The context of HRM is important but undertheorized (Paauwe, 2009) and subsequently
underresearched (Jackson, Schuler, & Jiang, 2014). We offer two recent perspectives of
institutional theory—institutional logics and institutional work—as theoretical lenses through
which scholars can explore the influence of institutional context on HRM and more
intriguingly the influence of HRM professionals on their institutional contexts. Though others
have introduced institutional theory to HRM scholarship (eg Paauwe & Boselie, 2003), we …