Biography
Jennie Sumelius is a part-time Professor at the School of Management and Governance, UNSW Business School. Jennie has a PhD from the Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki Finland where she also works as a Professor at the Department of Management & Organization. She has also previously held visiting researcher positions at Stockholm School of Economics, UNSW Sydney, University of Melbourne, and Uppsala University.
Jennie’s research interests...view more
Jennie Sumelius is a part-time Professor at the School of Management and Governance, UNSW Business School. Jennie has a PhD from the Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki Finland where she also works as a Professor at the Department of Management & Organization. She has also previously held visiting researcher positions at Stockholm School of Economics, UNSW Sydney, University of Melbourne, and Uppsala University.
Jennie’s research interests lie in the fields of International Management and Human Resource Management with a specific focus on people issues in multinational corporations. She has recently been involved in a large-scale, research project on how technological developments change the nature of white-collar work, and how this in turn influences HRM. She also works on issues related to talent management in multinational companies, the role and influence of the HR function, HRM process theory and employee perceptions.
Her work has been published in several top-level international peer-reviewed journals including Human Resource Management, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of International Business Studies and Journal of Management.
My Grants
2020- 2023: Peter Wallenberg foundation, 100 000 € received for ‘Performance management in transition’, with Andreas Werr and Pernilla Bolander, Stockholm School of Economics.
2016- 2020: Academy of Finland, 800 000 € received for ‘Brave New HR? The Digitalization of People Management’, with Kristiina Mäkelä, Hertta Vuorenmaa & Anton Beletskiy (Aalto University) & Adam Smale (University of Vaasa).
2013-2017: Academy of Finland, 1 000 000 € received for ‘Influence without authority: Examining the Agency and Actions of Human Resource Professionals’, with Ingmar Björkman, Kristiina Mäkelä, Hertta Vuorenmaa, Olli-Pekka Kauppila & Anton Beletskiy (Aalto), Mats Ehrnrooth & Sofia John (Hanken) and Adam Smale (University of Vaasa).
2014-2017: Marcus Wallenberg foundation 10 000€ received for ‘Communicating talent status- Employee perceptions and attributions of talent status’, with Sachiko Yamao (University of Melbourne).
2008-2011: Academy of Finland, 1 000 000 € received for ‘The Global Leadership Challenge’ and ‘Human Resource Management in Multinational Organizations’, with Ingmar Björkman, Kristiina Mäkelä, Mats Ehrnrooth (Hanken) and Adam Smale (University of Vaasa),
2005-2006: Liikesivistysrahasto, 15 000 € received for ‘Human Resource Management in Chinese Subsidiaries of European Corporations: International Transfers of HRM and their Outcomes’, with Ingmar Björkman (Hanken), Vesa Suutari & Adam Smale (University of Vaasa).
My Research Activities
Journal articles
Myllymäki, D., Smale, A. & Sumelius, J. (2024) Evaluating performance in the context of mobile telework: an attention-based view. International Journal of Human Resource Management.
Vuorenmaa, H., Sumelius, J., & Sanders K. (2023) Examining missing pieces of the HR attributions puzzle: the interplay between line manager beliefs, HR information and context. Frontiers in Psychology.
Kauppila, O-P, Ehrnrooth, M., Mäkelä, K., Smale A., Sumelius, J. & Vuorenmaa, H. (2022) Serving to help and helping to serve: Organizational members’ reactions to HR manager servant leadership Journal of Management.
Vora, D., Sumelius, J., Mäkelä, K. & John, S. (2021) Us and them: Disentangling forms of identification in MNCs. Journal of International Management, 27(1).
Sumelius, J., Smale, A. & Yamao, S. (2020) Mixed signals: Employee reactions to talent status communication amidst strategic ambiguity. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(4), 511-538.
Ehrnrooth, M., Björkman, I., Mäkelä, K., Smale, A, Sumelius, J. & Taimitarha, S. (2018) Talent responses to talent status awareness – Not a question of simple reciprocation. Human Resource Management Journal, 28: 443-461.
Ahlvik, C., Smale, A. & Sumelius J. (2016) Explaining the alignment between corporate intended and subsidiary reported HRM practices in MNCs. Journal of World Business, 51(3): 343-355.
Smale, A., Björkman, I., Ehrnrooth, M., John, S., Mäkelä, K. & Sumelius, J. (2015) Dual values-based organizational identification in MNC subsidiaries: A multi-level study. Journal of International Business Studies, 46(7): 761-783.
