Doctoral thesis of philosophy exploring human resource management practices an empirical study of the performing arts companies in australia

Exploring Human Resource Management Practices: An empirical study of the Performing Arts companies in Australia A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Stanley Chibuzo Opara Dip of Strategic Communication Management, Open Poly of New Zealand Bachelor of Arts (Sociology), Massey University, New Zealand Master of Management (HRM), Massey University, New Zealand School of Management College of Business RMIT University May 2016 i DECLARATION I, Stanley Opara, declare that the PhD thesis entitled Human Resource Management: An empirical study of the performing arts companies in Australia is my own account of my research and contains as its main content work which has not previously been submitted for any other academic award of degree at any tertiary institution The content of the thesis is the result of work which has been carried out since the commencement of the approved research program; and, any editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged RMIT University has permission to keep, to lend or to copy this thesis in whole or in part, on conditions that any such use of the material of the thesis be duly acknowledged Stanley C Opara School of Management RMIT University ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the energy and time from my principal supervisor, Professor Pauline Stanton, for her enormous input and dedication towards this thesis As a mentor and coach, she was invaluable throughout the entire process Her tremendous intelligence, ability to see the big picture has been so much appreciated I have learned so much from you as an admirable human being I would also like to thank my two co-supervisors, Associate Professor David Fan and Associate Professor Cathy Brigden, who joined us at two different stages of the study Thanks to both of you for providing valuable comments and suggestions throughout the length of this thesis Your knowledge, experience and insight have been wonderful and most appreciated I would also like to extend my humble acknowledgment to Professor Alan Nankervis of Curtin Business School for taken his time to review this thesis I would also like to thank my brother Distinguished Professor Umezuruike Linus Opara for his continued encouragement Despite his tight schedule he found time to read all the chapters and provided useful and helpful comments and suggestions My thanks are also due to Dr Jeff Okpala, Dr Margaret Heffernan and Dr Raymond Trau both of School of Management RMIT, Eric Njoku, Julius Tiger Nwaokeoma, Leonard Okere, Okechukwu Opara, Chris Oparaigbo, Clifford Madufo, Azu Azubuike, Luke Iwunze and Yin Huey Your moral support is invaluable in such an undertaking as the writing of a doctoral dissertation Thank you for your persistent words of encouragement and love I also acknowledge the professional editing assistance of Dr Bradley Smith of Semiosmith Editing and Consulting Services Lastly, I would also wish to extend my gratitude to my family, for without them, my mental state may have wavered Thanks to my wife, Euphemia, for sticking with me through what seemed like a never-ending process I also wish to thank my three children, Kelechi, Chichi and Uchenna, who have never known life without this thesis somewhere around the house Your steadfast love, encouragement, understanding and patience meant more to me than you will ever know to have your unconditional support throughout this process iii ABSTRACT The purpose of this doctoral thesis is to explore human resource management systems and practices in the performing arts companies in Australia This is in the context of the assumption that effective utilisation of HRM in an organisation can be a source of competitive advantage, provided that the policies and practices for managing people are integrated with the organisation’s strategic goals and objectives Despite the growth of studies on strategic HRM in a range of industries and the economic contribution of the arts to the Australian economy, there has been no study available exploring how performing arts companies manage their human resources This study aims to fill that gap This is a qualitative study comprised of two phases: the first phase was a set of semistructured interviews with eight key industry stakeholders, designed to capture their perspectives in regard to the practice of HRM in the performing arts Phase investigated the HRM practices of three case organisations: a micro dance company, a medium-sized theatre company, and a large musical theatre company through key informant interviews and company documentation The study suggests that there are considerable barriers to the effective adoption and implementation of HRM in the performing arts In particular, the research identified four major features that impact on HRM practices in the arts sector These are: firstly, the precarious nature of employment, due to the short-term and project focused work Secondly, the reliance on often limited government funding, supplemented by philanthropy, sponsorship and Box office takings, leading to short-term and long-term financial insecurity and limited capacity for long term planning Thirdly, limited resources and high levels of casualisation which leads to low income, poor working conditions, lack of training and few opportunities for career development Fourthly, despite these difficult conditions, the sector appears to attract a highly motivated and committed workforce including not just performers but also managers and administrators and the sector appears to rely on their passion, commitment and shared endeavour iv In relation to the practice of HRM, the findings suggest a