Human resource management (HRM) is a relatively young field, which has undergone a rapid evolution. From its initial roots as the function involved in the administrative aspects of hiring, firing, and payroll, it has seen stages where Union relations/avoidance, employee satisfaction, and legal compliance have served as dominant areas of emphasis and expertise (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright, 1997). Most recently a trend has developed toward justifying the expenditures for and existence of the HR function. HR departments and programs have become an element of the firm's profit equation to be minimized as a cost and maximized as a value-adding component of firm strategy. In fact, some in the popular business press have characterized HR departments as bureaucratic wastelands and suggested doing away with them (Stewart, 1996). Consequently, HR practitioners have become preoccupied with demonstrating the value of the HR function, particularly through showing its impact on firm performance (Pfeffer, 1997; Ulrich, 1997).