Professionalisation and convergence-divergence of HRM: China, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom compared

Abstract

HRM has long claimed professional status. The global prevalence of national-level people management associations (PMA) supports this claim. Aside from prescribing practices appropriate for differing national contexts, PMAs simultaneously claim to share international best practices. This divergence/convergence tension raises questions about whether common institutional circumstances trigger PMA formation and if universal associational features develop over time. This article addresses both concerns by extrapolating a reanalysis of two historical accounts of PMA formation in the United Kingdom (from 1913) and Hong Kong (from 1968) to commensurate developments in contemporary China (from 2001). Its application of a modified version of trait theory with institutional analysis finds that a family resemblance occurs between PMAs created by adapting to employment regulation from the state while promoting employers' substantive interests. A path-dependent legacy of these tensions reflects the HR professionalisation project's broader institutional subordination to state and market forces.