Centre for Organisations and Society Seminar Dr Gokce Basbug (Durham University)

National skill profiles and the use of data analytics for employee performance monitoring: Evidence from European establishments

Abstract

Drawing on skill formation regimes and societal effects perspectives, this study examines how national skill profiles influence firms’ adoption of human resource analytics, specifically for employee performance monitoring. Using representative data covering 16,395 establishments across 28 European countries, it shows that establishments are more likely to adopt data analytics for performance monitoring in national contexts where the skill level is comparatively low. The study further demonstrates that the degree of task autonomy in the work environment mediates the relationship between national skill level and the use of analytics. Specifically, it shows that when establishments have higher skill levels in the national context at their disposal, they tend to create a work environment with high task autonomy, which in turn constrains the use of analytics for performance monitoring. The findings shed light on a mechanism through which the broader institutional context influences firms’ adoption of data analytics for human resource management.

About the speaker

Gokce Basbug is an Assistant Professor of Human Resource Management at Durham University Business School. Before joining Durham University, he was an Assistant Professor of Management at Sungkyunkwan University Graduate School of Business in South Korea. He received his Ph.D. from MIT Sloan School of Management and BA from Istanbul University.

Gokce’s research focuses on work and employment issues. Specifically, he studies how individuals search for jobs, the experience of unemployment, gender segregation in labor markets, and health and safety in organizations. He has published his research in ILR Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Business Ethics, and The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences.

Website: gokcebasbug.com