Employee Perceptions of HR Practices A Critical Re PDF

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.
net/publication/337546364
Employee perceptions of HR practices: A critical review and future directions
Article in The International Journal of Human Resource Management · November 2019

DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2019.1674360
CITATIONS READS
0 88
4 authors, including:
Ying Wang Sunghoon Kim

UNSW Sydney The University of Sydney
4 PUBLICATIONS 1 CITATION 20 PUBLICATIONS 208 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE
Alannah Eileen Rafferty

Griffith University
41 PUBLICATIONS 2,230 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
ARC Discovery Project on Change Readiness View project
Putting HRM in context View project
All content following this page was uploaded by Ying Wang on 09 March 2020.
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

The International Journal of Human Resource
Management
ISSN: 0958-5192 (Print) 1466-4399 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rijh20
Employee perceptions of HR practices: A critical

review and future directions
Ying Wang, Sunghoon Kim, Alannah Rafferty & Karin Sanders
To cite this article: Ying Wang, Sunghoon Kim, Alannah Rafferty & Karin Sanders (2020)
Employee perceptions of HR practices: A critical review and future directions, The International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 31:1, 128-173, DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2019.1674360
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2019.1674360
Published online: 26 Nov 2019.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 1558
View related articles
View Crossmark data
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rijh20
THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
2020, VOL. 31, NO. 1, 128–173
https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2019.1674360
Employee perceptions of HR practices: A critical

review and future directions
Ying Wanga , Sunghoon Kimb , Alannah Raffertyc and
Karin Sandersd†
a
School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai, China; bThe University of
Sydney Business School, Sydney, Australia; cDepartment of Employment Relations and Human
Resources, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; dSchool
of Management, UNSW Business School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
Scholars are directing more attention to employee percep- Employee human resource
tions of human resources (HR) practices and have explored perceptions; perceived
issues such as whether and how employees’ idiosyncratic or human resource strength;
human resource attributions
collective perceptions of HR practices shape employee out-
comes. To further this area of research, we seek to deter-
mine what authors mean when they refer to “employee
perceptions of HR practices”. We review 105 articles from
leading human resource management journals and find
that employee perceptions of HR practices is not a mono-
lithic concept. Rather, following previous scholars, we iden-
tify three distinct components of employee perceptions of
HR practices: the ‘what’, ‘how’, and ‘why’. We critically sum-
marize extant literature on these three components of
employee HR perception and propose future research direc-
tions, including enriching the theoretical foundations of HR
communication, embracing cross-national contexts, and
enhancing practical relevance.
Over the last decade, the strategic human resource management field has
paid increasing attention to employee perceptions of human resource (HR)
practices (Beijer, Peccie, Van Veldhoven, & Paauwe, in press; Hewett,
Shantz, Mundy, & Alfes, 2018; Ostroff & Bowen, 2016; Sanders, Shipton, &
Gomes, 2014). Human resource management (HRM) scholars largely agree
that employee perceptions of HR practices play a key role in influencing the
effectiveness of these practices (e.g. Den Hartog, Boon, Verburg, & Croon,
2013; Jensen, Patel, & Messersmith, 2013; Jiang, Hu, Liu, & Lepak, 2017). At
the individual level, employee perceptions of HR practices have been shown
CONTACT Sunghoon Kim sunghoon.kim@sydney.edu.au Work and Organisational Studies, The

University of Sydney Business School, Abercrombie Building, Darlington, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Sunghoon Kim, Alannah Rafferty and Karin Sanders contributed equally to this paper.
†
Karin Sanders was working on this paper during an appointment as a Visiting Professor at the Aston
Business School (Work & Organisational Psychology), Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
ß 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 129
to mediate and moderate relationships between an organization’s HR practi-

ces and employees’ attitudes and behaviors (e.g. Aryee, Walumbwa, Seidu,
& Otaye, 2012; Liao, Toya, Lepak, & Hong, 2009). At the organizational
level, employee perceptions of HR practices have been identified as antece-
dents of unit-level performance (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004).
The rapidly expanding literature in this field has led to growing diversity
in the way scholars conceptualize and operationalize employee HR percep-
tions. For example, the phrase “employee HR perceptions” has been used
when discussing the perceived existence of certain HR practices within an
organization as well as when discussing employees’ understanding of
employers’ intentions behind HR practices. In this review, we aim to
enhance clarity regarding the different approaches taken when researchers
use the phrase “employee HR perceptions”. We build on Ostroff and Bowen’s
(2016) work and identify three approaches that have been adopted when
considering employee HR perceptions: the ‘what’, ‘how’, and ‘why’ of HR
practices. The ‘what’ of an HR practices approach considers the content of
HR practices through which an employer delivers messages to employees.
The ‘how’ of an HR practices approach recognizes the possibility that the
same HR content may lead to divergent outcomes depending on how such
practices are framed and received by employees. The ‘why’ of an HR practi-
ces approach looks at the potential discrepancies in the way employees judge
the motivations that lie behind their organization’s introduction of HR prac-
tices. We critically summarize existing research in the HR perception litera-
ture and adopt this three-fold lens to organize research in the area and to
offer directions for future research.
Our study contributes to the HR perceptions field in two ways. First, we
clarify the “employee perceptions of HR practices” construct and review
research progress on the three different components (the ‘what’, ‘why’ and
‘how’) that have been subsumed under this umbrella construct. We critic-
ally summarize extant literature on the three components of employee HR
perceptions and propose future research directions. Our review indicates
that different components of employee HR perceptions address different
aspects of the HR process, and rely on different theoretical assumptions
and methodological approaches. Our review reveals that we lack knowledge
about how the three different components of HR perceptions complement
each other. In this review, we take stock on the different research streams
in the field of employee perceptions of HR practices. Our review identifies
the merits, limitations, and hidden assumptions of each research stream.
We seek to help scholars develop integrative research across different com-
ponents of employee HR perceptions.
Second, we extend prior reviews in this domain, presenting new
insights. In relation to the ‘what’ component of employee perceptions of
130 Y. WANG ET AL.
HR practices, we build on work by Beijer et al. (in press), who provide

an insightful review on perceptual measures of HR practices. We extend
Beijer et al.’s work by offering additional perspectives on how employee
perceptions of HR are conceptualized and operationalized in the litera-
ture. Hewett et al. (2018) offered a summary of HR perception research
through the lens of attribution theory. We build on this research by
expanding the theoretical domain related to the ‘how’ and ‘why’ compo-
nent of HR perception research. Specifically, we identify several theoret-
ical approaches that we suggest would enrich this area. Our review also
builds on, but goes beyond, Ostroff and Bowen’s (2016) work in the HR
strength research stream (the ‘how’ of employee perceptions). Finally,
Farndale and Sanders (2017) discuss the connection between national
cultures and HR strength. We build on their insights and consider the
implication of cultural influences on the dynamics of employees’ HR per-
ceptions. Below, we explain the methodology adopted in this review. We
then investigate the difference between the assumptions, concepts, and
measures of the three components of employee HR perceptions. Next,
we critically review the empirical findings on the perceived ‘what’, ‘how’,
and ‘why’ of HR practices, and offer insights into how research in these
areas of inquiry should advance.
Methods
In identifying relevant articles, we used various keywords on employee
perceptions of HR practices, including “HR(M) process,” “HR(M)
strength,” “HR(M) attribution,” “HR(M) perception,” “HR(M) rating,”
“HR(M) experience,” and “employee perceived HR(M)”. We focus on
research published after 2004, when Bowen and Ostroff’s (2004) land-
mark paper on employee HR perception appeared. However, we also
considered earlier seminal books and articles that underpin this litera-
ture. As our attention is on employee perceptions of HR practices, we
exclude studies on managers’ perceptions of HR (Leung, Foo, &
Chaturvedi, 2013; Wright, McMahan, Snell, & Gerhart, 2001). We focus
on HR systems and practices as the target of employee’s perceptions.
Therefore, we exclude studies with a perceptual target other than HR
practices such as the HR department (e.g. Buyens & De Vos, 2001;
Stirpe, Trullen, & Bonache, 2013). Our review focuses on articles
appeared in high quality journals, indicated by A and A rankings in the
Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) journal list. We identified
105 articles to be reviewed (see Table 1) and we grouped them into three
categories: the what (HR content), the how (HR strength), and the why
(HR attribution) of employee perceptions of HR. The majority (75 out of
Table 1. Review of empirical studies on employee HR perception.
Conceptualization of Employee
Study Perceptions of HR Practices Independent Variables Dependent Variables Moderators Mediators Context Data Analysis
Perceived HR Content
Edgar and Geare Employee self-reports about HRM Employee perceived Organizational Organizations in Multiple regression
(2005) practice (20-item developed from HRM practice commitment, job New Zealand
PR studies including Guest, 1999; satisfaction, and fairness
Johnson, 2000)
Browning (2006) Employee perceptions of HRM practices Employee perceptions Employee perceptions of Organizational South African service Multiple regression
IJHRM (seven categories) of HRM practices service behavior commitment organizations
Macky and Boxall Employee scores on an high performance Employee perceived HPWS Commitment Trust in management and New Zealand Multivariate analysis of
(2007) work system (HPWS) index (16 item job satisfaction employees variance
IJHRM developed from studies including (MANCOVA)
Becker & Huselid, 1998)
Takeuchi, Lepak, Employee ratings of HPWS (21-item high performance work Relative establishment Collective human capital Companies in Japan Hierarchical
Wang, and adapted from Lepak & Snell, 2002) system (HPWS) performance and degree of linear regression
Takeuchi (2007) establishment
JAP social exchange
Kuvaas (2008) Employee perceptions of developmental Employee perceived Turnover intention and Employee-organization Norwegian savings Hierarchical
JMS HR practices (21-item developed from developmental work performance relationship banks linear modeling
Meyer & Smith, 2009) HR practices (perceived
organizational
support, affective
commitment,
and justice)
Macky and Boxall Employee experience of high- Employee perceived Job satisfaction, stress and Organizations in Multivariate analysis
(2008) involvement work processes (41-item high-involvement fatigue, and work- New Zealand of covariance
APJHR developed from Knight-Turvey, 2004; work process life balance
Vandenberg, Richardson, &
Eastman, 1999)
Conway and Monks Employee perspectives on high Employee perceived Commitment and intention Financial services Hierarchical
(2009) commitment-HRM (HC-HRM; 52-item HC-HRM to leave firms in Ireland linear modelling
HRMJ developed from Boselie, Dietz, &
Boon, 2005)
Gellatly, Hunter, Currie, Employee perceptions of development, Employee perceptions of The membership in the Organizations in Canada Multinomial
and Irving (2009) stability and reward - oriented HR development, stability four profiles where logit analysis
IJHRM practices (9-item from Porter, Pearce, and reward - oriented affective and
Tripoli, & Lewis, 1998) HR practices continuance
commitment is high
vs low
Herrbach et al. (2009) Employee perceptions of HR practices Employee perceived Early retirement Affective commitment, French private firms Hierarchical
HRM that are relevant to retaining older training opportunities, high-sacrifice linear modeling
workers in employment (14-item) availability of new roles, commitment, and lack
flexible working of alternatives
conditions, and commitment
131
(continued)
Table 1. Continued.
132
encouragement to
retire early
Kase, Paauwe, and Experienced HR practices (47-item) Mutual experienced HR Knowledge sourcing Structural, affective, and
organizations in Slovenia Regression analysis
Zupan (2009) practices (work design, and sharing cognitive relations (Multiple
HRM incentives, and training) Regression
Quadratic
Assignment
Y. WANG ET AL.
Procedure)
Liao et al. (2009) Employee perspectives of HPWS (44-item Manager perceived Employee individual service Employee perceived HPWS, Japanese national bank Hierarchical
JAP developed from Delery & Doty, 1996; HPWS performance and employee human linear modeling
Schneider, White, & Paul, 1998; customer satisfaction capital, employee
Zacharatos, Barling, & Iverson, 2005) psychological
empowerment, and
employee perceived
organizational support
Kooij, Jansen, Dikkers, Employee perceptions of HR practices Employee perceptions of Affective commitment and Age Articles from databases Meta-analysis
and De Lange development and job satisfaction of Psychinfo
(2010) maintenance and AbiInform
JOB HR practices
Shih, Chiang, and Hsu Employee perceived high involvement Perceived HIWS Job satisfaction, job Perceived work- Multinational companies Structural
(2010) work system (HIWS 26-item from Bae, performance family conflict in Taiwan equation modeling
IJHRM Chen, Wan, Lawler, & Walumbwa,
2003; Chen, Lawler, & Bae, 2005)
Veld, Paauwe, and Employee HRM perception (14-item from Employee HRM Ward commitment Climate for quality and Wards and Multiple Regression
Boselie (2010) Boon, Den Hartog, Boselie, and perception climate for safety outpatient clinics
HRMJ Paauwe (2011) for autonomy and
performance management, 2-item
from van Veldhoven and Meijman
(1994), 2-item from Riordan,
Vandenberg, and Richardson (2005)
for communication, and 5-item from
Colquitt (2001) for
informing behavior)
Boon et al. (2011) Employee experienced HPWS (38-item Employee perceived Organizational Person-organization (P-O) Retail and health care Hierarchical
IJHRM developed from studies including HPWS commitment, intention fit and person-job companies in the linear modeling
Cable & Edwards, 2004; Guest & to show Organizational (P-J) fit Netherlands
Conway, 2002; Ryan & Schmit, 1996) citizenship behavior
(OCB), job satisfaction,
and intention to leave
Chen, Zhang, and Fey Agent-focused collaborative Agent-focused collaborative Sales performance External network size Insurance agents in a life Regression analysis
(2011) HR practices (9-item) HR practices and and range insurance company
IJHRM strength of ties in China
Elorza et al. (2011) Employee rated the presence of AMO Manager perceived AMO Employee perceived AMO Spanish Multilevel Structural
IJHRM enhancing HR practices (22-item enhancing HR practices enhancing HR practices manufacturing plants equation modeling
Affective commitment,
productivity, and
absenteeism
Farndale, Hope-Hailey, Employee perceptions of high Employee perceptions of commitment Trust in employer Distributive, procedural, Four organizations in the Multiple Regression
and Kelliher (2011) commitment performance high commitment and interactional justice United Kingdom (UK)
PR management practices (6-item) performance
management practices
Aryee et al. (2012) Employee experienced HPWS (44-item Use of HPWS Service performance and Service orientation Experienced HPWS, Banks in Ghana Hierarchical
JAP from Liao et al., 2009) branch market empowerment climate, linear modeling
performance and psychological
empowerment
Alfes, Shantz, et al. Employee perceived HPWS (9-item Employee perceived HPWS OCB and turnover Perceived Employee engagement UK service-sector Hierarchical
(2013) developed from Gould-Williams & intention organizational organizations linear modeling
IJHRM Davies, 2005) support and
leader-member
exchange
Alfes, Truss, Soane, Employee perceived HR practices (9-item Employee perceived HR Task performance and Employee engagement UK service-sector Structural
Rees, and Gatenby developed from Gould-Williams & practices; perceived line innovative organizations equation modeling
(2013) Davies, 2005) manager behavior work behaviour
HRM
Ang et al. (2013) Employee perceptions of HPWS (30-item Manager perceived HPWS Affective commitment, Employee perceived HPWS Australian hospital Multiple
IJHRM developed from Edgar & Geare, 2005; intention to leave, linear Regression
van Veldhoven & Meijman, 1994; engagement, and job
Zacharatos et al., 2005) satisfaction
Baluch, Salge, and Employee perceptions of HR systems (12- Employee perceptions of Patient satisfaction Employee civility towards English public Structural
Piening (2013) item in the NHS National HR systems patients; job efficacy, hospital services equation modeling
IJHRM Staff Survey) and intention to leave
Den Hartog et al. Employee perceptions of HPWS (10-item) Manager perceived HPWS Satisfaction and perceived Communication Employee perceived HPWS Restaurant chain in the Multilevel Structural
(2013) unit performance Netherlands equation modeling
JOM
Jensen et al. (2013) Employee perceptions of HPWS (15-items Manager Perceived HPWS Turnover Intention Job control Employee perceived HPWS; UK government Hierarchical
JOM developed from Gould-Williams & Anxiety; Role overload linear modeling
Davies, 2005; Truss, 1999)
Kehoe and Wright Employee perceptions of HPWS (15-item Employee perceived OCB, absenteeism, and Organizational commitment Food service organisation Hierarchical
(2013) developed from Combs, Liu, Hall, & HPWS intention to remain linear modeling
JOM Ketchen, 2006; Huselid, 1995; Sun,
Aryee, & Law; 2007; Way, 2002)
Piening, Baluch, and Employee perceptions of HR system a. Changes in employee a. Changes in customer a. Changes in job English public General method of
Salge (2013) (18-item) rated HR system; b. satisfaction and satisfaction; b. Changes hospital services moments
JAP Changes in financial changes in financial in employee perceived (GMM) estimator
performance; c. performance; HR system; c. changes
Changes in customer b. Changes in job in job satisfaction
satisfaction satisfaction; c. changes

