Human Resource Management and Performance

The relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) and performance of the firm has been a hot debated topic in the field of HRM/IR for the last decade. Most scientific research on this topic originates from the USA. In our paper we will give an overview of recent USA-based research outcomes as a frame of reference for presenting recent findings from the Netherlands in this respect. These Dutch findings are interesting and contrasting USA-based approaches because they reflect the Western-European model for industrial relations or the so-called Rhineland model. A model in which legislation, institutions and stakeholders like workscouncils and trade unions play an important role in shaping HRM policies and practices. So the very often proclaimed relationship between corporate strategies, aligned HRM policies and their subsequent effect on performance is in a Dutch setting mitigated by institutions and stakeholders inside and outside the organization.