인적자본, 인력구성 및 전략

This article investigates the relationship between human resources and firm performance. The basic premise underlying the field of strategic human resource management (SHRM) is that human resources are an important factor in explaining organizational performance. The discussion of human resources as a source of sustained competitive advantage has been dominated by a perspective focusing on human resource (HR) practices. However, this discussion, while practically seems attractive, is theoretically deficient. Despite the growing body of empirical research on HRM - performance link, the field fails to explain systematically why the relationship exists or was found. Thus, the field of SHRM has been criticized for lacking a solid theoretical foundation. Contrary to the approach of extant research, I conceptualize human resources as the total pool of human capital which exists in an organization. Human resource practices, on the other hand, are the organizational activities purporting at managing the pool of human capital. This perspective recognizes the individual members of organizations as the important resource rather than the human resource practices used by the organization. In addition, this definition distinguishes between treating human resources as an individual or an special group of individuals and the total workforce. Clearly, most of the research on human resources as a source of competitive advantage has focused on CEO or top management teams. While it is true that an individual or elite group of individuals may create temporary competitive advantage, I argue that a more likely source of sustained competitive advantage is the larger pool of human capital that constitutes the entire organization. In order to achieve purpose of the research, I conceptualized the total human resource pool as total human capital and human resource composition. I then developed the hypotheses to propose the effect of human capital and human resource composition upon firm performance. The study selected small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) as a setting for empirical inquiry. Many SMEs often encounter diverse human resource problems, while at the same time these human resources play a critical role in creating and sustaining their competitive advantages. Data were collected through field surveys and complemented by secondary sources. In order to enhance reliability and validity of the survey data, we filled out questionnaires through direct interviews with the top managers of the sample firms. The firms in the sample represent diverse industry sectors, from traditional textile companies to high-tech electronics companies. I tested the hypotheses using hierarchical moderated regression analysis. The results showed that (1) the sum of human capital significantly influences SMEs performance, (2) the effects of human capital on performance are moderated by types of competitive strategy, and (3) The interaction of human resource composition and strategy variables has a significant impact on firm performance. This article developed a framework to analyze the total human resource pool in an organization. Moreover, the study introduced the human resource composition variable which has never been used in prior research, and produced interesting empirical results. Future research is needed to discuss the meanings of human resource composition in an organization. I also hope that this research will help develop more solid theory on the relationship between human resources and organizational performance.