Sumelius, J., Björkman, I., Ehrnrooth, M., Mäkelä, K. & Smale, A. (2014) What determines employee perceptions of HRM process features? The case of performance appraisal in MNC subsidiaries. Human Resource Management, 53(4): 569–592.
Björkman, I., Ehrnrooth, M., Mäkelä, K., Smale, A. & Sumelius, J. (2014) From HR practices to the practice of HR. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 1(2): 122-140.
Mäkelä, K., Björkman, I., Ehrnrooth, M., Smale, A. & Sumelius, J. (2013) Explaining stakeholder evaluations of HRM capabilities in MNC subsidiaries. Journal of International Business Studies, 44: 813-832.
Björkman, I., Ehrnrooth, M., Mäkelä, K., Smale, A. & Sumelius, J. (2013) Talent or not? Employee reactions to talent identification. Human Resource Management, 52(2): 195-214.
Smale, A., Björkman, I., & Sumelius, J. (2013) HRM integration mechanisms in MNCs: European subsidiaries in China. Journal of World Business, 48(2): 232-240.
Mäkelä, K., Sumelius, J., Höglund, M. & Ahlvik, C. (2012) Determinants of strategic HR capabilities in MNC subsidiaries, Journal of Management Studies, 49(8):1459-1483.
Smale, A., Björkman, I. & Sumelius, J. (2012) HRM integration mechanism usage in MNC subsidiaries in China. Personnel Review, 41(2): 180-199.
Sumelius, J. (2009) Developing HRM capabilities in Chinese subsidiaries of Nordic MNCs. Personnel Review, 38(4): 380-397.
Sumelius, J., Smale, A. & Björkman, I. (2009) The strategic role of HR in MNC subsidiaries in China between 1999 and 2006. Chinese Management Studies, 3(4): 295-312.
Sumelius, J., Björkman, I. & Smale, A. (2008) The influence of internal and external social networks on HRM capabilities in MNC subsidiaries in China. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(12): 2294-2310.
Sumelius, J. & Sarala, R. (2008) Knowledge development in MNC subsidiaries: the influence of MNC internal and external knowledge and control mechanisms. Thunderbird International Business Review, 50(4): 245-258.
Björkman, I., Budhwar, P., Smale, A. & Sumelius, J. (2008) Human resource management in foreign-owned subsidiaries: China versus India. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(5): 966-980.
Björkman, I. Smale, A., Sumelius, J., Suutari, V. & Lu, Y. (2008) Changes in institutional context and MNC operations in China: subsidiary HRM practices in 1996 versus 2006. International Business Review, 17(2): 146-158.
Sarala, R. & Sumelius J. (2005) The impact of entry mode on outward knowledge transfer in MNCs: international greenfield investments and acquisitions. Liiketalouden Aikakauskirja, 04/2005.
Book Chapters
Barner-Rasmussen, W., Ehrnrooth, M. & Sumelius, J. (2024) Leadership substitutes theory. In Michailova, S., Hutchings, K. & Wilkinson, A. (Eds.), A Guide to Key Theories for Human Resource Management Research, 139-145.
Gartner, J., Mäkelä, K., Sumelius, J., & Vuorenmaa, H. (2024) The accelerating disconnection of work from time and place: new questions for HR. In Bondarouk, T. & Meijerink, J. (Eds.), Research Handbook on Human Resource Management and Disruptive Technologies.
Vuorenmaa, H., Mäkelä, E., & Sumelius, J. (2023) Tietotyö myllerryksessä, kyvyt kateissa kirjassa Työ Elää- (Eds Markku Sippola, Harri Melin & Tuija Koivunen. Gaudeamus.
Sumelius, J. & Smale, A. (2021) Talent management and the communication of talent status. In Ibraiz Tarique (Ed.), Companion to Talent Management (1st edition). Routledge: NY, New York
Björkman, I., Ehrnrooth, M. Mäkelä, K., Smale, A., & Sumelius, J. (2017) Talent Management in Multinational Corporations. The Oxford Handbook of Talent Management, 461.
Mäkelä, K., Ehrnrooth, M., Smale, A. & Sumelius, J. (2014) Multi-level and multi-actor research. In Sanders, K., Cogin, J. & Bainbridge, H. (Eds.) Research Methods for Human Resource Management, pp. 34-51. New York: Routledge.