Human resource management policies and practices in organizations: scenario of the national production in high-quality journals and research agenda

Abstract

People have assumed a strategic and important role in organizations, providing a source of essential organizational competence and therefore they should be valued and developed through Human Resource Management (HRM) policies and practices. This qualitative-quantitative research aims to design an overview of national studies on HRM policies and practices, presenting the results of a systematic and bibliometric review of papers published in leading management and psychology journals in the period 2010-2016. The article shows the institutionalization of research in Brazil, which allowed a proposition of a research agenda, updating the review of Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011) that contemplated a review between 2000 and 2010. A literature review was carried out on eighteen journals with Qualis Classification equal to or greater than B1, resulting in 59 papers. The results showed the increase of scientific production indicators in the analyzed period highlighting the academic effort on the subject and the strategic relevance of HRM policies and practices studies for organizations. Gaps were identified, showing the need for further studies related to recruitment and selection and involvement policies, both little investigated in Brazil. There is also a lack of studies relating HRM policies to other organizational behavior variables and of efforts to develop and validate measurement tools on the subject.

Keywords:
Human Resource Management Policies and Practices; Human Resource Management; Bibliometric Review; Human Resource Management National Production; Research Agenda

Resumo

As pessoas assumiram papel estratégico e relevante nas organizações, constituindo fonte de competência organizacional essencial, devendo, portanto, ser valorizadas e desenvolvidas por meio de políticas e práticas de gestão de pessoas (GP). Assim, este estudo, de cunho qualiquantitativo, enseja desenhar um panorama dos estudos nacionais sobre esse tema, apresentando os resultados de uma revisão sistemática e bibliométrica dos trabalhos publicados nos principais periódicos de primeira linha em Administração e Psicologia, no período de 2010 a 2016, bem como a institucionalização da pesquisa no Brasil e a proposta de uma agenda de pesquisa, atualizando a revisão de Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011), que contemplou estudos entre 2000 e 2010. Para tanto, foram pesquisados 18 periódicos com classificação Qualis da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes) igual ou superior a B1. Foram encontrados 59 artigos. Quanto aos resultados, o aumento dos indicadores de produção científica no período analisado aponta o vigor acadêmico da área e a relevância estratégica para as organizações dos estudos relacionados às políticas e às práticas de GP. Foram identificadas lacunas desvelando a premência de realizar mais estudos relacionados às políticas de recrutamento e seleção e envolvimento, ainda pouco investigadas no cenário nacional. Ademais, estudos relacionando as políticas de GP a outras variáveis do comportamento organizacional, bem como o esforço de construir e validar medidas sobre o tema também se mostram necessários.

Palavras-chave:
Políticas e práticas de gestão de pessoas; Gestão de pessoas; Revisão bibliométrica; Produção nacional em gestão de pessoas; Agenda de pesquisa

Resumen

Las personas asumieron un papel estratégico y relevante en las organizaciones, constituyéndose en una fuente de competencia organizacional esencial, por lo que se debe valorarlas y desarrollarlas mediante políticas y prácticas de Gestión de Personas (GP). Así, este trabajo, de carácter cuali-cuantitativo pretende esbozar un panorama de los estudios nacionales sobre el tema, presentando los resultados de una revisión sistemática y bibliométrica de los trabajos publicados en los principales periódicos de Administración y Psicología, en el período de 2010 a 2016, así como la institucionalización de la investigación en Brasil y la propuesta de una agenda de investigación que actualice la revisión de Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011), que consideró estudios realizados entre 2000 y 2010. Para ello, se investigaron 18 periódicos con clasificación Qualis igual o superior a B1 y se encontraron 59 artículos. En cuanto a los resultados, el aumento de los indicadores de producción científica en el período analizado demuestra el vigor académico del área y la relevancia estratégica, para las organizaciones, de los estudios relacionados con las políticas y prácticas de GP. Se identificaron lagunas que revelan la premura de realizar más estudios relacionados con las políticas de reclutamiento, selección y participación, aún poco investigadas en el escenario nacional. Por otra parte, también son necesarios estudios que relacionen las políticas de GP a otras variables del comportamiento organizacional, así como el esfuerzo de construir y validar medidas sobre el tema.

