Healthcare HRM: An Annotated Bibliography of Current Issues and Trends

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HRMT20024 T1 2019Assessment 2 – an Annotated bibliography
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Article 1: Evolution of HRM
Reference: Obedgiu, V., (2017). Human resource management, historical perspectives,
evolution and professional development. Journal of Management Development, 36(8), 986-990.
Objective & Research Questions
The concept of human resources was born due to the human relations movement initiated in the
early times of the 20th century. The roots of human resources traced in work done by Frederick
Taylor in the area of lean manufacturing. The article developed with the main objective of
determining the development as well as the evolution of human resource management from the
historical perspectives as a professional or study field in the healthcare industry. The key
research question implies "What are the historical perspectives of human resource management
in terms of development and evolution when used as a field of profession or study.
Method
The article used desk research for collecting data to attain the research objective. In this article,
general literature reviews were collected using desk research. The literature that can contribute to
tracing the roots of history concerning the development and evolution of human resources
management used. The research method of literature review helps in attaining a deep
understanding of human resource management from the historical routes in the healthcare
industry.
Findings and Discussions
From the research conducted using literature review, it hasbeen depicted that the human resource
management developed in the early 20th century as an outcome of the human relations
movement. This development process initiated when numerous researchers put their efforts for
determining different ways using which the business value can create with the help of
strategically managed human resources. The function of human resource management in the
healthcare industry has evolved entirely since then. Earlier, the critical dominant factor of HRM
was transactional work including financial benefits and payrolls. Nowadays, globalisation,
technological advancements and company consolidations have evolved the dominance of HRM.
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Now the attention has shifted towards talent management, labour relations, mergers &
acquisitions, and diversity and others. It is evident that the responsible personnel for human
resource management duties are different in large scale healthcare companies than the newly
established companies. It has seen that the responsibilities of human resource undertake by either
human or non-human resource personnel in newly created healthcare companies. The human
resources in such companies include a team of professionals trained adequately. Contrary to this,
the massive healthcare companies develop a functional group having staff specialisation in the
tasks and functional leadership of human resources. Training programs designed for human
resource professionals by companies themselves or higher education institutions. The
organisations related to academic or practitioners provide their contribution in developing human
resource professionals by active engagement in these programs.
Conclusion
HRM is not a new concept, but it is persisting for a long time ago. The organisations provide
different rewards for managing human resources such as recognition, compensation, career
development, and benefits. The critical HR functions of healthcare industry involve the
alignment of HR with the business strategy, change management, and listening to employees.
Contribution
This article helps in expanding the knowledge regarding the professional development of human
resource management, practices, historical routes and future of this significant function.
Historical perspectives of human resource management and development in the healthcare
industry would assist the professional managers in proper management of human resource and
integration of philosophy and values in this function.
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Article 2: Context of HRM
Reference: Guerci, M., & Carollo, L., (2016). A paradox view on green human resource
management: insights from the Italian context. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 27(2), 212-238.
Objective and Research questions
The principal objective of this article states to determine the paradoxes of designing HRM
system for healthcare companies to get assistance in the organisational development towards the
attainment of environmental sustainability. The research questions of this article are as follows:
 How environmental sustainability affect the system of organisational HRM in the
healthcare industry?
 Are there any paradoxes faced by healthcare companies while undertaking the adoption
of green HRM policies?
 What are those paradoxes perceived by healthcare companies after implementing
sustainable and green HRM policies?
Method
The research conducted in this article by adopting the qualitative research method by the
utilisation of the interpretative approach. The basis of this research implied using the design of
different case studies for gaining a deep understanding of the topic. The research was undertaken
to focus on exploring the paradoxes from the Italian context of the healthcare industry.
Findings and Discussions
The research successfully found that the green HRM systems share some common features
comprised of motivation & effort, knowledge & abilities, and participation opportunity to human
resources. The best practices in HRM in the healthcare industry based on knowledge and skills
are recruiting, selection, and training. Participation opportunity involves job designing and
employee involvement in decision-making processes and other significant organisational aspects.
Performance management and incentive & compensation consider as the best practice for the
motivation & effort to human resources. Integration of environmental sustainability into HRM
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brings numerous paradoxes. The companies have to deal with the dilemma of whether to utilise
collective or individualised green practices for HRM. Green versus social and economic
performance, value-based versus value-free involvement of employees, decentralised versus the
centralised system of HRM, and open or closed HRM system are other paradoxes of HRM
practices based on environmental sustainability. Sustainability can integrate into healthcare
organisations in two ways where the first way implies integration of sustainability concept as a
one-time event in a year or a specific time. The other way states integration of sustainability into
the works of daily routine with the help of procedures as well as regulations. The companies can
implement the change processes of environmental sustainability in HRM practices by using
either a top-down approach or a bottom-up approach. The last paradox in green HRM practices
of healthcare industry implies whether to have personal involvement for overcoming the
limitations of professional lives or having technical support involving fulfilment of requirements
and operations based on HRM tools available.
