Few studies have presented structural turnover models including both job satisfaction and organizational commitment measures. Recent research suggests that perceived supervisor leadership may contribute to employee well-being, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This study proposes a structural turnover intention model including supervisory behavior (person-oriented and task-oriented dimensions), job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Furthermore, the study proposes to test whether this model fits in both small- and medium-sized enterprises and in large enterprises. The sample included 763 employees from different types of organizations who have completed a measure of their perception of their supervisor’s behavior and self-administrated measures of job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention. Results show that person-oriented leadership behavior affects turnover intentions through job satisfaction and organizational commitment more than task-oriented leadership behavior. Only organizational commitment had a direct effect in explaining turnover intention. Finally, results indicate that the model is applicable both in small- and medium-sized enterprises and large enterprises.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of the influence of high-performance work systems (HPWS) upon job satisfaction (JS), organizational commitment (OC) and intention to quit (QI). Design/methodology/approach – The data come from a questionnaire administered to 730 employees in different organizations. All questionnaires were administered “live,” in the presence of one or more members of the research team, with the ability to answer any of the respondents’ clarification questions. Findings – The results of this study allow the authors to better understand how the effects of HPWS are exerted on the intention to quit by highlighting the mediating role played by JS and OC. In addition, the results demonstrate a synergistic effect of HPWS, meaning that the combined effects of three sets of HR practices (skill-enhancing, motivation-enhancing and opportunity-enhancing practices) is greater than the sum of each set taken individually. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional nature of the study prevents the authors from inferring true causality between human resource management (HRM) practices and the attitudes and behaviors of employees. Only a longitudinal study measuring levels of JS, OC and quit intention before and after implementation of such practices would establish such causality. Practical implications – For leaders and managers of organizations seeking to reduce the rate of employee turnover, the results are eloquent: increased investment in a HPWS can significantly improve JS, helping to increase OC and reduce intention to quit. In the prevailing context of “talent war,” organizations that are the most proactive in the implementation of HRM systems, that is, systems designed to improve the skills of employees, to motivate them to use these skills and to empower them in their decision making at work, will be the employers that are more likely to retain skilled employees. Originality/value – This paper focusses on the complementary rather than aggregate effects of three sets of HRM practices, thus contributing to the discussion on the notion of complementarity among HRM practices, a notion that has been called into question in certain studies.

PurposeIn order to deepen the knowledge and further advance theory on enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation in small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), this paper seeks to explore the following question: what can be done to minimize the risk of ERP system implementation, from the adoption stage onwards, in a small manufacturing firm?Design/methodology/approachThe research method is based on a positivist holistic single‐case design in order to perform an initial test of a process model of ERP system adoption by SMEs. The unit of analysis selected by purposeful sampling is a small manufacturing business.FindingsIn attempting to minimize the risk of ERP implementation, the small manufacturing firm applied three principles, eight policies and ten specific practices in adopting ERP.Research limitations/implicationsThe research design, based upon a single‐case study, imposes care in generalizing the results of the study. This design, however, allowed the identification and understanding of the risk of ERP from a managerial/practical standpoint, as opposed to a research/theoretical standpoint.Practical implicationsIn managerial terms, the results show that highly formalized management is not necessary to minimize ERP implementation risk in the context of SMEs.Originality/valueFew studies have focused on the adoption process within the ERP implementation cycle. The proposed model, as validated empirically in this study, adds to the understanding of this process in small‐manufacturing firms, especially as regards the minimization of implementation risk from the adoption stage onwards.

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Purpose -This paper seeks to take a Gestalts perspective to analyze the alignment between the HRM practices and strategic capabilities of SMEs. Design/methodology/approach -Based on Miles and Snow's adaptive cycle, this study examines the coherence of HRM practices with the strategic capabilities of manufacturing SMEs (n ¼ 176) in terms of products, markets, and networks. A principal component factor analysis was first made to reduce the HRM practices into a lesser number of factors. A clustering algorithm was then used to determine three groups of SMEs or Gestalts. Finally, an a posteriori examination of the performance of each group was made. Findings -SMEs align their HRM practices with their realized strategy within three configurations, namely local, international, and world-class SMEs. Regardless of their strategic choices, these SMEs achieve comparable levels of performance.Research limitations/implications -The Gestalts perspective seems effective in its capacity to describe the role of the HRM function. While the firms surveyed are fairly representative of Canadian manufacturing SMEs, there might yet exist a bias in that these are firms that have chosen to undertake a benchmarking exercise. Originality/value -The study is one of the first to use Miles and Snow's adaptive cycle as a foundation to specify the type of activities that researchers should consider in assessing the SME's overall degree of strategic alignment. A practical implication for owner-managers is that their strategic choices in terms of product innovation, market expansion or network extension must be inter-linked with the development of their HRM practices.