This book aims to explain the phenomenon that clearly exists in practice but is largely ignored in the literature. We explored a new research avenue by investigating the HRM gap, which concerns the employee perception of the discrepancy between the espoused HPWS and the actual HR experiences in the work group. Our qualitative studies show that employees experience a wide gap between the two. Top management's commitment to HPWS implementation and the visibility of both team managers and the HR department systematically influence the degree to which employees perceive this discrepancy. Moreover, the HRM gap has a negative effect on employee attitudes and behavior. This book deepens our understanding of how employee perception of actual HR experiences is shaped during the implementation process.
About the Author: Jongwook Pak received PhD from the College of Business Administration, Seoul National University, Korea, MSc. from the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE), and Master in labour studies from Universita Degli Studi di Milano. Prior to PhD, he worked as a management consultant at booz & company, Accenture, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). His research interests include high performance work systems (HPWS) and organizational innovation. Email: jwpak@snu.ac.kr Goo Hyeok Chung is assistant professor at the College of Business, Kwangwoon University, Korea. He received his BA from the College of Engineering, Yonsei University; MA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota; and PhD from the college of Business Administration at Seoul National University. He formerly worked for Hyundai Engineering and Construction (HDEC) as a cost control engineer and for LG CNS as a system engineer, business analyst, and consultant. His research interests include SHRM, innovation, and organizational creativity. Email: ghchung@kw.ac.kr Seongsu Kim is professor of human resource management at the Graduate School of Business, Seoul National University. Kim held faculty positions at Case Western Reserve University and SUNY-Stony Brook previously. His current research is concerned with changes/innovations in HRM and organizational culture in Korean and global companies. He has written extensively on the impact of HR practices on employees' attitudes and firms' performance. Email: sk2@snu.ac.kr Jin Nam Choi is professor of management at Seoul National University, South Korea. He earned his PhD in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan. His research interests include innovation implementation, organizational creativity, and multilevel processes of human behavior in organizations. Email: jnchoi@snu.ac.kr