HRM PRACTICES IN SERVICE-BASED ORGANIZATIONS:
A ROLE THEORY PERSPECTIVE

INTRODUCTION
Human resource management (HRM) practices are being increasingly treated
as dependent rather than independent variables. Whereas in the past
researchers focused almost exclusively on how changes in HRM practices affect
employee performance or satisfaction, researchers are now beginning to ask
how organizational conditions shape HRM practices (e.g., design, staffing,
performance appraisal, compensation, and training and development).
Examples of organizational conditions hypothesized to impact HRM practices
include strategy (Hambrick and Snow 1987; Snow and Hrebiniak 1980; Olian
and Rynes 1984; Lawler 1984; Hambrick and Mason 1984; Gupta and
Govindarajan 1984a, b; and Miller, Kets de Vries and Toulouse 1982),
organizational life cycle stage (Kochan and Chalykoff 1987; Kerr 1982, 1985),
technological change, union presence, internal labor markets and even whether
or not an organization has a personnel department (Osterman 1984; Pfeffer
and Cohen 1984; Cohen and Pfeffer 1986). Consistent with this line of research
investigating the relationship between organizational conditions and HRM
practices, this article focuses on HRM practice in service-based organizations.
The role behavior theory perspective (Naylor, Pritchard and Ilgen 1980)
provides useful insights for understanding and explaining inter-organizational
differences in HRM practices and consequent organizational behaviors.
Application of the perspective is built on two fundamental assumptions: (1)
HRM practices are a primary means for defining, communicating and
rewarding desired role behaviors and (2) desired role behaviors are a function
of organizational characteristics.
To illustrate the research agenda suggested by the role behavior theory
perspective, empirical tests of several specific hypotheses about service-based
organizations using data collected from 267 companies are presented. These
data indicate that a role behavior theory perspective holds promise as an
explanation for HRM practices used in service firms. To provide richer detail
for the role theory perspective, an example of its application is described in
an intensive case study. While providing many implications for practical
application, the case study, along with the survey results, reveals that more
research is needed to develop and refine understanding of the linkages between
organizational conditions, roles, HRM practices and employees' behaviors.