HR research in the Netherlands: Imitation and innovation

In this paper we present an overview of Dutch HRM Research in the last decade, based on a content analysis of academic journals in this area. Also included is a comparison between UK and USA research, on the one hand, and Dutch research, on the other. Looking back, we conclude that HRM research in the Netherlands has had a relatively institutional character and has been less focused on HRM activities in a narrow sense. Dutch HRM researchers have paid less attention to the strategic positioning of HRM, to the redesign of HRM tools in the area of through-flow and performance management (appraisal, reward systems, feedback mechanisms) and to the monitoring of the effects of HRM. In this way HRM research has not reflected the key HRM issues occupying the attention of practitioners. From more recent patterns, however, we expect Dutch HRM research increasingly to reflect managerial concerns. This does not imply full convergence with US patterns, especially given the Dutch traditions in industrial relations and personnel management. The challenge for Dutch research on HRM is to find the right balance between market forces and institutional arrangements, including a fair position for the workers; this will have to do justice to the long established tradition of industrial democracy and consultation practices among the various stakeholders.

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