Human Resource Department Power and Influence Through Symbolic Action

In: Human relations: towards the integration of the social sciences, Band 50, Heft 11, S. 1403-1426

Abstract

The present study integrates theory and research on power, politics, and social constructionism to investigate how human resource (HR) departments in organizations gain influence. Survey results from 242 organizations demonstrated that symbolic actions are stronger predictors of HR department power than unionization, HR performance, and top management attitudes. Implications of the results are discussed as are directions for future research.