Human Resource Policies, Management Accounting and Organisational Performance

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between human resource (HR) policies, management accounting and organisational performance in Canada, Japan and the UK.

Design/methodology/approach
A cross case analysis of the observations emerging from each of six case studies (two in Canada, two in Japan and two in the UK) result in a set of 13 findings.

Findings
The seven main HR policies emerging from this study are the “job for life” (in one British and two Japanese cases), recruitment, training, performance‐related bonus scheme, teamwork, organisational culture and pensions. Important communication links between HR managers and management accountants are budgets, strategic plans, performance‐related bonus scheme and decision making. The “job for life” policy, employee recruitment decisions, viewing employees as assets (rather than costs), training, performance‐related bonus scheme, teamwork, organisational culture and a good pension scheme all had an impact on organisational performance.

Research limitations/implications
It is very difficult to link specific HR policies with changes in organisational performance because of the number of other variables affecting organisational performance and the time lags involved.

Originality/value
Several of the case studies are making real progress in establishing links between specific HR policies and changes in organisational performance by using benchmarking or employee opinion surveys or a combination of the results of both external benchmarking and employee opinion surveys over a number of years.