Using sequential tree analysis to search for ‘bundles’ of HR practices

Abstract

This article reviews progress in the search for a ‘bundle’ of HR practices, using the work of MacDuffie as a starting point for the analysis of the concept of a bundle. The different methods by which bundles might be identified are reviewed and sequential tree analysis is presented as a possible alternative approach. It is then tested alongside factor analysis and regression on accounts of HR practices and aspects of performance provided by a sample of 1,308 managers. The results show that sequential tree analysis does identify a relatively parsimonious set of practices; these overlap partly with those identified in factor analysis and more extensively with those occurring in regression analysis but are more interpretable and therefore potentially more useful for policy‐makers.