Strategic international human resource management (SIHRM) framework: an integrated review and directions for future research

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to review all frameworks of strategic international human resource management (SIHRM) published between 1990 and 2022 to ascertain their relevance in the current context with a focus on methodologies and theories in the post-pandemic era.Design/methodology/approachIn this study a pool of 69 papers published in 16 journals was considered for full-text evaluation using a set of relevant keywords and pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria.FindingsThe number of qualitative research papers is the highest (90%) and theoretical perspectives are dominated by research-based (17%), institutional (17%) and SIHRM (14%) theories that emphasize competitive advantage, resource dependence and multiple SIHRM frameworks.Research limitations/implicationsThis research incorporates dominant theoretical perspectives and methodologies within an integrated SIHRM framework which accommodates the post-pandemic era.Practical implicationsThe integrated SIHRM framework reinforces the alignment of multiple contexts, dimensions, models and proportions to enable effective decisions for mitigating the current crisis and future research.Originality/valueThis research integrated a hybrid model of SIHRM by aligning the relevant existing SIHRM frameworks, which management can choose from to leverage the benefits that distributed remote work in an international context and decide what is most suitable for their businesses as they prepare for the future.