in employee perceived
HR system
(continued)
133
Table 1. Continued.
134
Takeuchi and Takeuchi Employee perceived HRM practices Employee perceived Turnover intention, P-O fit, P-J fit Health care organizations Structural
(2013) (11-item) HRM practices affective commitment, in Japan equation modeling
IJHRM continuant
commitment, job
involvement and job
quality improvements
Wright & Nishii (2013) Employee perceived HR practices Conceptual paper
Chapter
Yamamoto (2013) Employee perceptions of HRM based on Employee perceived HRM Retention Inter-organizational Private-sector companies Multiple regression
Y. WANG ET AL.
IJHRM the commitment model (23-item based on the career self-efficacy

developed from studies including commitment model and specialty
Arthur, 1994; Huselid, 1995; commitment
Pfeffer, 1998)
Boon and Kalshoven Employee perceptions of HC-HRM (22 Employee perceptions of Organizational commitment Task proficiency Work engagement Companies in the Hierarchical
(2014) item from Lepak & Snell, 2002) HC-HRM Netherlands, linear modeling
HRM Germany, Austria,
Greece, Switzerland,
the UK, and the
United States
Edgar and Geare Employee perceptions of HC-HRM (18- Employee perceived Department task Job satisfaction, affective New Zealand tertiary Multiple
(2014) item developed from Pfeffer, 1994, HC-HRM performance commitment, and OCB institutions linear Regression
IJHRM 1998; Wood & Albanese, 1995)
Katou et al. (2014) Perceived HR practices (16-item, from Employee perceived Organizational performance Manager perceived Employee reactions (e.g., Greek organizations Structural
HRM Kinnie, Hutchinson, Purcell, Rayton, & HR practices features of motivation, equation modeling
Swart, 2005 HR practices commitment,
engagement, OCB)
Knies and Leisink Employee people management activities Employee people Extra-role behaviour Autonomy, ability, Cooperative Regression (take into
(2014) (7-item regarding supportive management activities and commitment insurance company account non-
HRMJ HR practices) independence of
observations)
Peters, Poutsma, van Employee experienced new ways to work Implemented Work-related flow Public and private Hierarchical
der Heijden, (e.g., telework) empowerment and organizations in the linear modeling
Bakker, and de employee perceived netherlands
Bruijn (2014) new ways to work
HRM
Shen and Leggett Employee perceptions of HRM practices Perceptions of Perceived Hukou status Companies in China One-way between
(2014) (15-item adapted from Sun et al., HRM practices organizational justice groups MANOVA
PR 2007 and 5-item regarding
recruitment and slection)
Vermeeren (2014) Employee perceived HRM (39-item Line manager Perceived unit performance Line manager implemented A Dutch municipality Hirerarchical
IJHRM adapted from Appelbaum, Bailey, transformational and employee linear modeling
Berg, & Kalleberg, 2000; Boon, 2008; leadership perceived HRM
Ahmad & Schroeder, 2003; Gould-
Williams, 2003; Huselid, 1995; Wright,
Gardner, Moynihan, & Allen, 2005)
Yanadori and Van Employee reports of HPWS (10-item Formal HPWS, informal Job satisfaction and Statistics Canada Ordinal
Jaarsveld (2014) developed from Mohr & Zoghi, 2008; HPWS, and workplace profitability workplace and logistic regression
IR Zatzick & Iverson, 2006) unused HPWS employee survey
Foss et al. (2015) Employee perceptions of rewards for Rewards for knowledge Autonomous motivation Autonomy-promoting Knowledge-intensive Hierarchical
HRM knowledge sharing developed from sharing to share knowledge job design and firms in Denmark linear modeling
Cabrera, Collins, and Salgado (2006); knowledge sharing
Maurer and Tarulli (1994) (7-item) supportive climate
Maden (2015) Employee perceived high-involvement HR Employee perceived high- Individual innovation and Work engagement and Organizations in Turkey Structural
PR practices (10-item from Yang, 2012) involvement feedback inquiry learning-goal equation modeling
HR practices orientation
Wehner, Glardini, and Employee perceptions of recruitment Extent of recruitment Job acceptance intention Service provider image Employer attractiveness Graduate students in Scenario-based,
Kabst (2015) process outsourcing (no outsourcing, process outsourcing and employer and satisfaction with Business between-subject
HRM outsourcing of preselection, image the recruitment process Administration experiment study
outsourcing of preselection and and Economics
telephone interview, and complete
outsourcing)
Andreeva and Teacher perceived motivation (3-item Ability and motivation- Knowledge-sharing Opportunity-enhancing Ability, intrinsic and Schools from a Structural
Sergeeva (2016) from Kianto, Andreeva, & Shi, 2011; enhancing HR practices behavior HR practices extrinsic motivation to Russian university equation modeling
HRMJ 3-item from Foss, Minbaeva, share knowledge
Pedersen, & Reinholt, 2009), ability (3-
item developed based on studies
including Jiang, Lepak, Hu, & Baer,
2012), and opportunity (7-item from
Wu, Hsu, & Yeh, 2007)-enhancing
HR practices
Castanheira and Story Employee perceptions of performance- Employee perceived Affective commitment savoring strategies Work engagement A large retail store Path analysis
(2016) oriented HR practices (14-item performance-oriented
HRM developed from Lepak & Snell, 2002; HR practices
Takeuchi et al., 2007)
Conway et al. (2016) Employee perceptions of performance Employee perceived Emotional exhaustion Employee voice A public-sector Structural
HRM management (3-item developed from performance and engagement organization equation modeling
Kehoe & Wright, 2013; Lepak & Snell, management and in Ireland
2002); employee voice (4-item) employee voice
Elorza et al. (2016) Employee perceived HPWS (16-item Manager perceived HPWS Discretionary behaviour Employee perceived HPWS Manufacturing Hierarchical
PR developed from Delery & Doty, 1996; companies in Spain linear modeling
Vandenberg et al., 1999)
Frenkel and Bednall Employee perceptions of training Employee perceived Discretionary work effort Interactional justice Procedural justice, career Clerical and Structural
(2016) opportunity (3-item developed from Training and promotion expectation, and felt administrative equation modeling
HP Wayne, Shore, & Liden, 1997) and opportunities obligation to work unit employees at branch
promotion opportunity (2-item level in a large bank
developed from Spector, 1985)

Kilroy, Flood, Bosak, Employee perceptions of high Employee perceived high Emotional exhaustion Role conflict, role overload, A Canadian Structural
and Chênevert involvement work practices: involvement and depersonalization and role ambiguity general hospital equation modeling
(2016) autonomy (3-item, Spreitzer, 1995), work practices
135
HRMJ information sharing (3-item, Lawler,

Mohrman, & Ledford, 1995), non-
(continued)
Table 1. Continued.
136
monetary recognition (3-item,

Tremblay, Cloutier, Simard, Chênevert,
& Vandenberghe, 2010), and training
and development (6-item, Tremblay
et al., 2010)
Ma, Silva, Callan, and Employee perceptions of HR practices Employee perceived Turnover intention and job Multinational firms and Hierarchical
Trigo (2016) (10-item developed from commitment and satisfaction domestic firms linear modeling
IJHRM Schuster, 1982) control HR practices in China
Monks et al. (2016) Employee perceptions of training and Employee perceived Knowledge exchange and Reflexivity Knowledge workers in Structural
Y. WANG ET AL.
HRMJ development, performance learning-enhancing combination Pharmaceutical and equation modeling

management, participation, job employment practices Information and
rotation and mentoring (8-item) and task communications
interdependent technology sectors in
work practices Ireland and the UK
Solberg and Dysvik Employee perceptions of HR investment Employee perceived Internal employability Perceived social and The Norwegian division Path analysis
(2016) (7-item developed from Kuvaas & investment in orientation economic exchange of a multinational
IJHRM Dysvik, 2009; Lee & Bruvold, 2003) employee development and activities relationship technology service
and management
consulting firm
Agarwal and Farndale Employee perceived HPWS (21 item, Employee perceived Creativity implementation Psychological capital and A pharmaceutical firm Path analysis
(2017) Takeuchi et al., 2007) HPWS psychological safety
HRMJ
Andreeva, Vanhala, Employee perceptions of appraisal of Employee perceived Radical and incremental Finish companies Structural
Sergeeva, Ritala, knowledge behaviours (3-item) and rewards and innovation outcomes equation modeling
and Kianto (2017) rewards for knowledge behaviours performance appraisal
HRMJ (3-item) of knowledge
behaviours
Ang et al. (2017) Employee perceptions of recruitment (6- Leader HR practices Member health & Member HR practices, Australian Mens Sheds Hierarchical
IJHRM item, Zacharatos et al., 2005), training wellbeing and member Member social linear modeling
and development (6-item, Zacharatos intention to leave connectedness, and
et al., 2005), and health and safety leader-
climate (8-item, Edgar & Geare, 2005) member exchange
Dumont, Shen, and Employee perceptions of HR practices Employee perceived Extra-role and in-role Individual green values Psychological green climate A Chinese subsidiary of Structural
Deng (2017) that enhance positive environment green HRM green behaviour an Australian equation modeling
HRM outcomes (6-item) multinational
enterprise
Jiang et al. (2017) Employee perceived HR practices (13- Manager and Co-worker Employee HR perceptions Dissimilarity to Chinese insurance Hierarchical
HRM item developed from previous HR perceptions manager and company and linear modeling
research, e.g., Chuang & Liao, 2010; co-workers governmental agency
Lepak & Snell, 2002)
Kilroy et al. (2017) Employee perceptions of high Emotional exhaustion and P-O fit A Canadian Structural
HRM involvement work practices: depersonalization general hospital equation modelling
autonomy (3-item, Spreitzer, 1995), Employee perceived
information sharing (6-item, Lawler high involvement
et al., 1995), non-monetary work practices
recognition (3-item, Tremblay et al.,
2010), and training and development
(3-item, Tremblay et al., 2010)
Li et al. (2017) Employee perceptions of reward for Employee perceived Creative performance Challenge and threat Creativity-related intrinsic A construction group Hierarchical
HRM creativity (3-item developed from reward for creativity appraisal motivation in China linear modeling
Baer, Oldham, & Cummings, 2003)
Li and Frenkel (2017) Employee HPWS (17-item developed Supervisor perceptions of Work engagement Supervisor-subordinate Leader-member exchange A private-owned hotel Hierarchical
IJHRM from Sun et al., 2007) HR practices hukou and employee in China linear modeling
status similarity perceptions of
HR practices
Liu et al. (2017) Employee perceived performance- Employee perceived Creativity and Firm ownership and Domain-relevant skills Metallurgical firms Hierarchical
AMJ oriented HR practices (36-item) and performance-oriented firm innovation employee in China linear modeling
maintenance-oriented HR practices HR practices perceived
(12-item) developed from Gong, maintenance-
Huang, and Farh (2009) oriented
HR practices
Schopman, Kalshoven, Employee perceived HC-HRM (22 items Employee perceived Motivation to continue Transformational leadership Dutch health care Path analysis
and Boon (2017) developed from Lepak & Snell, 2002) HC-HRM to work and intrinsic motivation organizations
IJHRM
Veld and Alfes (2017) Employee perceptions of HR system (10- Employee perceived Ward commitment and Climate for well-being and A Long-Term Care Hierarchical
IJHRM item developed from Kroon, van de HR system need for recovery climate for efficiency organization in the linear modeling
Voorde, & van Veldhoven, 2009) Netherlands
Bos-Nehles and Employee perceptions of the presence of Line manager perceptions Affective commitment Line manager motivation Engineering firms in the Hierarchical
Meijerink (2018) HRM practices (31-item from Liao of organizational HRM to implement HR Netherlands linear modeling
IJHRM et al., 2009; Takeuchi et al., 2007) support & capacity and practices and employee
employee perceptions perceptions of the
of LMX presence of
HRM practices
Dello Russo, Mascia, Employee perceptions of HR practices Employee perceptions of Individual perceptions of HRM strength Italian Hierarchical
and Morandi (2018) (6-item) HR practices proactivity climate, (department level) hospital companies linear modelling
IJHRM organizational climate
for proactivity, and
appropriateness of care
Fletcher et al. (2018) Employee perceptions of training and Employee perceived Intention to stay Employee engagement, job Companies in the UK Hierarchical
IJHRM development (3-item developed from training and satisfaction, emotional linear modeling
Robinson, Hooker, & Hayday, 2007) development exhaustion, and
change-related anxiety
Gkorezis, Georgiou, Employee perceptions of HPWS (11-item Employee perceived HPWS Intention to leave HR-related Organizational cynicism Private hospitals Regression analysis
and Theodorou from Takeuchi et al., 2007; Chang & education in Cyprus
(2018) Chen, 2011) background