Conclusion
Green HRM is a new concept for the research, and the innovative contribution in this field
implies the implementation from the paradox perspective of the healthcare industry. This article
is highly helpful for companies that are highly committed to sustainability and the environment.
However, the limitation of this article concerns with mainly the features as well as the size of the
sample companies of the healthcare industry for the research.
Contribution
This article assists the companies in implementing green HRM practices. It encourages
organisational managers to identify the paradoxes perceived while integrating environmental
sustainability into HR practices in the healthcare industry. Not only has this, but this article
provides them support with finding the solutions of these paradoxes for effective implementation
of green HR practices.
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Article 3: Industrial relations
Reference: Hyman, R., (2018). What future for industrial relations in Europe? Employee
Relations, 40(4), 569-579.
Objective and Research Questions
The principal objective of this article implies to undertake a systematic comparison among
different countries based on specific features of industrial relations pertaining in Europe business
market. This comparison was conducted in the context stating the condition of consolidated post-
war institutions of the healthcare industry. The research questions are
 What are the differences and similarities in industrial relations among the European
countries in the healthcare industry?
 Do the progressive alternatives for industrial relations exist?
Method
The research method used for attaining the objective and research questions of this article is a
literature review depicting from different authors and their works. The literature is chosen
considering whether they are fundamental for contributing to the determination of challenges and
opportunities associated with industrial relations.
Findings and Discussions
The concept of eliminating the national institutions relating to the protection and collective
bargaining of employees has emerged. Best practices of organised industrial relations systems in
the healthcare industry undertaken in Eastern and Central Europe. However, these systems were
not developed fully following when the disintegration of the Soviet regime had taken place. It
has realised that the scope had grown for employers in the context of partial dominance in
Central and Eastern Europe. These employers in the healthcare industry were mostly foreign-
owned employers. European Union was not aware of how they could contribute towards the
compliance of employment regulation as well as regulatory standards at early times. Despite this,
it has seen that the European Union was responsible for trend promotion of elimination of
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employment protections on the national level. Not only had this, but the European Union was
also encouraging negatively the outcome divergence that was growing rapidly.
Contrary to this, these trends were realised to be uneven as well as opposed. Non-clarity and
instability were the critical features of the post-war social compromise due to the alternative
model of socio-economic to the East. Moreover, it exhibited the unexpected balance of the
advanced economies with the class forces. Different transformations were taken place within
global capitalism of the healthcare industry such as financialization, globalisation, and
reconfiguration of the state role. In divisive integration, national interaction between structural
transnational forces as well as the policies relating to institutional entrepreneurs implies the
challenges for the industrial relations processes developed.
Conclusion
This article provided the progressive options for the healthcare industry in improving industrial
relations. Divisive integration was attained stating as the increasing diversity all over Europe as
an outcome of nationally specific dynamics. The specific transformations considered as threats
for the systems of industrial relations that previously institutionalised and developed.
Contribution
This article possesses a value in the healthcare industry since it provides the managers with
adequate knowledge of what causes acted as nationally specific dynamics for the increasing
diversity in Europe. Moreover, this article assisted in providing the progressive alternatives left
to the organisational managers of the healthcare industry. It would contribute to improving
industrial relations of different class forces.
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Article 4: HR Planning in Healthcare Industry
Reference: Willis, G., Cave, S., and Kunc, Martin, (2018). Strategic workforce planning in
healthcare: A multi-methodology approach. European Journal of Operational Research,
267(2018), 250-2633.
Objective and Research Question
The article developed with the primary aim of model establishment and utilisation for workforce
planning strategically into the healthcare industry on a national level. The Centre created the
mentioned framework for Workforce Intelligence as Robust Workforce Planning Framework.
The research questions of this article are as follows:
 Which framework can use for planning strategically about workforce development and
maintenance in the healthcare industry?
 How useful would this framework be for healthcare workforce planning?
Method
The research method of the literature review adopted for attaining the research objective.
Literature, that is significant for exploring the system dynamic developments in certain areas of
strategic planning of healthcare industry, workforce planning, and integration of system
dynamics with operational research methodologies reviewed used.
