A Theory‐Based Analysis of Null Causality between HRM Practices and Outcomes: Evidence from Four‐Wave Longitudinal Data
基于一般系统理论，利用公共医疗部门的四波纵向数据，分析人力资源管理实践与组织绩效和工作满意度之间的因果关系，发现这些关系在高度制度化的环境中受动态平衡力影响而趋于稳定，因果效应可能不显著。
Abstract The last three decades have seen a growing interest in understanding the influence of human resource management (HRM) practices on employee job satisfaction and organizational performance. While the results have been generally positive, most studies have utilized cross‐sectional research designs, which limit causal inferences. Recently, several studies have used longitudinal data but have not consistently found significant causal links between HRM practices and outcomes after controlling for past outcomes. This points to a tension in the literature that merits further investigation. Drawing on general systems theory (GST), we explore this issue by proposing and testing a set of null causal relationships involving HRM practices, organizational performance (i.e., patient satisfaction), and job satisfaction. We show that average scores on HRM practices and outcomes remain relatively stable at the organizational level over time, such that any observed within‐organization change is likely negligible or non‐significant. Using four‐wave longitudinal data (with two, four, and six‐year time lags) from the public healthcare sector, we argue that the causal links between HRM practices and outcomes are indeed sensitive to the forces of dynamic equilibrium operating within a highly institutionalized context. We use GST to highlight the self‐sustaining nature of HRM systems and discuss the ramifications of this stability for strategic HRM research and practice.