personnel, administrative, cost focused and compliance-based approach, with little evidence of vertical or horizontal integration of HRM policies and no evidence of strategic HR practice This was prevalent even in the large arts company suggesting that the sector context described above outweighs the usual advantage of organisational size and increased resources Moreover, strategic HRM theory might be of less relevance in a sector where the nature of the work and the workforce leads to careers being seen in the context of the industry not the organisation The performing arts workforce moves in and out of arts companies sometimes as employees sometimes as independent contractors This has implications for HRM practice in individual companies and HRM theory in that building commitment to the company through HR is more challenging as managing costs is paramount in this sector This study also makes a theoretical contribution in that it challenges Lepak and Snell (1999) who argue that companies apply different HR strategies to different sections of the workforce by investing in employees who have strategic value and taking a cost focused approach to those employees that not have strategic value This study found that the very employees that provide the most strategic value to performing arts organisations i.e the performers themselves are often in the most precarious position receiving little if any investment The study also extends the work of Bowen and Ostroff (2004) by demonstrating how confused and inconsistent management messages can undermine HRM practices even in micro organisations v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .III ABSTRACT IV TABLE OF CONTENTS VI LIST OF TABLES XI LIST OF FIGURES XII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS XIII CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1.2 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT OF THE STUDY 1.2.1 The creative industries 1.2.2 Defining the creative industries 1.2.3 The rise of the creative economy 1.2.4 Critique of the creative industries discourse 1.2.5 Employment in the creative industry: 1.3 STRUCTURE OF THE PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR IN AUSTRALIA 11 1.4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 13 1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 13 1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 14 1.7 OVERVIEW OF THE THESIS STRUCTURE 15 1.8 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 17 CHAPTER TWO: THE PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR 18 2.1 INTRODUCTION 18 2.2 ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF THE ARTS 18 2.2.1 The Performing Arts in Australia 20 2.3 THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN THE PERFORMING ARTS 20 2.3.1 Government as Policy maker 21 2.3.2 Government as funder 23 2.3.3 Other sources of funding 25 2.3.4 Government as a regulator 26 2.3.4.1 Australian Industrial Relations Framework 27 2.3.4.2 Awards 27 2.3.4.3 Enterprise Bargaining Agreements 28 2.3.4.4 Individual agreements 28 2.4 INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS IN THE PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR 29 2.5 PERFORMING ARTS ORGANISATIONS 35 2.6 The Performing Arts Sector Workforce 39 2.6.1 Precarious labour 40 2.6.2 Multiple Jobholding 42 2.6.3 Employees, Self-employed contractors or creative entrepreneurs 43 vi 2.6.4 Passion and commitment to the organisation, the industry or the art? 46 2.7 RETURN TO THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS 49 CHAPTER THREE: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 50 3.1 INTRODUCTION 50 3.2 EVOLUTION OF STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (SHRM) 51 3.2.1 Early trends in personnel management 51 3.2.2 The evolution of HRM 53 3.2.3 The emergence of Strategic HRM 55 3.3 THEORETICAL MODELS OF STRATEGIC HRM 57 3.3.1 The Michigan model of SHRM 58 3.3.2 The Harvard model of SHRM 60 3.4 EMPIRICAL RESEARCH IN HRM 63 3.4.1 SHRM challenges and organisational performance 65 3.4.2 Universal perspective on SHRM 65 3.4.3 Contingency or best fit perspective on SHRM 67 3.4.4 Configurational perspective 70 3.5 COMPLIANCE VERSUS COMMITMENT HRM SYSTEMS 72 3.5.1 Compliance-based HRM Systems 72 3.5.2 The commitment-orientated HRM system 73 3.6 THE HR ARCHITECTURE MODEL 76 3.7 A PROCESS FOCUS - THE STRENGTH OF THE HRM SYSTEMS 81 3.8 THE INDUSTRY CONTEXT 83 3.8.1 HRM and organisational size 84 3.9 THE RISE OF PROJECT-BASED ORGANISATIONS 88 3.9.1 Characteristics of project-based organisation 90 3.9.2 HRM challenges in the project-based organisation 93 3.10 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 95 3.11 CONCLUSION 96 CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN 98 4.1 INTRODUCTION 98 4.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY 98 4.3 RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY 99 4.3.1 Research Methodology Selected: Qualitative Research Approach 100 4.3.2 Justification for Qualitative Research Approach in this Study 102 4.4 RESEARCH DESIGN: QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY APPROACH 103 4.4.1 Multiple Case Study Design 106 4.4.2 The Selection of Cases 107 4.4.3 Data Collection Process 108 4.5 DATA ANALYSIS 113 4.5.1 Data triangulation 114 4.5.2 Reliability and Validity 115 4.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 116 4.