Palabras clave:
Políticas y prácticas de gestión de personas; Gestión de personas; Revisión bibliométrica; Producción nacional sobre Gestión de Personas; Agenda de investigación

INTRODUCTION

Authors such as Bohlander and Snell (2009) and Mathis and Jackson (2003) agreed that, in the actual era of knowledge and times of recrudescent competitiveness, the value of workers in organizations have special relevance. In this sense, human resource management (HRM) in organizations assumes an especially strategic role, since policies and practices must create organizational capacities that lead to better results. Therefore, this article proposes the following questions: how is the recent scenario of research on HRM policies and practices published in main first-class journals - classified as B1 or higher by Qualis, a ranking developed by the Brazilian agency ‘Coordination for the improvement of Higher Education Personnel’ (Capes) - in Management and Psychology in the last 7 years? What still needs to be done?

Thus, the main objective of this study is to present an overview of the studies related to HRM policies and practices, presenting the results of a systematic and bibliometric review at the national level in Administration and Psychology journals from 2010 to 2016. The analysis showed gaps in the literature and allowed the subsequent design of a research agenda. In addition, an overview of the institutionalization of research on the subject in Brazil was carried out, based on data from research groups and indicators of scientific production provided by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). The last review on HRM policies and practices published in Brazil was by Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011), which investigated the first decade of the new millennium and focused exclusively on Administration journals. Aiming to complete this review from 2011, this article explored a subsequent period and increased the scope to include journals on Psychology, which are also important channels of publication on HRM policies and practices. In addition, this work will present a comparison between the results from this study and those obtained in 2011.

The first part of this article presents the theoretical framework around the theme. The section that follows will detail the procedures adopted in order to carry out the nationwide literature review, presenting the methodological categories established to analyze the selected articles. After that, an overview of the national scenario in terms of publications about HRM will be presented, observing the institutionalization of HRM research in Brazil. Based on the results gathered, a research agenda on the topic will be proposed in the fourth section, which will be followed by the conclusion, clarifying the research limitations and contributions.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Regarding the evolution of HRM studies in Brazil, the work of Wood Júnior, Tonelli and Cooke (2011) revealed the widespread focus on aligning HRM policies with the new scenario of opening markets, the emergence of entrepreneurship, increased competition and the quest for innovation, quality and efficiency, seeking to include Brazil in this environment. In this context, attracting, qualifying, valuing and retaining talent has gained special attention, constituting HRM’s main strategic challenge in the new millennium, shaping the assumptions, foundations and concepts of modern HRM.

Mathis and Jackson (2003) define HRM as the ability to manage human resources (HR), through policies and practices, to gain and maintain competitive advantage and, thus, people are the main source of core competency of organizations. According to the authors, core competency can be defined as the organizational capacity that creates high value and differentiates the organization from its competitors. According to Mascarenhas (2009), a core competency has three characteristics: it is valuable and versatile and can be used in a wide variety of markets; it offers real benefits to consumers; and it is difficult to imitate.

From the strategic HRM perspective, policies and practices can be mutually reinforced to help achieve organizational goals (MORRIS and SNELL, 2010). In an effort to differentiate these concepts, Martín-Alcázar, Romero-Fernández and Sánchez-Gardey (2005) argue that the HRM strategies define the guidelines for workforce management, and the policies seek to coordinate the practices so that they are coherent and follow in the same direction. Finally, among strategies, policies and practices, the practices are at the lowest level and represent the actual actions.

In this study, the term HRM “policy” is used, in agreement with authors such as Dessler (2002), Guest (1987), Legge (1995; 2006), Mathis and Jackson (2003) and Singar and Ramsden (1972), in the sense of an articulated proposal of the organization, with theoretical and practical constructions, in the treatment of human relations, with a view to obtaining desired results. In this way, HRM policies define the theoretical and practical framework built to enable the achievement of the organization’s goals and objectives, acting as guides of thought and action for HRM. The term ‘practices’ is used in the sense of habit, routine, action or, activities components of the policies.

