How Strategic are Resource-Dependent Organisations? Experience of an International NGO in Kenya

Organisations that strategically align their human resources with organisational objectives can benefit from competitive advantage in contrast to transactional human resource management (HRM). While the performance benefits associated with this theory are acknowledged in the for-profit sector, the u...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of development research 2019-04, Vol.31 (2), p.235-252
Main Authors: Brunt, Carol, Akingbola, Kunle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Comparative advantage
Competition
Competitive advantage
Decision making
Development and Social Change
Development Economics
Development Policy
Development strategies
Development Studies
Human resource management
Human resources
Human resources management
NGOs
Nongovernmental organizations
Nonprofit organizations
Original Article
Private sector
Resource management
Social Sciences
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Organisations that strategically align their human resources with organisational objectives can benefit from competitive advantage in contrast to transactional human resource management (HRM). While the performance benefits associated with this theory are acknowledged in the for-profit sector, the underlying logic might be transferable to the resource-dependent non-profit sector. Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) depend on effective resource management to achieve program outcomes. We know little of the HRM practices of NGOs. This article examines the case of an international NGO that adopted a strategic approach to HRM. The results of our study reveal trade-offs in resource management choices. While strategic HRM provides a powerful management theory as a basis for management decision-making, financial constraints impose a complex series of trade-offs. Drawing on the experience of this organisation, the authors suggest that pursuance of a “growth strategy” may maximise resource utilisation for organisations similar to the one examined here.
ISSN:0957-8811
1743-9728
DOI:10.1057/s41287-018-0144-5