Human resource management and performance: lessons from the Netherlands

The relationship between HRM and firm performance has been a hotly debated topic over the last decade, with the great bulk of the primary scientific research coming from the USA and, to a lesser extent, the UK. We start with an overview of this research to give a frame of reference to compare the findings from the Netherlands. By comparing the results of research in the Netherlands with those in the USA and the UK we hope to reveal the secret of achieving 'competitive advantage through people' (Pfeffer, 1994) in the Netherlands. The comparison may further allow us to supplement resource-based approaches with a more institutional perspective.