UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES, CONTINGENCIES AND CONSEQUENCES OF BUILDING BEST WORKPLACES IN THE CONTEXT OF ‘GREAT PLACES TO WORK®’ IN INDIA

For the past decade, few if any management topics or ideas have received more attention and discussion in human resource management practice than being rated among the best companies to work for. Accordingly, the topic has started gaining attention among academic literature relating to the popular “100 Best Companies To Work For”. The author content analysed 11 articles covered between 2003 and 2014 that directly studied the work on Best Companies survey established by the Great Place To Work Institute®. The author also examined the studies that covered the strategic contributions of the Human Resource Practices which captured the changing role of HR Managers. The author observed that literature on Great Place To Work is segmented in two themes: (a) themes that cover positive consequences of being among the Best Companies such as Customer Satisfaction, Financial Performance and (b) themes that highlight the lessons from the best practices of “100 Best Companies”. The focus of studies on HR Practices have been on those that provide sustainable competitive advantages for organizations ranging from strategic fit, HR Systems to methodological issues. Lesser studies have clarified the contributions of HR and Line Managers in creating Best Companies. The author explains the need for further research referring to the ‘100 best list' in developing a better understanding of HR Manager's line role and Line Manager's HR Role.