Business Administration and Business Economics
Abstract
Measuring and quantifying strategic human resource outcomes in relation to key
performance criteria is essential to developing value-adding metrics. Objectives This paper posits
(using a general systems lens) that strategic human resource metrics should interpret the relationship
between attitudinal human resource outcomes and performance criteria such as profitability, quality or
customer service. Approach Using the general systems model as underpinning theory, the study
assesses the variation in response to a Likert type questionnaire with twenty-four (24) items measuring
the major attitudinal dispositions of HRM outcomes (employee commitment, satisfaction, engagement
and embeddedness). Results A Chi-square test (Chi-square test statistic = 54.898, p=0.173) showed
that variation in responses to the attitudinal statements occurred due to chance. This was interpreted to
mean that attitudinal human resource outcomes influence performance as a unit of system components.
The neutral response was found to be associated with the ‘reject’ response than the ‘acceptance’
response. Value The study offers suggestion on the determination of strategic HR metrics and
recommends the use of systems theory in HRM related studies. Implications This study provides
another dimension to human resource metrics by arguing that strategic human resource metrics should
measure the relationship between attitudinal human resource outcomes and performance using a
systems perspective.
References
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development in South Africa. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(1): 408-424.
Bastedo, M. N. (2006). Open systems theory. The SAGE encyclopaedia of educational leadership and
administration. SAGE Publications.
Becker, B. E., Huselid, M.A. & Ulrich, D. (2001). The HR Scorecard: linking people, strategy, and
performance. Boston: Harvard Business press.
Boudreau, J. & Lawler III, E.E.( 2014). Stubborn traditionalism in HRM: causes and consequences.
Human Resource Management Review, 24:232-244.
Boyd, G. & Sutherland, M. (2005). Obtaining employee commitment to living the brand of the
organisation. South African Journal of Business Management, 37(1): 9-20.
Cape Town Central City Report. (2012). New Media.
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http://www.interact2013.org/Interact2013/media/Store/documents/Hotels-and-Maps-2011-%2816-
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Carlson, K.D. & Kavanach, M.J. (2012). Human resource metrics and workforce analytics. In
Kavanagh, M.J., Thite, M. & Johnson, R. D. (eds). (2012). Human resource information systems:
basics, applications and future directions. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage: 150 – 174.
http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/41672_6.pdf [2 October 2015].
Cascio, W.F. (2000). Costing human resources: the financial impact of behaviour in organisations. 4th
ed. Johannesburg: South-Western College Publishing, Thomson.
Chinomona, R., Dhurup, M., & Chinomona, E.(2013). Does employee perceptions of fit to job, fit to
organization and fit to community influence job performance? The case of Zimbabwe’s manufacturing
sector. SA Journal of Human Resource Management/SA Tydskrif vir Menslikehulpbronbestuur,
11(1):475-485.
Christian, M. S., Garza, A. S., & Slaughter, J. E. (2011). Work engagement: a quantitative review and
test of its relations with task and contextual performance. Personnel Psychology, 64(1), 89-136.
Consumer Food Service in South Africa. (2005). Euromonitor International.
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Dalal, R.S., Baysinger, M., Brummel, B.J. & LeBreton, J.M. (2012). The relative importance of
employee engagement, other job attitudes, and trait affect as predictors of job performance. Journal of
Applied Social Psychology, 42 (1): 295–325.
De Vos, A.S. (2005). Scientific theory and professional research. In de Vos, A.S., Fouche, C.B. &
Delport, C.S.L. 2005. Research at grassroots: for the social sciences and human service professions.
3rd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
Drucker, P. F. (1988). Management: tasks, responsibilities, practices. London: Heinemann
Professional Publishing.
Dulebohn, J.H. & Johnson, R.D. (2013). Human resource metrics and decision support: a classification
framework. Human Resource Management Review, 23: 71-83.
Fitz-en, J. (1987). How to measure human resources management. International ed. Singapore:
Mcgraw-Hill Book.
Fitz-en, J. (2010). The new HR analytics: predicting the economic value of your company’s human
capital investments: New York: AMACOM.
Fleetwood, S. & Hesketh, A. (2007). Theorising under-theorisation in research on the HRMperformance
link. Personnel Review, 37 (2): 126-144.
Greenberg, J. (2011). Behavior in organizations. 10th d, Global edition. Harlow: Pearson.
Grobler, P., Bothma, R., Brewster, C., Carey, L., Holland, P. & Warnich, S. (2012). Contemporary
issues in human resource management. Cape Town: Oxford University Press Southern Africa.
