Nita Chhinzer | Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics

Nita Chhinzer

Nita Chhinzer
Associate Professor, Leadership & Organizational Management
Department of Management
Email: 
chhinzer@uoguelph.ca
Fax: 
519-824-3087
Office: 
Macdonald Hall (MAC), Room 227

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About

Dr. Nita N. Chhinzer is an Associate Professor of Human Resources at the Department of Management, University of Guelph.  Her research is concentrated on Strategic Human Resources Management, with a strong focus on downsizing practices, procedures and ethics.  Having completed her MBA in 2000, Nita Chhinzer went on to work in management positions at various companies including HP and Nortel. It was then she recognized that the execution, decisions and implementation of downsizing have significant individual, organizational and societal outcomes, prompting her to return to academe to advance our understanding of downsizing. She completed her PhD in Management from McMaster University in 2006, focusing on HR.  Accordingly, her research area is largely focused on downsizing activities, antecedents, consequences and decision making.

She was the recipient of the 2019 Emerald Literati Award (Education +Training) based on her research about how employers define graduate student employability and in 2016, she was recognized as one of the top 25 HR Professionals in Canada. 

She also co-authors the Human Resource Management in Canada textbook (now in its 14th edition) and the Management of Human Resources textbook (now in 5th edition).

Student Advising: Prof. Chhinzer is available to advising graduate students on issues related to her research interests

Google Scholar link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=-y6WzlQAAAAJ

  • PhD, Human Resources Management, DeGroote School of Business,McMaster University
  • MBA, Management of Innovation and New Technology, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University
  • BA, Faculty of Arts, York University
  • HR Law Certificate, Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto, ON.

In 2019, Prof. Chhinzer’s was awarded the Outstanding Paper 2019 Emerald Literati Award: Education +Training for the article entitled “An Exploration of Employer Perceptions of Graduate Student Employability”. Selected by the Editorial Advisory Board as the best paper of the year for that journal. https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/authors/literati/awards.htm?year=2019&journal=et

From 2012-2017, Prof. Chhinzer was awarded the prestigious five-year Fellowship in Leadership, HRM and Work at the University of Guelph though a very competitive process, recognizing her expertise in those topics.

In 2016, Prof. Chhinzer was recognized as one of the top 25 HR Professionals, according to the Canadian HR Reporter. http://www.hrreporter.com/article/28990-top-25-hr-professionals/

In 2007, Nita was a Visiting Professor in the area of Human Resources Management and Downsizing at the Graduate School of Business, University of Paris 1: Sorbonne-Pantheon. There, she lectured to groups of graduate students and developed a research program with Dr. Florent Noel on addressing downsizing issues at the international level.

Prof. Chhinzer is open to advising graduate students on issues related to the execution, decisions and implementation of organizational downsizing or job loss at the individual, organizational and societal level. She is also interested in expanding her research to include aspects of HR and technology. Some questions she is looking to explore in the near future include:

Downsizing:

  • Are unions instrumental in ensuring job security? Do they provide protection from layoffs?
  • How do we develop a typology of why organizations engage in layoffs and how layoffs are executed? How can change management literature relate to organizational approaches to layoffs?
  • How do employers change or alter their explanation or rationale for downsizing or job loss for different audiences (e.g. internal versus external audiences, shareholders versus employees)?
  • What is the role of the downsizing agent (CEO, HR, legal team) in communicating job loss or downsizing? More specifically, what are the various pressures that each downsizing agent experiences and does the downsizing explanation or rationale vary based on who the downsizing agent is?

HR and technology:

  • What aspects of technology automation and augmentation are impacting job design, demand and competencies? How will jobs of the future be impacted and how can we prepare the workforce for the new set of required competencies in the workplace?

What jobs are at highest risk for job displacement or job loss today and what are predicted for the future?

 

Recent Projects

Dr. Chhinzer's research explores the triggers, outcomes and decision-making processes associated with corporate layoffs, offering critical insights for HR professionals and organizational leaders. Although employee layoffs occur frequently in organizations, very little is known about how and why organizations adopt different approaches to restructuring once a downsizing decision is made. To explore this, her recent article entitled "Are layoffs an industry norm? Exploring how industry-level job decline or growth impacts firm-level layoff implementation" published in the Human Resource Management Journal, evaluated how industry-level employment trends influence firm-level layoff practices. Grounded in institutional theory, the study involved advance data analysis on 573 mass layoffs from 2013 to 2019, comparing downsizing scope, explanations, alternatives, advance notice, and firm characteristics in industries experiencing employment decline versus growth.  

The results provide evidence that what happens in comparative firms can impact perceptions of how legitimate or normalized layoffs are as an organizational tool to adjust the workforce to changing business needs. More specifically, firms in declining industries use employee layoffs to contain costs, thus implement less severe layoffs with explanations focused on demand decline and use more cost-reduction alternatives to layoffs. In contrast, firms in growing industries align with social exchange theory, executing layoffs in a manner that maintains mutual employee-employer expectations, treating employees as an investment to maintain and develop. Moreover, firms in declining industries are more likely to be unionized and larger compared to those in growing industries.  

