Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-1-2004
Abstract
With departments of human resource (HR) struggling over the past ten years to establish an equal strategic role with operating managers and other functional specialties, there is ongoing debate regarding the strategic alignment and practical impact of human resource management (HRM) practices. A manageable domain for studying the impact of HR in supporting organization strategy is that of formal career system (CS) programs. Investments in CS programs are made with the expectation that there will be a return in the form of internally developed and strategically deployed managerial talent. However, do these systems actually influence internal labor market decisions, such as managers' filling of vacancies? Beyond the direct costs associated with CS programs, are the indirect costs of poorly conceived or poorly implemented programs, including loss of valued employees due to lack of career advancement opportunities and inappropriately promoted managers failing in new roles. The question that this study seeks to answer is whether or not the substantial investment in CS practices, which most large firms undertake, provides a reasonable return on investment. The return will be measured by the extent to which the firm can develop and source key managerial vacancies through the use of internal labor markets. Another important indicator of impact will be the extent to which managers believe that the practices contribute to their career progression. A qualitative research study is proposed to explore the relationship between the corporate strategic-planning process and decisions regarding implementation of CS practices, and then to evaluate the linkage of these practices to utilization of internal and external labor markets. Guided by the strategic linkage theory of Sonnenfeld and Peiperl (1988) and its empirical assessment by Baruch and Peiperl (2003), the study also seeks to identify combinations of CS practices that have the greatest impact on the choice of internal labor market strategies actually used by managers.
Keywords
labor market
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Newton, Schalon Harrison, "Career System Practices: A Pallative or Strategic Approach to Managerial Internal Labor Market Choices?" (2004). Student Scholarship. 131.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/131
