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Riann Singh
Shalini Ramdeo
Contemporary
Perspectives in Human
Resource Management
and Organizational
Behavior
Research Overviews
and Gaps to Advance
Interrelated Fields
Contemporary Perspectives in Human Resource
Management and Organizational Behavior
Riann Singh · Shalini Ramdeo
Contemporary
Perspectives
in Human Resource
Management
and Organizational
Behavior
Research Overviews and Gaps to Advance
Interrelated Fields
Riann Singh Shalini Ramdeo
The Department of Management The Department of Management
Studies Studies
Faculty of Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences
The University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies
Saint Augustine Saint Augustine
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago
ISBN 978-3-031-30224-4 ISBN 978-3-031-30225-1 (eBook)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30225-1
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer
Nature Switzerland AG 2023
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights
of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and
retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc.
in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such
names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for
general use.
The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and informa-
tion in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither
the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with
respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been
made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps
and institutional affiliations.
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature
Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
To my loving grandfather, Abraham Stephen, may his soul rest in eternal
peace.
Riann Singh
To my loving parents, Anjanee and Ramchandar, and my dearest sister

Suzette.
Shalini Ramdeo
Preface
Welcome to the First Edition of Contemporary Perspectives in Human

Resource Management and Organizational Behavior, Research Overviews
and Gaps to Advance Interrelated Fields.
This book focuses on the careful selection of the most relevant and
cutting-edge topics that have lasting implications for the fields of Human
Resource Management (HRM) and Organizational Behavior (OB). It
incorporates comprehensive research overviews of relevant contempo-
rary areas in HRM and OB and considers the need of researchers to
delineate research gaps by identifying those gaps for research advance-
ments. This book explores ten (10) contemporary topics in HRM and
OB such as Innovative HRM and OB Responses in Crises, Alternative
Work Arrangements for the Contemporary Workplace, Employee Mental
Health, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace, Workplace Harass-
ment, HRM in Small and Medium Enterprises, Alternative Perspectives in
Employee Turnover, Organizational Citizenship and Counter-Productive
Work Behaviors, Leading for Work Engagement, and Employee Motiva-
tion in a Changing Environment.
These contemporary topics are covered in the following chapters:
1. Innovative Human Resource Management and Organizational

Behavior Responses in Crises (Chapter 2)
2. Alternative Work Arrangements for the Contemporary Workplace
(Chapter 3)
vii
viii PREFACE
3. Employee Mental Health (Chapter 4)

4. From Diversity to Inclusion in the Workplace (Chapter 5)
5. Workplace Harassment (Chapter 6)
6. Human Resource Management in Small and Medium Enterprises
(Chapter 7)
7. Alternative Perspectives in Employee Turnover (Chapter 8)
8. Organizational Citizenship and Counter-Productive Work Behav-
iors (Chapter 9)
9. Leading for Work Engagement (Chapter 10)
10. Employee Motivation in a Changing Environment (Chapter 11)
These ten (10) areas span novel responses and arrangements required
in today’s workplace in recognition of crises such as COVID-19, newer
advances and perspectives in the fields, and contemporary ideas that have
evolved and developed from traditional topics.
Overall, this book is structured into twelve (12) chapters. The first and
last chapters (Chapters 1 and 12, respectively) provide an introduction
and conclusion on contemporary research perspectives within the fields
of HRM and OB. The remaining ten (10) chapters, (Chapters 2 to 11)
provide research overviews and outline research gaps on the ten (10) core
areas to advance HRM-OB scholarship.
. Chapter 1 more specifically introduces the importance of research

perspectives to advance the field and practice of HRM and OB; iden-
tifies, and briefly outlines the ten (10) research areas covered in the
book; and provides a roadmap for the rest of the book.
. The contemporary business environment characterized by crises such
as the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty and change, and the inno-
vative responses and alternative work arrangements (in HRM and
OB) to cope, survive, and thrive amid such challenges, are covered
in Chapters 2 and 3, respectively.
. Chapters 4–6 each examine three key challenges (Employee Mental
Health, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace, and Work-
place Harassment) for employees and organizations, which can
potentially disrupt and negatively affect employee attitudes, inten-
tions, behaviors and overall organizational performance, if left
unmanaged. These three emerging developments in relation to
PREFACE ix
employee management and behaviors have costly implications for all

organizations.
. Chapter 7 zooms in on the special case or unique situation of small
and medium enterprises in relation to their HRM practices, which
are fundamentally different from the large-firm context.
. Chapters 8–11 capture developments on traditional HRM and
OB areas including newer perspectives on employee turnover
(Chapter 8), organizational citizenship and counter-productive
work behaviors (Chapter 9), leadership for work engagement
(Chapter 10), and employee motivation and change (Chapter 11).
. Chapter 12 summarizes the core ideas from all the previous chapters,
reinforces the contribution of the book, and synthesizes the future
research opportunities within the contemporary areas.
The book is a research monograph. It is aimed primarily at researchers,

academics, and postgraduates within the management disciplines of HRM
and OB. Not only will scholars within these management disciplines be
exposed to contemporary research areas, but they will be able to delin-
eate research gaps to spur the further development of research in these
and other related areas. Beyond business schools, this book should be of
interest within the fields of personnel and organizational psychology as
well.
Providing researchers with a comprehensive overview of research
advances within selected contemporary areas, this book seeks to spur
critical thinking, spark alternative research perspectives, innovate exten-
sions to existing theories, and provide the foundation from which focused
research can grow and develop within these management fields.
Our hope is that you find the book readable and relatable with its
research overviews and research gaps within the contemporary HRM and
OB disciplines!
Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago Riann Singh

Shalini Ramdeo
Contents
1 Introduction to Contemporary Research Perspectives

in Human Resource Management and Organizational
Behavior 1
2 Innovative Human Resource Management
and Organizational Behavior Responses in Crises 15
3 Alternative Work Arrangements for the Contemporary
Workplace 37
4 Employee Mental Health 55
5 From Diversity to Inclusion in the Workplace 79
6 Workplace Harassment 99
7 Human Resource Management in Small and Medium
Enterprises 121
8 Alternative Perspectives in Employee Turnover 137
9 Organizational Citizenship and Counter-Productive
Work Behaviors 155
10 Leading for Work Engagement 173
11 Employee Motivation in a Changing Environment 191
xi
xii CONTENTS
12 Conclusions and Future Research Directions

in Human Resource Management and Organizational
Behavior 209
Index 221
List of Figures
Fig. 1.1 Ten (10) Contemporary Research Topics in HRM and OB 10

Fig. 2.1 Innovative and emerging HRM and OB responses to crises 23
Fig. 3.1 Alternative working arrangements 42
Fig. 4.1 Research gaps in employee mental health 70
Fig. 5.1 Dimensions of Diversity 85
Fig. 7.1 Research gaps within HRM in small and medium
enterprises 129
Fig. 8.1 Alternative perspectives on employee turnover 141
Fig. 9.1 Alternative perspectives on OCBs and CPWBs 159
Fig. 10.1 Leadership styles and work engagement 179
Fig. 11.1 Work motivation 194
xiii
CHAPTER 1
Introduction to Contemporary Research

Perspectives in Human Resource
Management and Organizational Behavior
Chapter Objectives
In this chapter, contemporary research perspectives in the fields of human
resource management (HRM) and organizational behavior (OB) are
introduced as the basis for the book. The importance of such perspec-
tives to synthesize and advance research in these interrelated fields are
also evaluated, and a roadmap for the book is provided. This chapter,
therefore, aims to achieve the following objectives:
1. To assess the relationship between the fields of HRM and OB and

the strategic alignment to employee and organizational effectiveness.
2. To delineate the relevance of advancing research within the fields of
HRM and OB to address research-practice gaps.
3. To identify the ten (10) contemporary research areas covered in the
book.
4. To provide an overview of the contemporary research perspectives
covered in the book.
5. To present a brief roadmap to readers on the organization of the
rest of the book.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 1

Switzerland AG 2023
R. Singh and S. Ramdeo, Contemporary Perspectives in Human
Resource Management and Organizational Behavior,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30225-1_1
2 R. SINGH AND S. RAMDEO
Research Overview
The Fields of Human Resource Management (HRM)
and Organizational Behavior (OB): Strategic Alignment
to Organizational Strategy, Goals & Objectives
The globalization of businesses and capital markets over the past two
decades has changed the organizational landscape. Many firms have
expanded operations overseas, and even strictly domestic businesses are
facing competition from abroad. To respond to global competition, firms
are using new technologies to provide better, lower-cost solutions for
their customers. However, these technological innovations have led to
the constant movement of customers and competitors. At the same time,
global capital markets are pressuring firms to innovate and reduce costs,
which is not an easy feat. Such trends are pushing companies to manage
their assets as effectively as possible—especially their human assets. In such
a global business context, the fields of HRM and OB, as well as advancing
research in these areas, become important.
Definitions of HRM abound within the managerial literature. Tradi-
tionally, the field has been synonymous with the administrative functions
of personnel management (Kossek, 1987). Since the early 1980s, there is
a substantial body of literature on HRM, and most contemporary perspec-
tives take a strategic approach to the management of employee relation-
ships. For instance, Wang (2020) asserts that HRM involves management
decisions related to policies, practices, systems, and approaches that shape
the employment relationship to support the achievement of organiza-
tional goals, objectives, and strategies. There is also some consensus that
contemporary HRM involves attracting, developing, and maintaining an
effective workforce to drive organizational effectiveness and to achieve
a competitive edge. Within this strategic perspective, HRM functions
such as recruitment and selection, training and development, performance
management, and reward management are used to support organiza-
tional strategies. Employees are viewed as resources. Indeed, the classic
resource-based view (RBV) of the firm notes that within strategic HRM,
employees are assets that can be used to support the achievement of orga-
nizational goals and objectives as well (D’Oria et al., 2022). HRM is
inherently a multi-level field of study. HRM processes and changes within
the organizational environment interact with organizational systems to
affect outcomes at the firm, unit, and employee levels. HRM functions
1 INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH … 3
and practices operate within complex organizational systems and struc-

tures that are further affected by macroeconomic forces and competitive
forces that drive and alter implementation plans. These effects move
through the layers of the organization to affect the performance of the
firm. Simultaneously, these factors combine to affect micro-phenomenon
such as employee job performance, voluntary turnover, job satisfaction,
organizational commitment, creativity, citizenship behaviors, and a host of
other employee attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. In summary, HRM
cuts across strategic and operational levels to affect employee, group, and
organizational outcomes.
OB is a related field of study which examines how employees behave
within organizational work environments. Robbins et al. (2018) describe
OB as a field combining contributions from psychology, social psychology,
sociology, and anthropology to assess employee attitudes, cognition, and
behavior in the specific context of the work environment. It focuses on
investigating the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on
behavior within organizations, with the goal of applying this knowledge
to improve organizational effectiveness and support the achievement of
goals and strategies (Ashkanasy & Dorris, 2017). Notably, organizations
are made of interacting layers such as divisions, departments, teams, and
individuals, and there is often some degree of interdependence that leads
to bottom-up and top-down influence mechanisms. Teams and organiza-
tions are contexts for the development of individual cognitions, attitudes,
and behaviors (top-down effects). Conversely, individual cognitions, atti-
tudes, and behaviors can also influence the functioning and outcomes
of teams and organizations (bottom-up effects). Dependent variables
that include attitudes, cognitions, and behaviors such as productivity,
job satisfaction, job performance, employee perceptions, turnover inten-
tions, withdrawal, motivation, deviance, and other such outcomes are
synonymous with OB areas, in particular, employee motivation, turnover,
leadership, harassment, and other associated aspects within the field.
Therefore, the overarching aim of the field is to understand employees
within the work environment to enhance organizational effectiveness.
The fields of HRM and OB intersect in several ways with both areas
focusing on employees within organizational contexts as the core unit of
analysis. HRM focuses on approaches to manage employee-employer rela-
tionships while OB examines the cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors of
such employees within employment relationships. Effective HRM bolsters
OB by ensuring happy, productive employees. The relationship between
OB and HRM stems from the premise that HRM can serve as a tool for
shaping OB and conversely, OB provides the broad foundation to inform
HRM approaches as well. Both HRM and OB are fields with a strategic
perspective; both areas aim to support the achievement of organizational
goals, objectives, and strategies. Given such interrelationships between the
fields, there is a natural HRM-OB research overlap. The field of HRM
has emerged from the conceptual, empirical, and practical intersection
of several disciplines including OB, as well as psychology, sociology, and
management/organization sciences. HRM as a field of practice, research,
and education draws its underpinning theory heavily from the OB field
since OB theories combine contributions from these other related fields
as well. Traditionally, scholars have attempted to categorize these lines
of research as distinct fields and issues regarding the distinction between
HRM and OB have been debated for several years. Some have attempted
to simplify this distinction between HRM and OB by arguing that OB is
more conceptual and HRM more applied; and that OB may be micro-
focused, while HRM may be more macro-level. Yet, these distinctions
are generally arbitrary since both fields certainly overlap. HRM and OB
are important areas of inquiry within the organizational sciences, and
there is little to be gained by putting up artificial boundaries. In fact,
there is more to be gained by bringing together multiple perspectives to
advance theories and research on employer-employee relationships and
the understanding of behaviors in and of organizations. These areas are
not mutually exclusive, but rather are interdependent.
Relevance of Research in the Field: Addressing Research-Practice

