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*Call for Papers for a Special Issue of*

*Human Resource Management Review*



*Human Resource Management in Asia*

*Guest Editors:*

*Professor Fang Lee Cooke, **[log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>,
(Monash University, Australia)*

*Professor Randall Schuler, **[log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>, (Rutgers University, United States; University
of Lucerne, Switzerland)*

*Professor Arup Varma* *[log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>, (Loyola University
Chicago, United States)*



*Background and objectives of the Special Issue:*

Human resource management (HRM) research has becoming increasingly
decontexualised and positivist in recent years (Jackson, Schuler and Jiang,
2014; Meyer, 2014; Kaufman, 2015). A predominant research interest has been
in identifying what types of HRM practices may elicit particular types of
organisational behaviour (OB) that will minimise destructive behaviour
(minimising harm) or optimise performance at individual, team and
organisational levels (adding values). Many of these studies adopt a
universalist approach, and are framed by ‘narrowly specified research
questions’ and facilitated by ‘highly sophisticated research methodology’
(Meyer, 2014: 374). In parallel to this development, scholars have been
calling for greater sensitivity to the context in organisational research
(e.g., Child, 2009; Rousseau and Fried, 2001; Shapiro, Von Glinow and Xiao,
2007).

Despite strong research interest in the trends of convergence and
divergence of HRM across the world (e.g., Budhwar, Varma and Patel,
2016; Mayrhofer,
Brewster, Morley and Ledolter, 2011), extant studies suggest that HRM
remains context-specific, underpinned by multi-level factors internal and
external to the organisation (e.g., Al Ariss and Rowley and Benson, 2002;
Brewster, Mayrhofer and Smale, 2016; Cooke, 2017). This means that
globalisation has had only partial impact on national practices and that
generic trends as well as particularistic characteristics may be found in
national HRM systems and micro level practices, with different theoretical
and management implications.

Asia is the most populated continent with diverse political regimes,
institutional systems, historical traditions, cultural heritages,
religious/spiritual norms, and stages of economic development. It not only
hosts four of the largest economies in the world (China, Japan, South Korea
and India), but also an increasing number of the indigenous firms in these
states and others have been at the forefront of technological innovations,
which are beginning to have profound impacts on new products and services.
To compete and accelerate their growth, new forms of employment and modes
of economic activities are emerging (e.g., sharing economy, platform
organisation). Asia, with some exceptions, has a relatively young and
increasingly well educated workforce, but is at the same time compounded by
skill shortages, a considerable level of labour mobility through internal,
cross-country and cross-border migration, and other HRM challenges (Cooke
and Kim, 2018). What topics that been most researched in the Asian context?
What have we learned in terms of theoretical developments and empirical
insights? What may be the research gaps in the light of rapid technological
and economic developments in Asia and its ascending role in the economic
globalisation? While Asian scholarship has been emerging in the last decade
following the call for more self-confidence from indigenous Asian scholars
(e.g., Meyer, 2006), much of what has been published in top journals has
been increasingly positivist, modelling, testing and extending
western-developed theories. And while several books have already been
written about Asian  HRM systems (e.g., Varma and Budhwar, 2014; Cooke and
Kim, 2018) our knowledge of these systems can be further informed by an
updating, especially so for the rapidly developing economies of Asia. And
we can also benefit by papers that focus on newer themes that are emerging
in Asian economies.

This Special Issue aims to provide comprehensive reviews of particular HRM
topics in the Asian context, take stock of the body of scholarship related
to work in HRM in Asia, reveal research, conceptual and theoretical gaps
and suggest avenues for future studies. Such a special issue is timely to
reflect the body of scholarship on HRM in the Asian context, which consists
of a relatively small, albeit growing, proportion of publications on HRM.
Management research is often lagging behind management practices. Compared
with developed European and North American economies, emerging economies
like China and India, are less bounded by regulatory environment but are
experiencing a period of high growth. Firms are deploying innovative
practices to gain competitive advantage which may have profound
implications for HRM theorisation. It is therefore important to capture and
reflect on these developments through, for example, research studies that
focus on the following themes.



*Themes for the Special Issue:*

Below are some indicative thematic topics related to the Asian context that
we would especially welcome for the special issue:

·       HRM, employee creativity and innovation

·       Talent management and mobility

·       Performance management and effects

·       Workplace inequality and diversity management

·       Technological innovation, management innovation and implications
for HRM

·       (New) employment modes and implications for HRM

·       Cross-country comparative studies on particular HRM themes

·       Offshore outsourcing and implications for HRM

·       Multinational firms from Asia operating across the globe

·       Multinational firms operating in Asia

·       The role of leadership styles, culture and employee behaviours

·       Corporate social responsibility, employee wellbeing and resilience

Authors are invited to explore other themes beyond these that are relevant
to the overall aim of the Special Issue. Consistent with *HRMR’s* scope,
conceptual and theoretical papers are welcomed (not empirical).



