Positioning context front and center in international human resource management research

Abstract

The international human resource management (IHRM) field naturally lends itself to spotlighting the importance of internal and external organizational contexts to help understand how to manage employees in organizations effectively. However, we argue that the range of opportunities that the field creates to understand this context has not yet been fully embraced by IHRM scholars. To address this gap, this special issue explores: (a) the variety of approaches to theorizing how contexts promote or constrain organizational practice; and (b) relevant methodologies that might allow us to unearth novel context‐dependent theory in international HRM. We propose a distinction between variable‐oriented theorizing (that explains the effects of internal and external contexts on the phenomena under study) and context‐dependent theorizing (that requires researchers become intimately familiar with the setting under study to understand context as a shaper of meaning). This editorial also highlights how the articles in the special issue contribute to stimulating further context‐dependent IHRM research.

Human resource management in the age of generative artificial intelligence: Perspectives and research directions on ChatGPT

“…First, for some questions, ChatGPT provided an abundance of responses (e.g., more than one measure for the same construct) that could lead to decision paralysis for junior researchers who may not know which response to choose or may be overwhelmed by the number of responses provided. Second, while ChatGPT has made significant advancements in natural language processing, it still has a limited contextual understanding of problems (Farndale et al., 2023) that could potentially limit the number of returned suggestions. For example, in the analysis stage, ChatGPT recommended multiple regression.…”

Cross‐Country Analysis of HRM Parameters in Emerging Markets: An Assessment of Measurement Invariance

“…Assess validity and reliability of constructs both before and after the convergence of the merged dataset work on international and comparative HRM should develop novel context-dependent theory (see Farndale et al, 2023). Based on an in-depth contextual examination, scholars need to highlight and nuance the central importance of context to international and comparative HRM research, and further interrogate existing theoretical conversations, with the aim of extending or synthesizing theory.…”

Context is key: A 34‐country analysis investigating how similar HRM systems emerge from similar contexts

“…Similarities and dissimilarities in human resource management (HRM) practices and systems, as well as their effectiveness, are central to the ongoing debate over universalist and contextualist approaches to HRM. The former assumes that best practices enhance employee performance regardless of the context, while the latter underscores the contingent nature of HRM practices and systems by highlighting substantial variations across national, economic, and institutional contexts (Farndale et al, 2023; Kaufman, 2016). Research from the contextualist perspective offers considerable ample theoretical and empirical support for one of its foundational premises: the effects of context on HRM.…”