Oxford Handbook of Human Resource Management

interdependencies across employment systems. In an attempt to overcome this
limitation, Kang et al. (in press) focus directly on the implications of managing
both knowledge stocks andXows in the HR architecture. According to Kang et al.
(in press), success in creating customer value requires thatWrms are successful in
both exploitative and exploratory innovation based on employee knowledge.
Recognizing that diVerent employee groups within the HR architecture possess
diVerent levels and types of knowledge, leveraging that knowledge requires that
organizations design HR systems in a way to encourage entrepreneurial activity
among employees for exploratory innovation as well as cooperative activity among
employees to exploit and extend existing knowledge for competitive advantage.
Two relational HR archetypes are proposed to accomplish these goals.
Acooperative relational archetype is characterized by a dense social network
with strong ties among members, generalized trust based on shared norms of
reciprocity, and a common architectural knowledge that provides the basis for
coordination and integration among diVerent sources of employee knowledge.
This tightly coordinated network structure is anticipated to allow employees to
exchange, combine, and integrate in-depth knowledge with all members of the
network to exploit and extend existing knowledge to create customer value.
The primary HR activities that support a cooperative relational archetype are

Alliance partners Knowledge

employees

Contract

workers

Job-based

employees

Low

Uniqueness

High

Strategic

Low value High

Knowledge flow

Fig. 11.2. HR architectural perspective and knowledge flows

224 david lepak and scott a. snell