The extent of mission-based HRM practices in small and large NPOs: a four-type hybridization model

Purpose: Theoretical models of nonprofit organization (NPO) development highlight the effect of paid staff size on the transition from informal to administrative human resource management (HRM) and on the evolution toward mission-based HRM reconnecting with core values. However, more recent literature points to a significant gap between these models and empirically observed realities. In practice, NPO management is often based on administrative HRM practices. Mission-based HRM is only present in less visible hybrid forms. Drawing on an evolutionary approach to HRM hybridization, our research seeks to contribute to this nascent literature by investigating the extent, form and content of these hybrid HRM systems.Design/methodology/approach: We further explore the evolution of NPO HRM using co-occurrence text analysis to treat qualitative data from 36 NPOs and track the semantic cues to a mission-based HRM approach. Our results confirm the adoption of a predominantly administrative HRM in NPOs with less than 50 employees and more hybrid forms of HRM, including mission-based practices, in NPOs with more than 50 employees.FindingsWe identify four types of hybridization: (1) \"compartmentalized hybridization\", which brings major changes to specific areas; (2) \"nested hybridization\", which involves softening certain practices by introducing one mission-based criterion within an administrative-dominated approach; (3) \"semantic hybridization\" where a mission-based meaning is given to administrative practices and (4) \"decentralized hybridization\" where local managers make local adjustments that combine the other three types of hybridization.Research limitations/implications: As we needed subgroups of sufficient size to be able to run our analyses, we distinguished between two groups: less or more than 50 employees. However, it should be noted that the variation within these two categories remains important and was not taken into account, which is an important limitation of our study. We invite future research to use larger samples to further assess the linear or threshold nature of the relationship between size and hybridization.Practical implications: Some may regret that the mission-based model is not more widely adopted in all areas of HRM. Nonetheless, \"compartmentalized\", \"nested\", \"semantic\" and \"decentralized\" hybridization offer four concrete ways of managing the contradictions and tensions between professionalization and maintaining mission-based core values.Originality/valueThe importance of these hybrid forms for NPO sustainability and employees' acceptance of administrative HRM is discussed.