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH METHODS 117 4.8 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS 118 4.9 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 119 CHAPTER FIVE: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE KEY STAKEHOLDERS 120 vii 5.1 INTRODUCTION 120 5.2 PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS 120 5.3 KEY EMERGING THEMES 121 5.3.1 Precarious employment 121 5.3.2 The issue of funding and resources in the sector 124 5.3.3 Pay and conditions 126 5.3.4 HRM practices and organisational size 131 5.4 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 137 CHAPTER SIX: CASE STUDY ONE-DANCE COMPANY 140 6.1 INTRODUCTION 140 6.2 AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY 141 6.3 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE 141 6.4 PROFILE OF THE PARTICIPANTS 143 6.5 MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES IN DANCE COMPANY 144 6.5.1 The Artistic Director’s story 144 6.5.2 The Company Manager’s story 151 6.5.3 The Chair of the Board’s story 154 6.5.4 The Choreographer’s story 157 6.6 DISCUSSION 161 6.6.1 Nature and structure of HRM in the company 161 6.6.2 HRM policies and practices 162 6.6.3 Communication in the company 163 6.6.4 Funding and resources issues 164 6.6.5 Nature of the industry and impact on the workforce 164 6.6.6 Chapter conclusions 165 CHAPTER SEVEN: CASE STUDY TWO - THEATRE COMPANY 167 7.1 INTRODUCTION: 167 7.2 AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY 167 7.3 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE 168 7.4 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN THE CASE COMPANY 171 7.5 PROFILE OF THE PARTICIPANTS 172 7.6 KEY FINDINGS FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF THE FUNCTIONAL/ADMINISTRATION TEAM 174 7.6.1 The Finance Manager 174 7.6.2 The Finance Assistant’s story 179 7.6.3 The Marketing Coordinator’s story 182 7.6.4 The Box Office Assistant’s story 185 7.6.5 Summary findings from the Functional/ Administrative team 187 7.7 THE CREATIVE/MANAGEMENT TEAM 188 7.7.1 The Executive Producer 188 7.7.2 The Company Manager 191 7.7.3 The Associate Artistic Director 193 7.7.4 The Freelance Artist 194 7.7.5 Summary findings from the Creative/Management team 198 7.8 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 198 7.8.1 The nature and structure of HRM in the company 198 7.8.2 HRM policies and practices in the company 199 7.8.3 Nature of HRM and communication in the company 200 viii 7.8.4 Funding and resources issues 200 7.8.5 Nature of the industry and impact on the workforce 201 7.9 CHAPTER CONCLUSIONS 201 CHAPTER EIGHT: CASE STUDY THREE: MUSICAL PERFORMING ARTS COMPANY 203 8.1 INTRODUCTION 203 8.2 AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY 204 8.3 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE 205 8.4 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CASE COMPANY 206 8.5 PROFILE OF THE PARTICIPANTS 207 8.6 KEY FINDINGS IN THE CASE COMPANY 208 8.6.1 The HR Director’s story 208 8.6.2 The General Manager Orchestra’s story 213 8.6.3 Senior Artistic Manager’s story 218 8.6.4 The Company Manager’s story 221 8.7 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 224 8.7.1 Nature and structure of HRM in the Company 224 8.7.2 HRM systems, policies and practices in the company 224 8.7.3 HRM and communication in the company 225 8.7.4 Funding and resources in the arts industry 225 8.7.5 Nature of the industry and impact on the workforce 226 8.8 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 226 CHAPTER NINE: ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION 228 9.1 INTRODUCTION 228 9.2 CROSS-CASE COMPARISON AND ANALYSIS OF EMERGING THEMES 229 9.2.1 The structure and understanding of HRM in the case companies 229 9.2.2 HRM policies and practices in the case companies 231 9.2.3 HRM and communication practices in the companies 236 9.2.4 Funding and resource issues in the arts industry 237 9.2.5 Nature of the workforce and impact on HRM practices 238 9.3 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 240 CHAPTER 10: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 243 10.1 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How many employees are employed in this organisation? How many years have been working in the organisation? Is HRM viewed as strategic within your organisation? What are the HRM issues you perceive facing the Performing Arts Australia? Why is HRM important in the management of Performing Arts? What are the employee and HR relations issues within the organisation? Do you see changes in the way HR is managed in the PA in the next ten years? Do you agree that HRM can enhance organisational effectiveness? 10 Do you have your own award/agreement? 11 To what extent are Australian PA monitoring HRM and linking it to organisational performance? 12 What is the relationship between HRM and performers in the PA? 308 APPENDIX Semi-structured case study questions What is your role in this organisation? How long have been in this organisation and what did you previously? Do you have a background in the Arts? How many HR staff you employ and what are their roles? How is HRM structured in this organisation? What are the HRM challenges that you face in your organisation in the areas of─ Recruitment ─ Performance ─Training and development ─Staff management - Other What new initiatives /policies have you introduced over the past five years in regard to these challenges? How is HRM practiced in your organisation? - Do you have your own Enterprise Bargaining Agreement or you follow the Industry Award? - Do you have your own set of HRM policies and procedures? If so how were they developed? - Do you have a succession plan in place for key staff? - Do you rely on Live Performance Australia for help/advice and support? If so in what key areas? - Other comments? 309 In your view does the HRM strategy contribute in any way to the performance of the organisation? If so how? From your own experience have you anything else to add about managing people in the arts industry in general and this organisation in particular? 