Gruman, J. A., & Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance management and employee engagement. Human
Resource Management Review, 21(2): 123-136.
Hunter, C. (2012). Managing people in South Africa: human resource management as a competitive
advantage. 2nd ed. Durban: Sherwood Books.
Imran, H., Arif, I., Cheema, S. & Azeem, M. (2014). Relationship between job satisfaction, job
performance, attitude towards work, and organizational commitment. Entrepreneurship and
Innovation Management Journal, 2(2): 135-144.
Jackson, S. & Schuler, R. (1995). Understanding human resource management in the context of
organizations and their environments. Annual Review of Psychology, 46:237‐64.
Jackson, S.L. (2009). Research methods and statistics: A critical thinking approach. Wadsworth:
Cengage Learning.
Kaifeng, J., Lepak, D., Jia, J. & Baer, J. (2012). How does human resource management influence
organizational outcomes? A meta-analytic investigation of mediating mechanisms. Academy Of
Management Journal, 55(6): 1264-1294.
Kavukcuoglu, E. (2012). From strategy to value creation: measurement in HR. HR Agenda.
http://www.hragenda.net/hr-metrics.html [1 September 2015].
Labour Research Service. (2012). Organising in the hospitality sector in SA: a report on the context,
challenges and strategies of organising hotel workers in SA.
http://www.lrs.org.za/docs/2012%20Hospitality%20South%20Africa%202012.pdf [13 July 2015].
Laszlo, A., & Krippner, S. (1998). Systems theories: their origins, foundations, and development.
Advances in Psychology, 126: 47-76.
Lee, T.W., Mitchell, T.R., Sablynski, C.J., Burton, J.P. & Holtom, B.C. (2004). The effects of job
embeddedness on organizational citizenship, job performance, volitional absences, and voluntary
Turnover. Academy of Management, 47(5): 711-722.
Macdonald, S. and Maclntyre, P., 1997. The generic job satisfaction scale: Scale development and its
correlates. Employee Assistance Quarterly, 13(2):1-16.
Mele, C. Pels,J. & Polese, F. (2010). A brief review of systems theories and their managerial
applications. Service Science, 2(1-2):126-135.
Meyer, J.P. & Allen, N.J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational Commitment.
Human Resource Management Review, 1(1): 61-89.
Meyer, J.P., Stanley, D.J., Herscovitch, L. & Topolnytsky, L. (2002). Affective, continuance, and
normative commitment to the organization: a meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates and
consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61:20–52.
Mitchell, T. R., & Lee, T. W. (2001). The unfolding model of voluntary turnover and job
embeddedness: foundations for a comprehensive theory of attachment. Research in Organizational
Behavior, 23:189-246.
National Humanities Center. (2005). Frederick Winslow Taylor: The Principles of Scientific
management. http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/gilded/progress/text3/taylor.pdf. [5 October
2015.
Nienhueser, W. (2011). Empirical research on human resource management as a production of
ideology. Management Review, 22(4): 367-393.
Paauwe, J. (2009). HRM and performance: achievements, methodological issues and prospects. Journal
of Management Studies, 46 (1): 129-142, January.
Paauwe, J., & Boselie, P. (2005). HRM and performance: what next? Human Resource Management
Journal, 15(4): 68-83.
Reijseger, G., Schaufeli, W. B., & Peeters, M. C. (2012). READY, SET, GO! A Model of the Relation
between Work Engagement and Job Performance.
http://www.wilmarschaufeli.nl/publications/Schaufeli/392.pdf [9 October 2015]
Robbins, S.P., Judge, T.A., Odendaal, A. & Roodt, G. (2009). Organisational behaviour: global and
southern African perspectives. Cape Town: Pearson Education SA.
Severance, F.L. (2001). Systems modelling and simulation: An introduction. Chichester: John Wiley
and Sons.
South Africa hotel market sentiment survey. (2010). Horwath HTL.
http://www.horwathhtl.co.za/Publications_files/market/South%20African%20Sentiment%20Report%
200210.pdf [23/02/2015].
Taylor, F.W. (1911). The principles of scientific management. New York: The Norton Library.
Von Bertanlanff, L. (2009). An outline of General Systems Theory. ECO, 10(3): 103-123.
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&sid=b8122a4b-1970-4983-a1a4-
6e3c5a9dbe14%40sessionmgr111&hid=105 [10 May 2015].