IJHRM
Kooij and Boon (2018) Employee perceptions of high- Employee perceptions of Affective commitment Career stage P-O fit over time A Dutch university Structural
HRMJ performance work practices (14-item) high-performance over time equation modeling
137
work practices
(continued)
Table 1. Continued.
138
Li, Wang, Van Employee experienced high-involvement Employee Innovation The homogeneity of Workplaces in Canada Ordered probit
Jaarsveld, Lee, and work system (HIWS; items from the experienced HIWS HIWS experiences, regressions
Ma (2018) employee survey collected by the strategic
AMJ Statistics Canada) importance of
innovation, and the
churn in
human resources
Y. WANG ET AL.
M€akel€a and Kinnunen Supportive HR practices developed from Employee perceived Job exhaustion, vigor and Workload & pressure, Multinational companies Structural
(2018) earlier literature (e.g., Ivancevich, supportive HR practices satisfaction with travel and risks of travel and Finnish trade equation modelling
IJHRM Konopaske, & DeFrank, 2003; Jensen, for work destination union members
2014; Welch & Worm, 2006) (5-item)
Makhecha et al. (2018) Experienced HR practices (content, Intended HR practices Employee experienced e.g., low Actual HR practices Retail sector in India Case study
IJHRM process, & intent) HR practices communication &
low
comprehension
ability
Yousaf et al. (2018) Employee perceptions of HC-HRM Employee perceived high Organizational and Affective Affective Indonesia restaurants Hierarchical
IJHRM (17-item developed from Sanders, commitment HRM occupational occupation organizational linear modeling
Dorenbosch, et al., 2008) turnover intention commitment commitment
Bayazit and Bayazit Employee perceptions of availability of Employee perceived Perceived general health Perceived family- Flexibility I-deals, work-to- Firms in Turkey Path analysis
(2019) flexible work arrangements (4-item availability of flexible supportive culture family conflict, family-
IJHRM developed from Allen, 2001) work arrangement to-work conflict
Bos-Nehles and Employee perceived HR practices (14- Employee perceived Innovative work behavior Innovative climate Manufacturing Regression analysis
Veenendaal (2019) item from Boselie, Hesselink, Paauwe, training & development, companies in the
IJHRM & van der Wiele, 2001) compensation, Netherlands
information sharing,
and supportive
supervision
Choi (2019) The extent to which employees agreed HR systems Firm performance and job Employee perceived South Korean Hierarchical
APJHR or disagreed that each practice was satisfaction HR systems manufacturing firms linear modeling
used by their personal experience
and understanding of HR practices
(8-item)
Cooke et al. (2019) Employee perceptions of HPWS (16-item Employee perceptions engagement resilience Chinese banking industry Structural
IJHRM developed from Bae & Lawler, 2000; of HPWS equation modeling
Prieto & Santana, 2012; Searle et al.,
2011; Sun et al., 2007; Takeuchi
et al., 2007)
Beijer et al. (in press) Critical review of the measurement of HR Literature review
HRMJ practices (employee vs manager) used
in the papers published between
2000 and 2017
Perceived HR Strength
Dorenbosch et al. Consensus on and legitimacy of the HR Consensus and legitimacy Commitment strength Dutch hospitals Hierarchical
(2006) message (15-item on consensus and of the HR message linear modeling
MR 20-item on legitimacy developed
from Boselie et al., 2005; Delery &
Doty, 1996; Sanders & Van der Ven,
2004; Tsui & Wang, 2002)
Sanders, Dorenbosch, Distinctiveness (7-item about relevance Distinctiveness, consistency Affective commitment Climate strength Dutch hospital Hierarchical linear
et al. (2008) and 10-item about authority and consensus modeling
PR developed from Ulrich, 1997);
Consistency (within-respondent
agreement on HRM items)
Koster (2011) The intensity and consistency of The intensity and Organizational commitment Organizations in 26 Hierarchical linear
IJHRM perceived HR practices (Items about consistency of and work effort European countries modeling
employee perceptions of HR practices perceived HR practices
from ESS and calculated)
Li et al. (2011) Distinctiveness: 5-item scale (Frenkel Distinctiveness, consistency, Employee work satisfaction, Climate strength Chinese hotel Hierarchical
IJHRM et al., 2012); Consistency: within- and consensus vigor, and intention linear modeling
respondent agreement on HRM items; to quit
Consensus: 4-item scale (Delmotte, De
Winne, Gilbert, & Sels, 2007)
Delmotte et al. (2012) Distinctiveness: 10-item; Consistency: Belgian private Scale development
IJHRM 9-item; Consensus: 12-item sector companies & validation
Ehrnrooth and Visibility (Intensity), relevance Visibility, relevance, Employee creativity, work Psychological IT consultant company Structural
Bjorkman (2012) (meaningfulness), & validity of HR and validity load, and job empowerment in Sweden equation modeling
JMS system (8-item on visibility, 8-item on performance
relevance, and 16-item on validity)
Frenkel, Li, et al. Distinctive and consistency (10- Distinctive and consistency Negative emotions and Distributive, procedural, Manufacturing Structural equation
(2012) item scale) emotional exhaustion and interactional justice organizations modeling
BJIR
Frenkel, Restubog, and Distinctiveness, consistency, and Distinctiveness, consistency, Discretionary work effort Procedural justice, An alcoholic beverage Structural equation
Bednall (2012) consensus (12-item scale) and consensus and co-worker organization firm and a modeling
IJHRM assistance identification, and telecommunications
distributive justice company
Pereira and Gomes Strength of the HR system (42-item from Strength of the HR system Organizational performance Organizational climate A multinational Path analysis
(2012) Coelho et al., 2015) and transformational company
IJHRM leadership
De Winne et al. (2013) Distinctiveness: 10-item scale; Perceived effectiveness in Perceived general Belgian private Multiple linear
IJHRM Consistency: 9-item scale; Consensus: the four HR roles; effectiveness of the sector companies Regression
12-item scale Distinctiveness, HR department
consistency,
and consensus
139
(continued)
Table 1. Continued.
140
Farndale and Kelliher Justice in performance appraisal (5-item Employee perceived justice Affective commitment Trust in Firms in the UK Hierarchical linear
(2013) developed from Folger & Konovsky, in senior modeling
HRM 1989; Skarlicki, Folger, & Tesluk, 1999) performance appraisal management
Redmond (2013) Relevance and fairness (6-item) Relevance and justice of Job performance, Exchange relationship Norwegian consulting, Multiple linear
HRM competency model organizational banking, & property Regression
citizenship behaviour, management
and employability organization
Y. WANG ET AL.
Bednall, Sanders, and Distinctiveness, consistency, and Performance Participation in informal Distinctiveness, Dutch vocational Hierarchical linear
Runhaar (2014) consensus (16-item adapted from appraisal quality learning activities consistency, education modeling
AMLE Delmotte et al., 2012) & consensus training schools
Piening et al. (2014) Employee perceived HR practices (e.g., Intended HR practices (e.g., Perceived HR practices Organization’s ability Implemented HR practices Health and social service Multiple case study
HRM visibility of HR practices) agreement among HR (e.g., visibility of to leverage its (e.g., degree of organizations
decision-makers) HR practices) resource; employee centralization of the in Germany
expectations HR function)
of HRM
Sumelius et al. (2014) Visibility, validity, procedural and e.g., top management Perceived visibility, validity, Nordic MNCs Multiple case study
HRM distributive justice of performance internalization of PA, procedural and
appraisal (PA) supervisor commitment distributive justice of PA
to PA process, and past
experience of PA
Heffernan and Dundon Distributive justice (9-item developed HPWS Job satisfaction, affective Distributive, procedural, Irish firms Hierarchical
(2016) from Colquitt, 2001), procedural commitment, and interactional justice linear modeling
HRMJ justice (9-item developed from work pressure
Sweeney & McFarlin, 1993; Tyler &
Lind, 1992) and interactional justice
(10-item developed from
Colquitt, 2001)
Sanders and Yang Distinctiveness, consistency, and High commitment-HRM Affective commitment and Employee Organization in the Hierarchical linear
(2016) consensus (manipulations and innovative behaviour HRM strength Netherlands modeling and
HRM Delmotte et al., 2012) scenario-
based experiment
Baluch (2017) Perceived distinctiveness, consistency, Employee perceived Well-being Non-profit organizations Multiple case study
IJHRM and consensus of HRM HR strength in the UK
Bednall and Sanders Distinctiveness, consistency, and Formal learning Short- and long-term Employee perceived Middle schools in the Latent
(2017) consensus (16-item adapted from opportunity participation in informal HRM Netherlands intercept models
HRM Delmotte et al., 2012) learning activities system strength
Farndale and Sanders Distinctiveness, consistency, & consensus Perceived HR strength Employee outcome Cultural values and Conceptual paper
(2017) cultural
IJHRM tightness/looseness
Hauff et al. (2017) HRM system strength (7-item developed HRM target achievement Organizations Regression analysis
HRM based on Ostroff & Bowen, 2000) (e.g., employee in Germany
HRM system strength and commitment, high
number of important performance)
HRM target
Sanders et al. (2018) Distinctiveness, consistency & consensus Performance-based reward Innovative behaviour Employee perceived Organizations from Hierarchical
HRM (15-item, from Coelho et al., 2015) HR strength and different industries in lineaer modeling
uncertainty 10 countries
avoidance of
the country
Alfes et al. (2019) Employee perceptions of HR system Employee perceptions of Engagement in change- State positive affect; Police force in the UK Structural
HRM strength (9-item from Frenkel, Li, HR system strength supportive behavior perceived organizational equation modeling
et al., 2012) support, and coping
with organizational
change
Chacko and Conway Employee perceived event-signalled HRM HR event valence Daily work engagement Employee perceived event- Customer-facing, Regression using
(2019) system strength (12-item adapted signalled HRM system administrative, and cluster-robust
HRMJ from Delmotte et al., 2012) strength and clear professional staff at a standard errors
expectancy perceptions London
local authority
HR Attribution
Nishii et al. (2008) Employee internal (commitment-focus Employee internal and Customer satisfaction Affective commitment, A service firm Structural equation
Ppsych and control focus) and external external HR attribution satisfaction, and OCB modeling
(union compliance) HR attribution
(25-item)
Fontinha et al. (2012) Employee internal HR attribution (6-item Commitment-focused HR Affective commitment to Affective commitment to Portuguese outsourcing Structural
PR for commitment-focus and 6-item for attribution and control- the client organization the outsourcing companies in the equation modeling
control focus) focused HR attribution company information
technologies sector
Webster and Beehr Employee promotion criteria attribution Received a promotion Task performance Ego-defensiveness Promotional justice, Alumni, MBA and EMBA Structural equation
(2013) (16-item for performance-base and and OCB organizational students of one large modeling
JOB non-performance-base mobility) commitment, and university in the
promotion Midwestern U.S.A
criteria attibution
Van de Voorde and The meanings employees attach to HPWS Commitment and job strain Well-being focused and Dutch organizations Hierarchical linear
Beijer (2015) HPWS (10-item for employee well- performance focused modeling
HRMJ being and get the most work out HR attributions
of employees)
Shantz et al. (2016) Performance and cost attributions on Performance and Emotional exhaustion Job involvement A construction and Path analysis
HRMJ training, selection, reward, cost attributions and work overload consultancy
performance appraisal, and organization
participation (10-item developed in the UK
from Nishii et al., 2008)

Hewett et al. (2018) A new measure designed for HR Information (perceptions Commitment and Belief (cynicism) and Academics in Multiple
JOB attribution for purpose of of distributive and control attributions motivation the UK linear regression
organizational workload (18-item) procedural fairness) (personal
relevance)
141
a
AMJ (Academy of Management Journal); AMLE (Academy of Management Learning and Education); APJHR (Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources); BJIR (British Journal of Industrial
Relations); HP (Human Performance); HRM (Human Resource Management); HRMJ (Human Resource Management Journal); IJHRM (International Journal of Human Resource
Management); IR (Industrial Relations); JAP (Journal of Applied Psychology); JMS (Journal of Management Studies); JOB (Journal of Organizational Behavior); JOM (Journal of
Management); MR (Management Revue); Ppsych (Personnel Psychology); PR (Personnel Review).
142 Y. WANG ET AL.
105) examine the ‘what’ of HR perception. Nearly half (49 out of 105) of
the articles were published over the last five years, indicating the growth
in this research over time. In terms of outlet, International Journal of
Human Resource Management (38), Human Resource Management (23)
and Human Resource Management Journal (14) emerged as three most
important journals for employee HR perception research.
Common assumptions in employee HR perception research

Before reviewing research on the three components of employee HR per-
ceptions research, we consider the major assumptions that underlie
much of this literature stream. Despite the wide range of topics
addressed, we identify several common assumptions on which the extant
research is built. The first assumption is that HR practices function as a
communication mechanism from employer to employee. Whether by
design or by accident, HR practices deliver certain messages to employ-
ees (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004). Messages can be embedded in HR content
(the ‘what’) or in the way HR practices are implemented (the ‘how’). In
this line of reasoning, employee HR perceptions encapsulate the messages
employees, either individually or collectively, receive from their employ-
ers by observing or experiencing HR practices.
A second assumption is that employees may disagree with their employ-
ers regarding the types of HR practices implemented and the reason(s)
behind the implementation of these practices. This premise distinguishes
the HR perception literature from prior strategic HRM research. Strategic
HRM studies tend to assume that top-level managers are aware of imple-
mented HR practices. Therefore, they measure firm-level HR, often based
on subjective responses from a single senior manager who is deemed to
have more knowledge of HR practices than others in the organization
including employees (Gerhart, Wright, Mahan, & Snell, 2000; Huselid &
Becker, 2000). The employee HR perceptions literature explicitly acknowl-
edges the potential disparity between HR practices perceived by managers
and those perceived by employees, highlighting the importance of employ-
ees’ subjective experience of HR as a driver of workplace outcomes.
The third assumption underlying this field is the potential divergence
among employees in their perceptions of HR practices (Bowen &
Ostroff, 2004). Employees may have idiosyncratic observations of the HR
practices available in their organization because HR practices are
designed differently across different groups of employees within an
organization (Liao et al., 2009), or employees may consider certain HR
practices as irrelevant to themselves, and so do not make themselves
aware of their potential benefits or costs. Even within the same work
group, individuals may develop varied understandings about which HR

practices are available to them and why such practices were introduced
by the organization. This may be attributable to individual differences,
such as personalities or experiences in prior jobs (Wright & Nishii,
2013), or social influences from colleagues (Jiang et al., 2017). In this
line of reasoning, the interpersonal divergence of HR perception within
an organization is not an error to be controlled for, but the phenomenon
of interest that explains the effects of HR practices on outcomes.
The perceived ‘what’ of HR practices

Theoretical underpinning
Studies of the perceived ‘what’ of HR practices concern the content of
HR practices implemented in an organization as subjectively experienced
by employees (e.g. Jiang et al., 2017). If HR practices are to influence
employee outcomes, they must first exist in the minds of employees
(Wright & Nishii, 2013) because cognition is a crucial precursor of sub-
sequent attitudes and behaviors (Fiske & Taylor, 1991; Gray, Bougon, &
Donnellon, 1985). Each HR practice or a set of HR practices (HR bun-
dles) is deemed to signal its own messages to employees. For instance,
high-performance work practices are assumed to convey that an
employer is sincerely supportive and committed to his or her employees
(Alfes, Shantz, Truss, & Soane, 2013; Choi, 2019). If such HR practices
signal an employer’s goodwill, then they should induce positive employee
reactions. This logic is justified by established theories of social exchange
(Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005) and psychological contract theory
(Rousseau, 1995; Rousseau & Tijoriwala, 1998). The basic argument
underlying this approach is that the goodwill that underlies the delivery
of HR practices (such as high-performance work systems) will encourage
employees to reciprocate by displaying positive workplace behaviors.
Measurement
The measurement items used in the what of HR perception literature are
often similar to HR practice measures previously used to capture firm-
level HR practices from senior managers. Beijer et al. (in press) report
that two sets of approaches are used when designing the ‘what’ of HR
perception measures. The first approach compares descriptive and evalu-
ative measures of HR practices. Descriptive measures seek to capture the
reality of HR practices as cognitively recognized and remembered by
employees. Employees might be asked whether the selection process
involves interview panels (Edgar & Geare, 2005) or how many hours of
formal training are offered to employees (Kehoe & Wright, 2013).
144 Y. WANG ET AL.
Evaluative measures, on the other hand, ask employees about their assess-
ment or evaluation of HR constructs. For example, researchers have asked
employees to consider whether “a rigorous selection process is used to
select new recruits” (Jensen et al., 2013) or whether “staff are given mean-
ingful feedback regarding their individual performance” (Alfes, Shantz,
et al., 2013). After reviewing this field, Beijer et al. (in press) concluded
that evaluative HR measures appear to dominate the literature.
Based on our review, we identify additional approaches that have been
used when measuring the ‘what’ of HR perception. Specifically, we dis-
tinguish observation-based versus experience-based HR measures.
Observation-based HR measures capture employees’ perception of HR
availability by placing respondents as third-person observers. An example
of observation-based HR perception measurement asks employees
whether they observe the occurrence of formal evaluation in their own
work unit (Kehoe & Wright, 2013). In contrast, experience-based HR
measures are designed to capture HR practices as directly experienced by
the responding employees. For example, one measure asks whether
respondents themselves have received formal performance evaluation
(Conway, Fu, Monks, Alfes, & Bailey, 2016). Table 2 presents example
questionnaire items that reflect these two distinct approaches.
Table 2. Examples of perceived “what” of HR practices measures.