The HRM policies and practices considered here were based on the works by Demo (2012), Demo, Neiva, Nunes et al. (2012), Demo and Rozzett (2012) and Demo, Neiva, Nunes et al. (2014) to develop and validate the Human Resources Management Policies and Practices Scale (HRMPPS). In the process of developing and validating this scale, interviews and subsequent categorical content analysis based on Bardin (2011) were carried out, with some collaborators from different organizations to better understand their point of view, in different organizational contexts, regarding HRM policies considered more important, adequate and effective for the promotion of their well-being, their valorization and their professional and personal fulfillment. The six categories that emerged from the content analysis were named: 1) recruitment and selection; 2) engagement; 3) training, development and education; 4) working conditions; 5) evaluation of performance and competencies; and 6) remuneration and rewards.

Regarding the literature reviews on HRM in general, Tonelli, Caldas, Lacombe et al. (2003) carried out a review of HR production from 1991 to 2000, published in Brazilian scientific journals (Revista de Administração da Universidade de São Paulo (RAUSP), Revista de Administração Pública (RAP), Revista de Administração de Empresas (RAE) e Revista de Administração Contemporânea (RAC) e no Encontro da Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração (EnANPAD)). The results indicate that, although the production of the area has increased significantly in volume, the academic profile of HR in Brazil was worrisome at the time: its thematic scope was challenged by the recent growth and autonomy of the field of organizational behavior, its epistemological base was eminently functionalist, the methodological basis was fragile, with case studies typically illustrative of consolidated theory (i.e., induction or theory creation), and the diversity of origin was low: more than 65% of production came from just 7 graduate programs.

In this sense, Wood Júnior, Tonelli and Cooke (2011) gathered previous studies when performing a survey of the evolution of HRM in the period from 1950 to 2010. The results show an emphasis on aligning HRM to the market’s new scenario that was observed in Brazil at that time, consisting of open markets, emerging entrepreneurship, increased competition and increasing search for innovation, quality and efficiency. As the authors point out, practices such as attraction, valorization, talent retention and training have become paramount to organizations, proving to be the main strategic challenge of HRM in the new millennium, shaping the concepts, foundations and assumptions of the new HRM.

Barreto, Silva, Fischer et al. (2011) investigated the academic production of leading national and international journals on 8 emerging themes in HRM: strategic human resource management, diversity management, talent management, international human resource management, organizational learning, social responsibility, generations management, and modalities of flexible work. These themes have been highlighted in a previous literature review observing articles published between 2005 and 2009. The analysis of the articles showed the themes that attracted most attention of the researchers as: international human resource management, strategic human resource management, organizational learning and diversity management (BARRETO, SILVA, FISCHER et al., 2011).

Covering the period from 2000 to 2010, another literature review in national journals was carried out by Mascarenhas and Barbosa (2013), which analyzed four aspects of the HRM articles: their contribution, theoretical reference, methodological procedures and discussion. The objective was to clarify the articles’ fragilities in the face of the editorial policies advocated by top journals in Portuguese and English, and to point out directions for improvements. To improve in terms of quality, the authors suggested a research agenda aimed at achieving impact, rigor and relevance of production in Administration in Brazil. In addition, the authors emphasized that preference should be given to empirical studies, executed according to rigorous methodologies and revealing their applicability.

With the objective of characterizing the Brazilian scientific production on HRM between 2001 and 2010, Meneses, Coelho Junior, Ferreira et al. (2014) conducted a study of 121 Brazilian journals of Administration, Accounting and Tourism, classified between A1 and B4 by Qualis/Capes. The results of this work evidenced a field marked by theoretical-empirical studies that describe facets of the management of human resources’ functions, especially that of assessment, based on the perception of diverse audiences sampled non-probabilistically in one organization at a time, whose transversal access was based on opinion surveys and case studies using questionnaires and interviews, which resulted in the prevalent use of statistical techniques and content analysis.

