Journal of Management
1999, Vol. 25, No. 3, 385– 415

Human Resources Management: Some
New Directions
Gerald R. Ferris
University of Mississippi

Wayne A. Hochwarter
University of Alabama

M. Ronald Buckley
University of Oklahoma

Gloria Harrell-Cook
Mississippi State University

Dwight D. Frink
University of Mississippi

The theory, research, and practice of Human Resource Management (HRM) has evolved considerably over the past century, and experienced a major transformation in form and function primarily within the past two decades. Driven by a number of significant internal and external environmental forces, HRM has progressed from a largely maintenance function, with little if any bottom line impact, to what many scholars and practitioners today regard as the source of sustained competitive advantage for organizations operating in a global economy.
In this 25th anniversary Yearly Review issue, we conduct a less comprehensive and more focused review of the field of HRM. In doing so, we attempt to articulate some key concepts and issues that can be productively integrated with HRM to provide some interesting and important directions for future work, and consider ways to bridge the gap between the science and practice of HRM. © 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

This 1999 Yearly Review marks the 25th anniversary of the Journal of
Management, and indeed, over this quarter century, the organizational sciences have witnessed an evolution of this journal from start-up phase to its present status as one of the well-respected publications in the field. It is on this auspicious occasion that we take the opportunity to review the evolution, developments, and directions in the field of Human Resource Management (HRM). If we target the

Direct all correspondence to: Gerald R. Ferris, School of Business Administration,