Understanding HRM-Firm Performance Linkages: The Role of the "Strength" of the HRM System

Theory building has logged on the intermediate linkages responsible for the relationship between HRM and firm performance. The construct of "strength of the HRM system" is introduced and the metafeatures of an HRM system is described that results in an string organizational climate, analogous to Mischel's "strong situation," in which individuals share a common interpretation of what behaviors are expected and rewarded. The strength of the HRM system can help explain how individual employee attributes accumulate to affect organizational effectiveness.