Thunderbird professor authors best HR research paper of 2004

It is well-known that Human Resources management practices, such as hiring and compensation, affect individual employee attributes, like ability and motivation. But what is far less understood is how these individual effects accumulate in some coherent way to affect a firm's overall performance.

Thunderbird Professor David Bowen, along with co-author Cheri Ostroff, tackled the question of how does Human Resource management really contribute to a firm's performance in a paper published in 2004 in the Academy of Management Review . The article, entitled "Understanding HRM-Firm Performance Linkages: The Role of the "Strength" of the HRM System," was selected by the Human Resources Division of the National Academy of Management, the world's leading academic organization in the management field, as the best HR article published in any academic journal in 2004.

In addition to honor from the National Academy of Management, Bowen has received the G. Robert and Katherine Herberger Chair in Global Management from Thunderbird.

"During his time as Dean of Faculty and Programs over the past four years, Dr. Bowen has given Thunderbird outstanding services and shown extraordinary commitment to the School," said Thunderbird President Angel Cabrera. "He's also consistently contributed in the fields of research and teaching. The awarding of this chair, one of the most distinguished professorships in Global Management, is well deserved for Dr. Bowen."

In the article, Bowen and Ostroff apply two theoretical perspectives to the question. One, is that organizational climate is a key link between Human Resource management practices and a firm's overall performance.

"Organizational climate is the employees' shared perceptions of organizational practices, and their collective inferences about organizational goals and individual performance expectations," Bowen said. "We suggest that, ideally, the Human Resource management system would create a 'strong climate' in which employees share a common interpretation of what is important and what behaviors are expected and rewarded."

Bowen and Ostroff will receive their "Best HR Article" award at the National Academy of Management meeting in Honolulu in August.