Additionally, through a literature review based on high impact journals from 2001 to 2014, Trindade, Trindade and Nogueira (2015) carried out a research looking for articles about the future and trends of HRM. As a result, 8 major emerging themes have been identified that may be the starting point for researchers interested in exploring the field of HRM. One of the themes identified was “the impact of HR policies and practices on the value of the company”, indicating the importance of relating HRM policies and practices to variables of organizational behavior.

Regarding HRM policies and practices specifically, the only published review was by Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011), which presented a synthesis of the works around the issue and an overview of several of the best scientific studies in the period from 2000 to 2010. The results of this study point out the strategic relevance of HRM policy studies to organizations, ratifying the findings of Tonelli, Caldas, Lacombe et al. (2003). The authors suggested future research focus on relating HRM policies and practices to other variables of organizational behavior and to combine different methodological perspectives to better analyze its effects on employee well-being and organizational results. Based on the results generated in the review by Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011), this article aims to update it, portraying the advances in the indicators of production in order to map the current scenario of published research on the topic.

Thus, there is a consensus that HRM practices produce superior organizational performance when used together and in an integrated way with the business strategy (EZZAMEL, LILLEY and WILLMOTT, 1996; GUEST and HOQUE, 1994). The research by Fogaça and Coelho Júnior (2015) identified that satisfaction is very important to obtain better performance indices. And this is also true for small companies, as is the case of the recent study by Machado and Fischer (2017), when identifying that incorporated HRM practices are still very basic, and need further development so that they become a strategic element for the organization.

The study conducted by Katou (2012) has shown that HRM policies and practices have a positive effect on the organizational performance assessed through employee attitudes and behaviors. Similarly, Cantarello, Filippini and Nosella (2012) found a significant relationship between HRM practices and customer satisfaction through the provision of high quality products. From the results of these empirical studies, it is possible to say that a holistic set of good HRM policies and practices, properly synchronized with the business strategy, does impact the performance of the organization - whether public or private - with important results, regardless of how they are measured.

METHODOLOGY

For this research, we selected the main Brazilian journals on Administration, classified as B1 or higher by Qualis/Capes, for the quadrennial 2013-2016. Following this criterion, nine Journals on Administration were selected. In addition, the main Brazilian journals on Psychology were also selected, in which the topic of HRM policies and practices are also published. Following this criterion, nine journals on Psychology were selected. The analyzed articles were published between 2010 and 2016.

The selected journals on Administration were: Brazilian Administration Review (BAR); Gestão & Produção; Revista de Administração Contemporânea (RAC); Revista de Administração de Empresas (RAE); Revista de Administração Pública (RAP); Cadernos Ebape.BR; Revista de Administração da USP (RAUSP); Revista de Administração Mackenzie (RAM); Revista Eletrônica de Administração (REAd).

The selected journals on Psychology were: Paidéia; Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa; Estudos de Psicologia (Natal); Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas); Psicologia: Ciência e Profissão; Avaliação Psicológica; Psicologia em Revista; Revista Psicologia: Organizações e Trabalho (rPOT); Psicologia: Teoria e Prática.

Articles included in the literature review had to have been through peer review and contained the following terms in the headings, abstracts or keywords (in Portuguese): “políticas e práticas de gestão de pessoas” (people management policies and practices); “políticas e práticas de recursos humanos” (human resources policies and practices); “políticas de gestão de pessoas” (people management policies); “políticas de recursos humanos” (human resources policies); “práticas de gestão de pessoas” (people management practices); or “práticas de recursos humanos” (human resources practices); and the terms related to the specific policies themselves: “envolvimento” - “participação”, “reconhecimento”, “comunicação” (“engagement” - “participation”, “recognition”, “communication”); “recrutamento e seleção” (recruitment and selection); “condições de trabalho” (work conditions); “treinamento, desenvolvimento e educação” (training, development and education), “avaliação de desempenho e competências” (evaluation of performance and competencies) and “remuneração e recompensas” (remuneration and rewards).

The study was performed using the method of systematic review, proposed and presented by Dybå and Dingsøyr (2008). It is a structured method to identify relevant studies on a particular theme where, at each stage of the research, selected articles are extracted, and then submitted to a new revision.

Figure 1 presents the process of bibliometric successive filtering, which constitutes a research protocol, according to Dybå and Dingsøyr (2008).

