Human resource management in public-private partnership organisations: A review

Abstract

The proliferating phenomenon of public-private partnership (PPP) in public service provision continues to lay a firm foundation for the growth of organizations of hybrid character (van Gestel, Denis, & Ferlie, 2020). Unfortunately, the effects of such organizational arrangements on critical management practices remain underexplored (Berman, 2012). Analytically focusing on purpose-based taxonomy of practices including hiring, training, compensation, and employment relations (Chuang, Chen, & Chuang, 2013), this paper theoretically explores the possible implications of the PPP modality on human resource management (HRM) practice at the organizational level. Thirteen (13) critical propositions are delineated from interpretively intersecting extant knowledge from PPP and HRM strands of literature. In essence, the analysis suggests a) the high dependence of HRM practice and decision-making on the structural and institutional context, b) the necessity for more agility, characterized by adaptability and dynamism, and c) the need for a changed management competence profile of practitioners focusing on strategic and integrative skills sets in a PPP organization context. The paper advances the propositions as important insights for practitioners and as potent directions for further research.