Author: Julia Brandl
HRM implementation in practice: Symbolism, decoupling and the substitution of HR practitioners during organizational reforms
The proposed article invites a dialogue between HRM scholars who problematize the lack of HRM implementation and insights from new institutional theory on decoupling, which differ substantially in their implications for managing HRM implementation issues effectively. From an institutional theory perspective, it is argued that HR practitioner profiles symbolize that organizations implement HRM innovations and the flexible handling of implementation issues constitutes a source for trust in HR practitioners in organizational settings with multifaceted goals. Drawing on a longitudinal study of HRM reforms in the context of the privatization of a public-sector organization, I use the insights from new institutional theory to interpret the circumstances related to the dismissal of a freshly appointed HR director with extensive private sector experience who aimed to implement performance-based pay. I argue that the HR practitioner’s faith in the mainstream HRM discourse inhibited him to recognize the importance of his symbolic role in the reform process and impeded him to understand the complexities of the organization, especially the usefulness of actual pay practices. The insistence of implementing performance-based pay eroded other managers’ trust and finally led to his substitution. I conclude with discussing how the insights from this study can inspire current debates on HRM implementation.