Figure 1
Protocol of studies selection

As pointed out in Figure 1, in the first stage 239 articles contained the researched terms among the keywords. These constituted the initial basis for the selection process of the articles. Then, articles that were duplicated, accessed by more than one database and that did not fit the theme in question, were excluded. At this stage, with a selection based on their titles, 86 works remained. For the next state (3), after reading the abstracts, 62 articles remained. In stage 4, the last stage of the selection, the articles were selected from the critical reading of their entire content, considering those that dealt directly with the research topic, which resulted in 59 articles.

In order to carry out a bibliometric review of the selected articles, the following categories of analysis were used: 1) Name of the journal; 2) Institution of origin of the authors; 3) Authors who published the most during the period of analysis; 4) Study framework; and 5) More researched subjects within the theme of HRM policies and practices. For the articles classified as theoretical-empirical, further categories of analysis were used: 6) Nature of the research; 7) Sector of the economy; 8) Sector of activity of the companies surveyed; 9) Instruments used for data collection; and 10) Data analysis techniques. Finally, a network diagram on the relationship between Brazilian research institutions and their production is presented, in an effort to portray research partnerships engendered at the national level.

RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Policies and practices in human resource management: Brazilian academic production

This section will first address a synthesis of the study on 59 articles found in the journals researched and the institutionalization (universities the authors of the articles are related to) of research on HRM policies and practices in Brazil. From these results, a brief analysis of the production was elaborated, which leads to reflections and to propose a research agenda.

Of the articles studied, the journal rPOT had the most publications, with 11 articles (19%), followed by REAd with 9 articles (15%) and by RAC, with 7 articles (12%).

There was a production peak in 2010, when 25% of the articles in the period under analysis were published. In 2011 and 2012, the number of publications was constant (17% of the publications in each year), followed by a decrease in 2013 and 2014, which together represented only 15%. In 2015 there was an expressive growth, with 22% of the articles of the period published in that year. In 2016, there were only 2 publications on the subject, or 3% of the total. The majority (90%) of the articles presented theoretical-empirical research, whereas the remaining 10% were theoretical essays.

As for the institutions of origin of the authors, the institution that published most articles is the University of Brasilia (UnB), with 19% of the total. The University of São Paulo (USP) appears in second place (6%), followed by the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) (6% each).

Some authors have stand out by publishing more than one article within the analyzed period. Gisela Demo (UnB-DF), Jardim Abbad (UnB-DF) and Luciana Mourão (Universo-RJ) had a greater participation in the production of HRM policies and practices, with Mourão and Abbad specifically focusing on training, development and education policies (TD&E), while Demo approaches the theme in general.

Of the 59 articles, TD&E (which is one HRM practice), was the most studied topic (29%). “Concepts and foundations” were the focus of 23% of the articles. The least researched topics (3% each) were relational studies and measurement. “Engagement” and “recruitment and selection” policies (4% each) also deserve more attention from researchers.

Box 1 summarizes the information about the methodological analyzes carried out.

Box 1
Categorization of theoretical-empirical articles analyzed (synthesis)

Of the 53 theoretical-empirical studies identified (90% of the total), 42% of the articles were of quantitative nature. The private sector was the most researched (49%). On the other hand, it can be verified that the areas of activity were well diversified. Research that addressed several sectors simultaneously and the health sector accounted for 39% of the results.

In addition, questionnaires prevailed over other instruments for data collection (36%), which is consistent with the quantitative nature of most surveys, followed by interviews (27%). The most used data analysis techniques included descriptive statistics and content analysis, which sum 53%.

