THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HRM PRACTICES - A ST UDY OF UNIONIZED PROFESSIONALS IN QUEBEC

Evaluating the effectiveness of human resource (HR) practices is a key dimension of the ''new'' Human Resource Management model. However, de spite a great deal of prescriptive literature, little empirical resear ch has been conducted on this topic, mainly because of the complexitie s involved in designing research that controls for the major variables intervening between the HR practices and organizational effectiveness . By choosing to measure HR management effectiveness in terms of the c apacity of HR practices to reduce professional dissatisfaction, the de sign of the present research is not only practical, but also effective . Based on a sample of 2497 unionized professionals in Quebec, the stu dy shows that professional dissatisfaction - related to the clash of v alues between managerial and professional cultures - is positively cor related with low organizational commitment, low perceived performance and several deviant behaviors (Raelin 1986a). Among the many HR practi ces treated in the literature on the management of professionals, a nu mber of practices are given special prominence for their potential to diminish the clash of values between managerial and professional cultu res. The sixty-six practices selected for the study can be grouped as follows: (I)job enrichment/enlargement practices (allowing a better us e of abilities), (2) communication practices (allowing a better unders tanding of the corporate vision), (3) ''weak'' control practices (allo wing more autonomy to professionals while maintaining some control ove r their work), (4) participation practices, (5) development and career practices, (6) recognition practices and (7) other practices related to working conditions, employees' rights and expression mechanisms. Re spondents were asked to indicate whether each of these practices exist ed in their setting.