Gaps
From a research perspective, there is little doubt that HRM scholar-
ship and OB scholarship have an impressive track record (Chadwick &
Flinchbaugh, 2020), evidenced by cumulative research insights (Jiang &
Messersmith, 2018) and research progress across the range of HRM prac-
tices, OB antecedents, and outcomes (Wright & Ulrich, 2017). However,
this progress does not automatically equate to quality research (Harney &
Collings, 2021). As Roupmi and Delery (2019) note, when evaluating
research progress, the quality of the research and not the quantity of
relevant research should be evaluated.
Research within the field of HRM has been focused heavily on its
relationship to organizational performance. In fact, the exploration of
the HRM-performance relationship has served as the fundamental and
defining research question within HRM research (Harney & Collings,

2021). Accordingly, research has largely focused on studies and subse-
quent meta-analyses of HRM practices and effects. However, despite the
intuitive appeal of a universal impact of a system of HR practices on
performance, there is a growing sense that this dominant focus may have
hindered rather than helped progress; that a narrow focus along a singular
path has come to the detriment of innovative scholarship and alternative
insights.
It is obvious that the field of HRM is experiencing disruption and
change on an unprecedented scale, leading to the emergence of shifting
landscapes of HRM (Harney & Collings, 2021). However, Jiang and
Messersmith (2018) note that HRM research has been lagging in its
response to contextual changes and mega-trends within the organizational
environment. Therefore, contemporary and innovative HR responses to
crises, alternative work practices and HRM practices outside the typical
large-firm contexts such as within small and medium enterprises, have
received limited attention within existing research. This has resulted in
the failure, or conceptual inability, to incorporate such novel and contem-
porary HR practices within existing research, thereby presenting obvious
research-practice gaps.
The contextual background for a reassessment and review of HRM is
profound. For instance, the global economy is at an inflection point with
significant implications for how researchers conceptualize and understand
HRM. Even prior to COVID-induced transformations, headline state-
ments on the changing nature of work and employment were common-
place. Megatrends including crises within the organizational environment
such as recessionary pressures, technological disruption, political risks,
instability, changing demographics and diversity, and the growth of HRM
within small enterprises just to name a few, have dramatic consequences
for how people are managed (Cascio, 2019; Sheppard & Droog, 2019).
Consequently, several contemporary research gaps have emerged within
this ‘shifting landscape.’ The question is whether the current theoret-
ical and research understanding of HRM is receptive to such changes,
especially those that might challenge core assumptions and entrenched
research streams. Instead of engaging with contemporary developments
and challenges, an area of concern is that a lot of HRM research is stuck
on twentieth-century issues (Harney & Collings, 2021; Wright et al.,
2018), leading to obvious contemporary research-practice gaps.
Notably, even before the dramatic advent of COVID-19, significant

questions were being asked of HRM including the applicability of current
theories and research to the new world of work enabled by technology
(Collings et al., 2021; Connelly et al., 2020), the extent to which schol-
arship reflected the contemporary, emerging challenges confronted by
practitioners (Snell & Morris, 2019), and whether emergent forms of
organizations and alternative perspectives on classical areas may serve as
a catalyst for new theoretical approaches (Baum & Haveman, 2020).
Successfully navigating the shifting landscape mandates challenging the
existing theoretical compass (Cooke, 2018) to provide augmented and
alternative research approaches within the field of HRM.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, which further highlighted lags within
HRM research, questions about the field are reinforced by a misfit or
void in addressing the actual concerns and challenges experienced by HR
practitioners and organizations. For example, the nature of HR responses
to the COVID-19 pandemic, including why and how different organi-
zations responded as they did is an important question. Unfortunately,
insights into such questions are not immediately evident from extant
research. Consequently, there are several opportunities for HRM research
to lead organizations in navigating the future through contemporary and
alternative perspectives.
The interrelated field of OB is also rapidly evolving not only because
of the disruptions due to COVID-19, but also because of the demands of
today’s fast-paced and disruptive work environment. The increasing use of
technology and economic pressures are leading to divergent and alterna-
tive work arrangements, mental pressure and stress for employees, varied
expectations of diverse workforces, and workplace harassment, which are
challenging fundamental principles of employee turnover, various work
behaviors, leadership, and motivation (Kulik, 2022). At this juncture—
perhaps more than ever—organizational scholars need to take account of
the context surrounding the phenomenon we study.
Traditionally, the field of OB has adopted either a micro (individual),
meso (group and teams), or macro (organizational) perspective, and in
more recent decades, these perspectives have been integrated with multi-
level theory and methodology. Recognizing that contemporary research
must also consider how contextual changes can potentially explain the
variability in employee and organizational outcomes is of utmost impor-
tance to further advance the field. Consequently, there is a need for more
research that cuts across the micro and macro dimensions of behavior
within organizations. The world of work is again at an inflexion point,

challenging traditional ways of working and bringing into question the
relevance of models of OB and the evidence bases that underpin them.
Practice in new ways of working is, in some areas, running ahead of
the field’s accumulated research and knowledge (Collins et al., 2021),
resulting in further research gaps. Alternative work arrangements within
the contemporary workplace are driving OB responses as employees
and organizations grapple with environmental crises. Mental health and
employee wellness are emerging as glaring challenges, which are no
longer deemed taboo subjects. Workforce diversity and inclusion in the
workplace, along with an increase in workplace harassment, are practical
realities for OB practitioners. While these practical topics warrant atten-
tion and are lagging in research, existing classical research areas have also
been slow to advance over time. Classical OB areas such as voluntary
turnover, discretionary work behaviors such as organizational citizen-
ship behaviors, leadership, and employee motivation are also lagging in
research, even as alternative perspectives emerge in practice.
As existing research within HRM and OB intersects, scholars must
recognize that advancing literature within these fields is dependent upon
the exploration of novel contemporary, and alternative perspectives within
the dynamic organizational contexts of today.
Contemporary Research Perspectives

in Human Resource Management
and Organizational Behavior
The competitive and unpredictable organizational environment requires
the development and implementation of innovative and alternative HRM
and OB responses to deal with the challenges within such an environ-
ment. Given the unpredictability of organizational crises, evolutionary
research is required to explore innovative responses to a dynamic orga-
nizational environment. The need for innovative responses and research
into such responses can advance the literature on contemporary HRM
and OB practice. Notably, the contemporary workplace of today has
emerged from shifts within work environments, which have led to adjust-
ments in work arrangements. HR practitioners are expected to lead the
challenging effort to support employees within continuously evolving
work environments, which also shape organizational behaviors. With
alternative work arrangements, changes to employees’ routines and the

nature of work generate complex workplace issues. Employees are more
burnt out and stressed than ever before, thereby impacting their mental
health, well-being, and ultimately organizational productivity. In addition,
strains on physical and mental well-being take a toll on company culture,
where workplace diversity within the contemporary workplace also brings
controversial issues of inclusion and equity to the fore. Whether or
not employees are already struggling with poor mental health or stress,
supporting employees is a make-or-break strategy when managing the
realities of a diverse workforce. In the modern work environment, most
employees expect support and fairness when navigating controversial and
sensitive issues such as workplace harassment as well. Indeed, employers
spend millions annually in workplace harassment litigation and liability
costs. Even so, limited research has explored the nuances of managing
employee mental health, workforce diversity, and workplace harassment,
which are all costly challenges within the workplace of today.
There is an abundance of HRM research, however, within the large-
firm context and the relationship between HRM practices and firm
performance. This focus on HRM within the large-firm context appears
paradoxical while small and medium enterprises are driving growth within
developed and developing countries globally. Very limited research has
focused on the unique case of HRM practices within such important
and alternative contexts. This HRM research-practice gap coincides with
OB research-practice gaps within foundational and classical OB areas. For
instance, employee turnover continues to be associated with high direct
and indirect costs even as tight labor markets present limited job alter-
natives. However, varied perspectives have emerged as researchers probe
beyond the question of why employees leave. As employee behaviors
also evolve, research questions emerge on whether classical ideas about
positive citizenship behaviors and negative counter-productive behaviors
require a fundamental re-examination. What more is there to know about
cornerstone topics such as employee motivation and leadership? Indeed,
OB practice within these areas have progressed over the decades, but has
research kept pace? Do employees stay or leave willingly and what are
the organizational implications, are citizenship behaviors always positive
for organizations and are counter-productive behaviors always negative,
and what alternative principles on employee motivation and leadership
are relevant given the current organizational context? Are OB theories
up to the task of dealing with rapidly changing external environments
that impact organizations? Such questions present research gaps worthy

of exploration by organizational researchers.
To answer the call by organizational researchers to address existing
research-practice gaps within the fields of HRM and OB, this book iden-
tifies ten (10) core research areas worthy of further exploration. These
contemporary perspectives are chosen based on a systematic review of
existing scholarship within the fields while considering the changing orga-
nizational contexts within which employees and organizations operate.
Research overviews are provided, and research gaps are identified in
several HRM-OB areas, against the backdrop of dynamic contextual or
environmental shifts. The goal of this approach is to advance scholar-
ship within the fields. In this book, contemporary and alternative research
perspectives are provided in the following areas:
1. Innovative Human Resource Management and Organizational

Behavior Responses in Crises (Chapter 2).
(Chapter 3).
3. Employee Mental Health (Chapter 4).
4. From Diversity to Inclusion in the Workplace (Chapter 5).
5. Workplace Harassment (Chapter 6).
(Chapter 7).
7. Alternative Perspectives in Employee Turnover (Chapter 8).
8. Organizational Citizenship and Counter-Productive Work Behav-
iors (Chapter 9).
9. Leading for Work Engagement (Chapter 10).
10. Employee Motivation in a Changing Environment (Chapter 11).
These ten (10) areas span novel responses and alternative arrangements
required within today’s changing business environment, emerging OB
challenges, one of the most unique HRM challenges within emerging
research, and alternative contemporary perspectives on classical research
ideas (See Fig. 1.1).
Contemporary Responses within a

Changing Business Environment:
1. Innovative Human Resource Management/Organizational
Behavior Responses in Crises (Chapter 2)
(Chapter 3)
Emerging OB Challenges that can be

Disruptive:
3. Employee Mental Health (Chapter 4)
4.From Diversity to Inclusion in the Workplace (Chapter 5)
5.Workplace Harassment (Chapter 6)
The Unique HRM Challenge within

Emerging Research:
(Chapter 7)
Alternative Contemporary Perspectives

on Classical Research:
7. Alternative Perspectives in Employee Turnover (Chapter 8)
8. Organizational Citizenship and Counter-Productive Work Behaviors
(Chapter 9)
9. Leading for Work Engagement (Chapter 10)
10. Employee Motivation in a Changing Environment (Chapter 11)
Fig. 1.1 Ten (10) Contemporary Research Topics in HRM and OB
Organization of the Book: A Roadmap for Readers