Wright, P. M., & McMahan, G. C. (1992). Theoretical perspectives for strategic human resource
management. Journal of Management, 18(2): 295-320.
Yeung, A.K. & Berman, B. (1997). Adding value through human resources: reorienting human resource
measurement to drive business performance. Human Resource Management, 36(3):321-335, Fall.
development in South Africa. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(1): 408-424.
Bastedo, M. N. (2006). Open systems theory. The SAGE encyclopaedia of educational leadership and
administration. SAGE Publications.
Becker, B. E., Huselid, M.A. & Ulrich, D. (2001). The HR Scorecard: linking people, strategy, and
performance. Boston: Harvard Business press.
Boudreau, J. & Lawler III, E.E.( 2014). Stubborn traditionalism in HRM: causes and consequences.
Human Resource Management Review, 24:232-244.
Boyd, G. & Sutherland, M. (2005). Obtaining employee commitment to living the brand of the
organisation. South African Journal of Business Management, 37(1): 9-20.
Cape Town Central City Report. (2012). New Media.
http://www.capetowncid.co.za/docs/4697/Stateofthecentralcity.pdf [24 August 2015].
Cape Town International Convention Centre. (2013). Hotel Guide.
http://www.interact2013.org/Interact2013/media/Store/documents/Hotels-and-Maps-2011-%2816-
March%29.pdf [24 February 2015].
Carlson, K.D. & Kavanach, M.J. (2012). Human resource metrics and workforce analytics. In
Kavanagh, M.J., Thite, M. & Johnson, R. D. (eds). (2012). Human resource information systems:
basics, applications and future directions. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage: 150 – 174.
http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/41672_6.pdf [2 October 2015].
Cascio, W.F. (2000). Costing human resources: the financial impact of behaviour in organisations. 4th
ed. Johannesburg: South-Western College Publishing, Thomson.
Chinomona, R., Dhurup, M., & Chinomona, E.(2013). Does employee perceptions of fit to job, fit to
organization and fit to community influence job performance? The case of Zimbabwe’s manufacturing
sector. SA Journal of Human Resource Management/SA Tydskrif vir Menslikehulpbronbestuur,
11(1):475-485.
Christian, M. S., Garza, A. S., & Slaughter, J. E. (2011). Work engagement: a quantitative review and
test of its relations with task and contextual performance. Personnel Psychology, 64(1), 89-136.
Consumer Food Service in South Africa. (2005). Euromonitor International.
http://www.restaurant.org.za/pdf/consumer_ foodservice_in_south_africa.pdf [23 February 2015].
Dalal, R.S., Baysinger, M., Brummel, B.J. & LeBreton, J.M. (2012). The relative importance of
employee engagement, other job attitudes, and trait affect as predictors of job performance. Journal of
Applied Social Psychology, 42 (1): 295–325.
De Vos, A.S. (2005). Scientific theory and professional research. In de Vos, A.S., Fouche, C.B. &
Delport, C.S.L. 2005. Research at grassroots: for the social sciences and human service professions.
3rd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
Drucker, P. F. (1988). Management: tasks, responsibilities, practices. London: Heinemann
Professional Publishing.
Dulebohn, J.H. & Johnson, R.D. (2013). Human resource metrics and decision support: a classification
framework. Human Resource Management Review, 23: 71-83.
Fitz-en, J. (1987). How to measure human resources management. International ed. Singapore:
Mcgraw-Hill Book.
Fitz-en, J. (2010). The new HR analytics: predicting the economic value of your company’s human
capital investments: New York: AMACOM.
Fleetwood, S. & Hesketh, A. (2007). Theorising under-theorisation in research on the HRMperformance
link. Personnel Review, 37 (2): 126-144.
Greenberg, J. (2011). Behavior in organizations. 10th d, Global edition. Harlow: Pearson.
Grobler, P., Bothma, R., Brewster, C., Carey, L., Holland, P. & Warnich, S. (2012). Contemporary
issues in human resource management. Cape Town: Oxford University Press Southern Africa.
Gruman, J. A., & Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance management and employee engagement. Human
Resource Management Review, 21(2): 123-136.
Hunter, C. (2012). Managing people in South Africa: human resource management as a competitive
advantage. 2nd ed. Durban: Sherwood Books.
Imran, H., Arif, I., Cheema, S. & Azeem, M. (2014). Relationship between job satisfaction, job
performance, attitude towards work, and organizational commitment. Entrepreneurship and
Innovation Management Journal, 2(2): 135-144.