*Submission Process:*

Authors can submit their paper starting on October 1st 2018 to *HRMR* for
review, but no later than the submission deadline of October 31st
2018. “Authors
can submit their paper starting on October 1st 2018 but no later than the
submission deadline of October 31st 2018 via the EVISE online submission
system at https://www.evise.com/profile/#/HUMRES/login. To ensure that all
manuscripts are correctly identified for consideration for this special
issue, it is important that authors select ‘*SI: HRM in Asia’ *when they
reach the “Article Type” step in the online submission process. All papers
will be subject to the same double blind peer review process as regular
issues of *HRMR.*

If you have questions about a potential submission, please feel free to
contact one of the guest editors at the email addresses provided above.





*References*

Al Ariss, A. and Sidani, Y. (2016). Divergence, convergence, or
crossvergence in international human resource management. Human Resource
Management Review 26, 283–284.

Brewster, C., Mayrhofer, W. and Smale, A. (2016). Crossing the streams: HRM
in multinational enterprises and comparative HRM. Human Resource Management
Review, 26, 285–297.

Budhwar, P., Varma, A. and Patel, C. (2016). *Convergence*-divergence of
HRM in the Asia-Pacific: Context-specific analysis and future research
agenda.
<http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/ehost/viewarticle/render?data=dGJyMPPp44rp2%2fdV0%2bnjisfk5Ie46bZQsq%2b1Tq6k63nn5Kx68ea%2bSa%2blr0qtqK5JtZa2Uq%2btuEyzls5lpOrweezp33vy3%2b2G59q7RbCutk2zprRJtZzqeezdu33snOJ6u9jygKTq33%2b7t8w%2b3%2bS7Sa%2bttUuurrVPpNztiuvX8lXk6%2bqE8tv2jAAA&vid=3&sid=fe31bbbe-a145-4483-b311-7525225bafd5@sessionmgr101>
Human Resource Management Review, 26(4), 311–326.

Child, J. (2009). Context, comparison and methodology in Chinese management
research.  *Management and Organization Review*, 5(1), 57–73.

Cooke, F. L. (2017). Concepts, contexts and mindsets: putting human
resource management research in (Asia) perspectives. *Human Resource
Management Journal*, https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12163.

Cooke, F. L. and Kim, S. H. (eds.) (2018), *Human Resource Management in
Asia*, London: Routledge.

Graen, G. B., & Uhl-Bien, M. (1995). Relationship-based approach to
leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of
leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective. *The
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Jackson, S., Schuler, R. and Jiang, K. (2014). An aspirational framework
for strategic human resource management. *Academy of Management Annals*,
8(1), 1–56.

Kaufman, B. (2015). Evolution of strategic HRM as seen through two founding
books: A 30th anniversary perspective on development of the field. *Human
Resource Management*, 54(3), 389–407.

Mayrhofer, W., Brewster, B., Morley, M. and Ledolter, J. (2011). Hearing a
different drummer? Convergence of human resource management in Europe — A
longitudinal analysis. Human Resource Management Review, 21, 50–67.

Meyer, K. E. (2006). Asian management research needs more
self-confidence. *Asia
Pacific Journal of Management <http://link.springer.com/journal/10490>*,
23(2), 119–137.

Meyer, K. E. (2014). What the fox says, how the fox works: Deep
contextualization as a source of new research agendas and theoretical
insights. *Management and Organization Review, *10(3), 373–380.

Rousseau, D.M. and Fried, Y. (2001). Location, location, location:
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Behavior*, 22(1), 1–13.

Rowley, C. and Benson, J. (2002). Convergence and Divergence in Asian Human
Resource Management. *California Management Review*, 44(2), 90–109.

Schuler, R.S., Jackson, S.E. and Sparrow, P. (2004-2008) *Global HRM Series*.
Routledge: London.   https://www.routledge.com/Global-HRM/book-series/SE0692

Shapiro, D.L., Von Glinow, M.A. and Xiao Z. (2007). Toward polycontextually
sensitive research methods. *Management and Organization Review*, 3(1),
129–152.

Varma, A. and P. Budhwar (2014). *Managing Human Resources in Asia-Pacific*.
Routledge: London.

Wong, Y. H. (1998). The dynamics of guanxi in China. *Singapore Management
Review*, *20*(2), 25-42.

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