Policies and practices of human resource management: institutionalization of research in Brazil

With regard to the institutionalization of research on HRM policies and practices in Brazil, a picture of the current situation is obtained from the research groups adopting the terms “human resource management policies”, “human resource management practices” and “human resource management” in their names. CNPq’s Lattes Platform Research Group database (Base Corrente) reveals the existence of 10 groups when searching for “human resource management policies and practices”, of which 08 are in the field of Administration, 01 in ​​Psychology and 01 in the field of ​​Sociology. The search for “human resource management practices” reveals the existence of 14 groups, only 05 of which do not coincide with those identified in the search for “human resource management policies and practices”, 04 in Administration and 01 in the field of Information Science. Finally, the search for “human resource management policies” reveals the existence of 13 groups, 08 of which have already been cited in the other searches, the remaining 05 are in Administration. Thus, there are 20 groups related to “human resource management policies” or “human resource management practices” or “human resource management policies and practices”, of which 17 are in the field of Administration, 01 in Information ​​Science, 01 in ​​Psychology and 01 in ​​Sociology.

Among these groups, 04 are distributed geographically in the State of Minas Gerais, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Federal Institute of Northern Minas Gerais (IFNMG), Federal Institute of Southeast of Minas Gerais (IF SUDESTE MG). There are 03 in Brasilia (02 in the University of Brasilia - UnB - and 01 in the University Center of Brasília - UniCeub); 03 in São Paulo, in the University of São Paulo (USP), Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) and Methodist University of Piracicaba (Unimep); 02 in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, in the Federal University of Rio Grande (Furg) and in the University of Passo Fundo (UPF); 02 in Santa Catarina, in the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) and University of Vale do Itajaí (Univali); 02 in Paraná, the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR) and the State University of the Center-West (Unicentro); 01 in Pernambuco (Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE); 01 in Rio de Janeiro (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ); 01 in Paraíba, (State University of Paraíba - UEPB); and 01 in Mato Grosso do Sul (Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS).

Box 2 shows the data collected from the Lattes Platform Research Groups, with the consolidation of the years in which the research groups on HRM policies, HRM practices and HRM policies and practices were created. It was observed that, from the year 2014, there was a marked increase in the number of research groups focused on the theme, which has doubled in the last 4 years.

Box 2
Research groups on human resource management policies, human resource management practices and human resource management, per year of creation

Finally, the analysis of the indicators of scientific, technical and advisory production (CTA) in the censuses of 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2016 of the research group database, Censuses, and textual search, using the search terms (in Portuguese) “human resources policies and practices” applied simultaneously with the filters “article title CTA”, “bibliographic reference” and “article keywords” resulted in the absence of production in this topic in the years 2000 and 2002. It shows, however, an increase, from 2008, of 26 times more articles in comparison to 2006, which coincides with the creation of 16 new research groups, of a total of 20 groups currently working, evidencing the academic vigor of the theme. It is worth mentioning that, although available, the 2014 and 2016 censuses are not accessed with the textual search tool, restricting the inferences only to the large areas of knowledge, hindering the precision in the analysis undertaken.

With the objective of demonstrating the relationship and interconnection between academic institutions for the development of research and the preparation of scientific studies on HRM policies and practices, and to complement the research carried out on the Lattes Platform, a network demonstration was undertaken through the computer program UCINET. The aim was to identify the relational level between the higher education institutions of origin of the authors, generating a matrix composed of articles and organizations where the article was produced, shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2
Network diagram showing the relationship among research institutions

Figure 2 shows a high degree of centrality of HRM articles from USP and UnB, which established partnerships among themselves and with other institutions for the development of research on the subject. However, several institutions have shown a growing interest in the subject, demonstrating that there is interest from researchers.

It is noteworthy that, although some institutions are not linked to research groups, they significantly participate in publishing articles on HRM policies. Two such examples are Salgado de Oliveira University (Universo) and UFSC. Foreign institutions have also published in national journals, such as Southern Illinois University.

DISCUSSION

Research agenda and comparison to previous study

As found in the results, although a journal on Psychology is the one with the most publications on the subject, the journals on Administration represented 68% of the publications in the period. The results, therefore, demonstrate that the topic receives more attention from the area of Administration. This result is likely related to the situation of the research groups, which, for the most part, are concentrated in Administration. The results of this review were compared with those of the Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011) review, which was the last national review identified.

