful metrics that measure mission-driven performance? Are you working hard to create business partnerships with your stakeholders that increase the likelihood of success? Are you taking steps to help all managers in your organization to operate like great HR leaders? Are you using your talents and influence to build teams and solve organizational problems? Do you seek out and apply innovative HR practices that can truly affect your organization’s bottom-line performance? Do you ensure that people have the information they need to perform in an optimal fashion? Practical implications – Urges HR specialists to review, reflect on and assess their response to each of the questions. Social implications – Suggests that each question identifies key behaviors and activities that can become a target for improvement. Originality/value – Provides valuable insight rarely available to HR specialists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a contingency model to investigate facilitating and inhibiting effects of job control and social support on stress outcomes and role behavior. The effect of situational variables on the relationship between leader behaviors and subordinate outcomes have been tested over a long period. In this perspective, according to some researchers, the presence of various task, subordinate, and organizational characteristics can weaken or strengthen relationships between supervisor behavior and subordinate outcomes. Researchers have identified a few factors to substitute for supervisor consideration as a cause of self-report subordinate outcomes such as satisfaction, no viable substitutes besides role clarity and intrinsic rewards have appeared to help in the prediction of behavioral outcomes such as performance. In addition, supervisor and co-worker support are seen as moderators of the effects of job demands on health outcomes. This affects not only their job performance, but also their extra-role behaviors. A job-control model has been developed and explained by one or more immeasurable variables in the interaction.

This paper reviews research findings from 149 managers who work in 22 different US manufacturing and service organizations concerning the top ten rater skills identified as necessary to effectively conduct formal performance appraisals, and why organizations fail to conduct effective rater training with their managers. Four basic integrated stages in the performance appraisal process are identified. The key management skills required in each stage are discussed in terms of how they help organizations improve the operation and quality of their appraisals systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous cross-sectional field and laboratory research has provided mixed results as to whether recruiter characteristics and behaviors influence applicant reactions to employment opportunities. The present research was conducted to examine the effect of recruiter characteristics using a pre-post study design in a naturally occurring setting. In addition, the effects of several potential moderators on recruiter influence were tested. Results indicated that recruiter characteristics had an impact on perceived job attributes, regard for job and company, and likelihood of joining the company. There was little evidence that the effect of recruiter characteristics was moderated by selected applicant, job, or interviewer variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to determine how top-level managers continue their development/performance improvement, once they have reached the highest levels of their organizations. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews were conducted with 106 of senior-level managers who were asked to identify the specific things they did to continue their development. Findings – The top ten practices identified by executives included: seeking out honest/accurate performance feedback from a wide variety of sources; reading relevant material; self-reflection/self-appraisal; recruiting, hiring, and promoting talented people attending formal continuing education programs, workshops and/or seminars; membership in professional/trade organization associations; mentoring and coaching others; benchmarking and observing the practices of other leaders/organizations; working at knowing the current needs of your own organization and the demands of your job; always knowing the current needs of your own organization and the demands of your job; and having a mentor and/or coach. Research limitations/implications – The research limitations of this study include a limited executive sample from large US organizations that makes generalizing these finding difficult. Future research should focus on the barriers that prevent executive development and whether these same development techniques are used by executives all over the world. Practical implications – The practical implications of this research make it clear that executive development is a complex and critical organizational/personal process. Originality/value – Most research has focused on management development techniques of middle and lower-level managers. This study determines how top-level managers continue their development once they have reached the highest levels of their organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]