This book comprises twelve (12) chapters. Chapters 1 and 12, respec-
tively, provide an introduction and conclusion on contemporary research
perspectives within the fields of HRM and OB. The remaining ten (10)
chapters (Chapters 2 to 11) provide research overviews and outline

research gaps on ten (10) core areas to advance HRM-OB scholarship.
Chapter 1 introduces the importance of research perspectives to
advance the field and practice of HRM and OB; identifies, and briefly
outlines the ten (10) research areas; and provides a roadmap for the rest
of the book. In this introductory chapter, the background against which
the contemporary research areas emerges is provided.
Chapters 2 to 11 cover the ten (10) contemporary research areas.
More specifically, the contemporary business environment characterized
by crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty and change, and
the innovative responses and alternative work arrangements (in HRM
and OB) to cope, survive, and thrive amid such challenges are covered
in Chapters 2 and 3, respectively. In Chapter 2, innovative HRM and
OB responses, such as resilience-building, creative training and devel-
opment approaches, other creative HR practices in hiring, promotion,
and rewards, downsizing and rightsizing, transformational leadership, and
adjustments in the nature of work, are explored. Such responses are
assessed against the background of organizational crises and a dynamic
organizational environment. Alternative work arrangements are explored
in detail in Chapter 2. Arrangements, such as remote work, compressed
work schedules, work and job sharing, flexi-time, and non-regular work,
which have gained momentum with COVID-19 disruptions, are evalu-
ated within the context of the contemporary workplace.
Chapters 4, 5, and 6 each examine three key challenges (Employee
Mental Health, Diversity and Inclusion, and Workplace Harassment) for
employees and organizations that can potentially disrupt and negatively
affect employee attitudes, intentions, behaviors, and overall organizational
performance, if left unmanaged. These three emerging developments in
relation to employee management and behaviors have costly implica-
tions for all organizations. Employee mental health problems and levels
of psychological distress are skyrocketing; workforce diversity issues are
advancing into the realm of belongingness, equality and equity, and
workplace harassment is shifting away from workplace bullying, sexual
harassment, and abusive supervision toward newer research areas such as
cyberbullying and sexual bullying. These research perspectives and gaps
are evaluated in Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Chapter 7 zooms in on the special case or unique situation of small

and medium enterprises in relation to their HRM practices, which are
fundamentally different from the large-firm context. The need for focused
research on alternative contexts, beyond the large-firm, developing-
country contexts, are evaluated. Research gaps for further research are
also presented.
Chapters 8, 9, 10, and 11 capture alternative developments on classical
HRM and OB areas such as newer perspectives on employee turnover
(Chapter 8), organizational citizenship and counter-productive work
behaviors (Chapter 9), leadership for work engagement (Chapter 10),
and employee motivation and change (Chapter 11). Even such classical
areas within OB practice evolve over time, and hence developments within
traditional areas must also be assessed to drive research development.
Indeed, questions on turnover are shifting toward understanding why
employees stay and recognizing that the staying decision may not always
be associated with positive outcomes. Organizational citizenship behav-
iors may not always be positive and counter-productive behaviors may
not always be associated with negative outcomes. Leadership perspectives
are shifting toward the importance of engagement and the recognition
that even positive leadership approaches can be toxic for engagement.
Motivation approaches are also evolving over time with change and orga-
nizational development perspectives. Such alternative ideas on classical
research topics are important for the advancement of the fields of HRM
and OB.
The final chapter, Chapter 12, summarizes the core ideas from all the
previous chapters, reinforces the contribution of the book, and synthesizes
the future research opportunities within the contemporary areas.
Conclusion
Exploring emerging, contemporary, and alternative perspectives within
the fields of HRM and OB is important for the advancement of research
and scholarship in these areas. This book aims to provide research
overviews and identify research gaps to provide the foundation for the
development of further scholarship in these areas.
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CHAPTER 2
Innovative Human Resource Management

and Organizational Behavior Responses
in Crises
Chapter Objectives
In this chapter, the contemporary business environment characterized by
crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the uncertainty and insta-
bility associated with organizational environment changes are explored.
The existing research on innovative HRM and OB responses to cope,
survive, and thrive within organizational crises is also covered. This is
the first of two chapters covered in the book, which examines contem-
porary responses within a changing business environment. This chapter,
therefore, aims to achieve the following objectives:
1. To describe crises within the contemporary business environment.

2. To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on employees and
organizations.
3. To describe organizational crises emanating from changing environ-
mental dimensions.
4. To overview emerging, innovative HRM and OB responses to
survive crises within the contemporary business environment.
5. To identify possible research gaps worthy of exploration within
future research.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 15

Switzerland AG 2023
R. Singh and S. Ramdeo, Contemporary Perspectives in Human
Resource Management and Organizational Behavior,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30225-1_2
Research Overview
Crises Within the Contemporary Business Environment
Businesses do not operate within a vacuum; all businesses operate within
an organizational environment. From as early as Hicks and Gullet (1987),
there is the recognition that businesses exist within an environment which
provides resources and constraints. Several definitions of the business envi-
ronment exist within the managerial literature. For instance, one of the
more widely cited classical definitions by Griffin (1996) postulates that
the business environment surrounds organizations and is made up of
general and task dimensions. General environmental dimensions describe
natural, economic, technological, sociocultural, political-legal, and inter-
national forces surrounding an organization, which creates its overall
context. Task environment dimensions refer to specific organizations or
groups that influence the organization such as competitors, suppliers,
customers, and the labor market. Therefore, the business environment
encompasses general and task factors that affect businesses and orga-
nizational functioning indirectly and directly. Indeed, most definitions
reflect the fact that the business environment comprises all forces or
factors external to the organization that are likely to affect its operations
(Meinhardt et al., 2018). Singh and Ramdeo (2020) note, however, that
internal factors within organizations also affect its functioning thereby
constituting its internal environment. Even so, researchers have long
discovered that organizations are open systems that constantly interact
with its environment, and in the process affect and are affected by the
environment.
Contemporary perspectives on the business environment go a step
further than these simplistic conceptualizations to recognize that turbu-
lence, uncertainty, instability, and consequently crises are core aspects
of this environment. An organizational crisis can threaten an organiza-
tion’s goals, stability, performance, and have profound implications for
employees, organizational functioning, and effectiveness (Hazaa et al.,
2021). Hazaa et al. (2021), based on a review of literature spanning the
last twenty (20) years, assert that while there are many definitions, crises
can generally be described as events which are perceived by managers
and stakeholders as highly salient, unexpected, and potentially disruptive.
Even so, organizational crises may share several common elements:
2 INNOVATIVE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT … 17
. Organizational crises are highly ambiguous in nature, causes, and

effects.
. Organizational crises have a low probability of occurring but pose a
major threat to the survival of an organization.
. Organizational crises provide little time to respond.
. Organizational crises present a quandary in strategic decision-making
or judgments that may affect the survival of an organization.
It must be noted that even though organizational crises can have

common characteristics and may appear similar in type, they vary in
magnitude and duration. Crises may be immediate, (occurs without
warning), emerging; or sustained (can persist for weeks, months, or
years). Further, crises can be overwhelmingly intense and relatively brief
or gradual and persistent. They can also be widespread, affecting an orga-
nization and beyond it, or they can be self-contained. Crises may also
differ with respect to the frequency and probability of reoccurrence.
Management research on organizational crises has been highly frag-
mented largely due to a lack of agreement on the definition of the term
crisis, challenges in observing crises real-time and making comparisons
across these unique events (Williams et al., 2017). Despite the fragmen-
tary nature of research on organizational crises, there are two broad
conceptualizations: crisis as an event and crisis as a process (Milinski et al.,
2016). The ‘crisis as an event’ perspective construes organizational crises
as events or episodes with a beginning and an end. However, Schaedler
et al. (2022) note that crises can turn into a chronical state, for instance,
when underlying causes are particularly systemic such that the crisis
unfolds as a series of events. In contrast to the event-centered perspective,
the process perspective focuses on the need to understand crisis-fostering
environments, processes of organizational weakening, crisis evolution, and
how organizations respond to stages of a crisis. Even with these divergent
theoretical conceptualizations, there is consensus that adapting contin-
uously to organizational crises which emerge within a rapidly changing
environment should be a top priority for organizations since the inability
to do so contributes to organizational failure (Straub & Jonkman, 2017).
Being adaptive involves being flexible, responsive, and proactive (Pedersen
et al., 2020).
While organizational research on crises within the business environ-
ment remains at an emergent stage (Hazaa et al., 2021), from a practical
perspective it is evident that organizational crises are inevitable within the
contemporary business environment, now more than ever. For instance,

one of the most recent crises currently experienced across the globe is the
COVID-19 pandemic, with indisputable consequences for all employees
and organizations. Indeed, different crises affect societies, and hence,
the effects on and implications for organizations take different forms
(Pedersen et al., 2020), when turbulence is experienced within the
various dimensions of the organizational environment as well. Examples
of instability within dimensions of the organizational environment include
natural disasters, such as floods and earthquakes, epidemic diseases, polit-
ical and conflict crises, financial crises, technological developments and
innovation, and recessionary pressures. Accordingly, innovative responses
within the fields of HRM and OB are warranted to address the implica-
tions of organizational crises on employees and organizations.
The COVID-19 Crisis and the Impact on Employees

and Organizations
While HRM and OB research on general organizational crises remains
sparse, there has been a plethora of studies on the COVID-19 crisis
that hit the world in March 2020. The COVID-19 crisis represents an
unprecedented, global, sustained occurrence, which was officially declared
a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11,
2020 (WHO, 2020). The current COVID-19 pandemic is also an acute
external cause of widespread organizational crises (Schaedler et al., 2022).
In terms of organizational sustainability, employees and organizations
have faced novel problems related to organizational management and
human resources since the pandemic struck (Chen & Eyoun, 2021; Yan
et al., 2021). Unpredictable changes triggered by the pandemic have
been a popular subject in organizational research, resulting in numerous
studies examining the ongoing challenges and changes from different
perspectives. In fact, Mun et al. (2022) in a systematic research review
of current literature discussions on employees and organizations in rela-
tion to the COVID-19 crisis, note that while the ongoing pandemic has
had destructive effects on every aspect of people’s lives, the implications
for employees and organizations are undeniable as well. Many organiza-
tions have had to cut employees’ salaries and members of its workforce
to survive financially. Others facing a grim economic outlook have closed
due to bankruptcy.
Meta-analytic research studies within the last two years have focused
heavily on the ways in which the work environment and hence organi-
zations have been transformed due to the COVID-19 crisis (Mun et al.,
2022). Work settings within organizations have undergone and continue
to undergo transformations in terms of work methods (e.g., remote,
virtual, and hybrid work arrangements) as new ways of working continue
to emerge. Employee mental health and well-being have also been hit
in undeniable ways by the COVID-19 crisis. Some studies reported
employees’ worsening perceptions of their health, psychological capital,
burnout, emotional exhaustion, and mental workload (Obrad, 2020;
Meseguer de Pedro et al., 2021; Rodríguez-López et al., 2021), which
have adversely affected employee and organizational productivity. Several
other HRM-OB areas have been hit by the COVID crisis with further
implications for employees and organizations. For instance, the emerging
body of pandemic research indicates that employees are increasingly
looking toward their organizations for supportive strategies to enhance
coping abilities (Bojadjiev & Vaneva, 2021). The need for supportive
leadership to enhance work engagement and employee motivation has
emerged as a common theme across several research studies (Dirani et al.,
2020). Employee career behaviors have also been affected by the COVID
crisis with mounting job dissatisfaction, negative work behaviors, reduced
commitment and loyalty and an overall work disengagement, even within
tough job markets (Gregori, 2020; Mun et al., 2022).
Organizational Crises Emanating from Environmental Dimensions

