What is Human Resource Strategy? How are human resource strategies formulated and how can we explain the variance between what is espoused and what is actually implemented? What impact – if any – does human resource strategy have on the organization’s “bottom line,” and how can this impact be explained? Is there one best HR strategy for all firms, or is the impact of HR strategy on performance contingent on some set of organizational, technological or environmental factors?

Human Resource Strategy, third edition, provides an overview of the academic and practitioner responses to these and other questions. Applying an integrative framework, the authors review over thirty years’ worth of empirical and theoretical research in an attempt to reconcile often-conflicting conceptual models and equivocal empirical findings. The book supports students in applying theory to practice and presents much of the relevant research in the context of the critical strategic decisions that executives are often forced to make with regard to human resource investments and deployments. As a result, often-complex theoretical models and scientific findings are presented such that they are not only understandable but also highly relevant to non-research-oriented practitioners. This new edition includes new chapters on innovations in HR strategies and diversity and introduces more practical examples. This book is an ideal resource for students and practitioners alike.