Jackson, S. & Schuler, R. (1995). Understanding human resource management in the context of
organizations and their environments. Annual Review of Psychology, 46:237‐64.
Jackson, S.L. (2009). Research methods and statistics: A critical thinking approach. Wadsworth:
Cengage Learning.
Kaifeng, J., Lepak, D., Jia, J. & Baer, J. (2012). How does human resource management influence
organizational outcomes? A meta-analytic investigation of mediating mechanisms. Academy Of
Management Journal, 55(6): 1264-1294.
Kavukcuoglu, E. (2012). From strategy to value creation: measurement in HR. HR Agenda.
http://www.hragenda.net/hr-metrics.html [1 September 2015].
Labour Research Service. (2012). Organising in the hospitality sector in SA: a report on the context,
challenges and strategies of organising hotel workers in SA.
http://www.lrs.org.za/docs/2012%20Hospitality%20South%20Africa%202012.pdf [13 July 2015].
Laszlo, A., & Krippner, S. (1998). Systems theories: their origins, foundations, and development.
Advances in Psychology, 126: 47-76.
Lee, T.W., Mitchell, T.R., Sablynski, C.J., Burton, J.P. & Holtom, B.C. (2004). The effects of job
embeddedness on organizational citizenship, job performance, volitional absences, and voluntary
Turnover. Academy of Management, 47(5): 711-722.
Macdonald, S. and Maclntyre, P., 1997. The generic job satisfaction scale: Scale development and its
correlates. Employee Assistance Quarterly, 13(2):1-16.
Mele, C. Pels,J. & Polese, F. (2010). A brief review of systems theories and their managerial
applications. Service Science, 2(1-2):126-135.
Meyer, J.P. & Allen, N.J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational Commitment.
Human Resource Management Review, 1(1): 61-89.
Meyer, J.P., Stanley, D.J., Herscovitch, L. & Topolnytsky, L. (2002). Affective, continuance, and
normative commitment to the organization: a meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates and
consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61:20–52.
Mitchell, T. R., & Lee, T. W. (2001). The unfolding model of voluntary turnover and job
embeddedness: foundations for a comprehensive theory of attachment. Research in Organizational
Behavior, 23:189-246.
National Humanities Center. (2005). Frederick Winslow Taylor: The Principles of Scientific
management. http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/gilded/progress/text3/taylor.pdf. [5 October
2015.
Nienhueser, W. (2011). Empirical research on human resource management as a production of
ideology. Management Review, 22(4): 367-393.
Paauwe, J. (2009). HRM and performance: achievements, methodological issues and prospects. Journal
of Management Studies, 46 (1): 129-142, January.
Paauwe, J., & Boselie, P. (2005). HRM and performance: what next? Human Resource Management
Journal, 15(4): 68-83.
Reijseger, G., Schaufeli, W. B., & Peeters, M. C. (2012). READY, SET, GO! A Model of the Relation
between Work Engagement and Job Performance.
http://www.wilmarschaufeli.nl/publications/Schaufeli/392.pdf [9 October 2015]
Robbins, S.P., Judge, T.A., Odendaal, A. & Roodt, G. (2009). Organisational behaviour: global and
southern African perspectives. Cape Town: Pearson Education SA.
Severance, F.L. (2001). Systems modelling and simulation: An introduction. Chichester: John Wiley
and Sons.
South Africa hotel market sentiment survey. (2010). Horwath HTL.
http://www.horwathhtl.co.za/Publications_files/market/South%20African%20Sentiment%20Report%
200210.pdf [23/02/2015].
Taylor, F.W. (1911). The principles of scientific management. New York: The Norton Library.
Von Bertanlanff, L. (2009). An outline of General Systems Theory. ECO, 10(3): 103-123.
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&sid=b8122a4b-1970-4983-a1a4-
6e3c5a9dbe14%40sessionmgr111&hid=105 [10 May 2015].
Wright, P. M., & McMahan, G. C. (1992). Theoretical perspectives for strategic human resource
management. Journal of Management, 18(2): 295-320.
Yeung, A.K. & Berman, B. (1997). Adding value through human resources: reorienting human resource
measurement to drive business performance. Human Resource Management, 36(3):321-335, Fall.
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2021-06-04
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Collective Authors. (2021). Business Administration and Business Economics: Array. Acta Universitatis Danubius. Œconomica, 12(2). Retrieved from https://dj.univ-danubius.ro/index.php/AUDOE/article/view/1119
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