Written by an international team of respected scholars, Human Resource Management: A Critical Approach, 3rd edition, adopts a critical perspective to examine the core management function of human resource management (HRM) in all its complexity – including its darker sides.
Despite over three decades of debate around the nature of HRM, its intellectual boundaries and its application in practice, the field continues to be dogged by several theoretical and practical limitations. This textbook opens with a critique of the very concept of HRM, tracing its development over time, and then systematically analyses the context of HRM, practice of HRM and international perspectives on HRM.
New chapters commissioned for this third edition examine HRM and consider issues including diversity and inclusion, employee well-being, digitalisation and AI, sustainable HRM and gig work and job deconstruction.
This textbook is essential reading for advanced and inquisitive students of HRM, and for HRM professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of the complexities of their field.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Human Resource Management: A Critical Introduction David G Collings, Geoffrey T. Wood and Leslie T. Szamosi SECTION ONE Chapter 2. HRM in Changing Organisational Contexts Phil Johnson and Leslie T. Szamosi Chapter 3: Strategic HRM: A critical review Corine Boon and Jaap Paauwe Chapter 4: HRM and Organisational Performance Stephen Wood Chapter 5: HRM: An Ethical Perspective Mick Fryer, Dimitrios Koukourdinos and Alexandros Psychogios Chapter 6: Substance or Smokescreen: A Critical Evaluation of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Agenda in Organisations Hilary O’Leary and Yseult Freeney Chapter 7: Reconfiguration and regulation of supply chains and HRM in times of economic crisis Geoffrey Wood, Pauline Dibben, John Cullen, Juliana Meira, Debby Bonnin, Luiz Miranda, and Caroline Linhares Chapter 8: Knowledge & Organisational Learning & Its’ Management Through HR Practices : A Critical Perspective Claire Gubbins Chapter 9: HRM in Small and Medium Enterprises Tony Dundon and Adrian Wilkinson SECTION TWO Chapter 10: Recruitment and Selection Rosalind Searle and Rami Al-Sharif Chapter 11: HR Planning: Institutions, strategy, tools and techniques Zsuzsa Kispal-Vitai and Geoffrey Wood Chapter 12: Performance Management Anthony McDonnell, Patrick Gunnigle and Kevin R. Murphy Chapter 13: Reward Management Erik Poutsma Chapter 14: Human Resource Development Irena Grugulis Chapter 15: Industrial Relations and HRM Gilton Klerck Chapter 16: International HRM Kieran M. Conroy and Ashish Malik SECTION THREE: Contemporary issues Chapter 17: HRM: FROM DIGITALISATION TO AI Giovanni Oscar Serafini and Leslie T. Szamosi Chapter 18: The end of jobs: How gig work and job deconstruction are transforming the world of work David G. Collings, James Duggan and Philip Rogiers Chapter 19: Sustainable HRM - a critical and commons-centric perspective Brian Matthews and Michael Muller-Camen Chapter 20: Worker well-being in the context of human resource management Karina Van De Voorde, Steven Kilroy and Riccardo Peccei
About the Author :
David G. Collings holds Chair of Sustainable Business at Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He previously held academic appointments at the University of Sheffield, Dublin City University and the University of Galway. He has held visiting positions at King’s College London, Cornell Univeristy and Nanyang Business School in Singapore.
Geoffrey Wood is Professor and DanCap Private Equity Endowed Chair, and Department Chair DAN Management at Western University in Canada, and also holds adjunct professorships at the University of Bath and Cranfield University, both in the UK. Previously, he served as Dean and Professor of International Business, at Essex Business School and before then as Professor of International Business at Warwick Business School, UK.
Leslie T. Szamosi is Professor and Director of the Pan-European MBA programme at CITY College, University of York Europe Campus. He is also Accreditor and Panel Chair for the International Faculty of the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and a regular evaluator and assessor of European Union-funded projects. He has worked in both the private and public sectors in Canada.
Review :
‘Human Resource Management: A Critical Approach (Third Edition) is unparalleled in its depth and breadth, offering a comprehensive and incisive exploration of HRM frameworks, strategies, and emerging challenges. This exceptional text equips students with the analytical tools needed to navigate the complexities of HRM, and also serves as an invaluable reference for professionals and researchers alike. I confidently assign it to my students and rely on it frequently in my own research and teaching’.
Anthony Nyberg, Director, Center for Executive Succession and Chaired Professor in the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, USA
‘This book brings together an international team of experts to deliver a critical analysis of core HRM activities and significant developments in people management. This is an invaluable resource for HRM students, scholars, and managers who are looking for an in-depth and engaging discussion about the context and content of HRM’.
Helen De Cieri, Professor of Management, Monash University, Australia
‘The third edition again offers a rich exploration of HRM's evolving landscape, blending foundational theories with critical perspectives on contemporary challenges such as AI, gig work, and sustainability. This essential resource equips scholars and practitioners with the ideas needed to innovate in HRM, fostering deeper insights into ethical, strategic, and global dimensions’.
Elaine Farndale, Professor of Human Resource Management, The Pennsylvania State University, USA
