Purpose

Building on neo-institutionalism models of the transfer of human resource management (HRM) practices within multinational companies, this paper aims to analyze the transfer of skill formation concepts using the cases of two automotive OEMs in Slovakia. The purpose of the paper is twofold. First, it aims to explain the differences between the two multinationals. Second, it builds on the empirical analysis to reconsider the neo-institutionalist theoretical framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on two qualitative case studies of automotive multinationals in Slovakia. The home country locations of both companies represent different approaches to skill formation: systematic vocational education for blue-collar workers is regarded as crucial at the German manufacturer, while the Korean company relies mainly on on-the-job-training and puts much less emphasis on skilled blue-collar work.

Findings

The paper shows that the differences between the companies are related to different understandings of technology/automation. It argues that the increasing automation and the decentralization of responsibilities for the product-launch processes supported the transfer of German skill formation concepts to the plant in Slovakia, while the Korean manufacturer’s specific engineering-led automation concept and centralization of product launch responsibilities in its Korean headquarters reduced the need to invest in skill formation for blue collars abroad. The paper concludes that theories of the transfer of HRM practices within multinationals must include technological factors and must also develop more specific concepts of the centralization of multinationals.

Originality/value

The paper is to the knowledge the first to include technology as a core variable into the neo-institutionalist theory in the field of international business and HRM. While the relationship between technology and organization has gained huge prominence in the recent discussions about digitalization, it has been so far neglected by scholars of international business.

中文翻译：

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技能形成、自动化和治理：比较中东欧的德国和韩国汽车制造商

目的

本文基于跨国公司人力资源管理 (HRM) 实践转移的新制度主义模型，旨在使用斯洛伐克的两家汽车 OEM 的案例分析技能形成概念的转移。这篇论文的目的是双重的。首先，它旨在解释两家跨国公司之间的差异。其次，在实证分析的基础上重新思考新制度主义的理论框架。

设计/方法/方法

本文基于斯洛伐克汽车跨国公司的两个定性案例研究。两家公司的母国所在地代表了不同的技能培养方法：对蓝领工人进行系统的职业教育在德国制造商看来是至关重要的，而韩国公司则主要依赖在职培训，不太重视关于熟练的蓝领工作。

发现

论文显示，公司之间的差异与对技术/自动化的不同理解有关。它认为，产品发布流程的自动化程度提高和责任分散支持将德国技能形成概念转移到斯洛伐克工厂，而韩国制造商特定的工程主导自动化概念和产品发布责任集中在其韩国总部减少了对海外蓝领技能培养的投资需求。本文的结论是，跨国公司内部人力资源管理实践转移的理论必须包括技术因素，并且还必须发展出更具体的跨国公司集中化概念。

原创性/价值

该论文是业内第一个将技术作为核心变量纳入国际商务和人力资源管理领域的新制度主义理论的论文。虽然技术与组织之间的关系在最近关于数字化的讨论中获得了巨大的重视，但迄今为止一直被国际商业学者所忽视。