Section Five EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE: THE CASE FOR THE
CONTINGENCY VIEW
Similar to the support for the universal best practices view, a
study of human resource practices in manufacturing plants by
Youndt and colleagues found strong support for the
contingency approach. This study of 97 manufacturing plants
found positive operational performance effects when systems of
human–capital-enhancement practices were linked to
complementary quality manufacturing strategies. Human
resource practices were measured with multiple scales for the
areas of staffing, training, performance appraisal, and
compensation. Items for human resource practices were
combined into indexes representing a human resource
administrative system as well as a human–capital-enhancing
system.^110
The researchers’ definition of the administrative system
included measures of “selection for manual and physical skills,
policies and procedures training, results-based performance
appraisal, individual equity, individual incentives, and hourly
pay.”^111 Their definition of the human– capital-enhancing
system included the following practices: “selective staffing,
selection for technical and problem-solving skills,
comprehensive training, training for technical and