Bounded professionalism nexus: HR professionalism within and across organizational boundaries

Abstract

Even though the field of human resources is rife with tensions and contradictions, little is known about how HR practitioners experience and navigate these challenges. The impact of these tensions and ambiguities on HR professionalism remains understudied. Using the framework of “bounded professionalism”, this study explores how HR practitioners in business organizations (RBOs) and staffing agencies (RSAs) navigate professional and organizational tensions. Through a qualitative methodology, we conducted 60 semi-structured interviews with HR practitioners from a variety of organizational settings. By examining the complicated experiences of HR practitioners, we highlight the nuanced ways in which they manage and mitigate professional and organizational tensions. This paper introduces and further develops the concept of “bounded professionalism nexus,” which implies that collaboration between professionals across organizational boundaries may exacerbate the experience of bounded professionalism. Specifically, we identify the triggers and implications of “bounded professionalism nexus”, demonstrating how cross-border organizational relations contribute to suboptimal performance in both RSAs and RBOs. According to our findings, these tensions are not only prevalent, but also have significant implications for HR professionalism. This study concludes by examining the broader implications of the “bounded professionalism nexus” for HR professionals and offering suggestions for mitigating these tensions.