While the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has radically changed the way people
live and work, organizational crises within the organizational environ-
ment are not new. Organizational crises are especially challenging not only
because of their acute and public nature but also because they are typically
difficult to resolve (Schaedler et al., 2022).
The question is no longer whether an organization will face a crisis or
not, but when they face one, what will be their responses and approaches
toward handling and reducing the effects (Mills et al., 2020). In a world
that is highly characterized by complexity, organizations will continue
to face crises, uncertainty, and instability emanating from both internal
and external sources. Due to internal organizational dynamics, economic,
political, sociocultural, natural, and technological growth of the environ-
ment, the degree at which crises confront organizations are frequent, and
this is expected to continue at a higher intensity, and with a greater
frequency over time. Therefore, the ability of organizations to cope

and be responsive, while being flexible in their strategies are of utmost
importance.
Empirical research within HRM and OB has widely recognized several
notable organizational crises emanating from internal and external factors
within organizational environments over time. For example, from as far
back as the corporate fraud scandals at Enron and Tyco to the more
recent corporate fraud scandal at Wirecard that led to the firm’s insol-
vency (Davies, 2020), the severe quality data falsification at Kobe Steel
that affected the global supply chain (Soble & Boudette, 2017) and
Boeing’s struggles after two crashes of its 737 MAX airplanes (Sucher,
2019) are prominent examples of internally-induced organizational crises.
The external economic environment has also birthed prominent global
financial crises, global recessionary pressures, and countless financial melt-
downs. Most recently, the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war and even as far
back as the 9/11 bombings continue to show us that global, interna-
tional, and political factors can also spur externally induced organiza-
tional crises. Demographic work profiles are also undergoing continuous
changes as workforce diversity becomes an undeniable reality from a
sociocultural perspective. One of the most notable natural environment
crises involved the BP oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico back in 2010;
the largest marine oil spill in history and technological developments on
an ongoing basis continue to revolutionize the ways in which work is
done, and how businesses operate and function. Indeed, such changes
have indisputable effects on managerial/organizational success. From a
practical perspective, there is certainly no dearth of evidence on organi-
zational crises faced within organizational environments (Schaedler et al.,
2022). From a research perspective, however, existing literature in this
area is more fragmented.
Dynamic and ongoing changes within the organizational environ-
mental signify that crisis management must be integrated into managerial
responses as a matter of priority. From a classical research perspective,
Pearson and Claire (1998) describe crisis management as a systematic
process of averting or managing a crisis to sustain or resume normal
business operations and manage stakeholder loss. Crisis management
encompasses an organization’s acts and behaviors which prepare it to
be ready to manage major catastrophic happenings in a safe and effec-
tive manner (Lockwood, 2005). From a contemporary perspective, crisis
management is important to ensure there is ongoing environmental scan-

ning, proactive organizational responses, and to manage organizational
disruptions which emerge from organizational crises. Notably, effective
crisis management involves five key phases of response: (1) signal detec-
tion, (2) preparation/ prevention (planning), (3) containment/damage
control, (4) business recovery, and (5) learning (Williams et al., 2017).
As organizations navigate through environmental uncertainties within its
organizational environment dimensions, existing research has acknowl-
edged that change management, organizational agility/communication,
and scenario planning have been adopted as organizational responses
within crisis management approaches as well.
Change management is nested within the field of organizational devel-
opment. It is described as the planned, systematic efforts by organizations
to cope with environmental changes using behavioral science techniques
(Singh & Ramdeo, 2020). Successful change management can assist
with the effective management of organizational crises (Kuzmanova &
Ivanov, 2019). In fact, crises can initiate change management, are change
processes, and can also result from changes. Change management as a
field is well-established within the existing literature; however, organiza-
tional agility from a strategic perspective is a relatively new management
concept in specialized literature over the past few years (Mills & Keremah,
2020). Agility reflects the capacity of organizations to adapt, be flexible
and creative, and to foresee unexpected shocks inside and outside the
business environment in which it operates. Agility also reflects the ability
of organizations to respond to crises proactively, quickly, and effectively,
such that threats are transformed into opportunities (Tilman & Jacoby,
2019). In fact, strategic agility has emerged as a popular managerial
concept within crisis management approaches in the last few years (Elali,
2021). Scenario planning has also been merged into crisis management
approaches in response to ongoing environmental changes. Seyitoglu
and Costa (2022) in a systematic literature review on scenario planning
studies note that scenario planning is a useful crisis planning activity and
a necessity in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world.
Strategic planners need to be able to imagine future environments even
in the most uncertain conditions to mount effective responses.
Indeed, the existing managerial literature acknowledges that organi-
zations can use crisis management approaches, and the aforementioned
strategies in response to changes within environmental dimensions.
However, there is a role for specific HRM and OB responses to develop
a more comprehensive and strategic approach toward the management

of organizational crises. The HRM function is important to provide and
assess the most effective policies and management practices to successfully
manage employees in times of crisis and to adapt existing employment
relationships and practices accordingly. Managing employee behaviors and
experiences through crises are of utmost importance as well given the
implications for employee and organizational productivity. Several HRM
and OB responses are emerging within the recent literature, albeit in a
fragmented manner.
Innovative HRM and OB Responses to Crises

Within the Contemporary Business Environment
There are various innovative HRM and OB responses within the contem-
porary business environment that have been advanced within the litera-
ture to guide the management of organizational crises. In the sections
that follow, six (6) of the more prominent responses are introduced (See
Fig. 2.1). Five of these responses are discussed in this chapter, while the
sixth is explored comprehensively in Chapter 3:
. Resilience.
. Training and development.
. Creative HR Practices (Hiring/Promotion/Rewards practices).
. Downsizing versus Rightsizing/Reorganizing.
. Transformational leadership.
. Adjustments in the nature/type of work.
Resilience
From the perspective of employees, organizational crises are often concep-
tualized as stressors within the organizational environment that challenge
their coping abilities (Zacher & Rudolph, 2022). Stressors are events that
have the potential to disrupt normal psychological and physical func-
tioning. Stressful events are experiences that trigger negative affect such
as organizational crises. To enhance the coping abilities of employees
when faced with the stressors of organizational crises, building resilience
has emerged as an innovative response. A growing body of literature has
shown that resilient workers within resilient organizations are more likely
Resilience
Creative HR
Practices Training &
(Hiring,
Promotion, Development
Rewards)
INNOVATIVE
HRM/OB
RESPONSES TO
Downsizing CRISES Adjustments in
versus the
Rightsizing/ nature/type of
Reorganizing work
Transformational
Leadership
Fig. 2.1 Innovative and emerging HRM and OB responses to crises
to recover successfully and endure organizational crises when compared

to employees who are less resilient (King et al., 2016). From an orga-
nizational perspective, resilience generally has been used to describe
organizations, systems, or individuals that are able to react to and recover
from duress or disturbances with minimal effects on stability and func-
tioning (Williams et al., 2017). While organizational resilience has been
variously defined, it is generally understood as the ability of organiza-
tions to withstand shocks in the external environment, and to perform
confidently and robustly for the long-term against business threats, while
remaining fit for purpose (Ortiz-Mandojana & Bansal, 2016). Hence,
resilience involves the ability of the organization to withstand significant
adversity and to rebound from the disturbance to perform effectively and
sustainably for the future. It is the firm’s ability to effectively absorb,
develop situation specific responses to, and ultimately engage in trans-

formative activities, to capitalize on disruptive crises that can potentially
threaten organizational survival.
It must be noted that while resilience has been well-developed within
psychology research, it remains in an emergent stage within the manage-
rial field of OB (Williams et al., 2017). An emerging body of managerial
literature has examined the importance of mental resilience in employees
in response to the specific COVID-19 crisis. This research, however,
focuses on employees as the unit of analysis and on their mental resilience.
Indeed, research suggests that crises such as the COVID pandemic
require a high degree of mental resilience and associated coping skills,
which in turn boosts physical functioning as well. Coping skills describe
behaviors, actions, and thoughts that allow employees to manage stressful
situations. From a classical perspective, Lazarus and Folkman (1984)
proposed two main types of coping strategies: problem-focused and
emotion-focused. Problem-focused coping strategies seek to manage
problems or stressors in various ways, for example, by seeking information
or planning responsive actions. Emotion-focused coping strategies seek to
control emotional responses to stressors, for example, by seeking support.
Numerous contemporary studies conducted during the current pandemic
suggest that the primary coping strategies of employees included support
and communication with family, friends, and colleagues, problem-solving,
and positive thinking, which were effective in managing organizational
crises (Chen et al., 2021). However, negative coping strategies, for
example, avoidance, were associated with higher levels stress, overall
psychological distress, and were largely ineffective in managing organi-
zational crises. Perceived organization support, perceived organizational
trust, peer and supervisor support, work-life balance practices, and
employee assistance programs are all OB and people management strate-
gies that may strongly shape the strength of emotion-focused coping and
its impact on building mental resilience for employees. With these strate-
gies, organizations strive to promote positive psychological capital for
employees within organizations as they attempt to cope with this crisis
(Mun et al., 2022). However, notably, mental resilience is only one aspect
of resilience. Further, resilience is explored primarily from the narrow
perspective of employees within existing managerial research.
Training and Development

Training and development are traditionally recognized as popular HRM
practices to develop an effective workforce. As workplaces are strained
and tested, and as organizations and employees are at their wit’s end to
get through and beyond the challenges of stressful organizational crises,
resilience skills training, and development become important.
Emerging research suggests that training and development interven-
tions can offer therapeutic and developmental opportunities to restore
and build capabilities to power through stressful crisis situations. Studies
including resilience training and development programs have been
reported to show positive impacts on the mental health and subjective
well-being of employees. Moreover, some studies have also reported posi-
tive changes in performance or other work-related benefits. A review of
studies regarding resilience training in organizational contexts conducted
by Robertson et al. (2015) and meta-analyses performed by Leppin et al.
(2014) and Vanhove et al. (2016) all provide support for the assump-
tion that training and development could positively affect employees’
resilience as well as their well-being and performance at work. Resilience
training prioritizes mental/cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and physical
components of resilience. Scheuch et al. (2021) note that the contents
of various resilience training initiatives can cover meditation, relaxation,
feedback, goal setting, psychoeducation on resilience, problem-solving,
coaching, reflective and critical thinking, stress management, self-care,
trauma management, and mindfulness. Resilience training in these aspects
can enhance resiliency, the quality of life, and reduce stress and anxiety
by developing skills to view stressful circumstances and challenges as
opportunities. A review of research on resilience training within the work-
place, and meta-analyses suggest that such training can in fact boost
employee resilience, well-being, and their productivity at work (Scheuch
et al., 2021), when faced with organizational crises. In this way, training
and development in this area offer an innovative HRM response to
organizations facing crises.
Creative HR Practices (Hiring/Promotion/Rewards Practices)

Organizational crises, regardless of its nature, can strain organizational
resources. As resources are depleted, organizations must adapt to survive,
grow, and develop through the uncertainty and instability. While such an
environmental context is typically synonymous with organizational chal-

lenges, crises can also offer opportunities for the development of creative
HRM practices in several areas (Nguyen et al., 2022).
The main goal of any organization faced with environmental crises is
to maintain its survival, welfare, and effective management of human
resources. Therefore, effective and intelligent management of human
resources is very important (Nguyen et al., 2022) in such a context.
Creative methods of talent management, such as hiring in the face of
adversity with the reengineering of work and business processes and
motivating and promoting insecure staff with open communication and
intrinsic rewards when extrinsic rewards may be limited, have emerged
as innovative HRM responses that can potentially build HR reliability
even in stressful crisis situations (Bienkowska et al., 2021). The emerging
concept of HR reliability refers to the ability to anticipate and detect
potential risks and problems, prevent disruptions in the performance
of systems, maintain adequate performance, solve problems to promote
effective performance, and learn through experiences—all important
requirements to manage organizational crises (Nangia & Mohsin, 2020;
Nguyen et al., 2022). However, this area of research remains in an infancy
stage and much remains unknown on how HR practices such as creative
hiring, promotion, and rewards can in fact boost HR reliability.
Downsizing Versus Rightsizing/Reorganizing