After a drop, the current upward level of publications between the years 2010 and 2015 apparently shows a resumption of researchers’ interest in the subject. In addition, it is possible to say, based on the studies focused on the concepts and foundations of HRM policies (which ranked second with 23% of publications), that there seems to be an intention to understand the strategic nature of HRM - and this has been observed among researchers - which is aligned with the studies developed by Armstrong (2014), Demo, Neiva, Nunes et al. (2014), Inyang and Akaegbu (2014), Bohlander and Snell (2009), Legge (2006), Storey (1995), Guest (1987) proposing that HRM management should be properly supported by cohesive and consistent theories and connected to organizational planning and strategy.

On the other hand, judging by the issues dealt with in the publications, such consolidation should not be understood as a future sign of reducing interest in the topic, since issues related to recruitment and selection, and to engagement policies should be further explored by researchers. This is pointed out by Inyang and Akaegbu (2014), who show that HR professionals are responsible for guiding service delivery and for increasing organizational effectiveness. It is noteworthy that all the studies that dealt with the engagement policies focused their analysis on communication. Thus, it is urgent that future studies seek to address the ways in which recognition and participation practices are developed by the organizations’ HR sector. Studies on the policies of recruitment and selection, already discussed the practice of recommendation and the use of social networks in selection processes. Therefore, it is suggested that future researches on the subject analyze how the processes of recruitment and selection in search of new professionals occur.

Still incipient, as in the study by Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011), the production of articles related to HRM measurement instruments has gained new impetus with the publication of the Human Resources Policy Scale (DEMO, NEIVA, NUNES et al., 2014). However, the validation and implementation of these measurement tools remain concentrated in UnB’s Research Group on Customers and People Management. Relational studies between HRM policies and other variables should be encouraged, since previous research has pointed out positive relations between HRM policies and variables such as commitment, productivity, profitability and quality (GUEST and CONWAY, 2011; INYANG and AKAEGBU, 2014, KATOU, 2012). Knowing the variables that affect and are affected by HRM policies is fundamental to the HRM’s progress and recognition of its strategic role in organizations.

It is worth noting that the TD&E policy is still the preferred by researchers, considering the previous study of Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011). A probable reason for this expressive presence may be related to the authors who published the most during this period: Luciana Mourão (Universo-RJ) and Gardênia Abbad (UnB-DF). This is because they have the study of TD&E practices as a main research line. Still regarding the relation of the main authors, it is possible to understand why UnB has the most publications, because Gisela Demo and Gardênia Abbad are professors of the university. In addition, reinforces this result, the fact that there is a high degree of centrality of publications on HRM policies by UnB, which was revealed in the network diagram of relationships between research institutions generated in this article.

Looking at publications on the remuneration and rewards policy, it is perceived that they are no longer limited just to remuneration, since more studies are focused on the perception of the rewards by the groups in the organizations, as well as relating them to the values ​​and organizational justice. It is suggested that such a trend gains strength, considering that it would be interesting to know how organizations work with different types of rewards and how workers perceive (and react) to such practices. The spectrum of this topic in this study differs from that found in Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011), where the authors identified work completely focused on remuneration practices, especially those applying variable remuneration.

The policy of working conditions presented a more diversified production, with research involving various practices, such as health and safety. Thus, despite a reasonable number of studies on this subject, it is recommended that researchers explore this policy, mainly to understand the details of the practices. This scenario is different from that found by Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011), where studies of this policy have focused almost exclusively on practices related to quality of life in the work place.

Studies focused on policies of evaluation of performance and competencies emphasized performance evaluation and its implications for strategic management. As for the competency-based approach, although widely promoted in the literature, has not yet received due attention, with little research on the topic. As in the case of the policies aforementioned, comparing to the work of Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011), the results of the policies of evaluation of performance and competencies, in this study presents important differences. While in the last 07 years there has been more research on performance evaluation, in the first decade of the millennium the ‘hot topic’ was competency-based evaluation.