Observation-based measure Experience-based measure
Descriptive Selection: Interview panels are used during Selection: I am administered many
the recruitment and selection process in assessment tools—including personality,
this organization (Edgar & Geare, 2005) aptitude, and skill tests—prior to
employment in our firm (Liu et al., 2017)
Development: On average, how many Development: In the past 12 months, have
hours of formal training do associates in you received any classroom training
this job receive each year? (Kehoe & related to your job? (Yanadori & Van
Wright, 2013) Jaarsveld, 2014)
Performance management: At least once Performance management: I receive a
a year associates in this job receive a formal evaluation of my performance at
formal evaluation of their performance least once a year (Conway et al., 2016)
(Kehoe & Wright, 2013)
Rewards: Our company rewards employees Rewards: The rewards I receive include
for sharing information (Andreeva fringe benefits (bonuses) in addition to a
et al., 2017) fixed salary (Castanheira & Story, 2016)
Evaluative Selection: A rigorous selection process is Selection: I think that the selection
used to select new recruits (Jensen method of promotion is successful
et al., 2013) (Yamamoto, 2013)
Development: This organization puts in a Development: How satisfied do you feel
great deal of effort in organizing for with the level of training you receive in
internal career development your current job? (Katou et al., 2014)
(Kuvaas, 2008)
Performance management: Staff are given Performance management: The criteria of
meaningful feedback regarding their performance appraisal are clear to me
individual performance, at least once (Castanheira & Story, 2016)
each a year (Alfes, Shantz, et al., 2013)
Rewards: Individuals in my work unit Rewards: The rewards I get from this
receive special recognition for unique company are associated, at least in part,
contributions (Li et al., 2017) to my performance (Castanheira &
Story, 2016)
We argue, based on our review, that different types of HR perception

measures produce somewhat different empirical results. In general, evalu-
ative- rather than descriptive-based measures, and experience- rather than
observation-based measures, tend to show stronger relations with
employee outcomes. One potential reason for such findings may be the
performance-cue effect (Lord, Binning, Rush, & Thomas, 1978; Shondrick,
Dinh, & Lord, 2010), which occurs when a measurement method provides
a prompt that facilitates the rater’s retrieval of performance-related infor-
mation from his or her memory. In such a situation, evaluators’ responses
could be biased toward the given performance cues (Binning, Zaba, &
Whattam, 1986). This indicates the need to be careful when interpreting
the results of the what of HR perception studies in the literature, as they
could be a product of the measures used. We would encourage future
research to carefully consider whether substantive or performance cue
effects are in operation when interpreting the results of their study.
Major findings
A major concern in this research stream has been demonstrating that
HR content as perceived by employees may not be the same as HR con-
tent as perceived by their managers. Empirical studies confirm that HR
perceptions vary across the organizational hierarchy. For instance, Liao
et al. (2009) indicate that the HR practices reported by employees were
not as similar to those of managers as the latter would like them to be.
Across studies of perceived HR content (Ang, Bartram, McNeil, Leggat,
& Stanton, 2013; Ang et al., 2017; Aryee et al., 2012; Choi, 2019; Den
Hartog et al., 2013; Elorza, Aritzeta, & Ayestaran, 2011; Elorza, Harris,
Aritzeta, & Balluerka, 2016; Jensen et al., 2013; Jiang et al., 2017; Li &
Frenkel, 2017; Liao et al., 2009; Vermeeren, 2014), the average correl-
ation between manager and employee perceptions of HR content is mod-
erate (r ¼ 0.37 on average). However, the size of the HR perception gap
between managers and employees may differ. For example, studies have
found that managers’ communication quality (Den Hartog et al., 2013)
and hukou status similarity (Li & Frenkel, 2017) may enhance the per-
ceptual congruence between managers and employees.
Employee perceptions of the ‘what’ of HR affect a number of employee
outcomes, including organizational commitment (Edgar & Geare, 2005;
Macky & Boxall, 2007), turnover intentions (Kuvaas, 2008), job satisfaction
(Macky & Boxall, 2008), early retirement (Herrbach, Mignonac,
Vandenberghe, & Negrini, 2009), service performance (Liao et al., 2009),
organizational citizenship behavior (Alfes, Shantz, et al., 2013), knowledge
sharing (Foss, Pedersen, Reinholt Fosgaard, & Stea, 2015), and emotional
exhaustion (Conway et al., 2016). Studies also reveal several moderators that
146 Y. WANG ET AL.
may amplify the relationship between perceived HR content and employee

outcomes such as employees’ individual characteristics (Li, Deng, Leung, &
Zhao, 2017), organizational characteristics (Liu, Gong, Zhou, & Huang,
2017), and perceived organizational support (Kuvaas, 2008).
In sum, the ‘what’ of employee HR perception literature concerns the
content of HR practices as perceived by employees and the impact of
these perceptions on workplace outcomes. This literature complements
prior strategic HRM literature by demonstrating the mediating mecha-
nisms through which HR practices are translated into employee out-
comes. One of the limitations of this research is the inconsistency in
measuring employees’ perceived HR content. Studies use a diverse array
of HR perception measures (descriptive, evaluative, observation-based,
and experience-based) without properly reflecting on the potential influ-
ence of the choice of measurement on study results. Another limitation
of research in the area is the relative lack of interest on the determinants
of the perceived content of HR, especially organizational-level antece-
dents. Future research should focus on the potential influence of the dif-
ferent types of HR content measures on study results.
The perceived ‘how’ of HR practices

Theoretical underpinnings
Employee perceptions of the ‘how’ of HR practices involve employee
views of how HR practices are designed and implemented (Delmotte, De
Winne, & Sels, 2012). This research stream is distinctive from the studies
of the ‘what’ of HR practices in the sense that the focus is about the pro-
cess through which HR messages are delivered to organizational mem-
bers. A central assumption of research on the ’how’ of HR practices is
that even a well-intended HR system may not produce its best possible
outcomes if employees fail to make sense of it in a coherent, consistent
and unified way.
The dominant concept in this literature is “HR strength”. A strong HR
system ensures that employees’ collective understanding of HR practices
is well aligned to the intentions of management (Bowen & Ostroff,
2004). The notion of HR strength has its foundations in situational
strength research (Mischel, 1973; Bowen & Ostroff, 2004; Katou,
Budhwar, & Patel, 2014; Ostroff & Bowen, 2000). In a strong situation,
employees share a common understanding of the organization’s policies,
practices, procedures, and goals, and the behaviors that are expected and
rewarded (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004). In contrast, in a weak situation,
employees experience a high degree of ambiguity regarding what is being
expected in their organizational lives, which produces a wide variability
in the workplace attitudes and behaviors displayed (Ostroff & Bowen,

2000). Researchers have argued that a strong situation influences
employee attitudes and behaviors, and therefore, that it is critical that
features of an HR system allow for the creation of a strong situation.
Bowen and Ostroff (2004) name nine features of HR practices that can
foster a strong situation in which unambiguous messages about an
organization’s intended attitudes and behaviors can be sent to employees.
Building on Kelley’s (1973) covariation theory, these authors suggest that
an HR system will result in a strong situation when it is distinctive, con-
sistent, and consensus generating (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004). Specifically,
they elucidate four characteristics that can foster distinctiveness: visibility,
understandability, legitimacy of authority, and relevance; three character-
istics that establish consistency: instrumentality, validity, and consistent
HR messages; and two characteristics that can result in consensus: agree-
ment among principal HR decision makers and fairness. In short, HR
strength is intrinsically tied to the features of organizational practices
that result in employees developing shared perceptions of organization-
ally desired behaviors.
One of the theoretical challenges yet to be resolved in this area is the
unit of analysis adopted when considering HR strength. In their seminal
study, Bowen and Ostroff (2004) proposed that HR strength is an organ-
izational-level construct that mediates between the HRM system and
firm-level performance. However, most studies in this area operational-
ized HR strength at the individual-level and often linked it to individual-
level outcomes. Ostroff and Bowen (2016: p. 198) expressed concerns
about this trend and argued that the individual-level construct of
“perceptions of HRM system strength”, although meaningful in its own
right, should be differentiated from the collective-level construct of
“HRM system strength”.
Measurement
Studies have used a variety of methods to measure HR strength as per-
ceived by individuals, including assessing the within-person variability of
HR ratings to measure consistency (e.g. Sanders, Dorenbosch, & de
Reuver, 2008; Li, Frenkel, & Sanders, 2011). A study by Delmotte et al.
(2012) was one of the first to design a scale to measure perceived HR
strength. More recently, Coelho, Cunha, Gomes, and Correia (2015), and
Hauff, Alewell, and Hansen (2017) designed scales to measure perceived
HR strength. Although these scales are widely used in empirical studies,
Ostroff and Bowen (2016) concluded that the field still lacks a compre-
hensive and sophisticated measure of HR strength (p. 199; see also
Hewett et al., 2018; Sanders et al., 2014). Until a widely recognized
148 Y. WANG ET AL.
measure of HR strength at different levels of analysis is developed, it will

be difficult to systematically accumulate knowledge on the effects of the
‘how’ of HR practices (Ostroff & Bowen, 2016).
Empirical findings
In general, studies show that employee-perceived HR strength is associ-
ated with positive employee outcomes such as organizational commit-
ment (Farndale & Kelliher, 2013), job satisfaction (Heffernan & Dundon,
2016), vigor (Li et al., 2011), well-being (Baluch, 2017), task performance
(Redmond, 2013), creativity (Ehrnrooth & Bjorkman, 2012), organiza-
tional citizenship behavior (Frenkel, Restubog, & Bednall, 2012), HR
effectiveness (De Winne, Delmotte, Gilbert, & Sels, 2013), and organiza-
tional performance (Pereira & Gomes, 2012) while being negatively
related to turnover intentions (Li et al., 2011) and negative emotions
(Frenkel, Li, et al., 2012).
While some studies have identified perceived HR strength as a moder-
ator of relationships between HR practices and outcomes (Bednall &
Sanders, 2017; Sanders & Yang, 2016; Sanders et al., 2018), other studies
have identified HR strength as an outcome. For instance, Sumelius,
Bj€orkman, Ehrnrooth, M€akel€a, and Smale’s (2014) research indicated that
employees’ prior experiences of performance appraisal influence their
perception of HR strength. They also reported that how employees per-
ceive HR strength is influenced by their relationship to managers.
In sum, while the work of Bowen and Ostroff (2004, 2016) reflects an
impressive theoretical development that has moved HRM research fur-
ther by emphasizing the importance of employees’ understandings of the
organizational context, several concerns currently limit research in this
area. In particular, the lack of consensus as to the level at which the HR
strength construct should be assessed, and the lack of a comprehensive
and sophisticated measure(s) of HR strength, hinders progress in the
field. Future research needs to focus on building theory around HR
strength at the higher (team or organizational) level while developing
valid and reliable measures at all levels of analysis. In addition, while
some studies have examined HR strength as a moderator, studies exam-
ining HR strength as a mediator are virtually nonexistent. As such,
researchers need to consider HR strength as a mediator between HR
practices and outcomes. Another limitation of research in this area is the
lack of knowledge about the determinants of HR strength. Finally, with
few exceptions, HR strength research follows a universalistic approach.
In a theoretical article, however, Farndale and Sanders (2017) challenge
this approach and propose that the effects of employee perceptions of
HR strength may depend on the cultural values across nations. Building
a contingency perspective, they theorize HR strength could be more

effective when aligned with certain cultural values of employees. This
issue needs to be theoretically and empirically considered in different
cross-national contexts.
The perceived ‘why’ of HR practices

Theoretical underpinnings
Employees’ perceived ‘why’ of HR practices refers to their causal explana-
tions regarding management’s motivations for implementing particular
HR practices (Nishii, Lepak, & Schneider, 2008). The perceived ‘why’ of
HR practices is distinctive from the perceived ‘what’ and ‘how’ of HR
practices. Specifically, employees with the same perceived HR content
and HR strength may disagree with each other about why those HR
practices were put into place. In their seminal work, Nishii et al. (2008)
propose multiple types of HR attributions. Internal HR attributions
involve employees’ beliefs that their company is responsible for its HR
decisions. Internal HR attributions can be further divided into those
associated with a firm’s business needs and strategies (cost control or
quality enhancement) or the firm’s employee-related philosophy
(employee-well-being orientation or employee-exploitation orientation).
External HR attributions are based on the view that the implementation
of HR practices is a result of complying with pressure from outside the
company (such as trade unions or labor legislation). This multi-faceted
categorization of HR attribution emerged as a dominant framework to
conceptualize employees’ interpretation of their company’s motives
behind HR practices.
An important assumption in this research stream is employees’ personifi-
cation of their organization, which refers to the phenomenon of
“anthromorphism”. This phenomenon involves the process of attributing
humanlike qualities to nonhuman entities (Epley, Waytz, & Cacioppo,
2007). Through anthromorphism, employees consider their company as a
humanlike agent who takes intentional actions (Ashforth, Schinoff, &
Brickson, in press). When a company is personified, employees interpret its
HR practices in the same way they interpret other people’s behaviors (Coyle-
Shapiro & Shore, 2007). Then, HR practices are subject to employees’ attri-
butional processes through which employees formulate their interpretation
about organization’s motivation(s) to implement such HR practices.
Whether employees personify their organization is a matter of debate.
Ashforth et al. (in press) suggest that the anthromorphism is a prevalent
phenomenon and has been embraced by several strands of management
scholarship such as literature on perceived organizational support,
150 Y. WANG ET AL.
psychological contract theory, and employee-employer relationship. If we

build on this research, then it would appear that the HR attribution lit-
erature is built on a valid assumption. However, Coyle-Shapiro and
Shore (2007) warn that employees’ anthromorphism should not be taken
for granted. Some employees may find it difficult to anthromorphize
their organization due to personal or situational reasons. If this is the
case, then the underlying assumption of the HR attribution perspective
may have limited validity. We suggest that this assumption needs to be
explicitly considered and tested in different organizational environments.
In this way, researchers could then determine whether or when employ-
ees personify their organization.
Measurement
Nishii et al. (2008) developed the most widely used measurement tool in
this stream of research. The authors discuss two archetypes: commitment
HR attribution, which is composed of service quality enhancing and
employee well-being attributions; and control HR attribution, which
involves cost-reduction and exploitation. Although most empirical stud-
ies directly borrow the Nishii et al. scales to evaluate employee attribu-
tion, a few scholars have developed their own measures of HR
attributions (e.g. Webster & Beehr, 2013).
Empirical findings
Overall, commitment attributions, compared to control attributions, have
a more noticeable positive impact on employee behaviors and attitudes
(Nishii et al., 2008; Shantz, Arevshatian, Alfes, & Bailey, 2016; Van de
Voorde & Beijer, 2015; Webster & Beehr, 2013). For example, research
indicates that commitment attributions are positively related to employee
commitment to the organization (Fontinha, Chambel, & De Cuyper,
2012) and job satisfaction (Nishii et al., 2008), while control attributions
are positively related to work overload and emotional exhaustion (Shantz
et al., 2016). Recently, Hewett, Shantz, and Mundy (2019) examine the
antecedents of HR attributions, applying attribution theory (Kelley &
Michela, 1980) to the influence of information (perceptions of distribu-
tive and procedural fairness), beliefs (organizational cynicism), and
motivation (perceived relevance) on employees’ interpretation of employ-
er’s intent behind a workload model. The results of a study of 347 UK
academics show that fairness and cynicism are important for the forma-
tion of HR commitment attributions; these factors also interact in such a
manner that distributive fairness buffers the negative effect of cynicism.
In sum, in comparison to the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of employee percep-

tions, research on the ‘why’ is less developed (Sanders, Guest, &
Rodrigues, 2017). One area where research is especially needed is the
determinants of HR attributions (Hewett et al., 2019). Many studies have
identified multiple types of HR attributions and explored their impact on
employee outcomes; however, knowledge is limited on how such employ-
ees HR attributions are formulated. In addition, we need to develop a
more nuanced understanding about the role of culture in employee HR
attribution. Some empirical findings across nations appear to contradict
each other. For instance, while Nishii et al. (2008) demonstrate that an
exploitation attribution has a negative effect on employee and organiza-
tional outcomes in the US, in other countries such as China, the
Netherlands, and the United Kingdom it has a positive effect (Sanders
et al., 2018). Future research is needed to address considerations con-
cerning the role of cultural values on the ‘why’ of HR perceptions.
Future directions
Enrich the theories of HR communication
Perhaps most crucially, research on employee perceptions of HR practi-
ces reveals that HR practices function as a mechanism of communication
between employer and employees. An important direction for future
research is to enrich the theoretical grounding of the literature by draw-
ing from established theories shown to be useful in understanding the
phenomenon of communication and information processing in manager-
ial settings, particularly in the areas of information processing, signaling,
and sensemaking.
Information-processing theory suggests that individuals go through a
series of processes when they seek to understand their surrounding envi-
ronments. Individuals first select and organize pieces of information
from the environment and then attach their interpretation and judgment
to the acquired information (Fiske & Taylor, 1991; Sanders, Yang, & Li,
in press). The selection stage involves choosing the cues, signals, and
stimuli to which they will pay attention. In the organization stage, indi-
viduals assign new information to extant categories familiar to them and
group information into meaningful, orderly, and useful sets. In the inter-
pretation and judgment stage, individuals translate the organized infor-
mation and give it meaning. In other words, individuals make a
judgment about a person or event, and about the cause of the behavior.
Information processing theory is highly relevant to employee HR per-
ceptions research. The selecting and organizing information stages relate
to the pieces of HR information employees choose to recognize (the
152 Y. WANG ET AL.
‘what’ of employee perception). Experimental research can provide new

