| Professionals working in human resource management (HRM) play a key role in personnel management and industrial relations. As strategic business partners, HRM professionals assist in assuring organizational success. An absence of research examining the effects of organizational culture on the performance of HRM professionals may place some HRM professionals at a disadvantage. Different culture typologies may support or impede HRM professionals' efforts in their roles as organizational strategists. The purpose of this study was to examine how HRM professionals working in hierarchical cultures managed the conflict of satisfying competing demands from multiple constituent groups while attempting to satisfy the needs and expectations of employees.;A single case research design aligned with case study analysis was utilized in this qualitative study to explore the strategies, techniques, and coping mechanisms HRM professionals developed to manage the phenomena. Eleven HRM professionals from Long Island, NY, completed a standard electronic self-report survey questionnaire that included the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI; Cameron & Quinn, 2011) to determine participants' culture typology and 10 open-ended questions that focused on participants' experiences and perceptions. Five of the participants participated in a telephonic follow-up interview. A coding system was used to identify and label the data into categories and sub-categories for better interpretation.;The findings in this study were that hierarchical culture was more likely to affect HRM practices than HRM practices were to affect organizational culture. Participants did not develop specific strategies or techniques to manage the conflict of competing constituent demands in hierarchical cultures but utilized established good or best HRM practices, occasionally with more frequency or greater intensity. Participants utilized coping mechanisms individuals use to manage stressors in various life situations. Because the strategies and techniques appeared to be generally good or best HRM practices, HRM professionals working in hierarchical cultures should assess the strategies, techniques, and coping mechanisms discussed in this study. Based on their intimate knowledge and perceptions of their organizational dynamics, constituent relationships, and their own experiences, these HRM professionals should select and utilize the strategies, techniques, and coping mechanisms that are most beneficial in managing competing constituent demands.;Key Words: constituency theory, employee relations, employer-employee exchange relationship, hierarchical cultures, HRM practices, HRM professionals, organizational culture, organizational justice, organizational psychology, psychological climate, psychological contracts, stakeholder theory, trust, trustworthiness. |