Organizations have and continue to shut down, merge, downsize, or
reorganize to minimize costs due to organizational crises, which typically
emanate from economic instability (Ozili & Arun, 2020; Nguyen et al.,
2022). While other environmental factors such as technological changes
have prompted organizational changes in the form of downsizing, insta-
bility and uncertainty within the economic environment remain the most
popular cause of downsizing responses (Santana et al., 2017). When faced
with organizational crises, the first and typical response is the dismissal
of people, even before considering the sources of the decline. While
this HRM response is now viewed as typical when faced with economic
crisis, rightsizing and reorganizing may be viewed as innovative when
they are evaluated as turnaround strategies rather than layoffs strategies
(Lancefield, 2021).
Indeed, a considerable body of literature indicates that workforce

reductions synonymous with downsizing often lead to negative finan-
cial and operational outcomes for the downsizing firm as well as negative
psychological outcomes for victims and survivors (Gandolfi & Hansson,
2015). However, it must be recognized that downsizing should not be
practiced only as a workforce reduction strategy. Downsizing may in fact
be a turnaround HRM response to ensure a better fit between members
of the workforce and organizational survival/growth strategies (Santana
et al., 2017). Rightsizing and reorganizing in response to organizational
crises can provide the impetus to initiate turnarounds. Rightsizing can
involve downsizing, which must be strategically managed, while ensuring
strategic fit between workforce and organizational strategies. Emerging
research suggests that rightsizing and reorganizing business processes
for continuity amid organizational crises are often intended as a long-
term HRM strategy. This strategy enables organizations to function with
the right level of talent in each department, position, and function
(Oriloye et al., 2020) and can have potentially positive organizational and
employee consequences. When a company rightsizes and reorganizes its
business processes, many other aspects of the organization must change
too. These include management processes, information technology (IT)
systems, the culture, incentives and rewards, and leadership styles. This
must happen quickly, if not simultaneously—especially in fast-moving
markets facing environmental crises.
Transformational Leadership
Several significant crises within the last three (3) decades have signifi-
cantly affected the attitudes and behaviors of employees within organi-
zations (Budhwar & Cumming, 2020; Malik & Sanders, 2021). During
organizational crises, transformational leadership plays a crucial role in
helping organizations overcome difficulties and challenges. From a clas-
sical perspective, transformational leadership is defined as a leadership
approach in which a leader transforms his followers, inspires them, builds
trust, encourages them, admires their innovative ideas, and develops
them (Bass, 1985). From a contemporary perspective, emerging research
suggests that through transformational leadership, employees can be
encouraged, inspired, and motivated to innovate, accept changes, take
more challenges, and contribute to the organization’s development when
faced with organizational crises (Schaedler et al., 2022). In this way,
transformational leadership provides an OB response to environmental

uncertainty and organizational crises.
Given the crucial importance of transformational leaders in managing
organizational crises, it is not surprising that their impact in crisis situ-
ations has garnered research attention. For instance, emerging research
has examined the personality of transformational leaders and its impact on
the effectiveness of crisis management (König et al., 2020). Scholars have
also examined crisis communication activities and suggest that leaders
rely on disclosure to manage organizational crises rather than impres-
sion management strategies (Nguyen et al., 2022). However, research
on the role of transformational leaders in crisis situations is characterized
by a high degree of fragmentation, widely spread across various disci-
plines, thereby hindering the development of parsimonious theory. In
fact, influential studies on this topic come from a wide array of business-
related fields such as management (Andreou et al., 2017), finance (Ho
et al., 2016), accounting (Beasley, 1996), marketing (Kashmiri & Brower,
2016), and business ethics (Seeger & Ulmer, 2001). In addition, schol-
arly interest in the role of leaders within organizational crises extends
to non-business research, including—but not limited to—communica-
tion science (Turk et al., 2012) and psychology (Gomulya et al., 2017).
From an OB perspective, Schaedler et al. (2022) in a systematic review
of existing literature on strategic leadership perspectives in crises note
that increased attention has been focused on transformational leadership
by linking it to positive employees’ responses within crisis contexts. For
example, employee engagement, productivity, and even resilience can be
positively reinforced through transformational leadership approaches and
strategies, therefore providing positive OB responses in organizational
crises.
Adjustments in the Nature/Type of Work

It is indisputable that one of the most popular HRM responses to organi-
zational crises situations includes innovative and alternative work arrange-
ments. The contemporary work environment within which organizations
operate today requires innovative and flexible adjustments in the nature
and type of work to ensure business continuity, survival, and develop-
ment over time. Given the scope and magnitude of this specific response,
it is addressed comprehensively in the subsequent chapter, Chapter 4
(Alternative Work Arrangements for the Contemporary Workplace).
Research Gaps
The research overview on innovative HRM and OB responses to organi-
zational crises in this chapter covers the core areas where management
research has indeed been conducted, areas which are still developing.
From a practical perspective, organizational crises are an undeniable
feature of the organizational environment within which organizations
operate today. From a research perspective, however, the managerial liter-
ature has lagged in providing coherent HRM and OB perspectives to
assist with theoretical development in this area. In this regard, several
research gaps emerge, which are worthy of future exploration. Future
research can:
. Combine internal and external perspectives on organizational crises.

Indeed, organizational research has long been interested in crises.
However, research in this space remains fragmented, making it diffi-
cult for scholars to understand the literature’s core conclusions,
recognize unsolved problems, and navigate paths forward. Existing
research on crises continues to exist in silos, focusing on either an
internal or an external perspective (Bundy et al., 2017). However,
most of the research has been concentrated on the external envi-
ronment and the associated perspectives. Therefore, several oppor-
tunities remain for future research to integrate internal and external
perspectives. For instance, research can potentially examine whether
external, crisis response strategies improve internal leadership efforts,
and vice versa. This and other such integrative research areas remain
largely untouched.
. Integrate fragmented research across disciplines to define organiza-
tional crises.
Several definitions and streams of research have emerged to describe
organizational crises. However, there is a need for integration across
disciplines to develop universally accepted features of organizational
crises within the managerial perspectives of HRM and OB. This need
presents a gap, which must be addressed to develop comprehensive
theoretical frameworks in this area.
. Evaluate best practices in crisis management.
Best practices in crisis management are under-researched since
current scholars focus primarily on crisis management failures,
regardless of which perspective they employ. Researchers can advance
crisis management research by examining organizations that have

proactively averted and effectively managed crises. In this way, best
practices can potentially be delineated to advance crisis management
research beyond the typical negative perspective.
. Utilize longitudinal research designs to track how organizations
manage crises over time.
Most existing research studies on organizational crises utilize case
study designs. Future research can also consider empirical opportu-
nities beyond case study designs. Longitudinal studies may be useful
to shed light on the organizational and relational characteristics that
help prevent crises, while also being sensitive to endogeneity issues.
. Explore the multiple aspects of resilience when developing innovative
OB responses to organizational crises beyond mental resilience and
employee perspectives.
Both academics and practitioners view resilience as a core topic of
interest. Resilience is widely viewed as a potential solution to the
challenges posed by crises and disasters. The promise of resilience
is an organization or society that absorbs shocks and rebounds
after a disturbance. Notably, while the idea of resilience is increas-
ingly popular, empirical research on resilient organizations is quite
rare, thereby offering the opportunity for future research as well.
Existing organizational research has focused primarily on building
the mental resilience of employees in response to organizational
crises. However, mental resilience is only one aspect of resilience
that may be useful in enhancing organizational responses to crises.
Other aspects of resilience and organizational perspectives also
warrant attention to further develop innovative responses in a more
systematic way.
. Evaluate the relationship between resource availability and the devel-
opment of resilience.
The availability of resources is considered a key enabler of employee
and organizational resilience. When resources are available and used
strategically, employees and organizations can overcome disruptions
and crises. The theoretical logic of the Conservation of Resources
theory (Hobfoll, 1989, 2001) may be useful to evaluate the rela-
tionship between resources and resilience.
. Evaluate the relationship between leadership and resilience.

Limited research has explored the relationship between different
leadership approaches and resilience in the management of organiza-
tional crises. Linking leadership and resilience research can enhance
the development of these OB areas to further build upon the crisis
management literature.
. Evaluate how HR practices can boost organizational and hence HR
reliability.
Organizational reliability is described as an organization’s ability
to maintain organizational performance (Bienkowska et al., 2021).
Ensuring reliability is an important issue in the extreme conditions
of the organization’s functioning, which cause crisis in those orga-
nizations. Such conditions can disturb organizational sustainability
and thus, threaten organizational survival by triggering a spiral of
escalation of negative phenomena. Ensuring reliability is becoming
a necessary condition for organizations to overcome crises and to
restore sustainability and balance. The recent organizational relia-
bility model (Bienkowska et al., 2021) incorporates HR reliability as
a core dimension, which is worthy of exploration in assessing HRM
responses to contemporary organizational crises. Further research
on the processes through which HR practices can boost HR reli-
ability is warranted. While emerging research suggests that practices
such as creative hiring, promotion, and reward systems can impact
HR reliability, further investigations are needed to understand the
mechanisms through which such practices can enhance reliability to
positively impact employee and organizational outcomes.
. Evaluate lessons from multiple pandemic periods to assess the effective-
ness of HRM and OB responses and to develop further strategies for
managing such organizational crises.
Conclusion
Organizational crises within the dynamic organizational environment are
a feature of the undeniable reality that all businesses face today. Accord-
ingly, within managerial research, studies are ongoing to explore the
innovative responses that can be used to manage and understand such
crises. This fact opens the doors to several research opportunities to

advance literature and theoretical development on this topic within HRM
and OB.
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Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Istuimme Lundgrenin kanssa tavallisten askartemme ääressä, kun
ovensuuhun ilmestyi pitkä ja suoraryhtinen mies, jonka ulkoasusta
minä kohta panin merkille seuraavat seikat: olkapäille ulottuva tukka;
pesemättömät kasvot ja pitkä parransänki; nukkavieru talvipalttoo,
jonka ratkeimista pumpulitäyte pisti esiin; rajottuneet
pieksusaappaat, joista varret nilkkaa myöten oli leikattu pois; pitkä,
kuorimattomasta puusta leikattu ryhmysauva sekä lopuksi toisella
käsivarrella mustunut pärekori, jossa punaisen rievun alta pilkisti
leivänkannikoita ja kulunut kirja.
Siis täydellinen korven profeetta, Elia Karmelin vuoristosta!
Ilmestys kysyi meiltä herra Silanderia. Vastasin, että hän tähän

aikaan on mahdollisesti kotonaan sekä neuvoin hänen osotteensa.
Ulos lähtiessään kohotti ilmestys koriaan sekä lausui juhlallisesti:
— Omnia mea mecum porto.
— Mitä, se rääsyläinenhän lasketti tulemaan puhtainta latinaa! —

käännyin minä hänen mentyään ihmeissäni Lundgrenin puoleen.
— Ettekö tunteneet? Sehän oli Juho, — ilmotti korrehtuurinlukija.
Juho oli saanut Silanderin käsiinsä ja seuraavana päivänä ilmestyi

hän toimitukseen kokonaan uudesta syntyneenä. Tukka ja parta oli
siistitty, päällään hänellä oli siistinpuoleinen herrasmiehen puku,
kova kaulus rusettineen ja patiinikengät jalassa. Takinhihat ja
housunlahkeet olivat tosin hieman lyhyet — sillä puku oli Silanderin
vaatesäiliöstä, — mutta se ei paljoakaan merkinnyt. Ylätaskussaan
hänellä oli pieni litteä pullo riikapalsamia, jonka avulla hän piti vireillä
pientä humalaa, saadakseen, kuten hän sanoi, hermonsa pysymään
tasapainossa.
Kun Silander, joka myöskin oli toimistossa, esitti hänet minulle,
virkkoi hän kättäni puristaessaan kysyvästi:
— Civis academicus?
Kun minä olin myöntävästi vastannut, puristi hän uudelleen kättäni

ja lausui juhlallisesti:
— Ego etiam.
Hän oli mitä loistavimmalla tuulella ja ryhtyi auttelemaan meitä

toimitustyössä. Silander osotti hänelle käännettäväksi jonkun pätkän
Hufvudstadsbladetista, mutta pari lausetta suomennettuaan otti hän
kulauksen rohtopullostaan, nousi sen jälkeen täyteen pituuteensa ja
esitti juhlallisin elein yli laajan toimituspöydän lähempää tuttavuutta
kanssani.
— Kerran minäkin olen ollut Arcadiassa! — lausui hän silmät

kosteina ja kumartui jälleen Hufvudstadsbladetin yli.
Hetken kuluttua virkkoi hän Silanderille:
— Paremmin minulta sentään luistaa tämä työ kuin siltä sinun

entiseltä apulaiseltasi, joka suomensi… kuinka se nyt taas olikaan?
— Vaikka oli ylioppilasmies, niin käänsi lauseen: "Det är ett

sprängämne af farligaste slag" suomeksi näin: "Se on vaarallisimpia
iskuja synnyttävä räjähdysaine".
*****
Juho jäi useammaksi viikoksi Kolkkalaan ja muuttui lopulta Riento-

poloiselle todelliseksi maanvaivaksi. Koko vierailuaikanaan ei hän
kirjottanut riviäkään, mutta ilmestyi kylläkin joka päivä toimistoon
karhuamaan saataviaan. Luonnollisesti oli hän aina joltisessakin
hutikassa, milloin harmaan-kalseassa oluthumalassa, milloin
lienteämmässä riikapalsamihiprakassa. Saamatta jääneitä
kirjotuspalkkioitaan, joista tietystikään ei oltu minkäänlaista
sopimusta tehty, sai hän konttorista aluksi parin markan ja markan
suuruisissa erissä sekä lopuksi viiskymmenpennisinä, kunnes
kassaa hoitava konttorineiti lakkasi niitäkin antamasta. Viikon päivät
kävi Juho vielä senkin jälkeen päivittäin toimistossamme, karttaen ja
rukoillen edes viittäkymmentä penniä — summa, jolla Kolkkalan
tillikkapuodeissa sai pullon olutta ja voileivän — sekä lausuen aina
poislähtiessään profeetallisia uhkauksia Rientoa pian kohtaavasta
surkeasta perikadosta.
Ensimäisenä päivänä sen jälkeen kun kassaneiti oli sulkenut