insights in how and why employee perceive the same HR practices in an
organization differently. In addition to personality factors and the cul-
tural value orientations of employees, saliency of different HR practices
can play a role. For instance, HR practices related to maternity leave and
flexible work can be expected to be more salient for pregnant employees
and/or employees with young children. Other employees may not be
aware of these HR practices and thus do not perceive them. Future
research can examine which HR practices are more salient for which cat-
egories of employees and why this is the case.
Interpretation and judgment of the perceptions of HR practices
involve attribution processes (Kelley, 1973), and therefore are related to
HR strength and HR attributions of employee perceptions of HR practi-
ces (the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of employee perceptions). Future research on
employee HR perceptions can readily draw from the rich stock of know-
ledge in the information processing literature. For example, the moti-
vated information processing perspective posits that individuals may see
and understand different things depending on their underlying motiva-
tions (De Dreu, 2007). This suggests that employee memory and aware-
ness of HR content may be biased depending on individuals’ personal
needs or other motivations (Sanders et al., in press). The theory of infor-
mation processing could inspire researchers to explore the relationship
between the ‘what’ aspect of HR perception and the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of
HR attributions. This requires more studies that theoretically and empir-
ically examine the interrelationship among these three dimensions of HR
perceptions. Experimental research can be especially helpful to explore
relationships as it can be assumed that perceptions, interpretation and
attribution occur simultaneously. Experimental research can help to
untangle these relationships. However, information processing theories
can be criticized as very descriptive frameworks that do not provide a
clear understanding of the different elements and the moderators that
influence the relationship between the different elements and outcomes.
So, in addition to further theoretical development, experimental research
can provide the opportunity to unravel the different elements and learn
more about how they influence different employee outcomes.
Signaling theory can help us further explain the phenomenon of
employee perceptions of HR practices. Signaling theory concerns ways to
reduce information asymmetry between the signaler, or information
senders, and information receivers by way of signaling activities (Spence,
2002). The relevance of signaling theory to management research in gen-
eral has been recognized with some authors identifying this theory as
relevant to HR perception research (Connelly, Certo, Ireland, & Reutzel,
2011; Ehrnrooth & Bjorkman, 2012; Bednall, Sanders, & Yang, 2019;
Sanders et al., in press). This theory views HR practices as signals sent
from managers towards employees. The theories on signals, signal send-
ers, and signal receivers can further inspire HR perception research. For
instance, future research can explore HR signaling dynamics in relation
to different types of signalers, or the ‘who’ of HR perception. In today’s
organization, the implementation of HR involves various actors including
CEOs, HR professionals, and line managers (Op de Beeck, Wynen, &
Hondeghem, 2016). In addition, the popularization of new HR delivery
modes such as self-service and shared service is reshaping the sources
from which employees receive HR messages (Huang & Martin-Taylor,
2013; Maatman, Bondarouk, & Looise, 2010). Future research may inves-
tigate how employees’ attitudes and behaviors could vary depending on
employees’ perceptions regarding the senders of HR messages.
Future research can also draw from signaling theory when examining
the ‘when’ of HR practices, or the temporal aspect of HR implementation.
According to signaling theory, a high level of signal frequency creates sig-
nals that are more visible and efficacious (Connelly et al., 2011). This may
suggest that the frequency of certain HR practices (for instance, the fre-
quency of performance evaluations) may generate more positive employee
responses. Signaling theory also suggests that signaler’s choice of timing
and duration of signal matters (Connelly et al., 2011). Future research
may build on these insights and examine how employees’ HR perceptions
are influenced by the temporal aspect of HR implementation in terms of
the perceived frequency of HR practice implementation.
Finally, researchers can further investigate the nature of HR message
receivers, or the ‘whom’ of HR perception. Signaling theory highlights the
role of the receiver in the signaling process. There are two receiver-related
signaling processes, receiver attention and receiver interpretation. Receiver
attention refers to “the extent to which receivers vigilantly scan the environ-
ment for signals” (Connelly et al., 2011, p. 54). Receiver attention is particu-
larly essential when signals are weak and inconsistent. Receiver interpretation
captures “[T]he processes of translating signals into perceived meaning”
(Connelly et al., 2011, p. 54). Receivers have their own agency to interpret
noted signals. Therefore, the same signals could be interpreted differently by
individual receivers. These insights suggest that the dynamics of HR signal-
ing are affected by employees’ attention and interpretation. For instance,
employees may pay varied levels of attention to certain HR practices depend-
ing on their position, tenure, and employment status.
Sensemaking can be defined as “[T]he processes whereby organizational
members translate an organizational event and construct a meaningful
explanation for that event” (Greenberg, 1995, p.185). The sensemaking
154 Y. WANG ET AL.
literature posits that employees collectively make sense of their organiza-

tional lives, which affects their attitudes and behaviors. Research explicitly
acknowledges that employee perception and judgment of an organiza-
tional event are socially constructed. Therefore, it is not surprising that
HR perception research recognizes the usefulness of sensemaking litera-
ture. For instance, the “strong HR climate” concept (Bowen & Ostroff,
2004) is directly correlated with employees’ collective sensemaking.
The relevance of the sensemaking literature provides opportunities for
future HR perception research. A promising future avenue is to examine
the connections between broader institutional environments and employ-
ees’ sensemaking in relation to HR practices. Employees’ sensemaking of
their organizational practice is deeply affected by how the practice is
conceived, legitimated, and categorized in broader societies (Maitlis &
Christianson, 2014; Weber & Glynn, 2006). This suggests that future HR
perception research can be enriched by drawing from the recent develop-
ment of the micro-foundation of institutional theory.
Enlarge the empirical grounds across nations

A notable trend in the literature on employee HR perceptions is the
increasing number of studies in non-Western contexts. This expansion
in the range of empirical contexts is a welcome phenomenon. Such stud-
ies confirm the cross-cultural generalizability of established knowledge
on HR perceptions. However, there is a great need for research that
explores the possible impact of cultural and institutional environments
on the dynamics of employee HR perceptions. There could be meaning-
ful cross-cultural differences in the way employees perceive the ‘what’,
‘how’, and ‘why’ of HR practices. Kim and Wright (2011) suggest that
employee attributions of HR can vary across social and cultural environ-
ments. They argue that the same set of HR practices may stimulate
divergent employee attributions in different contexts. Job security policies
may lead to varied attributional reactions across nations. In a country
with a liberal labor market, where companies have a large scope of dis-
cretion in hiring and firing, employees are likely to interpret job security
as an expression of an employer’s goodwill, because it is not a legally
mandated practice. However, in a country with strong employment pro-
tection regulations, employees may interpret job security as an employ-
er’s passive action of legal compliance. This difference in attributional
processes may help explain why the same practice may lead to conflict-
ing outcomes in different countries.
Recently, Farndale and Sanders (2017; see also Sanders et al., 2018)
proposed that employee perceptions of the ‘how’ of HR may lead to
varied outcomes depending on the national values of cultures and coun-

tries. Building on a contingency perspective, they theorize that HR
strength could be more effective when it aligns with certain cultural val-
ues of employees. It is possible HR strength may have a stronger impact
on employee outcomes in a low power distance culture where employees
can easily voice their concerns to managers. Future studies that test and
extend such ideas on cross-cultural differences are encouraged.
A challenge for cross-national examination of employee HR perception
is to make informed choices between emic and etic approaches (Morris,
Leung, Ames, & Lickel, 1999). The emic approach takes the perspective
of cultural insiders, highlighting the experiences unique to a cultural
group. Followers of this method place a high value on qualitative meth-
ods such as ethnographic fieldwork to discover the indigenous view of
the world. The etic approach takes the view of outsider and often focuses
on a slice of human experience that can be legitimately compared across
different cultures through standardized measures. Recognizing the differ-
ence between emic and etic approaches is especially necessary when the
subject of research is related to human cognition and judgment.
Because HR perception studies center on employees’ cognitive and sub-
jective experiences, researchers will face unavoidable methodological chal-
lenges when they set out to conduct HR perception research across
different cultural settings. For instance, many studies of employee HR attri-
bution develop their measurement items by directly borrowing from Nishii
et al. (2008), which assumes that an external attribution captures union
compliance. Such measurement items may have very different meanings in
countries with different industrial relations systems, such as China, where
the CEO can be a member of a trade union, or European countries, where
national regulations dictate many high performance work practices
(Paauwe & Boselie, 2003). Therefore, one cannot assume that the measure-
ments in Nishii et al. (2008) will capture the same kinds of employee per-
ceptions across different national contexts. In fact, Nishii et al. constructed
their own measures through a series of processes to come up with context-
ually valid items. Future research on employee HR perception will need to
follow such an approach rather than uncritically borrow measurements
items developed in different empirical contexts. This echoes the suggestion
of Hewett et al. (2018) that emphasizes the potential benefits of qualitative
inquiry in employee HR perception research.
Enhancing practical relevance

An increasing concern in HR scholarship is the practical relevance of the
knowledge contained in the academic literature. Studies reveal a sizable
156 Y. WANG ET AL.
gap between the academic community and HR practitioners (Cohen,

2007; Deadrick & Gibson, 2007; Rynes, Giluk, & Brown, 2007; Sanders,
van Riemsdijk, & Groen, 2008). Nicolai and Seidl (2010) suggest the
practical relevance of management knowledge can take three forms:
instrumental relevance, conceptual relevance, and legitimating relevance.
Instrumental relevance refers to the capacity of knowledge to solve prac-
tical problems at hand. Conceptual relevance provides practitioners theor-
etical frameworks with which they can better understand the reality of a
workplace. Legitimating relevance is the role of scholastic knowledge as a
mechanism to provide legitimacy to a person or a practice in the field.
The most frequently used form of practical relevance in management lit-
erature is that of conceptual relevance, often expressed in a statement
about how the findings in a study can help practitioners better under-
stand the unintended consequences of a phenomenon (Nicolai &
Seidl, 2010).
Similarly, the extant employee HR perceptions literature focuses on
conceptual relevance, helping practitioners better understand which HR
practices will work better under what conditions. Many articles include a
note in the section on practical implications urging practitioners to rec-
ognize the potentially serious negative consequences of poorly managed
employee HR perceptions, and vice versa. Kehoe and Wright (2013)
warn practitioners that without consistent implementation of HR practi-
ces, a well-designed HR system may not produce best-intended out-
comes. Yousaf, Sanders, and Yustantio (2018) advise practitioners to
understand which HR practices influence employees in the manner
intended by management. In the same vein, several studies provide sup-
plementary advice such as conducting regular data collection on employ-
ees’ HR perceptions (Cooke, Cooper, Bartram, Wang, & Mei, 2019;
Fletcher, Alfes, & Robinson, 2018; Liao et al., 2009). In addition to con-
ceptual relevance, researchers may claim their findings contain legitimat-
ing relevance. For instance, Kilroy, Flood, Bosak, and Chênevert (2017)
state that HR professionals can use their findings to build a case for
investing in HR and thus overcome the problem of employee burnout.
What is missing in the HR perception literature is the issue of instru-
mental relevance. For a branch of social science, the limited instrumental
relevance may not necessarily be a serious issue (Nicolai & Seidl, 2010).
However, demand is increasing for research that provides specific solu-
tions to problems field practitioners experience.
One way to enhance the instrumental relevance of employee HR per-
ception research is to pay more attention to the drivers of employee HR
perceptions. In our review, 82 empirical studies examined the consequen-
ces of employee perceptions of HR practices, while only 20 investigated
the factors that shape employee perceptions of HR practices (Ang et al.,

