The concept of organizational climate has been studied in the field of organization studies for the last three decades and is generally related to the performance of the organization. More recently, researchers on organizational climate have focused on the 'issue specific' nature of climate such as in this case – the 'climates for human resources' (HR) in organizations. (i.e HR Climates) This has resulted in a more clear connection, both theoretically and practically, between specific climate themes and relevant outcomes.
On this basis, the aim of this study is to further a conceptual model and measure to understand the causes and consequences of HR climate in organizations. This is important given the role of HR management practices and policies on performance measures and work outcomes established in the literature and the need for meaningful measures of HR management in organizations. The overall purpose of the proposed research project is to further a framework in which HR Climate is related both to the existence of productive HR systems and structures and to the desired people-related outcomes. This research will be conducted using an international mixed methods multi-case study approach where organizations from the health, manufacturing, and financial services industries are assessed in the countries of Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Iran, Japan, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

Objectives

The objective of the study is to understand in different contexts ‘what works at work’ for the condition under which particular human resource (HR) management practices translate into effective performance and satisfied employees. Specifically, the study will:

• Examine the role of HR climate as an intervening variable, moderating the relationship between human resource (HR) practices and HR outcomes in organizations.
• Examine the degree to which the links between HR practices, the climate in which they are introduced, and outcomes for organizations and employees, can be universally identified or vary significantly between organizations and different national contexts.
• Validate a measure of HR climate available for use in different contexts.