häneltä sydämensä, annoin minä Juholle viimeiset lanttini.
Seuraavana päivänä minä luonnollisesti olin typö tyhjä, mutta kun
hän puoli tuntia oli ympäröinyt minua humalaisen hellyydellä sekä
huolimatta vakuutuksistani, että olin ihan pennitön mies, toisteli
itsepintaisesti: "Rakas veli, ainoastaan viisikymmentä penniä!" täytyi
minun lopulta kiristää kassaneidiltä omaan tiliini mainittu summa.
Kun Juho vielä tämän jälkeen oli tehnyt muutamia ihan

tuloksettomia vierailuja toimistoomme, katosi hän äkkiä
näkyvistämme. Kun Silander näyttäysi ensi kerran Juhon hävittyä
toimistossa, sain kuulla selityksen, Juho oli useat kerrat tavotellut
häntä kotoa, saanut vihdoin käsiinsä sekä pannut hänet lujille. Silloin
oli Silander varustanut hänet eväillä, vienyt asemalle ja ostanut
piletin Kolkkalasta lähinnä etelään käsin olevaan kaupunkiin, jonka
sanomalehdiltä Juholla oli myöskin saatavia.
*****
Elää kitkuteltiin ja päästiin vähitellen seuraavaan talveen — ja,

ihme kyllä, niin Riennon toimistossa kuin koko Kolkkalassakin
suoritettiin tämä taival aivan yhtä rintaa suuren maailman kanssa.
Silloin — muistaakseni oli jo helmikuu kulumassa — ilmestyi Juho
uudelleen Kolkkalan horisontin sisäpuolelle.
Minä yritän tehdä lakon.
Juhon seuraava esiintyminen Riennon toimituksessa tapahtui

seuraavien olosuhteiden vallitessa.
Minussa oli jo pitemmän aikaa kytenyt tyytymättömyys asemaani

sillä vaatimattomasta palkastani rupesi yhä tuntuvampia eriä
jäämään rästiksi. Aloin yhä syvemmin tuntea itseni raatavaksi
proletaariksi ja rupesin tuumimaan lakkoa. Tosinhan Silander oli
kaikkea muuta kuin verenimijä-kapitalisti, mutta nyt hän oli puolitoista
viikkoa ollut yhtämittaa ihan tietymättömissä ja kaikki Riennon asiat
olivat niin rempallaan kuin ne ikinä olla saattoivat. Juhon
profeetalliset uhkaukset näyttivät rupeavan toteutumaan ja kaikissa
meissä kyti katkeruus Silanderia kohtaan.
Sattuipa sitten, että minä eräänä iltana olin viettämässä muutaman

toverini nimipäivää Kolkkalan seurahuoneella — klassillinen paikka,
missä puoliyön jälkeen joku ikuinen lääninkanslisti tai kaljupäinen
konttoripäällikkö nyökytti päätä pöydällään palavalle kynttilälle ja
koetti mörisevällä monoloogilla hämmentää Kolkkalan raskasta
yöhiljaisuutta. No niin, seuraavana aamuna havahduin puoli
kahdeksan, jolloin minä tavallisesti lähdin päivätyöhöni, mutta kun
pääni tuntui ylen raskaalta, katsoin minä hetken otolliseksi ryhtyä
lakkoon. Ummistin siis jälleen silmäni ja jatkoin velttoa
jälkipäiväuinailua.
Kello yhdeksän havahduin siihen, että joku minua tyrkki kylkeen.

Silmät avattuani näin ensimäiseksi Santerin vallattomat silmät ja
mustetahran koristaman nykerönenän. Faktorin nimessä pyysi hän
minua tulemaan toimistoon antamaan käsikirjotusta, sillä latojat
seisoivat joutilaina kastiensa ääressä. Ilmotin hänelle
järkähtämättömän tahtoni olla liikahtamatta sijaltani sekä kehotin
etsimään Silanderia. Pitäköön hän nyt kerrankaan huolen lehden
ilmestymisestä!
Tasan tunnin kuluttua havahduin musteen ja tuoreen painopaperin

epämieluisaan hajuun ja silmät avattuani näin vuoteeni äärellä
jälleen Santerin.
— Faktori pyysi oikein tosissaan herra Räisästä tulemaan

käsikirjotusta leikkaamaan, kun…
— No miksette ole Silanderia hakeneet? — keskeytin minä

äreästi.
— No, kun sitä ei löydy mistään, — selitti Santeri silmiään

vilkuttaen.
— Menehän siitä nyt matkaasi, — hoputin minä häntä ja koetin

jatkaa "lakkoa".
Mutta hengessäni näin minä latojain seisovan neuvottomina

kirjapainossa ja kuiskivan pahaa ennustavasti, samalla kun faktori
toimitushuoneessa selailee aamun postia ja harkitsee, uskaltaisiko
hän käydä saksiin käsiksi ja valmistaa omalla uhallaan annoksen
käsikirjotusta. Minua alkoi todella huolettaa päivän numeron kohtalo,
sillä olinhan kaikesta huolimatta kiintynyt Riento-rääsyyn, josta olin
niin paljon vaivaakin nähnyt. Lopulta kaikkosi minusta uneliaisuus
kokonaan ja minä hankkiusin tavalliseen päivätyöhöni.
En kuitenkaan pitänyt mitään kiirettä, vaan söin aamiaisen

kaikessa rauhassa, tupakoitsin sen jälkeen vielä hetkisen ja lähdin
sitte hiljalleen toimistoon.
Astuessani sisälle toimitushuoneeseen kohtasi minua seuraava

näky:
Kokoon painuneena istui Silander huojuvassa päätoimittajan

tuolissaan, kyynärpäät pöydällä ja pää tuettuna käsien varaan.
Verestävät silmät olivat pikkusen raollaan, turvonneiden huulten
välitse näkyi hammastarhassa leveä aukko, sillä pari alaleuan
etuhammasta oli hävinnyt sijaltaan ja — horribile visu — vasemman
silmän alta paistoi ankara mustelma. Hänen kyynärpäidensä alla oli
kasassa aamun posti ja päätä tukevassa oikeassa kädessä
törröttivät sakset, joiden sakarat murheellisesti viittasivat kattoa
kohti.
Jos sydänlokeroihini viime päivinä oli kaivautunut närää

esimiestäni kohtaan, haihtui se tämän näyn edessä nopeasti ja
muuttui päinvastaiseksi tunteeksi.
Päästyään muutamain aivoponnistusten jälkeen selville minun

läsnäolostani, antoi Silander itsestään ensimäisen elonmerkin
liikuttamalla saksia, mikä samalla oli selvästikin tarkotettu minulle
tervehdykseksi. Tämän jälkeen virkkoi hän äänellä, jota lähinnä voisi
verrata reenjalasten kitinään sulalla maantiellä:
— No jopa se sattui hullusti, että me kumpikin jouduimme samalla
kertaa sairaaksi!
Se kanalja otaksui siis ilman muuta, että minullakin oli kohmelo ja

ettei minulla muka olisi ollut painavampiakin syitä jäädä pois työstä.
Mutta olihan totta, että minä en ollut antanut mitään muodollista
lakko julistusta, joten annoin hänen pitää vakaumuksensa, koska
hän sitä paitsi oli puolittain oikeassakin. Itsensä hänet oli muutoin,
kuten myöhemmin faktorilta sain kuulla, monien etsiskelyjen jälkeen
löydetty Kolkkalan ulkoravintolasta, missä hän jonkun
yksityishuoneen nurkassa oli kuorsannut tukkihumalassa. Ankarain
ponnistusten jälkeen oli hänet saatu tajuamaan toimistossa
vallitsevan tilanteen epätoivoisuus, jolloin hän oli katsonut
tarpeelliseksi siirtää itsensä päätoimittajana hänelle kuuluvalle
paikalle.
Kun minä olin asettunut paikalleni häntä vastapäätä, työnsi hän

postin ja sakset minun eteeni.
Nähdessään, että toimitustyö alkoi käydä tavallisia raiteitaan ja

että latojat saivat työtä, kirkasti ilon hohde hänen sameita silmiään ja
hän lausui:
— Kuule, Riku, kyllä meidän välttämättä täytyy saada piiskaryypyt.
Minulla ei oikeastaan ollut mitään tätä esimieheni tekemää

kohtuullista ehdotusta vastaan. Tiedustettiin konttorista kassan tilaa
ja, ihmeellistä kylläkin, siellä osottausi olevan rahoja yli kymmenen
markan. Tästä harvinaisesta löydöstä riemastuneena pyysi Silander
toisen konttorineidin hakemaan puolikkaan konjakkia, muutamia
suudapulloja sekä puntin sikareja.
Hetken kuluttua ilmestyivät nämä hyvyydet pöydälle ja maailma
alkoi yhä enemmän kirkastua silmissämme.
Kun Silander kaatoi kolmatta ryyppyä laseihin, aukeni ovi — ja

edessämme seisoi Juho täydessä pituudessaan.
— Osasitpa sinäkin tulla oikeaan aikaan! — virkkoi Silander, jonka

ääni oli jo ehtinyt muuttua iloisen lallattelevaksi..
Juho katsahti häneen kysyvästi, mutta vainusi samalla konjakin

tuoksun, näki pöydällä olevat varustukset ja ymmärsi kaikki. —
Saavuin puoli tuntia sitten Kolkkalan asemalle ja merkillinen vaisto
ohjasi minut suoraan tänne, — selitti hän, hieroen tyytyväisenä
suuria ja kohmettuneita käsiään.
Hän sai ryypyn, kotiutui nopeasti ja alkoi pöydän nurkalla kirjottaa

artikkelia. Minä kynin pääkaupungin lehtiä minkä kerkesin ja Silander
rallatteli tyytyväisenä. Lundgren ja faktori saivat luonnollisesti hekin
osansa toimituspöydän hyvyyksistä ja niin vallitsi Riennon
toimistossa oikea markkinamieliala.
Konjakkipuolikas ei luonnollisesti kestänyt kauan ja

kädenkäänteessä toimitti Silander samanlaisen tilalle. Kun hän
polviensa välissä juuri kiskoi korkkia sen suulta, näimme
puoliavoimesta konttorinovesta erään Kolkkalan papeista lähenevän
toimitushuonettamme.
— No nyt tästä hyvä tulee, kun saamme tänne vielä papinkin, —

virkkoi
Silander iloisesti ja silmät autuaasti killillään.
Konjakkipullon, jonka suulla korkkiruuvi törrötti pystyssä, näpisti
hän polviensa väliin ja asettui viattomana miehenä rynkämöisilleen
pöydän nojalle. Minä riensin asettumaan keskusteluun pastorin
kanssa, jolla oli jätettävänä Rientoon muuan oikaisu. Asiansa
suoritettuaan poistui hän verrattain nopeasti, sillä arvatenkin
huomasi hän toimitushuoneessamme vallitsevan ilmanalan
vähemmän soveliaaksi papilliselle olemukselleen.
Hänen hävittyään oven taakse päästi Silander kevennyksen

huokauksen ja pamautti korkin pullon suulta. Hetken kuluttua kohosi
Juhokin jo sille asteelle, että hän arvioitsi kirjottamisen maalliseksi
turhuudeksi. Hän laski kynän kädestään ja yhdessä Silanderin
kanssa alkoi hän minun kielloistani huolimatta laulaa: "Hei Härmästä
poikia kymmenen".
Kun he olivat vetäneet viimeisen värssyn loppuun, lausui Silander

sammaltelevalla äänellä:
— Kuule, Juho, vaikka sinä ootkin noin pitkä, niin et sinä pärjää
minulle käsivoimissa.
Silmäniskulla kehotti Lundgren minua olemaan varuillani, jos

päätoimittaja alkaisi tappelua hankkia. Mutta Silander ei
nähtävästikään ollut tappelupäällä, sillä rauhallisesti ehdotti hän
Juholle:
— Koitetaanko sylipainia?
Juho puolestaan selitti asettavansa hengenominaisuudet raa'an

aineellisen voiman yläpuolelle, mutta siitä huolimatta täytyi hänen
lopulta antautua Silanderin kanssa sylipainiin.
— Elä sinä sillä lailla kahmua, vaan ota minua housunkauluksesta!
— neuvoi Silander voimankoetukseen tottumatonta Juhoa ja sitten
alkoivat he vuorotellen nostaa jumputella toisiaan kohoksi lattiasta
sekä heittelehtiä ympäri huonetta, niin että tuolit ja lattialle nostetut
tyhjät pullot kaatuivat nurin sekä vieriskelivät painijain jaloissa.
Minä ehätin sulkemaan oven, ettei kukaan vieras pääsisi

odottamatta näkemään Riennon sen päiväistä toimitustapaa,
samalla kun Lundgren varoi toimituspöytää kellahtamasta nurin.
Paini päättyi Silanderin voitoksi. Huohottaen istahtivat he sitten

vastapäätä toisiaan, ottivat uudet ryypyt ja alkoivat rallattaa:
"Minun kultani kaunis on, vaikk' on kaitaluinen."
Kaikesta tästä huolimatta sain minä faktorin ja Lundgrenin kanssa

yhteisin ponnistuksin lehden painokuntoon ja voinpa vakuuttaa, ettei
sen päivän Riennon numero ollut sen huonompi kuin lukuisat
edeltäjänsäkään. Silmäillessäni iltapäivällä kotona vasta painosta
tuotua vielä tuoretta numeroa sekä muistellessani sitä ilmanpainetta,
minkä alaisena se oli syntynyt, tuntui minusta kuin siitä olisi
lehahtanut vastaan vahva konjakin tuoksu. Mutta se oli tietysti vain
pelkkää mielikuvitusta.
*****
Juhon vierailu ei tällä kertaa muodostunut kovin monipäiväiseksi.

