Human Resource Development in Service Firms Across Cultures

Abstract

Due to the continued growth of the global services sector, it is essential that service firms have a greater understanding of the implementation of human resource development (HRD) in different cultures and how HRD relates to service quality. The purpose of this article is to develop a theoretical model that stresses the importance of HRD alignment with national and organizational culture in increasing perceptions of service quality. In this article, we present a model that integrates the role of national culture, organizational culture, and HRD into a conceptual framework and develops several propositions. This article suggests that the overall effectiveness in service quality will likely increase when HRD interventions are aligned with the national culture and organizational culture. HRD managers in service firms should understand the role of national culture and organizational culture when implementing HRD. Managers who fail to consider national values and their relationship with organizational culture will be less successful at implementing HRD.