The Effects of Outsourcing and Devolvement on the Strategic Position of HR Departments
基于战略权变理论，研究了HR活动外包和下放对HR部门战略地位的影响，发现下放有负面影响，非核心任务外包有正面影响，核心任务外包无显著影响。
Abstract This article critically examines how outsourcing and devolvement of HR activities influence the strategic position of HR departments. Past research has offered conflicting predictions about their impact, ranging from a very positive move of HR departments to powerful strategic positions to a rather negative move toward marginality as their tasks are being taken over by either external providers or line managers. In an effort to resolve existing inconsistencies in the literature, we base our propositions on the strategic contingency theory of subunit power (Hickson, Hinings, Lee, Schneck, & Pennings, 1971). Our results suggest that the strategic position of HR departments is negatively influenced by devolvement to line management and positively influenced by outsourcing of noncore HR tasks. No significant effect of outsourcing core HR activities was found. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.