2013; Ang et al., 2017; Aryee et al., 2012; Bos-Nehles & Meijerink, 2018;
Choi, 2019; Chacko & Conway, 2019; Elorza et al., 2011; Elorza et al.,
2016; Den Hartog et al., 2013; Heffernan & Dundon, 2016; Hewett et al.,
2019; Jensen et al., 2013; Jiang et al., 2017; Li & Frenkel, 2017;
Makhecha, Srinivasan, Prabhu, & Mukherji, 2018; Piening, Baluch, &
Ridder, 2014; Sumelius, Bj€orkman, Ehrnrooth, M€akel€a, & Smale, 2014;
Van de Voorde & Beijer, 2015; Vermeeren, 2014; Webster & Beehr,
2013). The recent review by Hewett et al. (2018) acknowledge the lack of
understanding regarding the antecedents of HR perception. Future
research could provide more knowledge directly relevant to practitioners
by identifying antecedents of employee HR perception that are under the
discretion of managerial decisions, such as organizational structure or
modern HR information technologies.
Conclusion
Scholars have called for examination of employee perceptions of HR prac-
tices so as to uncover the “black box” between HR practices and perform-
ance (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004; Den Hartog et al., 2013; Wright & Nishii,
2013). In response, researchers have begun to examine employee percep-
tions of HR practices in a systematic and rigorous fashion. We propose
that progress can be expedited by enriching the theoretical grounding of
research in this area, enlarging the empirical scope to consider, for
example, cross-cultural issues, and enhancing practical relevance. We
hope this review sparks more studies of employee perceptions of HR
practices, with a clear understanding of the multiple aspects of this con-
struct and a deeper understanding of the intricacies involved in the for-
mulation and evolution of employee perceptions of HR in the workplace.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71902144) and China Postdoctoral
Science Foundation (No. 2019M651594)
ORCID
Ying Wang http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1850-9393
Sunghoon Kim http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4374-9332
Karin Sanders http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0385-1690
158 Y. WANG ET AL.
References
Agarwal, P., & Farndale, E. (2017). High-performance work systems and creativity
implementation: The role of psychological capital and psychological safety. Human
Resource Management Journal, 27(3), 440–458. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12148
Ahmad, S., & Schroeder, R. G. (2003). The impact of human resource management
practices on operational performance: Recognizing country and industry differences.
Journal of Operations Management, 21(1), 19–43. doi:10.1016/S0272-6963(02)00056-6
Alfes, K., Shantz, A. D., Bailey, C., Conway, E., Monks, K., & Fu, N. (2019). Perceived
human resource system strength and employee reactions toward change: Revisiting
human resource’s remit as change agent. Human Resource Management, 58(3),
239–252. doi:10.1002/hrm.21948
Alfes, K., Shantz, A. D., Truss, C., & Soane, E. C. (2013). The link between perceived
human resource management practices, engagement and employee behaviour: A mod-
erated mediation model. The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
24(2), 330–351. doi:10.1080/09585192.2012.679950
Alfes, K., Truss, C., Soane, E. C., Rees, C., & Gatenby, M. (2013). The relationship
between line manager behaviour, perceived HRM practices, and individual perform-
ance: Examining the mediating role of engagement. Human Resource Management,
52(6), 839–859. doi:10.1002/hrm.21512
Allen, T. D. (2001). Family-supportive work environments: The role of organization per-
ceptions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 58(3), 414–435. doi:10.1006/jvbe.2000.1774
Andreeva, T., Sergeeva, A. (2016). The more the better … or is it? The contradictory
effects of HR practices on knowledgesharing motivation and behaviour. Human
Resource Management Journal, 26(2), 151–171.
Andreeva, T., Vanhala, M., Sergeeva, A., Ritala, P., & Kianto, A. (2017). When the fit
between HR practices backfires: Exploring the interaction effects between rewards for
and appraisal of knowledge behaviours on innovation. Human Resource Management
Journal, 27(2), 209–227. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12133
Ang, S. H., Bartram, T., McNeil, N., Leggat, S. G., & Stanton, P. (2013). The effects of
high-performance work systems on hospital employees’ work attitudes and intention
to leave: A multi-level and occupational group analysis. The International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 24(16), 3086–3114. doi:10.1080/09585192.2013.775029
Ang, S. H., Cavanagh, J., Southcombe, A., Bartram, T., Marjoribanks, T., & McNeil, N.
(2017). Human resource management, social connectedness and health and well-being
of older and retired men: The role of Men’s Sheds. The International Journal of
Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., & Kalleberg, A. (2000). Manufacturing advantage:
Why high performance work systems pay off. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Arthur, J. (1994). Effects of human resource systems on manufacturing performance and
turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 37, 670–687. doi:10.5465/256705
Aryee, S., Walumbwa, F. O., Seidu, E. Y., & Otaye, L. E. (2012). Impact of high-perform-
ance work systems on individual-and branch-level performance: Test of a multilevel
model of intermediate linkages. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(2), 287–300. doi:10.
1037/a0028116
Ashforth, B. E., Schinoff, B. S., & Brickson, S. (in press). My Company is
Friendly,”“Mine’sa Rebel”: Anthropomorphism and shifting organizational identity
from “What” to “Who. Academy of Management Review, Epub 2018 Mar 6, doi:10.
5465/amr.2016.0496
Bae, J., Chen, S. J., Wan, T. W., Lawler, J., & Walumbwa, F. (2003). Human Resource
Strategy and Firm Performance in Pacific Rim Countries. The International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 14(8), 1308–1332. doi:10.1080/0958519032000145774
Bae, J., & Lawler, J. (2000). Organizational and HRM strategies in Korea: Impact on
firm performance in an emerging economy. Academy of Management Journal, 43,
502–517. doi:10.2307/1556407
Baer, M., Oldham, G. R., & Cummings, A. (2003). Rewarding creativity: When does it
really matter? The Leadership Quarterly, 14(4–5), 569–586. doi:10.1016/S1048-
9843(03)00052-3
Baluch, A. M. (2017). Employee perceptions of HRM and well-being in nonprofit organ-
isations: Unpacking the unintended. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 28(14), 1912–1937. doi:10.1080/09585192.2015.1136672
Baluch, A. M., Salge, T. O., & Piening, E. P. (2013). Untangling the relationship between
HRM and hospital performance: The mediating role of attitudinal and behavioural
HR outcomes. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(16),
3038–3061. doi:10.1080/09585192.2013.775027
Bayazit, Z., & Bayazit, M. (2019). How do flexible work arrangements alleviate work-
family-conflict? The roles of flexibility i-deals and familysupportive cultures. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(3), 405–435.
Becker, B., & Huselid, M. (1998). High performance work systems and firm perform-
ance: A synthesis of research and managerial implications. Research in Personnel and
Human Resource Management, 16, 53–101.
Bednall, T. C., & Sanders, K. (2017). Do opportunities for formal learning stimulate fol-
low-up participation in informal learning? A three-wave study. Human Resource
Management, 56(5), 803–820. doi:10.1002/hrm.21800
Bednall, T. C., Sanders, K., & Runhaar, P. (2014). Stimulating informal learning activities
through perceptions of performance appraisal quality and human resource manage-
ment system strength: A two-wave study. Academy of Management Learning &
Education, 13, 45–61. doi:10.5465/amle.2012.0162
Bednall, T. C., Sanders, K., & Yang, H. (2019, August). Results of a systematic review
and a Meta-analysis of HR strength. Paper presented at the Academy of Management
annual meeting, Boston.
Beijer, S., Peccie, R., Van Veldhoven, M., & Paauwe, J. (in press). The turn to employees
in the measurement of human resource practices: A critical review and proposed way
forward. Human Resource Management Journal. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12229. Epub
2019 Feb 27.
Binning, J. F., Zaba, A. J., & Whattam, J. C. (1986). Explaining the biasing effects of per-
formance cues in terms of cognitive categorization. Academy of Management Journal,
29, 521–535. doi:10.2307/256222
Boon, C. T. (2008). HRM and fit. Survival of the fittest!? (Dissertation). Erasmus
University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Boon, C., Den Hartog, D. N., Boselie, P., & Paauwe, J. (2011). The relationship between
perceptions of HR practices and employee outcomes: Examining the role of person-
organisation and person-job fit. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 22(1), 138–162. doi:10.1080/09585192.2011.538978
Boon, C., & Kalshoven, K. (2014). How high - commitment HRM relates to engagement
and commitment: The moderating role of task proficiency. Human Resource
160 Y. WANG ET AL.
Boselie, P., Dietz, G., & Boon, C. (2005). Commonalities and contradictions in HRM
and performance research. Human Resource Management Journal, 15(3), 67–94. doi:
10.1111/j.1748-8583.2005.tb00154.x
Boselie, P., Hesselink, M., Paauwe, J., & van der Wiele, T. (2001). Employee perceptions
on commitment oriented work systems: Effects on trust and perceived job security.
Rotterdam: ERIM. Workpaper. Retrieved from SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=
370862.
Bos-Nehles, A. C., & Meijerink, J. G. (2018). HRM implementation by multiple HRM
actors: A social exchange perspective. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 29(22), 3068–3092. doi:10.1080/09585192.2018.1443958
Bos-Nehles, A. C., & Veenendaal, A. A. (2019). Perceptions of HR practices and innova-
tive work behavior: The moderating effect of an innovative climate. The International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(18), 2661–2683.
Bowen, D. E., & Ostroff, C. (2004). Understanding HRM-firm performance linkages:
The role of the “strength” of the HRM system. Academy of Management Review, 29,
203–221. doi:10.5465/amr.2004.12736076
Browning, V. (2006). The relationship between HRM practices and service behaviour in
South African service organizations. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 17(7), 1321–1338. doi:10.1080/09585190600756863
Buyens, D., & De Vos, A. (2001). Perceptions of the value of the HR function. Human
Resource Management Journal, 11(3), 70–89. doi:10.1111/j.1748-8583.2001.tb00046.x
Cable, D. M., & Edwards, J. R. (2004). Complementary and supplementary fit: A theor-
etical and empirical integration. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 822–834. doi:10.
1037/0021-9010.89.5.822
Collins, W. C., & Salgado, J. (2006). Determinants of individual engagement
Cabrera, A.,
in knowledge sharing. The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
17(2), 245–264.
Castanheira, F., & Story, J. (2016). Making good things last longer: The role of savoring
on the relationship between HRM and positive employee outcomes. Human Resource
Chacko, S., & Conway, N. (2019). Employee experiences of HRM through daily affective
events and their effects on perceived event-signalled HRM system strength, expect-
ancy perceptions, and daily work engagement. Human Resource Management Journal,
29(3), 433–450. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12236
Chang, P. C., & Chen, S. J. (2011). Crossing the level of employee’s performance:
HPWS, affective commitment, human capital, and employee job performance in pro-
fessional service organizations. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 22(4), 883–901.
Chen, S. J., Lawler, J., & Bae, J. (2005). Convergence in human resource systems: A com-
parison of locally owned and MNC subsidiaries in Taiwan. Human Resource
Chen, Y. Y., Zhang, Y., & Fey, C. F. (2011). When collaborative HR practices may not
work well: The moderating role of social capital in the Chinese life insurance indus-
try. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(2), 433–456. doi:
10.1080/09585192.2011.540164
Choi, J. H. (2019). What one thinks determines one’s actions: The importance of
employees’ perception in implementing HR systems. Asia Pacific Journal of Human
Resources, 57(1), 85–102. doi:10.1111/1744-7941.12146
Chuang, C., & Liao, H. (2010). Strategic human resource management in service context:
Taking care of business by taking care of employees and customers. Personnel
Psychology, 63(1), 153–196. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.2009.01165.x
Coelho, J. P., Cunha, C. R., Gomes, J. F. S., & Correia, G. A. (2015). Strength of the
HRM system: The development of a measure. Journal of Industrial Engineering and
Management, 8(4), 1069–1086. doi:10.3926/jiem.1432
Cohen, D. J. (2007). The very separate worlds of academic and practitioner publications
in human resource management: Reasons for the divide and concrete solutions for
bridging the gap. Academy of Management Journal, 50(5), 1013–1019. doi:10.5465/
amj.2007.27151946
Colquitt, J. A. (2001). On the dimensionality of organizational justice: A construct valid-
ation of a measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 386–400. doi:10.1037/0021-
9010.86.3.386
Combs, J., Liu, Y., Hall, A., & Ketchen, D. (2006). How much do high-performance
work practices matter? A meta-analysis of their effects on organizational performance.
Personnel Psychology, 59(3), 501–528. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.2006.00045.x
Connelly, B. L., Certo, S. T., Ireland, R. D., & Reutzel, C. R. (2011). Signaling theory: A
review and assessment. Journal of Management, 37(1), 39–67. doi:10.1177/
0149206310388419
Conway, E., Fu, N., Monks, K., Alfes, K., & Bailey, C. (2016). Demands or resources?
The relationship between HR practices, employee engagement, and emotional exhaus-
tion within a hybrid model of employment relations. Human Resource Management,
55(5), 901–917. doi:10.1002/hrm.21691
Conway, E., & Monks, K. (2009). Unravelling the complexities of high commitment: An
employee-level analysis. Human Resource Management Journal, 19(2), 140–158. doi:
10.1111/j.1748-8583.2009.00090.x
Cooke, F. L., Cooper, B., Bartram, T., Wang, J., & Mei, H. (2019). Mapping the relation-
ships between high-performance work systems, employee resilience and engagement:
A study of the banking industry in China. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 30(8), 1239–1260. doi:10.1080/09585192.2015.1137618
Coyle-Shapiro, J. A., & Shore, L. M. (2007). The employee–organization relationship:
Where do we go from here? Human Resource Management Review, 17(2), 166–179.
doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2007.03.008
Cropanzano, R., & Mitchell, M. S. (2005). Social exchange theory: An interdisciplinary
review. Journal of Management, 31(6), 874–900. doi:10.1177/0149206305279602
De Dreu, C. K. (2007). Cooperative outcome interdependence, task reflexivity, and team
effectiveness: A motivated information processing perspective. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 92(3), 628–638. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.628
De Winne, S., Delmotte, J., Gilbert, C., & Sels, L. (2013). Comparing and explaining HR
department effectiveness assessments: Evidence from line managers and trade union
representatives. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(8),
1708–1735. doi:10.1080/09585192.2012.725069
Deadrick, D. L., & Gibson, P. A. (2007). An examination of the research–practice gap in
HR: Comparing topics of interest to HR academics and HR professionals. Human
Resource Management Review, 17(2), 131–139. doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2007.03.001
Delery, J. E., & Doty, D. H. (1996). Modes of theorizing in strategic human resource
management: Tests of universalistic, contingency, and configurational performance
predictions. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 802–835. doi:10.5465/256713
162 Y. WANG ET AL.
Dello Russo, S., Mascia, D., & Morandi, F. (2018). Individual perceptions of HR practi-
ces, HRM strength, and appropriateness of care: A meso, multilevel approach. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(2), 286–310. doi:10.1080/
09585192.2016.1165276
Delmotte, J., De Winne, S., Gilbert, C., & Sels, L. (2007, November). Comparing line
managers and trade union representatives assessments of HRM system strength. Paper
presented at Dutch HRM Network Conference, Tilburg.
Delmotte, J., De Winne, S., & Sels, L. (2012). Toward an assessment of perceived HRM
system strength: Scale development and validation. The International Journal of
Den Hartog, D. N., Boon, C., Verburg, R. M., & Croon, M. A. (2013). HRM, communi-
cation, satisfaction, and perceived performance: A Cross-Level Test. Journal of
Management, 39(6), 1637–1665. doi:10.1177/0149206312440118
Dorenbosch, L., de Reuver, R., & Sanders, K. (2006). Getting the HR message across:
The linkage between Line–HR consensus and” commitment strength” among hospital
employees. Management Revu, 17(3), 274–291. doi:10.5771/0935-9915-2006-3-274
Dumont, J., Shen, J., & Deng, X. (2017). Effects of green HRM practices on employee
workplace green behavior: The role of psychological green climate and employee
green values. Human Resource Management, 56(4), 613–627. doi:10.1002/hrm.21792
Edgar, F., & Geare, A. (2005). HRM practice and employee attitudes: Different meas-
ures-different results. Personnel Review, 34(5), 534–549. doi:10.1108/
00483480510612503
Edgar, F., & Geare, A. (2014). An employee-centred analysis: Professionals’ experiences
and reactions to HRM. The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
25(5), 673–695. doi:10.1080/09585192.2013.803137
Ehrnrooth, M., & Bjorkman, I. (2012). An Integrative HRM process theorization:
Beyond signalling effects and mutual gains. Journal of Management Studies, 49(6),
1109–1135. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01055.x
Elorza, U., Aritzeta, A., & Ayestaran, S. (2011). Exploring the black box in Spanish
firms: The effect of the actual and perceived system on employees’ commitment and
organisational performance. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 22(7), 1401–1422. doi:10.1080/09585192.2011.561956
Elorza, U., Harris, C., Aritzeta, A., & Balluerka, N. (2016). The effect of management
and employee perspectives of high-performance work systems on employees’ discre-
tionary behaviour. Personnel Review, 45(1), 121–141. doi:10.1108/PR-07-2014-0167
Epley, N., Waytz, A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2007). On seeing human: A three-factor theory
of anthropomorphism. Psychological Review, 114(4), 864–886. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.
114.4.864
Farndale, E., Hope-Hailey, V., & Kelliher, C. (2011). High commitment performance
management: The roles of justice and trust. Personnel Review, 40(1), 5–23. doi:10.
1108/00483481111095492
Farndale, E., & Kelliher, C. (2013). Implementing performance appraisal: Exploring the
employee experience. Human Resource Management, 52(6), 879–897. doi:10.1002/hrm.
21575
Farndale, E., & Sanders, K. (2017). Conceptualizing HRM system strength through a
crosscultural lens. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(1),
132–148. doi:10.1080/09585192.2016.1239124
Fiske, S., & Taylor, S. (1991). Social Cognition (2nd ed.). New York: Mcgraw-Hill.
Fletcher, L., Alfes, K., & Robinson, D. (2018). The relationship between perceived train-
ing and development and employee retention: The mediating role of work attitudes.
The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(18), 2701–2728. doi:10.
1080/09585192.2016.1262888
Folger, R., & Konovsky, M. A. (1989). Effects of procedural and distributive justice on
reactions to pay raise decisions. Academy of Management Journal, 32, 115–130. doi:
10.2307/256422
Fontinha, R., Chambel, M. J., & De Cuyper, N. (2012). HR attributions and the dual
commitment of outsourced IT workers. Personnel Review, 41(6), 832–848. doi:10.
1108/00483481211263773
Foss, N. J., Minbaeva, D. B., Pedersen, T., & Reinholt, M. (2009). Encouraging know-
ledge sharing among employees: How job design matters. Human Resource
Foss, N. J., Pedersen, T., Reinholt Fosgaard, M., & Stea, D. (2015). Why complementary
HRM practices impact performance: The case of rewards, job design, and work cli-
mate in a knowledge-sharing context. Human Resource Management, 54(6), 955–976.
doi:10.1002/hrm.21649
Frenkel, S. J., & Bednall, T. (2016). How training and promotion opportunities, career
expectations, and two dimensions of organizational justice explain discretionary work
effort. Human Performance, 29(1), 16–32. doi:10.1080/08959285.2015.1120306
Frenkel, S. J., Li, M., & Restubog, S. L. D. (2012). Management, organisational justice
and emotional exhaustion among Chinese migrant workers: Evidence from two man-
ufacturing firms. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 50(1), 121–147. doi:10.1111/j.
1467-8543.2011.00858.x
Frenkel, S. J., Restubog, S. L. D., & Bednall, T. (2012). How employee perceptions of HR
policy and practice influence discretionary work effort and co-worker assistance:
Evidence from two organisations. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 23(20), 4193–4210. doi:10.1080/09585192.2012.667433
Gellatly, I. R., Hunter, K. H., Currie, L. G., & Irving, P. G. (2009). HRM practices and
organizational commitment profiles. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 20(4), 869–884. doi:10.1080/09585190902770794
Gerhart, B., Wright, P. M., Mahan, G. C., & Snell, S. A. (2000). Measurement error in
research on human resources and firm performance: How much error is there and
how does it influence effect size estimates? Personnel Psychology, 53(4), 803–834. doi:
10.1111/j.1744-6570.2000.tb02418.x
Gkorezis, P., Georgiou, L., & Theodorou, M. (2018). High-performance work practices
and nurses’ intention to leave: The mediating role of organisational cynicism and the
moderating role of human resource management-related educational background. The
09585192.2016.1255906
Gong, Y., Huang, J. C., & Farh, J. L. (2009). Employee learning orientation, transform-
ational leadership, and employee creativity: The mediating role of employee creative
self-efficacy. Academy of Management Journal, 52(4), 765–778. doi:10.5465/amj.2009.
43670890
Gould-Williams, J. (2003). The Importance of HR practices and workplace trust in
achieving superior performance: A study of public-sector organizations. The
09585190210158501
164 Y. WANG ET AL.
Gould-Williams, J., & Davies, F. (2005). Using social exchange theory to predict the
effects of HRM practice on employee outcomes. Public Management Review, 7(1),
1–24. doi:10.1080/1471903042000339392
Gray, B., Bougon, M. G., & Donnellon, A. (1985). Organisations as constructions and
destructions of meaning. Journal of Management, 11(2), 83–98. doi:10.1177/
014920638501100212
Greenberg, D. N. (1995). Blue versus gray: A metaphor constraining sensemaking
around a restructuring. Group & Organization Management, 20, 183–209. doi:10.1177/
1059601195202007
Guest, D. E. (1999). Human resource management-the workers’ verdict. Human
Guest, D. E., & Conway, N. (2002). Communicating the psychological contract: An
employer perspective. Human Resource Management Journal, 12(2), 22–38. doi:10.
1111/j.1748-8583.2002.tb00062.x
Hauff, S., Alewell, D., & Hansen, N. (2017). HRM system strength and HRM target
achievement: Towards a broader understanding of HRM processes. Human Resource
Heffernan, M., & Dundon, T. (2016). Cross-level effects of high-performance work sys-
tems (HPWS) and employee well-being: The mediating effect of organisational justice.
Human Resource Management Journal, 26(2), 211–231. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12095
Herrbach, O., Mignonac, K., Vandenberghe, C., & Negrini, A. (2009). Perceived HRM
practices, organisational commitment, and voluntary early retirement among late-car-
eer managers. Human Resource Management, 48(6), 895–915. doi:10.1002/hrm.20321
Hewett, R., Shantz, A., & Mundy, J. (2019). Information, beliefs, and morivation: The
antecedents to human resource attributions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(5),
570–586.
Hewett, R., Shantz, A., Mundy, J., & Alfes, K. (2018). Attribution theories in Human
Resource Management Review research: A review and research agenda. The
09585192.2017.1380062
Huang, J., & Martin-Taylor, M. (2013). Turnaround user acceptance in the context of
HR self-service technology adoption: An action research approach. The International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(3), 621–642. doi:10.1080/09585192.2012.
677460
Huselid, M. A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turn-
over, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management
Journal, 38, 635–672. doi:10.2307/256741
Huselid, M. A., & Becker, B. E. (2000). Comment on “Measurement error in research
on human resources and firm performance: How much error is there and how does it
influence effect size estimates?” by Gerhart, Wright, Mc Mahan, and Snell. Personnel
Psychology, 53(4), 835–854. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.2000.tb02419.x
Ivancevich, J. M., Konopaske, R., & DeFrank, R. S. (2003). Business travel stress: A
model, propositions and managerial implications. Work & Stress, 17, 138–157. doi:10.
1080/713868351
Jensen, M. (2014). Exploring business travel with work-family conflict and the emotional
exhaustion component of burnout as outcome variables: The job demands-resources
perspective. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 23(4), 497–510.
doi:10.1080/1359432X.2013.787183
Jensen, J. M., Patel, P. C., & Messersmith, J. G. (2013). High-performance work systems
and job control: Consequences for anxiety, role overload, and turnover intentions.
Journal of Management, 39(6), 1699–1724. doi:10.1177/0149206311419663
Jiang, K., Hu, J., Liu, S., & Lepak, D. P. (2017). Understanding employees’ perceptions
of human resource practices: Effects of demographic dissimilarity to managers and
coworkers. Human Resource Management, 56(1), 69–91. doi:10.1002/hrm.21771
Jiang, K., Lepak, D. P., Hu, J., & Baer, J. C. (2012). How does human resource manage-
ment influence organizational outcomes? A meta-analytic investigation of mediating
mechanisms. Academy of Management Journal, 55(6), 1264–1294. doi:10.5465/amj.
2011.0088
Johnson, E. K. (2000). The practice of human resource management in New Zealand. Asia
Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 38(2), 69–83. doi:10.1177/103841110003800206
Kase, R., Paauwe, J., & Zupan, N. (2009). HR practices, interpersonal relations, and
intrafirm knowledge transfer in knowledge-intensive firms: A social network perspec-
tive. Human Resource Management, 48(4), 615–639. doi:10.1002/hrm.20301
Katou, A. A., Budhwar, P. S., & Patel, C. (2014). Content vs. Process in the HRM-
Performance Relationship: An Empirical Examination. Human Resource Management,
53(4), 527–544. doi:10.1002/hrm.21606
Kehoe, R. R., & Wright, P. M. (2013). The impact of high-performance human resource
practices on employees’ attitudes and behaviours. Journal of Management, 39(2),
366–391. doi:10.1177/0149206310365901
Kelley, H. H. (1973). The processes of causal attribution. American Psychologist, 28(2),
107–128. doi:10.1037/h0034225
Kelley, H. H., & Michela, J. L. (1980). Attribution theory and research. Annual Review
of Psychology, 31, 457–501. doi:10.1146/annurev.ps.31.020180.002325
Kianto, A., Andreeva, T., & Shi, X. (2011). Knowledge management across the globe -
an international survey of KM awareness, spending, practices and performance. In F.
Lehner and K. Bredl (Eds), Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Knowledge
Management. Reading: Academic Publishing International.
Kilroy, S., Flood, P. C., Bosak, J., & Chênevert, D. (2016). Perceptions of high-involve-
ment work practices and burnout: The mediating role of job demands. Human
Resource Management Journal, 26(4), 408–424. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12112
Kilroy, S., Flood, P. C., Bosak, J., & Chênevert, D. (2017). Perceptions of high-involve-
ment work practices, person-organisation fit, and burnout: A time-lagged study of
health care employees. Human Resource Management, 56(5), 821–835. doi:10.1002/
hrm.21803
Kim, S., & Wright, P. M. (2011). Putting strategic human resource management in con-
text: A contextualized model of high commitment work systems and its implications
in China. Management and Organization Review, 7(1), 153–174. doi:10.1111/j.1740-
8784.2010.00185.x
Kinnie, N., Hutchinson, S., Purcell, J., Rayton, B., & Swart, J. (2005). Satisfaction with HR
practices and commitment to the organization: Why one size does not fi t all. Human
Knies, E., & Leisink, P. (2014). Linking people management and extra-role behaviour:
Results of a longitudinal study. Human Resource Management Journal, 24(1), 57–76.
doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12023
Knight-Turvey, N. (2004, December). High commitment work practices and employee
commitment to the organisation: The mediating role of psychological empowerment.
166 Y. WANG ET AL.
Paper Presented at the 18th Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management
Conference, NZ.
Kooij, D. T., & Boon, C. (2018). Perceptions of HR practices, person–organisation fit,
and affective commitment: The moderating role of career stage. Human Resource
Management Journal, 28(1), 61–75. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12164
Kooij, D. T., Jansen, P. G., Dikkers, J. S., & De Lange, A. H. (2010). The influence of
age on the associations between HR practices and both affective commitment and job
satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(8), 1111–1136.
doi:10.1002/job.666
Koster, F. (2011). Able, willing, and knowing: The effects of HR practices on commit-
ment and effort in 26 European countries. The International Journal of Human
Kroon, B., van de Voorde, K., & van Veldhoven, M. (2009). Cross-level effects of high
performance work practices on burnout: Two counteracting mediating mechanisms
compared. Personnel Review, 38(5), 509–525. doi:10.1108/00483480910978027
Kuvaas, B. (2008). An exploration of how the employee-organisation relationship affects
the linkage between perception of developmental human resource practices and
employee outcomes. Journal of Management Studies, 45, 1–25. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
6486.2007.00710.x
Kuvaas, B., & Dysvik, A. (2009). Perceived investment in employee development, intrin-
sic motivation and work performance. Human Resource Management Journal, 19(3),
217–236. doi:10.1111/j.1748-8583.2009.00103.x
Lawler, E., Mohrman, S., & Ledford, G. (1995). Creating high performance organizations:
Practices and results of employee involvement and total quality management in fortune
1000 companies. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Lee, C. H., & Bruvold, N. T. (2003). Creating value for employees: Investment in
employee development. The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
14(6), 981–1000. doi:10.1080/0958519032000106173
Lepak, D. P., & Snell, S. A. (2002). Examining the human resource architecture: The
relationships among human capital, employment, and human resource configurations.
Journal of Management, 28(4), 517–543. doi:10.1177/014920630202800403
Leung, A., Foo, M. D., & Chaturvedi, S. (2013). Imprinting Effects of Founding Core
Teams on HR Values in New Ventures. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 37(1),
87–106. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6520.2012.00532.x
Li, F., Deng, H., Leung, K., & Zhao, Y. (2017). Is perceived creativity-reward contin-
gency good for creativity? The role of challenge and threat appraisals. Human
Resource Management, 56(4), 693–709. doi:10.1002/hrm.21795
Li, X., & Frenkel, S. (2017). Where hukou status matters: Analyzing the linkage between
supervisor perceptions of HR practices and employee work engagement. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(17), 2375–2402. doi:10.
1080/09585192.2015.1137613
Li, X., Frenkel, S. J., & Sanders, K. (2011). Strategic HRM as process: How HR system
and organisational climate strength influence Chinese employee attitudes. The
09585192.2011.573965
Li, Y., Wang, M., Van Jaarsveld, D. D., Lee, G. K., & Ma, D. G. (2018). From employee-
experienced high-involvement work system to innovation: An emergence-based
human resource management framework. Academy of Management Journal, 61(5),
2000–2019. doi:10.5465/amj.2015.1101
Liao, H., Toya, K., Lepak, D. P., & Hong, Y. (2009). Do They See Eye to Eye?
Management and employee perspectives of high-performance work systems and influ-
ence processes on service quality. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(2), 371–391. doi:
10.1037/a0013504
Liu, D., Gong, Y., Zhou, J., & Huang, J. C. (2017). Human resource systems, employee
creativity, and firm innovation: The moderating role of firm ownership. Academy of
Management Journal, 60(3), 1164–1188. doi:10.5465/amj.2015.0230
Lord, R. G., Binning, J. F., Rush, M. C., & Thomas, J. C. (1978). The effect of perform-
ance cues and leader behavior on questionnaire ratings of leadership behavior.
Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 21(1), 27–39. doi:10.1016/0030-
5073(78)90036-3
Ma, S., Silva, M. G., Callan, V. J., & Trigo, V. (2016). Control and commitment HR
practices, job satisfaction and turnover intentions: A comparison between local and
multinational firms in China. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 27(9), 974–990. doi:10.1080/09585192.2015.1052535
Maatman, M., Bondarouk, T., & Looise, J. K. (2010). Conceptualising the capabilities
and value creation of HRM shared service models. Human Resource Management
Review, 20(4), 327–339. doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2010.02.001
Macky, K., & Boxall, P. (2007). The relationship between ‘high-performance work practi-
ces’ and employee attitudes: An investigation of additive and interaction effects. The
09585190601178745
Macky, K., & Boxall, P. (2008). High-involvement work processes, work intensification
and employee well-being: A study of New Zealand worker experiences. Asia Pacific
Journal of Human Resources, 46(1), 38–55. doi:10.1177/1038411107086542.
Maden, C. (2015). Linking high involvement human resource practices to employee pro-
activity: The role of work engagement and learning goal orientation. Personnel
Review, 44(5), 720–738. doi:10.1108/PR-01-2014-0030
Maitlis, S., & Christianson, M. (2014). Sensemaking in organizations: Taking stock and
moving forward. Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), 57–125. doi:10.5465/
19416520.2014.873177
M€akel€a, L., & Kinnunen, U. (2018). International business travelers’ psychological well-
being: The role of supportive HR practices. The International Journal of Human
Makhecha, U., Srinivasan, V., Prabhu, G. U., & Mukherji, S. (2018). Multi-level gaps: A
study of intended, actual and experienced human resource practices in a hypermarket
chain in India. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(2),
360–398. doi:10.1080/09585192.2015.1126336
Maurer, T. J., & Tarulli, B. A. (1994). Investigation of perceived environment, perceived
outcome, and person variables in relationship to voluntary development activity by
employees. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(1), 3–14. doi:10.1037//0021-9010.79.1.3
Meyer, J. P., & Smith, C. A. (2009). HRM practices and organizational commitment:
Test of a mediation model. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences / Revue
Canadienne Des Sciences de L’administration, 17(4), 319–331. doi:10.1111/j.1936-4490.
2000.tb00231.x
Mischel, W. (1973). Toward a cognitive social learning reconceptualization of personal-
ity. Psychological Review, 80(4), 252–283. doi:10.1037/h0035002
Mohr, R. D., & Zoghi, C. X. (2008). High-involvement work design and job satisfaction.
Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 61, 275–296. doi:10.1177/001979390806100301
168 Y. WANG ET AL.
Monks, K., Conway, E., Fu, N., Bailey, K., Kelly, G., & Hannon, E. (2016). Enhancing
knowledge exchange and combination through HR practices: Reflexivity as a transla-
tion process. Human Resource Management Journal, 26(3), 304–320. doi:10.1111/
1748-8583.12108
Morris, M. W., Leung, K., Ames, D., & Lickel, B. (1999). Views from inside and outside:
Integrating emic and etic insights about culture and justice judgment. Academy of
Management Review, 24(4), 781–796. doi:10.5465/amr.1999.2553253
Nicolai, A., & Seidl, D. (2010). That’s relevant! Different forms of practical relevance in
management science. Organization Studies, 31(9-10), 1257–1285. doi:10.1177/
0170840610374401
Nishii, L. H., Lepak, D. P., & Schneider, B. (2008). Employee attributions of the “why” of
HR practices: Their effects on employee attitudes and behaviours, and customer satis-
faction. Personnel Psychology, 61(3), 503–545. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.2008.00121.x
Op de Beeck, S., Wynen, J., & Hondeghem, A. (2016). HRM implementation by line
managers: Explaining the discrepancy in HR-line perceptions of HR devolution. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(17), 1901–1919. doi:10.
1080/09585192.2015.1088562
Ostroff, C., & Bowen, D. E. (2000). Moving HR to a higher level: HR practices and
organizational effectiveness. In K. J. Klein & S. W. J. Kozlowski (Eds.), Multilevel the-
ory, research, and methods in organizations: Foundations, extensions, and new direc-
tions (pp. 211–266). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Ostroff, C., & Bowen, D. E. (2016). Reflections on the 2014 decade award: Is there
strength in the construct of HR system strength? Academy of Management Review,
41(2), 196–214. doi:10.5465/amr.2015.0323
Paauwe, J., & Boselie, P. (2003). Challenging ‘strategic HRM’and the relevance of the
institutional setting. Human Resource Management Journal, 13(3), 56–70. doi:10.1111/
j.1748-8583.2003.tb00098.x
Pereira, C. M., & Gomes, J. F. (2012). The strength of human resource practices and
transformational leadership: Impact on organisational performance. The International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(20), 4301–4318. doi:10.1080/09585192.
2012.667434
Peters, P., Poutsma, E., van der Heijden, B., Bakker, A. B., & de Bruijn, T. (2014).
Enjoying New Ways to Work: An HRM-Process Approach to Study Flow. Human
Pfeffer, J. (1994). Competitive advantage through people. California Management
Review, 36(2), 9–28. doi:10.2307/41165742
Pfeffer, J. (1998). The human equation: Building profits by putting people first. Boston,
MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Piening, E. P., Baluch, A. M., & Ridder, H. G. (2014). Mind the intended - implemented
gap: Understanding employees’ perceptions of HRM. Human Resource Management,
53(4), 545–567. doi:10.1002/hrm.21605
Piening, E. P., Baluch, A. M., & Salge, T. O. (2013). The relationship between employees’
perceptions of human resource systems and organisational performance: Examining
mediating mechanisms and temporal dynamics. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(6),
926–947. doi:10.1037/a0033925
Porter, L. W., Pearce, J. L., Tripoli, A. M., and Lewis, K. M. (1998). Differential
Perceptions of Employers’ Inducements: Implications for Psychological Contracts.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19, 769–782. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(1998)
19:1+<769::AID-JOB968>3.0.CO;2-1
Prieto, I., & Santana, M. P. (2012). Building ambidexterity: The role of human resource
practices in the performance of firms from Spain. Human Resource Management,
51(2), 189–211. doi:10.1002/hrm.21463
Redmond, E. (2013). Compentency models at work: The value of perceived relevance
and fair rewards for employee outcomes. Human Resource Management, 52(5),
771–792. doi:10.1002/hrm.21560
Riordan, C. M., Vandenberg, R. J., & Richardson, H. E. (2005). Employee involvement
climate and organizational effectiveness. Human Resource Management, 44(4),
471–488. doi:10.1002/hrm.20085
Robinson, D., Hooker, H., & Hayday, S. (2007). Engagement: The continuing story.
Report 447. Brighton: Institute for Employment Studies.
Rousseau, D. M. (1995). Psychological contracts in organizations: Understanding written
and unwritten agreements. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Rousseau, D. M., & Tijoriwala, S. A. (1998). Assessing psychological contracts: Issues,
alternatives, and measures. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19(S1), 679–685.
Ryan, A. M., & Schmit, M. J. (1996). An assessment of organizational climate and P-E
Fit: A tool for organizational change. The International Journal of Organizational
Analysis, 4(1), 75–95. doi:10.1108/eb028842
Rynes, S. L., Giluk, T. L., & Brown, K. G. (2007). The very separate worlds of academic
and practitioner periodicals in human resource management: Implications for evi-
dence-based management. Academy of Management Journal, 50(5), 987–1008. doi:10.
5465/amj.2007.27151939
Sanders, K., Dorenbosch, L., & de Reuver, R. (2008). The impact of individual and
shared employee perceptions of HRM on affective commitment - Considering climate
strength. Personnel Review, 37(4), 412–425. doi:10.1108/00483480810877589
Sanders, K., Guest, D., & Rodrigues, R. (2017). The Role of HR Attributions in the
Relationship Between HRM and Outcomes. Human Resource Management Journal,
Special Issue Call for papers.
Sanders, K., Jorgensen, F., Shipton, H., van Rossenberg, Y., Cunha, R., Li, X., …
Dysvik, A. (2018). Performance-based rewards and innovative behaviors. Human
Sanders, K., Shipton, H., & Gomes, J. F. (2014). Guest editors’ introduction: Is the HRM
process important? Past, current, and future challenges. Human Resource
Sanders, K., van Riemsdijk, M., & Groen, B. (2008). The gap between research and prac-
tice: A replication study on the HR professionals’ beliefs about effective human
resource practices. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(10),
1976–1988. doi:10.1080/09585190802324304
Sanders, K., & Van der Ven, F. (2004). De rollen van Ulrich in de praktijk: verschillen
tussen groepen actoren binnen een organisatie. Tijdschrift Voor HRM, 6, 37–56.
Sanders, K., & Yang, H. (2016). The HRM Process Approach: The influence of employ-
ees’ attribution to explain the HRM-Performance relationship. Human Resource
Sanders, K., Yang, H., & Li, X. (in press). Quality enhancement or cost reduction? The influ-
ence of high-performance work systems and power distance orientation on employee
human resource attributions. The International Journal of Human Resource Management.
Schneider, B., White, S. S., & Paul, M. C. (1998). Linking service climate and customer
perceptions of service quality: Tests of a causal model. Journal of Applied Psychology,
83(2), 150–163. doi:10.1037//0021-9010.83.2.150
170 Y. WANG ET AL.
Schopman, L. M., Kalshoven, K., & Boon, C. (2017). When health care workers perceive
high-commitment HRM will they be motivated to continue working in health care? It
may depend on their supervisor and intrinsic motivation. The International Journal of
Schuster, F. E. (1982). A tool for evaluating and controlling the management of human
resources. Personnel Administrator, 27(10), 63–67.
Searle, R., Den Hartog, D. N., Weibel, A., Gillespie, N., Six, F., Hatzakis, T., & Skinner,
D. (2011). Trust in the employer: The role of high-involvement work practices and
procedural justice in European organizations. The International Journal of Human
Shantz, A., Arevshatian, L., Alfes, K., & Bailey, C. (2016). The effect of HRM attributions
on emotional exhaustion and the mediating roles of job involvement and work over-
load. Human Resource Management Journal, 26(2), 172–191. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.
12096
Shen, J., & Leggett, C. (2014). The effects of hukou (official household residential status)
on perceived human resource management practices and organizational justice in
China. Personnel Review, 43(2), 168–183. doi:10.1108/PR-07-2012-0118
Shih, H. A., Chiang, Y. H., & Hsu, C. C. (2010). High involvement work system, work–-
family conflict, and expatriate performance–examining Taiwanese expatriates in
China. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(11), 2013–2030.
doi:10.1080/09585192.2010.505101
Shondrick, S. J., Dinh, J. E., & Lord, R. G. (2010). Developments in implicit leadership
theory and cognitive science: Applications to improving measurement and under-
standing alternatives to hierarchical leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(6),
959–978. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.10.004
Skarlicki, D., Folger, R., & Tesluk, P. (1999). Personality as a moderator in the relation-
ship between fairness and retaliation. Academy of Management Journal, 42, 100–108.
doi:10.2307/256877
Solberg, E., & Dysvik, A. (2016). Employees’ perceptions of HR investment and their
efforts to remain internally employable: Testing the exchange-based mechanisms of
the ‘new psychological contract. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 27(9), 909–927.
Spector, P. E. (1985). Measurement of human-service staff satisfaction-Development of
the job-satisfaction survey. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13(6),
693–713. doi:10.1007/BF00929796
Spence, M. (2002). Signaling in retrospect and the informational structure of markets.
American Economic Review, 92(3), 434–459. doi:10.1257/00028280260136200
Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). Psychological empowerment in the workplace: Dimensions,
measurement, and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 1442–1465. doi:
10.5465/256865
Stirpe, L., Trullen, J., & Bonache, J. (2013). Factors helping the HR function gain greater
acceptance for its proposals and innovations: Evidence from Spain. The International
2013.778320
Sumelius, J., Bj€orkman, I., Ehrnrooth, M., M€akel€a, K., & Smale, A. (2014). What deter-
mines employee perceptions of HRM process features? The case of performance
appraisal in MNC subsidiaries. Human Resource Management, 53(4), 569–592. doi:10.
1002/hrm.21604
Sun, L.-Y., Aryee, S., & Law, K. S. (2007). High-performance human resource practices,
citizenship behaviour, and organisational performance: A relational perspective.
Academy of Management Journal, 50(3), 558–577. doi:10.5465/amj.2007.25525821
Sweeney, P. D., & McFarlin, D. B. (1993). Workers’ evaluations of the ends and the-
means: An examination of four models of distributive and procedural justice.
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 55(1), 23–40. doi:10.1006/
obhd.1993.1022
Takeuchi, R., Lepak, D. P., Wang, H., & Takeuchi, K. (2007). An empirical examination
of the mechanisms mediating between high-performance work systems and the per-
formance of Japanese organisations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(4), 1069–1083.
doi:10.1037/0021-9010.92.4.1069
Takeuchi, N., & Takeuchi, T. (2013). Committed to the organization or the job? Effects
of perceived HRM practices on employees’ behavioral outcomes in the Japanese
healthcare industry. The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
24(11), 2089–2106. doi:10.1080/09585192.2013.767059
Tremblay, M., Cloutier, J., Simard, G., Chênevert, D., & Vandenberghe, C. (2010). The
role of HRM practices, procedural justice, organisational support and trust in organ-
isational commitment and in-role and extra-role performance. The International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(3), 405–433. doi:10.1080/
09585190903549056
Truss, C. (1999). Soft and hard models of human resource management. In L. Gratton,
V. Hope-Hailey, P. Stiles, & C. Truss (Eds.), Strategic human resource management:
Corporate rhetoric and human reality (pp. 40–58). Oxford, UK: Oxford University
Press.
Tsui, A. S., & Wang, D. (2002). Employment relationships from the employer’s perspec-
tive: Current research and future directions. International Review of Industrial and
Organizational Psychology, 17, 77–114.
Tyler, T. R., & Lind, E. A. (1992). A relationalmodel of authority in groups. In M.
Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology. New York: Academic Press.
Ulrich, D. (1997). Human Resource Champions: The Next Agenda for Adding Values and
Delivery Results. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Van de Voorde, K., & Beijer, S. (2015). The role of employee HR attributions in the
relationship between high-performance work systems and employee outcomes.
Human Resource Management Journal, 25(1), 62–78. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12062
van Veldhoven, M., & Meijman, T. F. (1994). Het meten van psychosociale arbeidsbelast-
ing met een vragenlijst: de vragenlijst beleving en beoordeling van de arbeid (VBBA).
Amsterdam: NIA.
Vandenberg, R. J., Richardson, H. A., & Eastman, L. J. (1999). The impact of high
involvement work processes on organisational effectiveness: A second order latent
variable approach. Group & Organization Management, 24(3), 300–339. doi:10.1177/
1059601199243004
Veld, M., & Alfes, K. (2017). HRM, climate and employee well-being: Comparing an
optimistic and critical perspective. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 28(16), 2299–2318. doi:10.1080/09585192.2017.1314313
Veld, M., Paauwe, J., & Boselie, P. (2010). HRM and strategic climates in hospitals: Does
the message come across at the ward level? Human Resource Management Journal,
20(4), 339–356. doi:10.1111/j.1748-8583.2010.00139.x
Vermeeren, B. (2014). Variability in HRM implementation among line managers and its
effect on performance: A 2-1-2 mediational multilevel approach. The International
172 Y. WANG ET AL.