Findings and Discussions
Staff or workforce such as nurses or doctors considers as one of the critical components of the
healthcare industry. Operational research developed some mathematical models used for the
assistance in addressing the challenges aroused while undertaking short-term scheduling of
healthcare resources. A model of multi-methodology developed for strategic human resource
planning encompasses the four main stages. Crafting and embedding of system dynamics was the
main component for the diverse methodologies. The four stages of this model comprise of
horizon scanning, scenario generation, workforce modelling, and policy analysis. Horizon
scanning involves the determination of uncertain driving forces using interviews, workshops, and
online surveys while scenario generation aimed at the development of challenging futures using
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well-identified scenarios. Workforce modelling involves the workforce supply projection with
demand within the previously established futures. Identification of most robust policies within
the uncertain futures using system dynamics models and other techniques for the observation of
new performances undertaken in the policy analysis stage. In this article, the applicability of this
framework undertaken in the linear process with some overlaps and limitations between the
stages. In this model, the stakeholders allowed participation in the whole planning of this
framework. The challenges in framework development were issue location in future, indirect
responsibility of participants to policies’ adoption, and participants belonged to different
organisation. Significant variations realised between the project based on practice and academic.
Conclusion
This article involved the development of a framework using System dynamics in strategic
models of the workforce as well as practise-based evolution. Instead of an exact future
prediction, this framework identified the complexity and uncertain factors that impact the human
resource supply and demand significantly. Active participation of stakeholders helped in
recognising the critical issues about the workforce.
Contribution
This article is helpful for the critical areas of facilitated modelling using system dynamics
models, workforce planning in healthcare, and the adoption of system dynamics with the
combination of the multi-methodology framework. Adoption of the mentioned framework would
assist in effective and strategic human resource planning in the healthcare industry of England.
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Article 5: Work Design challenges in a global environment
Reference: KILPATRICK K., LAVOIE-TREMBLAY M., RITCHIE J.A., LAMOTHE
L. & DORAN D. (2012) DORAN D. (2012) Boundary work and the introduction of acute
care nurse practitioners in healthcare teams. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68 (7), 1504–
1515.doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05895.x
Objective and Research questions
The main objective of this article implied as to determine the boundary work as well as the role
development of the acute care nurse practitioner in the healthcare industry. The acute care nurse
practitioners are dealing with specific challenges during the enactment of their respective roles in
the healthcare industry. The basic research question for supporting the main aim of this article
states “what are the challenges faced by the acute care nurse practitioners in the healthcare
industry?"
Method
In this article, the research method of multiple case study design was adopted using a descriptive
approach. The research data gathered belonged to the time of March to May 2009. The research
was undertaken involving two teaching hospitals affiliated from the university in Canada.
Findings and Discussion
It has found from the research conducted that boundary work involves different concepts. These
concepts are space development, trust, time, loss of valued functions, and interpersonal
dynamics. The concept of trust considers as a success factor of boundary work when done with
the cooperation of team members. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to complete the assigned
boundary work. One of the critical challenges stated as the loss of valued functions due to the
development of acute care nurse practitioner roles. The inter-personal dynamics involve listening
to others, work promotion of other providers, available to others, and becoming assertive for
developing suitable limitations. Insufficiency of these dynamics led to the failure of boundary
work within the healthcare context. The requirement of developing space for the nurse
practitioners of acute care is vital for the team involved in the boundary work before the
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introduction of nurse practitioner roles of acute care. Boundary work happened all over the
professional groups in which the participants involved actively and showed their agreement.
Boundary work is primarily done with the active participation of the whole team. The key
challenges faced while implementing the boundary work comprised of the absence of
prescriptive authority, hindrance in the boundary work, and non-clarified structures. The acute
care nurse practitioner roles involve nursing and medical activities across different professional
groups. It found that tactics such as scope evolvement of practice as well as overlapping of
activities should implement positively for offering care services to the patients that are
innovative and safe for them.
Conclusion
The development of micro-level processes of boundary work described as the integration of new
roles within the industry of healthcare, and the creation of a full scope of practice. It emphasised
on the significance of inter-professional teamwork that proves the delivery of excellent quality
services. Not only had this, but the examination of boundary works within the healthcare
industry of healthcare industry also considered him.
Contribution
This article is fruitful for healthcare companies in Canada from different perspectives. Moreover,
the development and utilisation of acute care nurse practitioners is the most beautiful gift to
anyone. The organisational managers would come to know about the boundary work, and it’s
challenging for making workforce management more effective.
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