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A quarter‐century review of HRM in small and medium‐sized enterprises: Capturing what we know, exploring where we need to go

Harney, Brian ORCID: 0000-0003-3252-563X and Alkhalaf, Hadeel (2020) A quarter‐century review of HRM in small and medium‐sized enterprises: Capturing what we know, exploring where we need to go. Human Resource Management, 60 (1). pp. 5-29. ISSN 0090-4848

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Abstract

Despite the proliferation of HRM research, only a small fraction explores the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Where HRM in SMEs has received attention the literature base remains fragmented and variable, comprising a plurality of definitions, explanations and methods. To advance understanding, this paper uses a quarter-century systematic review drawing on an evidence base of 137 peer-reviewed articles. A cumulative framework is presented capturing key developments and synthesizing existing areas of research focus. Analysis of limitations and knowledge-gaps finds a failure to differentiate across various types of SMEs, limited appreciation of SME characteristics and contextual conditions, and a dominance of managerial perspectives. An agenda for future research on HRM in SMEs is outlined with respect to definitional parameters, HR practices, HRM-Performance, key determinants and presenting issues. The paper concludes that SMEs offer a unique, fruitful and timely context for investigations of HRM.

Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:small firms; small and medium-sized enterprises; HRM in context; systematic literature review; entrepreneurship
Subjects:Business > Employee motivation
Business > Management
Business > Personnel management
Business > Employee attitudes
Business > Industrial relations
Business > Family Business
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > DCU Business School
Publisher:John Wiley & Sons
Official URL:https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22010
Copyright Information:© 2020 John Wiley & Sons
Use License:This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. View License
Funders:European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 734824.
ID Code:25665
Deposited On:22 Mar 2021 17:19 by Brian Harney . Last Modified 15 Apr 2022 03:30

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