2014.934891
Way, S. A. (2002). High performance work systems and intermediate indicators of firm
performance within the US small business sector. Journal of Management, 28,
765–785. doi:10.1177/014920630202800604
Wayne, S. J., Shore, L. M., & Liden, R. C. (1997). Perceived organizational support and
leader-member exchange: A social exchange perspective. Academy of Management
Journal, 40, 82–111. doi:10.2307/257021
Weber, K., & Glynn, M. A. (2006). Making sense with institutions: Context, thought and
action in Karl Weick’s theory. Organization Studies, 27(11), 1639–1660. doi:10.1177/
0170840606068343
Webster, J. R., & Beehr, T. A. (2013). Antecedents and outcomes of employee percep-
tions of intra-organisational mobility channels. Journal of Organisational Behaviour,
34, 919–941.
Wehner, M., Giardini, A., & Kabst, R. (2015). Recruitment process outsourcing and
applicant reactions: When does image make a difference? Human Resource
Welch, D., & Worm, V. (2006). International business travelers: A challenge for IHRM.
In G. Stahl & I. Bj€ orkman (Eds.), Handbook of research in international human
resource management (pp. 284–301). London: Edward Elgar.
Wood, S., & Albanese, M. T. (1995). Can we speak of a high commitment management
on the shop floor? Journal of Management Studies, 32(2), 215–248. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
6486.1995.tb00341.x
Wright, P. M., Gardner, T. M., Moynihan, L. M., & Allen, M. R. (2005). The
Relationship Between HR Practices and Firm Performance: Examining Causal Order.
Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 409–446. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.00487.x
Wright, P. M., McMahan, G. C., Snell, S. A., & Gerhart, B. (2001). Comparing line and
HR executives’ perceptions of HR effectiveness: Services, roles, and contributions.
Human Resource Management, 40(2), 111–123. doi:10.1002/hrm.1002.abs
Wright, P. M., & Nishii, L. H. (2013). HRM and performance: The role of effective
implementation. J. Paauwe, d. Guest, & P. Wright (Eds.), HRM, & performance.
Achievements, & challenges. Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.
Wu, W. L., Hsu, B. F. and Yeh, R. S. (2007). Fostering the determinants of knowledge
transfer: a team-level analysis. Journal of Information Science, 33(3), 326–339.
Yamamoto, H. (2013). The relationship between employees’ perceptions of human
resource management and their retention: From the viewpoint of attitudes toward
job-specialties. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(4),
747–767. doi:10.1080/09585192.2012.697478
Yanadori, Y., & Van Jaarsveld, D. D. (2014). The relationships of informal high per-
formance work practices to job satisfaction and workplace profitability. Industrial
Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 53, 501–534. doi:10.1111/irel.12066
Yang, Y. C. (2012). High-involvement human resource practices, affective commitment,
and organizational citizenship. The Service Industries Journal, 32(8), 1209–1227. doi:
10.1080/02642069.2010.545875
Yousaf, A., Sanders, K., & Yustantio, Y. (2018). High commitment HRM and organisa-
tional and occupational turnover intentions: The role of organisational and occupa-
tional commitment. The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
29(10), 1661–1682. doi:10.1080/09585192.2016.1256905
Zacharatos, A., Barling, J., & Iverson, R. D. (2005). High-performance work systems and
occupational safety. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(1), 77–93. doi:10.1037/
0021-9010.90.1.77
Zatzick, C. D., & Iverson, R. D. (2006). High-involvement management and workforce
reduction: Competitive advantage or disadvantage. Academy of Management Journal,
49(5), 999–1015. doi:10.5465/amj.2006.22798180
View publication stats

