Elgar Introduction to Theories of Human Resources and Employment Relations: (Elgar Introductions to Management and Organization Theory series)

This Elgar Introduction provides an overview of some of the key theories that inform human resource management and employment relations as a field of study. Leading scholars in the field explore theories in the context of contemporary debates concerning policies that affect and regulate work and the management of employment, as well as the activities and experiences of actors within the employment relationship. The book is divided into three sections to capture different theoretical lenses used to reflect on HRM and ER concerns about work: systems and historical development; institutions; and people and processes. Expert contributors have drawn on extensive research experience to present a contemporary understanding of a range of theories, how they evolved, and how they might be used in the future. Essential reading for HRM, ER and management scholars and research students, this book challenges readers to reassess their thinking about the significance of theory in research and practice.

Table of Contents:
Contents: 1. Theories used in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management Keith Townsend, Aoife M. McDermott, Kenneth Cafferkey and Tony Dundon 2. Marxism at Work Roger Seifert 3. Neo-Pluralism in contemporary employment relations and HRM: the case for workplace and academic dialogue Peter Ackers 4. Applying Scientific Management to Modern HRM and ER Niall Cullinane and Jean Cushen 5. Cracking Labour Process theory in employment relations and HRM Shiona Chillas and Alina Baluch 6. The legacy of the Human Relations School: Looking back and moving forward Sarah Jenkins 7. The theory of high-performance work systems Peter Boxall and Meng-Long Huo 8. Systems Theory: Forgotten Legacy and Future Prospects Brian Harney 9. Evolutionary psychological theory and human resource management Andrew Timming 10. Personnel Economics: Managing Human Resources through Performance-related Pay Victoria Wass 11. Advances in Labour Regulation Theory Peter Waring and Mark Bray 12. Institutional Theory, Business Systems and Employment Relations Geoffrey Wood and Matthew Allen 13. Varieties of Capitalism Glenn Morgan and Heike Doering 14. Human Resource Management and Paradox Theory Anne Keegan, Julia Brandl and Ina Aust 15. Revisiting Human Capital Theory: Progress and Prospects Jonathan Winterton and Kenneth Cafferkey 16. Feminist Theory and Employment Relations Anne-Marie Greene 17. Trust, Distrust And Human Resource Management Neve Iseava, Colin Hughes and Mark Saunders 18. Social Exchange Theory, Employment Relations and Human Resource Management Christine Cross and Tony Dundon 19. Using Role Theory to Understand and Solve Employment Relations and Human Resources Problems Qian Yi Lee, Keith Townsend, Ashlea Troth and Rebecca Loudoun 20. Fairness in the workplace: Organisational justice and the employment relationship Melinda Laundon, Paula McDonald and Abby Cathcart 21. Ability, Motivation, and Opportunity Theory: A formula for employee performance? Ashlea Kellner, Kenneth Cafferkey and Keith Townsend 22. The Resource-Based View Approach and HRM Keith Whitfield 23. LMX and HRM: A multi-level review of how LMX is used to explain employment relationships Anna Bos-Nehles and Mieke Audenaert 24. Social Mobilisation Theory in HR and employment relations Lorraine Ryan, Caroline Murphy and Daniel Troy Index

About the Author :
Edited by Keith Townsend, Professor of Human Resources and Employment Relations, Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University, Australia, Kenneth Cafferkey, Associate Professor of HRM, Sunway University Business School, Malaysia, Aoife M. McDermott, Professor of Human Resource Management, Aston University, UK, Visiting Scholar, University of California, Berkeley, US and Adjunct Professor, Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University, Australia and Tony Dundon, Professor of Employment Relations and Human Resource Management, University of Limerick, Ireland and the Work and Equalities Institute, University of Manchester, UK

Review :
‘Bringing together a diverse set of authors of distinguished pedigree, this collection provides an authoritative survey of theories of the employment relationship. Classical theories of work and employment are fully represented, with excellent chapters on Marxism, pluralism, feminism, human relations, labour process and systems theory, but so too are newer theoretical currents, many of which have their point of origin in the broader field of management studies. There are strong chapters on trust, role theory, evolution, paradox, social exchange, RBV and AMO: bodies of thought that are generating fresh understandings of employment and how it is managed. The collection as a whole is an invaluable resource for students, teachers and researchers; a broad-ranging and imaginative survey of how we think about work.’ ‘What is wonderful about this book is that in one place you can find all the prominent theories of HR and employment relations. The individual chapters are outstanding, which is what I would have expected from a stellar editorial team and first-rate contributors. A must-read for anybody interested in human resource management.’