HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (HRM) PROJECT-ORIENTED ORGANISATIONS: CHALLENGES AND CHANGES

ABSTRACT

This thesis is about human resource management (HRM) in project-based organizations. Firms have over the last decades tended to rely increasingly on project-based structures. This process of project implies a changed work situation for individuals in modern organizations. Researchers from the project field of research as well as from the HRM field of research have pointed to possible implications that project might have for HRM. This thesis explores this area through a combination of multiple, comparative, and single case studies of project-based organizations. The studies aim at identifying and analyzing the changes and challenges for HRM in this particular context.

The studies are presented in four separate papers. The findings suggest a number of important and empirically nested challenges related to Competence, Trust, Change, and Individuals. Moreover, the changing roles of HR departments and line managers in the overall HR organization are discussed and analyzed. The thesis proposes alternative roles for line managers, depending on the organizational context, and it also proposes two ’ideal types’ of HR-departmental structures.

Keywords: HRM, project-based organizations, project, HR department, line manager, competence, trust, change, individual