Employee Perceptions of HR Practices A Critical Re PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Employee Perceptions of HR Practices A Critical Re PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

Employee perceptions of HR practices: A critical review and future directions

Article in The International Journal of Human Resource Management · November 2019

Ying Wang Sunghoon Kim

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Alannah Eileen Rafferty

ARC Discovery Project on Change Readiness View project

Putting HRM in context View project

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

ISSN: 0958-5192 (Print) 1466-4399 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rijh20

Employee perceptions of HR practices: A critical

Ying Wang, Sunghoon Kim, Alannah Rafferty & Karin Sanders

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2019.1674360

Published online: 26 Nov 2019.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 1558

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

Employee perceptions of HR practices: A critical

CONTACT Sunghoon Kim sunghoon.kim@sydney.edu.au Work and Organisational Studies, The

to mediate and moderate relationships between an organization’s HR practi-

HR practices, we build on work by Beijer et al. (in press), who provide

satisfaction satisfaction; c. changes

IJHRM the commitment model (23-item based on the career self-efficacy

developed from Spector, 1985)

HRMJ information sharing (3-item, Lawler,

monetary recognition (3-item,

HRMJ development, performance learning-enhancing combination Pharmaceutical and equation modeling

(2018) Chen, 2011) background

from Nishii et al., 2008)

Common assumptions in employee HR perception research

group, individuals may develop varied understandings about which HR

The perceived ‘what’ of HR practices

Table 2. Examples of perceived “what” of HR practices measures.

We argue, based on our review, that different types of HR perception

may amplify the relationship between perceived HR content and employee

The perceived ‘how’ of HR practices

in the workplace attitudes and behaviors displayed (Ostroff & Bowen,

measure of HR strength at different levels of analysis is developed, it will

a contingency perspective, they theorize HR strength could be more

The perceived ‘why’ of HR practices

psychological contract theory, and employee-employer relationship. If we

In sum, in comparison to the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of employee percep-

‘what’ of employee perception). Experimental research can provide new

literature posits that employees collectively make sense of their organiza-

Enlarge the empirical grounds across nations

varied outcomes depending on the national values of cultures and coun-

Enhancing practical relevance

gap between the academic community and HR practitioners (Cohen,

the factors that shape employee perceptions of HR practices (Ang et al.,

Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(22), 3039–3059. doi:10.1080/09585192.

View publication stats

You might also like