shrm poll hrscholarly_finalrev

August 5, 2010

SHRM Poll: The Use of HR Scholarly Research in Developing HR Solutions

HR Scholarly Research| ©SHRM 2010 2

During the past 12 months, how often did you review scholarly research or practice-oriented materials in human resource management and/or business (e.g., read academic articles/abstracts, watched presentations)?

More than once

One time

Never

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Scholarly research74%



Practice-oriented mate-rials93%



Note: n = 377 - 382.

• The top sources of scholarly research reviewed/read by HR professionals were: Harvard Business Review, the SHRM website and HR Magazine.

• Ninety-three percent of HR professionals reviewed practice-oriented materials “more than once” during the past 12 months compared with 74% who had reviewed scholarly research.


Do you use scholarly research (e.g., academic articles/abstracts, presentations) in human resource management and/or business to help develop HR solutions for your organization?

Yes; 78%

No; 22%

Note: n = 379.


To what extent do you use scholarly research in developing HR solutions for your organization?

To a large ex-tent; 16%

To some extent; 60%

To a small ex-tent; 23%

To no extent at all; 1%

Note: n = 281. Only respondents who used scholarly research in human resource management and/or business to help develop HR solutions for their organizations were included in this analysis.


In what areas of human resource management and/or business do you generally review scholarly research (e.g., academic articles/abstracts, presentations)?

Other

Global HR

Diversity

Ethics and sustainability

Staffing management

Labor relations

Compensation

Business leadership

Benefits

Organizational and employee development

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

5%

13%

22%

33%

43%

44%

46%

49%

57%

71%

Note: n = 282. Percentages do not total 100% as multiple response options were allowed. Only respondents who used scholarly research in human resource management and/or business to help develop HR solutions for their organizations were included in this analysis.


What are the primary reasons you do not use scholarly research (e.g., academic articles/abstracts, presentations) in human resource management and/or business to help develop HR solutions for your organization?

The research is difficult to apply in the workplace

HR solutions is not my primary responsibility

I don’t have access to this research

I don’t think this research would be useful in developing HR solutions for my organization

The research is difficult to read and interpret

I don’t have the time to review this research

I didn’t realize that this research would be useful in developing HR solutions for my organization

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

10%

12%

18%

18%

23%

35%

49%

Note: n = 79. Percentages do not total 100% as multiple response options were allowed. Only respondents who did not use scholarly research in human resource management and/or business to help develop HR solutions for their organizations were included in this analysis.


What would encourage you to use scholarly research (academic articles/abstracts, presentations) in developing HR solutions for your organization?

Other

If the research was integrated with other sources of information for HR (e.g., HR web sites, magazines, conferences, etc.)

If the research was translated into HR tools, standards and toolkits

If the research was easily accessible

If the research was presented in an easily digestible format

If the research was translated into applicable examples/case studies for the workplace

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

5%

44%

60%

61%

62%

66%

Note: n = 359. Percentages do not total 100% as multiple response options were allowed.

HR Scholarly Research| ©SHRM 2010

Demographics: Organization Industry

IndustryManufacturing—other 16%

Health care, social assistance (e.g., nursing homes, EAP providers) 12%

Services—professional, scientific, technical, legal, engineering 10%

Educational services/education 9%

Government/public administration—federal, state/local, tribal 6%

Financial services (e.g., banking) 4%

Consulting 4%

High-Tech 4%

Insurance 3%

8

Note: n = 350. Percentages do not total 100% due to rounding.


Demographics: Organization Industry (continued)

IndustryConstruction, mining, oil and gas 3%

Retail/wholesale trade 3%

Other services (e.g., nonprofit, church/religious organizations) 3%

Services—accommodation, food and drinking places 3%

Telecommunications 3%

Real estate, rental, leasing 2%

Arts, entertainment, recreation 2%

Transportation, warehousing (e.g., distribution) 2%

Association—professional/trade 2%

Utilities 1%

Manufacturing—auto/auto-related 1%

Biotech 1%

Publishing, broadcasting, other media 1%

Pharmaceutical 1%

Other 5%

9



Demographics: Organization Sector

Other

Government sector

Nonprofit organization

Publicly owned for-profit organization

Privately owned for-profit organization

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

6%

7%

19%

21%

46%

10



Demographics: Organization Staff Size

1 to

99

emplo

yees

100

to 4

99 e

mplo

yees

500

to 2

499

emplo

yees

2500

to 2

4999

em

ploye

es

2500

0 or

mor

e em

ploye

es

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

9%

29%

25% 24%

13%

11

Note: n = 216


Demographics: Other

12

Note: n = 363

U.S.-based operations 71%

Multinational operations 29%

Single-unit company: company in which the location and the company are one and the same

33%

Multi-unit company: company that has more than one location

67%

Multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies and practices

44%

Each work location determines HR policies and practices

3%

A combination of both the work location and the multi-unit headquarters determine HR policies and practices

53%

Is organization a single-unit company or a multi-unit company?

Are HR policies and practices determined by the multi-unit corporate headquarters, by each work location or both?

Does organization have U.S.-based operations (business units) only or does it operate multinationally?

Note: n = 362

Note: n = 254

• 20% of organizations indicated that employees at their work location were unionized.

Note: n = 351


SHRM Poll: The Use of HR Scholarly Research in Developing HR Solutions

• Response rate = 14%• Sample comprised of 382 randomly selected HR

professionals from SHRM’s membership• Margin of error is +/- 5% • Survey fielded July 15 – July 27, 2010

13

Methodology

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