The Role of Leadership in Human Resource Management: Perspectives and Evidence from China

This book underscores the crucial link between leadership and human resource management (HRM) and their collective impact on organizational outcomes. It highlights the need for integrating research in both fields to fully understand their effects at organizational, team, and individual levels. The interaction between leadership and HRM, which can either complement or substitute for one another, is beginning to be explored in recent studies. Specifically, the book points out the relevance of cultural, institutional, and historical contexts in the Asia Pacific, particularly in China, where Western models may not capture the unique aspects of leadership and HRM. It discusses the significance of paternalistic leadership and specific HRM practices in China, emphasizing their implications for performance.

The book argues for the importance of examining these interactions comprehensively, suggesting that a combined study of leadership and HRM, across different levels and contexts, presents valuable research avenues. The twelve chapters in this volume offers insights into leadership and HRM in China, showcasing a variety of leadership behaviours and HRM practices.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.

Shuming Zhao is Senior Professor, Honorary Dean of the School of Business, and Dean of Xingzhi College, Nanjing University. He received his PhD in management from Claremont Graduate University in California, USA. His research interests include human resource management, manager’s competence, and multinational business management.

Mingwei Liu is Professor at the School of Management and Labor Relations of Rutgers University. He received a PhD degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University. His research interests fall into three broad areas: comparative employment relations and human resource management, high performance work practices in different industries and national contexts, and labor standards and corporate social responsibility in global value chains.

Meng Xi is Associate Professor at College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, P.R. China. He received his Ph.D. in Management from Nanjing University, China. His primary research interests focus on employment relations, strategic leadership, strategic human resource management, and entrepreneurship.

Cherrie Jiuhua Zhu is Professor of Human Resource Management (HRM) and Chinese Studies at Monash Business School, Monash University. She received her PhD in the area of HRM from the University of Tasmania. Her research areas cover cross-culture management, especially HRM, and the impact of international business on HRM policies and practices.

Hong Liu is Professor at School of Business, Nanjing University, China. He received a PhD degree in management science and engineering from Wuhan University of Technology. His research areas include human resource management, and organizational change.