Human resource management implementation as a system-level legitimacy process: visibility and binding mechanisms in the multi-actor governance of industrial relations

Soehardjojo, Joey, Bresnen, Mike, Cooke, Fang Lee and Delbridge, Rick ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8451-265X 2026. Human resource management implementation as a system-level legitimacy process: visibility and binding mechanisms in the multi-actor governance of industrial relations. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 37 (8) , pp. 1353-1405. 10.1080/09585192.2026.2694601

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Abstract

With legitimacy being crucial to the effective implementation of human resource management (HRM) policy, this paper advances a system-level understanding of HRM implementation as a legitimacy process. Extending institutional perspectives on legitimacy and HRM implementation as justification work, this paper conceptualizes legitimacy as a dynamic social process sustained through the interplay of visibility and binding mechanisms among interdependent actors – firms, unions, employer associations, professional networks, and regulatory bodies. Empirically, the study draws on a long-term qualitative inquiry (2014–2025) involving more than 150 interviews and field observations in Indonesia, supplemented by fieldwork in Japan and across relevant intermediary networks. The dataset captures the multi-actor coordination through which organizational practice links to institutional governance. The study contributes theoretically by (i) reframing HRM implementation as a system-level legitimacy process; (ii) integrating strategic HRM and Industrial Relations (IR) literatures through a unified analytical lens to examine visibility–binding mechanisms; and (iii) explaining how legitimacy functions as an institutional capability supporting industrial democracy and stabilizing employment systems in emerging economies.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	0958-5192
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	10 July 2026
Date of Acceptance:	21 June 2026
Last Modified:	05 Aug 2026 08:58
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188124

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