High reliability Human Resource Management (HRM): A system for high risk workplaces

High Performance Work Systems (HPWS) research is based on the search for the most suitable bundle of complementary practices appropriate for the organisation and its operating environment. We examine the contents of a HPWS in organisations seeking impeccable safety and reliability as their foremost...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human resource management journal 2023-01, Vol.33 (1), p.170-186
Main Authors: Kellner, Ashlea, Townsend, Keith, Loudoun, Rebecca, Wilkinson, Adrian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
best practice
Employment practices
health and safety
high performance work systems
Human resource management
Occupational safety
organisational performance
Reliability
strategic Human Resource Management (HRM)
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Summary:High Performance Work Systems (HPWS) research is based on the search for the most suitable bundle of complementary practices appropriate for the organisation and its operating environment. We examine the contents of a HPWS in organisations seeking impeccable safety and reliability as their foremost ‘performance’ outcome. We propose a ‘High Reliability HRM’ framework, and examine the degree of implementation in a three case study of Australian state emergency services organisations. The findings highlight HRM practices inconsistent with the framework, and illustrated by rich interview accounts, we detail associated negative implications for employee behaviour and attitudes. We contribute to HPWS research by empirically examining how reliability‐seeking organisations conceptualise and implement HRM systems. This study emphasises how inconsistency in HRM practice bundles can pose a threat to reliable service provision, a critical finding for emergency services and reliability‐seeking organisations more broadly.
ISSN:0954-5395
1748-8583
DOI:10.1111/1748-8583.12424