Toward a Unifying Framework for Exploring Fit and Flexibility in Strategic Human Resource Management

Abstract

In this article we present a framework for studying the concepts of fit and flexibility in the field of strategic human resource management (HRM), focusing on HRM practices, employee skills, and employee behaviors, and review past conceptual and empirical work within that framework. We present a model of strategic HRM and use this model to explore the concepts of fit and flexibility as they apply to strategic HRM. After applying the concepts of resource and coordination flexibility to strategic HRM, we discuss the implications of the framework for both the practice of and research on strategic HRM.