310 APPENDIX CONSENT FORM FOR PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH INFORMATION TO PARTICIPANTS: You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Stanley Opara, who is a doctoral student from the School of Management and Information System at Victoria University, Melbourne The research title is “Relationship between Strategic Human Resource Management and Performance in the Public Sector”: An empirical Study in the Performing Arts (PA) Industry in Australia The objective of this research project is to explore the relationship between strategic human resources management (SHRM) and performance in the industry This project is under the supervision of Dr Karen Manning and Professor Pauline Stanton of the School of Management and Information Systems at Victoria University, Melbourne Australia There are no known risks if you decide to participate in this research study, nor are there any costs for participating in the study Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary You are being asked to participate in this study because you are one of the key stakeholders involved in the management of Performing Arts in Australia The interviews will be semi structured and based upon your experiences of being key stakeholder involved in the management of Performing Arts The interview questions will be exploratory in nature and focus on the.HRM policy choices, Stakeholders interest and situational factors that may have constraints in the management of strategic HR in the performing Arts.All interviews will be recorded with a tape recorder and transcribed.Yourexpected involvement would be to provide answers to the questions the research will ask you It may take up to one hour thirty minutes to finish the questionnaires Please note that your participation is entirely voluntary and that you may withdraw your participation at anytime if you feel uncomfortable or distressed All information obtained in connection with this study will be anonymised, with all names people and organisations The audiotapes that we make will not be used by anyone outside the study The tapes will be destroyed three years after the end of the study 311 CERTIFICATION BY SUBJECT I of certify that I am at least 18 years old and that I am voluntarily giving my consent to participate in the study: Doctor of Philosophy being conducted at Victoria University by Dr Karen Manning: Please tick the box as an indication for consent to have the interview recorded I certify that the objectives of the study, together with any risks and safeguards associated with the procedures listed hereunder to be carried out in the research, have been fully explained to me by Mr Stanley Opara and that I freely consent to participation involving the below mentioned procedures: I certify that I have had the opportunity to have any questions answered and that I understand that I can withdraw from this study at any time and that this withdrawal will not jeopardise me in any way I have been informed that the information I provide will be kept confidential Signed: 312 Date: Thank you in advance for participating in this study I know how important your time is, and I greatly appreciate your support and cooperation in furthering this research endeavour Any queries about your participation in this project may be directed to the researcher Dr Karen Manning by Tel: 9919 5331 or Email: Karen.Manning@vu.edu.au If you have any queries or complaints about the way you have been treated, you may contact the Ethics & Biosafety Coordinator, Victoria University Human Research Ethics Committee, Victoria University, PO Box 14428, Melbourne, VIC, 8001 phone (03) 9919 4148 [*please note: Where the participant/s are aged under 18, separate parental consent is required; where the participant/s are unable to answer for themselves due to mental illness or disability, parental or guardian consent may be required.] 313 APPENDIX MEMO TO Professor Pauline Stanton School of Management and Information Systems Footscray Park Campus FROM Dr Nick Billington Chair Faculty of Business and Law Human Research Ethics Committee SUBJEC T Ethics Application – HRETH 12/93 DATE 30/7/2012 Dear Professor Stanton, Thank you for resubmitting your application for ethical approval of the project entitled: HRETH 12/93Managing people in the arts industry: an empirical study of the Performing Arts industry in Victoria, Australia The proposed research project has been accepted and deemed to meet the requirements of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) ‘National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007)’, by the Chair of the Business & Law Human Research Ethics Committee Approval has been granted from 30th July 2012 to 29th July 2014 Continued approval of this research project by the Victoria University Human Research Ethics Committee (VUHREC) is conditional upon the provision of a report within 12 months of the above approval date (by30th July 2013) or upon the completion of the project (if earlier) A report proforma may be downloaded from the VUHREC web site at: http://research.vu.edu.au/hrec.php Please note that the Human Research Ethics Committee must be informed of the following: any changes to the approved research protocol, project timelines, any serious events or adverse and/or unforeseen events that may affect continued ethical acceptability of the project In these unlikely events, researchers must immediately cease all data collection until the Committee has approved the 314 changes Researchers are also reminded of the need to notify the approving HREC of changes to personnel in research projects via a request for a minor amendment On behalf of the Committee, I wish you all the best for the conduct of the project Kind Regards, Dr Nick Billington Chair Faculty of Business and Law Human Research Ethics Committee 315