Se päättyi suunnilleen samalla tavoin kuin edellinenkin: Silander
toimitti hänelle eväät ja kyydin etelään päin.
Kevättalven kuluessa lähetti hän sitten Rientoon useampia

kirjotuksia, jotka tietystikin heti lämpimiltään saivat sijansa lehdessä.
Palkkionpyyntikirjeitä ei tällä kertaa kuulunut, mutta sen sijaan
saapui eräänä kevätpäivänä konttoriimme samalle asialle Juhon
henkilökohtainen edustaja.
Tämä nuori mies oli uskonnollisen idealistin perikuva jo

ulkomuodoltaankin: sileät kasvot vakaine, hiukan surumielisine
silmineen, viaton suu ja pitkä vaalea tukka. Muutoin esiintyi hän
moitteettomassa herrasmiehen puvussa. Kävi selville, että hän oli
polyteknikko sekä samalla metodistinen puhuja. Hän esitti meille
Juholta valtakirjan, joka oikeutti hänet nostamaan Juhon palkkiot
valtakirjassa mainituista kirjotuksista. Tulimme kaikki uteliaiksi ja
aloimme tiedustella Juhon viimeisimmistä vaiheista. Polyteknikko
kertoi silloin seuraavaa:
Eräänä iltana talvella oli Juho ilmestynyt metodistien kokoukseen

Helsingissä, ollen tapansa mukaan hiukan juovuksissa ja muuten
surkeassa tilassa. Kertoja oli silloin tehnyt, kuten laupias
samarialainen eräässä toisessa tapauksessa: hän oli lähentynyt
Juhoa, joka oli ollut ihan rahatonna, leivätönnä ja katotonna, sekä
ottanut hänet hoivaansa. Siitä saakka oli Juho asunut hänen
huonetoverinaan, ollut useita viikkoja ihan maistamatonna sekä
kirjotellut eri lehtiin. Ja mikä parasta, hänessä oli tapahtunut
uskonnollinen kääntymys. Kun me tätä hiukan epäilimme, vakuutti
kertoja:
— Kyllä hänessä on tapahtunut aivan vilpitön kääntymys. Hän on

nyt aivan kuin lapsi.
Polyteknikon oli jossakin metodistien asioissa pitänyt lähteä

pienelle kiertomatkalle ympäri maan ja hän oli ottanut periäkseen
Juhon saatavia eri sanomalehdistä. Riennolta hän sai kokonaista
kolmekymmentä markkaa. Juho itse omassa persoonassaan ei
tietysti olisi saanut kuin vähäpätöisen osan tästä summasta. Mutta
hänen asiamiehensä nuhteeton olemus ei voinut olla tekemättä
vaikutustaan kassaneitiin, minkä lisäksi sattui sellainen harvinainen
päivä, että kassassa oli yhdellä kertaa kokonainen tukku seteleitä.
Se oli nimittäin saanut pari päivää olla rauhassa karhuilta ja
Silanderilta.
Mainittakoon muuten tässä samassa yhteydessä, että tuota onnen

ja levon aikaa ei Juho-poloisella kestänyt kauan, vaan hänen
elämänsä oli määrätty suistumaan entisille raiteilleen. Syksypuoleen,
jolloin olin jo jättänyt Riennon, tapasin hänet Helsingissä eräässä
lukusalissa. Uteliaana riensin häntä tervehtimään sekä samalla
todentamaan, oliko kääntymys ollut pysyvämpää laatua. Jo
lähemmäs tullessani huomasin ulkoasussa merkkejä, jotka panivat
epäilemään, että hän viime aikoina oli asustanut ennemminkin
vanhassa kolossaan Hietalahden kivihiiliröykkiössä kuin siistin
uskovaisen huonetoverina. Näitä epäilyksiä täydensivät vielä silmien
samea kiilto ja rankkitynnyrin läheisyyttä muistuttava tuoksu.
Haikein mielin kertoikin Juho, että hänen laupias samarialaisensa

oli joutunut pitemmäksi aikaa sairaalaan ja että puulaaki oli siis
hajonnut. Ja niin oli Juho tullut työnnetyksi entisille harharetkilleen.
— Sic volvere parcas! — lopetti Juho kertomuksensa.
Vähän myöhemmin näin sanomalehdistä, että Juhon huoltaja oli

kuollut sairaalassa, joten puulaakin uudistamisestakaan ei ollut enää
toiveita.
Karhuja.
Edellisestä on jo käynyt selville, että Riennon päätoimittaja
istuskeli enimmiten kaikkialla muualla paitsi siellä, missä hänen
virkansa puolesta olisi tullut istua. Mutta tyhjänä ei hänen navassaan
kääntyvä ja huojuva nojatuolinsa toimitustunteina kuitenkaan ollut.
Siinä istui tavallisesti eräs Riennon lukuisista karhuista.
Olen jo ennen maininnut, miten kauppias Parkkanen kävi

vuokrasaataviaan karhuamassa, jyristen ja pauhaten sekä uhaten
nostattaa kaikki Riennon kompeet kadulle. Saman tapaisia olivat
edelleenkin hänen karhuamaretkensä: ne kulkivat kuin rajuilma
päittemme yli. Milloin Silander sattui olemaan toimistossa, kun ovelle
ilmestyi Parkkasen synkeä, parrakas hahmo kuin tuhoa ennustava
ukonpilvi taivaanrannalle, silloin me Lundgrenin kanssa aina
pelkästä hienotunteisuudesta poistuimme kiiruunkaupalla
painohuoneeseen. Sinne kuulimme sitte ovien läpi Parkkasen
jyrisevän passon, jota säesti Silanderin lepyttelevä ja suostutteleva
ääni. Kun jyrinä vaimeni ja me painon akkunasta näimme Parkkasen
poistuvan, uskalsimme jälleen palata toimitushuoneeseen, jossa
Silander istui punottavana ja hämillään. Kaiken alta pilkisti jo
kuitenkin näkyviin tyytyväisyys siitä, että kaikki oli sentään siksikin
hyvin päättynyt.
— No niinpähän sitä siitäkin nikarasta taas päästiin! — lausui hän

tupakkaa tarjoten.
Silander olikin esimerkiksi kelpaava mestari suoriutumaan hyvillä

puheilla vaikeimmistakin situatsioneista. Parkkasen käynnit olivat
sentään verraten harvinaisia, jota vastoin tuo alussa mainittu karhu
oli, varsinkin kesäiseen aikaan, jokapäiväinen vieras
toimistossamme.
Hän oli ammatiltaan kirjansitoja sekä muuten hyvissä varoissa
oleva mies. Oliko hän tehnyt Riennolle ammattiinsa kuuluvia töitä vai
muutenko Silander oli hänelle yksityisesti joutunut velkaan, siitä en
niin tarkoin tullut selkoa ottaneeksi.
Puolenpäivän tienoissa, jolloin keskikesän aikaan ihmisen

näkeminen Kolkkalan kaduilla oli harvinainen ihme, lähti herra Tarkki
kirjansitojan verstaastaan liikkeelle. Läntistyneet tohvelit jaloissaan ja
päällään vanha tohvelipalttoo tuo hyväntuulinen, lihava ja
hyvinparroittunut elinkeinonharjottaja asteli verkalleen Kolkkalan
katuja, joiden kivityksen lomasta ruohonkorret kaupungissa
vallitsevan rauhan rohkaisemina pilkistivät esiin. Hän pysähtyi
ensimaiseen kadunkulmaan ja silmäili haukotellen jokaiselle neljälle
ilmansuunnalle. Mutta kun missäänpäin ei näkynyt mitään
mielenkiintoa herättävää, maleksi hän seuraavaan kalmaan ja niin
edelleen päämaaliaan kohti, joka oli Riennon toimitus.
Kun Tarkki saapui konttoriin, kuulimme me Lundgrenin kanssa

tavallisesti nuoremman konttorineidin tiuskivan:
— Hyi tuota Tarkkia, kun on hävitön! Menkää tiehenne siitä!

Kuuletteko?
Heti paikalla pois siitä!
Se oli merkki siitä, että Tarkki tiskin ympäri kiertäessään oli ilman
muuta kietaissut kätensä hänen kaulaansa sekä karheapartaisella
leuallaan hankasi hänen punastunutta poskeaan. Sen jälkeen kuului
Tarkin ääni kysyvän:
— Mitäs se kassanvartia tietää? Onko siellä laatikossa minkä

verran kolikoita?
— On, mutta Tarkille niitä ei anneta, — kuului kassaneidin
vastaus.
— Vai ei anneta! — ja Tarkin askeleet siirtyivät kassaa kohti.
— Hui, ette saa tulla! — kirkui tällöin kassaneiti. — Menettekö pois

siitä, ei meillä ole kuitenkaan rahaa enempää kuin kaksi markkaa.
— Vai kaksi, — kuuluu Tarkin laiska vastaus. — Mihinkäs te olette

haaskanneet viime päivien tulot?
— Ei meillä ole kahteen päivään ollut tuloja muuta kuin yhdestä

kerta-ilmotuksesta.
Tämän jälkeen narahtaa toimitushuoneen ovi ja Tarkki paksuine

palttoineen, tohveleineen ja partoineen työntyy oven täydeltä sisään.
— Päivää! Kuuluuko sitä maailmalta mitä? — lausuu hän leveästi

ja sijottaa ruhonsa mahdollisimman mukavasti päätoimittajan tuoliin.
Vastaukseksi hänen kysymykseensä alan minä edessäni olevasta

maaseutulehdestä lukea esim. tällaista kesäuutista: "Jännittävän
taistelun haukan ja hauen välillä näkivät Heinävedellä muutamat
kalamiehet t.k. 5 p:nä. Taistelu päättyi siten j.n.e." Uutinen on jo
kierrellyt suurimman osan Suomen sanomalehdistöä, siirtyen kuin
haukotus suusta suuhun, ja nyt on sen vuoro tullut päästä Riennon
palstoille. Noin viikon kuluttua ilmestyy se sitten kajaanilaiseen
valonahjoon, minkä jälkeen se hyvässä lykyssä voi lähteä vielä
uudelle kiertomatkalle.
Tarkki kuuntelee uutista välinpitämättömästi, sytyttää paperossin ja

anastaa haltuunsa nuoraan kiinnitetyt sakset, joilla hän alkaa silputa
pöydällä olevia sanomalehtiä. Sitä tietä on usein mennyt minun
valmiiksi leikkaamani "käsikirjotuskin". Saksiin kyllästyttyään tarttuu
hän lyijykynään ja raapustaa pöydällä olevat tulitikku- ja
paperossilaatikot, kirjekuoret ja imupaperin täyteen kaikenlaisia
kuvioita. Kaiken aikaa juttelee hän laiskaan tapaansa, olematta
millänsäkään minun kärsimättömistä eleistäni, joilla minä koetan
antaa hänen ymmärtää, että hän häiritsee meitä
kansanvalistustyössämme. Kun hän ei enää löydä mitään ehyttä
pintaa piirustuksilleen, laittaa hän jostakin helsinkiläislehdestä
mukavan kärpäsläpän ja alkaa täydellä mielenkiinnolla räpsiä
kärpäsiä, jotka tappelevat ruokapaikasta Lundgrenin kaljulla kiireellä.
Siten viettää hän lähes joka päivä parisen tuntia toimistossa. Jos
hyvin käy, sattuu Silanderkin ilmestymään paikalle. Silloin otetaan
kassa, sekä Silanderin yksityinen että konttorin kassa,
perinpohjaisen tarkastuksen alaiseksi, jolloin Tarkin taskuun siirtyy
niin paljon kuin Riennon sen päiväinen ekonoominen tila suinkin
sallii.
Tyytyväisenä vääntäytyy Tarkki sen jälkeen paluumatkalle — eikä

