Summary Research Methods in HRM and OB UGent

RESEARCH METHODS IN HRM &
OB
INHOUD

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................2
Application HR & OB research...............................................................................................................................2
Evidenced-based management (EBM)..................................................................................................................2
Research topics and research questions in HRM & OB.............................................................................................5
Topic choice...........................................................................................................................................................5
Determining your research question....................................................................................................................6
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................................7
Hypotheses............................................................................................................................................................8
Design and critical evaluation of research in HRM & OB..........................................................................................8
What is the best available evidence......................................................................................................................8
Internal validity..................................................................................................................................................9
Construct validity...............................................................................................................................................9
Statistical conclusion validity..........................................................................................................................10
External validity...............................................................................................................................................10
Common method bias.........................................................................................................................................10
Method section...................................................................................................................................................11
Quantitative research in HRM & OB.......................................................................................................................11
Quantitative research..........................................................................................................................................11
Moderation and mediation.................................................................................................................................13
Qualitative research in HRM & OB..........................................................................................................................15
Research questions.............................................................................................................................................15
Data collection and processing...........................................................................................................................16
Reporting.............................................................................................................................................................16
Similarities...........................................................................................................................................................16
Qualitative research............................................................................................................................................16
Interview.............................................................................................................................................................17
Reporting research in HRM & OB............................................................................................................................19
Results – qualitative research.............................................................................................................................19
Discussion............................................................................................................................................................19




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,INTRODUCTION

APPLICATION HR & OB RESEARCH

Difference between HR and OB

 Difference in type of research
 HR
o About the functions of HRM
o Ex. recruitment, selection, performance management, payroll, career management
 OB
o What the people, groups … think and feel
o Focus on understanding the individuals

Application HR and OB research

 Large scientific knowledge on the effectiveness of many HR and OB practices
 Large survey on knowledge HR and OB practices
o Large scientist-practitioner gap
o Results HR & OB research are not enough know and applied in the work field
o Better research knowledge would allow HR professionals to make better and more successful
decisions
o  need for evidence-based management

EVIDENCED-BASED MANAGEMENT (EBM)

Evidenced-based management

 The systematic, evidence-informed practice of management, incorporating scientific knowledge in the
content and process of making decisions
 Knowing how to obtain and use scientific evidence and reliable business knowledge helps practitioners
respond effectively to the uncertainty they face every day in organizations

History evidence-based practice

 Lage research-user gap
 Practitioners do not read academic journals
 Findings of research into what is an effective intervention are not being translated into actual practice
 Academics not practitioners are driving research agenda
 Practice is being driven more by fads and fashions than research
 Timeline
o 1991  medicine
o 1998  education
o 2000  nursing
o 2005 – 2006  management

Threats/opportunities EBM

 Threats
o Information overload
o Overestimate individual experience
o Inaccurate information or beliefs

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, o Preference for quick solutions
o Hypes and trends in management
o Bias and errors in decision-making
 Attribution bias: when things go wrong you look around to find the problem but
when thing go right you only look at yourself
 Confirmation bias: you look at the evidence that will support your decisions
 Opportunities
o Call for more accountability
o Evolution to knowledge management
o Higher accessibility of information
o Need for more rational and objective decision-making

Evidence-based practice

 About making decisions through the conscientious, explicit and thoughtful use of the best available
evidence from multiple resources by
o Asking  translating a practical issue or problem into an answerable question
o Acquiring  systematically searching for and retrieving the evidence
o Appraising  critically judging the trustworthiness and relevance of the evidence
o Aggregating  weighing and pulling together the evidence
o Applying  incorporating the evidence into the decision-making process
o Assenting  evaluating the outcome of the decision taken
  increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome

Evidence-based decision making




 Not only scientific research but also other information
 Need to look at the effects of your decision on the stakeholders and how they will be affected

Organizational evidence

 HR metrics and workforce analytics
 Aim to provide managers with the information they need to make better decisions regarding the
acquisition and deployment of an organization’s human capital
 “Doing metrics” is not an end in itself  must be the result in better HR and people decisions and
higher organizational effectiveness

Experiential evidence

 Professional experience and judgement of HR professionals and mangers

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