5 CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
European history has been charged with conflict and alliances for two thousand
years. Yet, from the beginning, there have been attempts to unify Europe.
Between 50 BCand AD50, the Emperors Caesar and Claudius established Roman
rule across most of Europe. Long after the collapse of the Roman Empire,
Charlemagne, in AD800, was crowned Emperor and reigned over great parts of
the continent (stretching from the Mediterranean to the North and Baltic seas).
However, throughout this history, nationalist sentiment has also played an
important role. Will the forces of twenty-first century globalisation and the social
capitalism prevalent in Europe prove stronger in establishing a unified zone for
commerce and prosperity? Will Europeans continue to develop a sense of com-
mon identity and common understanding of management? Do the various
endeavours to harmonise HR practice across Europe point in the direction of
long-term convergence? Or will the national differences remain profound?
It should not be assumed that European HR managers will increasingly
adopt the (universalist) American way and that US ideas will sweep across the
old continent. Nor should it be assumed that the increasing formalisation of
rules on employment that is being provided by the EU will lead to convergence
towards a European model. These are matters for further empirical investigation
in the future. However, it would not be too bold to predict that Europe will con-
tinue to be different from the USA in the way it approaches HRM, that regional
differences within Europe will remain and that ‘country’ will continue to pro-
vide a significant explanation for the differences in HR policies and practices.
It may be that, in the future, as flexibility, adaptability and agility increas-
ingly become sources of competitive advantage, the value of coherence and
unity enjoyed by countries such as the USA and Japan is lessened and the value
of diversity increases. If so, then regions like Europe, with its capacity to draw
on substantial diversity, may be in a better position to respond to the chal-
lenges of the modern era.
Arguably, there are many areas, such as providing for higher levels of edu-
cated workforces and the positive communication between managers and the
representatives of the employees, where individual countries in Europe could
be said to lead the field. There is certainly scope for HRM ‘made in Europe’.
6 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1 What factors might make US HRM models increasingly influential for European
HR managers? What elements of the US models are likely to create problems for
managers in Europe?
188 International Human Resource Management