hänen humoristisessa olemuksessaan voi huomata mitään
tyytymättömyyden oireita silloinkaan, kun saalis on käynyt yhteen
tyhjän kanssa. Kun hän on hävinnyt toimitushuoneen oven taakse,
kuuluu konttorista jälleen nuoremman neidin ääni:
— Tark-kii, menettekö siivolla siitä!
*****
Muista Riennon karhuista mainittakoon tässä enää ainoastaan

eräs Kolkkalan varakkaimpia rakennusmestareita — siis yksi sen
luokan ihmisistä, jotka ovat sangen huomattavina tekijöinä niin
Kolkkalan kuin koko tuhatjärvisen isänmaamme nykyisessä
kulttuurityössä, antaen sille oman vahvan rakennusmestarileimansa.
Puheenalainen karhu oli kuitenkin nähtävästi sangen pessimistinen
saataviinsa nähden, sillä hän ei minun aikanani käynyt
persoonallisesti kertaakaan Riennon toimistossa. Sen sijaan kiersi
hän ympäri Kolkkalaa kuin kiljuva jalopeura, panetellen Rientoa,
kuten Silander kerran tuskastuneena selitti. Yhden ainoan kerran
hän erään ilmotusasian takia soitti toimitukseen ja sekin tapahtui
sangen onnettomana hetkenä. Se oli näet silloin, kun Juho ja
Silander konjakin höyryjen innoittamina vetelivät Härmän poikain
laulua. Loilotus tunkeutui tietysti puhelinjohtoa myöten herra
pykmestarin korvaan ja kohta lähti Kolkkalaa kiertämään juoru:
Riennon toimitus on ollut täynnä juopuneita, siellä on verissä päin
tapeltu ja säretty huonekaluja.
Suutari ja räätäli saavat suorittaa Riennolle ilmotusvelkansa

luonnossa.
Ainoat kenkäni alkoivat keskellä kesää olla siinä kunnossa, että

pöly ja hiekka pääsi ulkona liikkuessa esteettömästi tunkemaan
sisälle. Puhumattakaan kosteudesta, kun sattui sateiset ilmat.
Korjauttaakaan niitä ei juuri enää kannattanut, sillä niiden
hajaantumistila alkoi olla jo niin pitkällä, että uusia pohjia olisi ollut
hieman vaikea niihin kiinnittää. Ja jos olisikin, niin milläpä minä olisin
korjauksen aikana jalkapöytiäni suojannut. Tosinhan Kolkkalan
kaduilla siihen aikaan vuodesta sai vaeltaa tietänsä jotensakin
rauhassa uteliasten lähimmäistensä katseilta, joten minä hyvin olisin
voinut ottaa oppia kirjansitoja Tarkista, mutta siihen tunsin minä
itseltäni puuttuvan tarpeellista rohkeutta.
Täytyi siis kaikin mokomin saada uudet jalkineet.

Sellainen toivomus oli kuitenkin paljon helpompi lausua kuin
toteuttaa. Palkkaani oli kyllä hyvä joukko saamatta, mutta kassan
sisällys ei koskaan ehtinyt nousta niin korkealle, että sillä olisi voinut
kengät lunastaa, kun Tarkki tai joku muu minua paljon suuremmilla
vaatimuksilla esiintyvä tuli ja korjasi sen haltuunsa. Itse sain vain
parin markan tai korkeintaan viitosen eriä, niin että juuri ja juuri
tupakissa pysyin.
Eräänä päivänä, kun Silander oli toimistossa, esitin hänelle

jalkineitteni huolestuttavan tilan, näyttäen samalla suuremmaksi
vakuudeksi niiden pohjia toimituspöydän yli.
— Kyllä sinun, näenmä, pitää välttämättä saada uudet kengät, —

lausui hän lohduttavasti ja rupesi miettimään.
Hetken kuluttua kirkastui hänelle asia. Hän selaili ilmotuskirjaa ja

virkkoi:
— Kuulehan, Riku, kyllä me saamme sinulle kengät. Suutari

Kuosmanen on meille vielä hyvän joukon ilmotusvelkaa. Ei siis
muuta kuin menet hänen kenkäkauppaansa ja valitset itsellesi hyvät
jalkineet, joiden hinta sitten kuitataan Kuosmasen ilmotusvelkaan.
Tietysti minusta olisi ollut paljon mieluisempaa ostaa itselleni

kengät käteisellä, mutta kun näytti mahdottomalta saada sitä tähän
tarpeeseen, niin oli viisainta tyytyä Silanderin ehdotukseen. Niinpä
meninkin illalla työstä päästyäni Kuosmasen puotiin ja rupesin
valikoimaan kenkiä. Varasto oli sangen vähissä ja minä en löytänyt
mieleisiä. Mutta muuallekaan ei ollut meneminen ja katupölyn
tuhrimissa sukissakin tuntui kovin epämieluisalta edelleen kävellä.
Niin valitsin joukosta hienoimmat ja samalla vähimmän
sopimattomat. Ne olivat boxnahkaiset — ensi kerran taisin muuten
kuulla suutarin vakuutuksen, että ne ovat "ehta box-nahkaa", mikä
vaikutti minuun hyvin lumoavasti — englantilaismalliset
nauhakengät. Kun ne oli kääritty pakettiin, selitin minä hiukan
levotonna:
— Minä olen Riento-lehden aputoimittajia ja herra Silander käski

minun ottaa kengät teidän ilmotustiliinne.
Kunnianarvoisan suutarimestarin naama sai tämän kuultuaan

hyvin happaman ilmeen. Mitään protestia ei hän kuitenkaan tehnyt,
vaan antoi mahdollisimman niukalla päännyökäyksellä
suostumuksensa kauppaan. Arvatenkin lohdutti hän sittemmin
itseään sillä, että minä en ollut tinkinyt penniäkään kenkien
korkeasta hinnasta.
Heti kotiin tultua muutin uudet kenkäni jalkaan ja lähdin

iltakävelylle. Ne olivat siron kapeat, mutta tavattoman pitkäkärkiset,
niin että minusta alkoi väkisinkin tuntua, että jaloissani on kenkien
asemesta sukset. Ja melkein kaikkien vastaantulijain katseet
näyttivät vastustamattomasti kääntyvän niihin. Mutta minun täytyi nyt
kerta kaikkiaan tyytyä niihin sellaisina kuin ne olivat sekä lohduttaa
itseäni sillä, että yksi Kolkkalan kolmesta kauppaneuvoksesta käytti
juuri samanlaisia kenkiä.
*****
Syyspuoleen alkoi pukuni kaivata samanlaista uudistusta. Tosin

siinä ei vielä näkynyt ilmireikiä, mutta erinäiset kohdat olivat jo
käyneet niin kiiltäviksi, että niillä hätätilassa olisi voinut korvata peilin
puutteen. Sitäpaitsi ne olivat jo ammoin käytännöstä pois joutunutta
kuosia.
Kun sen nautinnon kaipuu, minkä uuden uutukaisessa ja
kuosikkaassa puvussa käyminen synnyttää, kävi päivä päivältä yhä
voimakkaammaksi, päätin minä astua Rubiconin yli — ja tilata
itselleni puvun. Kun onnen sanotaan suosivan rohkeita, niin arvelin
Riennon kassaan asianomaiseksi päiväksi kertyvän siksi paljon
rahaa, että saisin sillä pukuni lunastetuksi.
Olosuhteisiin katsoen päätin valita räätälin laitakaupungilta —

tyhmästi kylläkin, sillä sellaiset eläjäthän etupäässä karhuamisillaan
muuttavat lähimmäisensä elämän maalliseksi helvetiksi, elleivät heti
saa täyttä käteistä maksua. Koska räätälit — vaatturinimi ei ollut
Kolkkalassa vielä vakiintunut, joten rohkenen käyttää tuota vanhaa
kunnianarvoisaa räätäli-nimitystä — Kolkkalassakin olivat
pääasiallisesti kahdensukuisia: Leinoja ja Kanervia, kantoi räätäli,
johon minun vaalini sattui, ensinmainittua nimeä. Muutoin oli hän
tyypillinen laitakaupungin räätäli: laiha ja synkkäkatseinen. Oliko hän
lisäksi, kuten asiaan olisi kuulunut, keuhkotautinen, siitä en ehtinyt
päästä täyteen varmuuteen. Arvatenkaan hänen luonaan ei ollut
pistäytynyt ostajia viikkokausiin, sillä hänen ilonsa minun
ilmestymiseni johdosta oli suuri ja vilpitön.
No niin, kangas valittiin — vaikka, totta puhuen, valikoimisen varaa

ei sanottavasti ollut —, mitat otettiin ja hinnasta sovittiin. Puvun piti
olla viikon kuluttua valmiina.
Ilmotin kassaneidille, mikä tärkeä ja suurenpuoleinen menoerä

minulla oli edessäni ja hän lupasi tehdä voitavansa asiassa. Mutta
siitä huolimatta ei minun varalleni määräpäiväksi kertynyt viittä
markkaa enempää.
Toivoin jo, että puvun valmistuminen olisi tavallisuuden mukaan

myöhästynyt ja että sillä aikaa joku onnenpotku toisi kassaan

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Contemporary Perspectives in Human

Resource Management and

Leading Organizational Development and Change:

Organizational Behavior and Management 10th Edition

Green Human Resource Management Research: Issues,

Waste Management and Resource Recycling in the

Public Human Resource Management: Strategies and

Organizational Behavior: Human Behavior at Work: Human

Organizational Behavior (18th Edition) (Whatu2019s New

Human Resource Management: Strategy and Practice 10th

ISBN 978-3-031-30224-4 ISBN 978-3-031-30225-1 (eBook)

To my loving parents, Anjanee and Ramchandar, and my dearest sister

Welcome to the First Edition of Contemporary Perspectives in Human

1. Innovative Human Resource Management and Organizational

3. Employee Mental Health (Chapter 4)

. Chapter 1 more specifically introduces the importance of research

employee management and behaviors have costly implications for all

The book is a research monograph. It is aimed primarily at researchers,

Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago Riann Singh

1 Introduction to Contemporary Research Perspectives

12 Conclusions and Future Research Directions

Fig. 1.1 Ten (10) Contemporary Research Topics in HRM and OB 10

Introduction to Contemporary Research

1. To assess the relationship between the fields of HRM and OB and

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 1

and practices operate within complex organizational systems and struc-

Relevance of Research in the Field: Addressing Research-Practice

defining research question within HRM research (Harney & Collings,

Notably, even before the dramatic advent of COVID-19, significant

within organizations. The world of work is again at an inflexion point,

Contemporary Research Perspectives

alternative work arrangements, changes to employees’ routines and the

that impact organizations? Such questions present research gaps worthy

1. Innovative Human Resource Management and Organizational

Contemporary Responses within a

Emerging OB Challenges that can be

The Unique HRM Challenge within

Alternative Contemporary Perspectives

Fig. 1.1 Ten (10) Contemporary Research Topics in HRM and OB

Organization of the Book: A Roadmap for Readers

chapters (Chapters 2 to 11) provide research overviews and outline

Chapter 7 zooms in on the special case or unique situation of small

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2018). Organizational behavior. 18th Edition.

Innovative Human Resource Management

1. To describe crises within the contemporary business environment.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 15

. Organizational crises are highly ambiguous in nature, causes, and

It must be noted that even though organizational crises can have

contemporary business environment, now more than ever. For instance,

The COVID-19 Crisis and the Impact on Employees

Organizational Crises Emanating from Environmental Dimensions

frequency over time. Therefore, the ability of organizations to cope

management is important to ensure there is ongoing environmental scan-

a more comprehensive and strategic approach toward the management

Innovative HRM and OB Responses to Crises

Fig. 2.1 Innovative and emerging HRM and OB responses to crises

to recover successfully and endure organizational crises when compared

develop situation specific responses to, and ultimately engage in trans-