THE ROLE OF HUMAN-RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN CONCURRENT ENGINEERING APPROACHES TO PRODUCT INNOVATION - AUSTRALIAN AND INDONESIAN EXPERIENCES

Where human resource management (HRM) has been addressed in concurrent engineering (CE), it has been universalistic, prescriptive, and issue s rather than system based. This article challenges this perspective t hrough a critical examination of CE and its associated cross-functiona l arrangements. Following a review of HRM in CE, an analytic framework is proposed for the systematic exploration of HRM in product innovati on. Next, a case analysis of HRM involvement in CE initiatives in Aust ralian and Indonesian manufacturing firms is undertaken, and the impli cations for real and rhetorical change in CE practices are discussed. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.