IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/dug/journl/y2016i2p5-24.html

Strategic Human Resource Metrics: A Perspective of the General Systems Theory

Author

Listed:
  • Chux Gervase Iwu

    (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)

  • Lloyd Kapondoro

    (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)

  • Michael Twum-Darko

    (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)

  • Thobekani Lose

    (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)

Abstract

Measuring and quantifying strategic human resource outcomes in relation to key performance criteria is essential to developing value-adding metrics. Objectives This paper posits (using a general systems lens) that strategic human resource metrics should interpret the relationship between attitudinal human resource outcomes and performance criteria such as profitability, quality or customer service. Approach Using the general systems model as underpinning theory, the study assesses the variation in response to a Likert type questionnaire with twenty-four (24) items measuring the major attitudinal dispositions of HRM outcomes (employee commitment, satisfaction, engagement and embeddedness). Results A Chi-square test (Chi-square test statistic = 54.898, p=0.173) showed that variation in responses to the attitudinal statements occurred due to chance. This was interpreted to mean that attitudinal human resource outcomes influence performance as a unit of system components. The neutral response was found to be associated with the ‘reject’ response than the ‘acceptance’ response. Value The study offers suggestion on the determination of strategic HR metrics and recommends the use of systems theory in HRM related studies. Implications This study provides another dimension to human resource metrics by arguing that strategic human resource metrics should measure the relationship between attitudinal human resource outcomes and performance using a systems perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Chux Gervase Iwu & Lloyd Kapondoro & Michael Twum-Darko & Thobekani Lose, 2016. "Strategic Human Resource Metrics: A Perspective of the General Systems Theory," EuroEconomica, Danubius University of Galati, issue 2(12), pages 5-24, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:dug:journl:y:2016:i:2:p:5-24
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://journals.univ-danubius.ro/index.php/oeconomica/article/view/3191/3218
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Werner Nienhueser, 2011. "Empirical Research on Human Resource Management as a Production of Ideology," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 22(4), pages 367-393.
    2. Jaap Paauwe, 2009. "HRM and Performance: Achievements, Methodological Issues and Prospects," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 129-142, January.
    3. Taylor, Frederick Winslow, 1911. "The Principles of Scientific Management," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number taylor1911.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chux Gervase Iwu & Lloyd Kapondoro & Michael Twum-Darko & Thobekani Lose, 2016. "Strategic Human Resource Metrics: A Perspective of the General Systems Theory," Acta Universitatis Danubius. OEconomica, Danubius University of Galati, issue 12(2), pages 5-24, April.
    2. Michelle Greenwood & Harry J. Van Buren, 2017. "Ideology in HRM Scholarship: Interrogating the Ideological Performativity of ‘New Unitarism’," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(4), pages 663-678, June.
    3. Alona Goloborodko, 2022. "Theoretical and Methodological Principles of Managing the Enterprise's Integrative Development," Oblik i finansi, Institute of Accounting and Finance, issue 4, pages 139-146, December.
    4. Jeremy Atack & Robert A. Margo & Paul Rhode, 2020. "‘Mechanization Takes Command’: Inanimate Power and Labor Productivity in Late Nineteenth Century American Manufacturing," NBER Working Papers 27436, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Tapan Kumar Biswas & Md. Mostafa Kamal & Jumman Sani & Md. Hyder Faruque & Munir Ahmed & Ramani Ranjan Sikder, 2025. "From Policy to Practice: Implementing High-Performance HRM at Gaotek Inc," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(6), pages 1353-1358, June.
    6. Obasan Kehinde A., 2014. "Impact of Human Resources Management on Entrepreneurship Development," Acta Universitatis Danubius. OEconomica, Danubius University of Galati, issue 10(1), pages 83-93, February.
    7. Kaifeng Jiang & Riki Takeuchi & David P. Lepak, 2013. "Where do We Go From Here? New Perspectives on the Black Box in Strategic Human Resource Management Research," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(8), pages 1448-1480, December.
    8. N. I. Fisher & V. N. Nair, 2009. "Quality management and quality practice: Perspectives on their history and their future," Applied Stochastic Models in Business and Industry, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(1), pages 1-28, January.
    9. Diwas Singh KC & Bradley R. Staats, 2012. "Accumulating a Portfolio of Experience: The Effect of Focal and Related Experience on Surgeon Performance," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 14(4), pages 618-633, October.
    10. Lise Arena & Anthony Hussenot, 2021. "From Innovations at Work to Innovative Ways of Conceptualizing Organization: A Brief History of Organization Studies," Post-Print hal-03290300, HAL.
    11. repec:awi:wpaper:0421 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. James Emerson L. Mañez, 2025. "Workplace Spirituality and Organizational Change: A Durkheimian Study of Workplace Cohesion – A Literature Review," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(6), pages 296-316, June.
    13. Bloom, Nick & Manova, Kalina & Teng Sun, Stephen & Van Reenen, John & Yu, Zhihong, 2018. "Managing trade: evidence from China and the US," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 88703, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. Zhang-Zhang, YingYing & Rohlfer, Sylvia & Varma, Arup, 2022. "Strategic people management in contemporary highly dynamic VUCA contexts: A knowledge worker perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 587-598.
    15. Robert J. Bennett & Harry Smith & Piero Montebruno & Carry van Lieshout, 2022. "Changes in Victorian entrepreneurship in England and Wales 1851-1911: Methodology and business population estimates," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 64(7), pages 1211-1243, September.
    16. Jody Hoffer Gittell, 2001. "Supervisory Span, Relational Coordination and Flight Departure Performance: A Reassessment of Postbureaucracy Theory," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(4), pages 468-483, August.
    17. Miguel A. Hernandez, 2019. "Unveiling International New Ventures’ Success: Employee’s Entrepreneurial Behavior," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-32, August.
    18. Dusan Gosnik & Klemen Kavcic, 2021. "Analysis of Selected Aspects of an Organisation: The Organisation as an Instrument, an Interest Group and as a Process," Managing Global Transitions, University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, vol. 19(2 (Summer), pages 167-181.
    19. Brian Gill, 2022. "What Should The Future Of Educational Accountability Look Like?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(4), pages 1232-1239, September.
    20. Elfenbein, Hillary Anger, 2007. "Emotion in Organizations: A Review in Stages," Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Working Paper Series qt2bn0n9mv, Institute of Industrial Relations, UC Berkeley.
    21. Petrick, Martin, 2017. "Incentive provision to farm workers in post-socialist settings: evidence from East Germany and North Kazakhstan," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 20(2), pages 239-256.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:dug:journl:y:2016:i:2:p:5-24. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Florian Nuta (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/fedanro.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.