Abstract
I just returned from Helsinki, Finland, where I facilitated a three-day course on strategic HR for a group of mainly nonhospitality managers and executives. The opportunity to engage with individuals who work in manufacturing, health care, government, financial services, and several other industry sectors was very enriching and forced me to reflect on my role as a scholar that focuses on hospitality-specific concerns. While each of the individuals faces a unique set of competitive challenges—some have to cope with significant regulatory constraints, for instance, and others were juggling international growth concerns—there was an amazing degree of consistency regarding the roles and relevance of the HR function. In contrast, however, it was clearly evident that roles and relevance of various HR policies, practices, and systems that can be used to help organizational leaders achieve strategic and operational goals are distinctive and must be based on a comprehensive understanding of situation-specific factors.
This insight presents a paradox. Through research, scholars attempt to find answers to questions that can be applied to a wide array of settings. Indeed, one of the hallmarks of rigorous research is the extent to which the results can be generalized to contexts beyond the focus of the particular study. However, given the variability of competitive and related factors that may be important both within and across organizations, there are obvious limits regarding the extent to which we can apply what we have learned. As such, we must consider explanations that account for this variability, rather than seeking to explain and test “the model.” For example, one of the emerging topics in my discipline is the notion of HR flexibility. And while the construct domain is somewhat fuzzy, and our understanding of the mechanisms by which this construct may influence firm performance requires additional elaboration, I applaud the efforts that have been taken thus far. I encourage my academic colleagues to take a similar path and develop more adaptive explanations that account for the inherently dynamic qualities that characterize almost all work organizations, including and particularly those that are specific to hospitality settings. In doing so, we may resolve the generalizability-contingency paradox and find answers that have lasting impact.
—J.B.T.