Although a number of recent articles have underscored the importance of human resource management (HRM) and employee involvement (EI), there has been very little research addressing the relationship between human resource practices and organizational strategy and culture. Among the questions that frequently arise are: what practices have other organizations implemented?, what HRM practices and organizational strategies distinguish successful and unsuccessful organizations?, and what is the impact of strategy and culture on the success of HRM practices and organizational behaviour? The present study is aimed at addressing these questions.
In fall 1993 and winter 1994, major Canadian organizations were surveyed with respect to employee involvement practice and corporate strategy and culture, and human resource management. This report is designed to provide a summary of the research findings of the study. The results contained in this report represent initial findings from more than 1,465 organizations. Although the author is using multivariate statistics in examining the data, he has avoided using statistical jargon and procedures in this report. Rather, his focus is on presenting the major conclusions of the research.