It is not surprising that there is a predominance of theoretical-empirical research, since this tendency has already been verified in previous studies (DEMO, FOGAÇA, NUNES et al., 2011). On the other hand, compared to the work of Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011), where the qualitative studies were majority, the prevalence of quantitative studies here is surprising. One can speculate that the researchers followed the recommendations proposed by Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011). It is also possible to raise new questions to guide future researches: What are the causes of this change? What could have led to this change of attitude? Is it possible that in the next years the production trend will be for studies of a hybrid nature? It is observed that there is room for empirical research in epistemological perspectives of the most varied shades, from functionalism to radical humanism, as well as the use of multiple methodological approaches, be they qualitative or quantitative. In addition, multi-method research, which combine qualitative and quantitative approaches, allow the methodological triangulation, allowing a better understanding of the phenomenon, at the same time efforts to measure it (quantify) and understand it (qualify) are generated.

The review by Tonelli, Caldas, Lacombe et al. (2003), covering the period from 1991 to 2000 and analyzing publications on HRM in general in the main journals on Administration, concluded that the panorama presented by the research did not do justice to the new strategic role and aspirations in the area. In this context, the review by Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011) ratified these results. It showed that there was no significant advance comparing the production of the late twentieth century with the beginning of the twenty-first century. This study, therefore, contributed by exploring journals on Psychology to the scope of research, and demonstrating the increase of interest of organizational researchers on the subject in the Brazilian academic literature. However, it is necessary to clarify that some issues have not yet been explored consistently.

Finally, this article suggests many opportunities for future studies, exploring research trends, especially in the less investigated policies, such as recruitment and selection, engagement and performance evaluation, so the construct can be updated continuously, enabling the effective advancement of theory. In addition, other needs are identified, such as advancing the development and enhancement of measurement instruments, given the low output and the increasing need for organizations to know their workers’ perceptions of how HRM policies have been applied in the organizational environment. Future studies should also focus on strategic aspects of HRM in organizations, so that both researchers and managers have a theoretical and empirical framework capable of fostering the construction, or refinement, of HRM policies and practices that effectively contribute to the strategic management of organizations.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this study aimed to contribute to academic production on human resource management (HRM) policies and practices. We carried out a literature review focusing on the recent Brazilian production of the highest quality (classified as B1 or higher by Qualis/Capes), covering the last 7 years (2010 to 2016). The review portrayed the institutionalization of research in Brazil and proposed reflections that subsidize a research agenda on the subject. In addition, this study contributed by presenting a qualitative approach, filling a gap in literature on HRM policies and practices, which is dominated by theoretical-empirical work.

Moreover, the effort to compare studies shows the dynamicity of the theme, considering that the researchers focused on different aspects of the topic when analyzing it in different periods. Thus, research opportunities grow as new and different practices are proposed, with no indication of saturation. Other institutions can use the opportunity to stimulate the academic production, focusing on research related to other HRM policies, such as performance and competency, working conditions and rewards, given the identified gaps. The joint production of these groups can strengthen the lines of research on HRM policies and include Brazil as a reference on the international scenario.

On the other hand, some limitations can be pointed out. This study did not seek to deplete the national literature on the subject during the period investigated, because it was restricted to the main high level scientific journals in the fields of Administration and Psychology. As a large part of the articles presented in EnANPAD conferences, which are among the most important academic events, is later published in the journals researched, its annals were not included in this survey, nor were the dissertations and theses of the various stricto sensu graduate programs in Administration and Psychology of the country, during the period considered.

Despite the limitations described, the overview presented here allowed a mapping of recent Brazilian production concerning HRM policies and practices in organizations, completing the review of Demo, Fogaça, Nunes et al. (2011). In this sense, the results point out the strategic relevance of HRM policy studies to the organizations. However, the urgency for new studies on the HRM was highlighted, since some policies, despite their strategic nature for organizations, are still little investigated. This is the case for recruitment and selection and evaluation of performance and skills, as well as studies relating HRM policies to other variables of organizational behavior and the effort to construct and validate measurement instruments.

From this point of view, there are great opportunities for research in order to reconstruct already consolidated theories and propose new ones, new models and new relations between variables that subsidize decision-making in organizational management and contribute to the construction of a more consistent theoretical framework to promote the progressive advancement of theoretical-empirical knowledge on HRM policies and practices in Brazilian organizations.

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• {Translated version} Note: All quotes in English translated by this article’s translator.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  June 2018

History

• Received
  28 Jan 2016
• Accepted
  14 Sept 2017