Frames or social structures? Comment on “Making sense of (mis)matched frames of reference: A dynamic cognitive theory of (in)stability in HR practices”

Abstract

Do workers and employers hold strong views about the nature of the employment relationship? Are these views causally important for understanding the success or failure of human resources practices? In this article, I comment on Budd, Pohler and Huang’s project of bringing cognitive frames theory to employment relations research. I agree with their emphasis on informal workplace social dynamics and suggest further attention to the sources of cognitive frames in primitive social structures.