Dr. Chhinzer's study highlights how external industry factors shape corporate layoff strategies, offering practical recommendations for managing layoffs based on both how the industry and the firm use layoffs. This emphasizes the importance of considering the industry context to mitigate negative outcomes for both organizations and employees. 

 

Chhinzer, N. (2023). Are layoffs an industry norm? Exploring how industry-level job decline or growth impacts firm-level layoff implementation. Human Resource Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12543. 

Select Scholarly Journal Publications (peer reviewed)

  1. Zdaniuk, A. & Chhinzer, N. (2019). "The Effect of Explanations and CEO Presence on Stock Market Reactions to Downsizing," Journal of Organizational Change Management. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-06-2018-0161
  2. Chhinzer, N., & Russo, A. (2018).  An exploration of employer perceptions of graduate student employability.   Education and Training, 60 (1), 104-120., doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-06-2016-0111.
  3. Chhinzer, N., & Currie, E. (2014).  Assessing Longitudinal Relationships between Financial Performance and Downsizing.   Management Decision, 52 (8), 1474-1490. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-05-2014-0280
  4. Ababneh, K., & Chhinzer, N. (2014).  Job Applicant Reactions to Selection Methods in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).   International Management Review, 10 (2), 32-48.
  5. Chhinzer, N. (2014).  The Role of Reasonable Notice Legislation in Organizational Downsizing Decisions in Canada.   International Journal of Law and Management, 56 (5), 387-392. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLMA-06-2011-0002
  6. Hafaidhllaoui, M., & Chhinzer, N. (2014).  The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions for Knowledge Workers.   Engineering Management Journal, 26 (2), 3-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10429247.2014.11432006 

Textbooks

  1. Dessler, G. & Chhinzer, N. (2019). HRM in Canada. (14th edition). Pearson Education Canada
  2. Dessler, G., Chhinzer, N., & Ganon, G (2018). Management of Human Resources, The Essentials, (4th edition), Pearson Education Canada
  3. Bulmash, J., Chhinzer, N., & Speers, E. (2010). Human Resources Planning in Canada. (1st edition). McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited

 

Lifetime Summary (Count) according to the following categories:

  • Articles in Refereed Journals: 10
  • Articles Under Review: 4
  • Textbooks: 3
  • Publications in Refereed Conference Proceedings: 6
  • Presentations of Refereed Research Papers: 47
  • Presentation of Refereed Research Abstracts: 8
  • Presentation of Non-Refereed Papers: 9

Presentations

Select Academic Presentations in the last 5 years (peer reviewed)

 

Symposiums

  1. Chhinzer, N. (2017-2018). HR Profession and Associated HR Program Changes in Canada.  Administrative Sciences Academy of Canada Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada-Ontario.
    • Description:  I organized this symposium, bringing together professors from multiple universities for this session. Dr. Rick Hackett (McMaster University), Dr. Dionne Poehler (University of Toronto), Dr. Hayden Woodward (University of PEI) and Dr. Marie Helene-Budworth (York University). Session was very well attended (over 35 audience members)
  2. Chhinzer, N., Godard, J., & Kochan, T. (2016-2017). The Fate of IR Research and Teaching in North American Business Schools. Invited presentation at Canadian Industrial Relations Association (CIRA) Conference, Toronto, Canada-Ontario.  (Non-Refereed)

 

Selected Presentations (limited to current areas of research)

  1. Chhinzer, N. & Singh, J. (2018-2019). Conceptualizing the impact of machine learning on the functions of HR professionals.  Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) Annual Conference, St. Catherines, Canada-Ontario. 
  2. Saggu, K. & Chhinzer, N. (2017-2018). Conceptualizing How Different Downsizing Agents Approach Organizational Change.  Midwest Academy of Management conference, St. Louis, Missouri.  
  3. Chhinzer, N. (2017-2018). Exploring Contradictions in Downsizing Implementation.  Midwest Academy of Management conference, Chicago, Illinois.
  4. Douglas, M. & Chhinzer, N. (2016-2017). The Story of the Town of Pine Point: Downsizing in single industry towns.  Canadian Industrial Relations Association (CIRA) Conference, Toronto, Canada-Ontario.
  5. Chhinzer, N. (2015-2016). The Impact of Institutional Theory on Downsizing Prevalence.  Academy of Management Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA.
  6. Chhinzer, N. & Piggott, K. (2015-2016). Evaluating the Paradox of HR and Financial Perspectives on Downsizing Implementation.  Canadian Industrial Relations Association (CIRA) Conference, Saskatoon, Canada-Saskatchewan.
  7. Chhinzer, N. (2015-2016). Modelling the Relationship of Industry and Firm Performance on Downsizing using SEM.  Canadian Industrial Relations Association Annual Conference, Saskatoon, Canada-Saskatchewan.  
  8. Chhinzer, N. (2014-2015). Time for Change: Exploring Manipulations and Implications of Layoff Legislation in Canada.  Canadian Industrial Relations Association (CIRA) Conference, Montreal, Canada-Quebec
  9. Chhinzer, N. & Currie, E. (2014-2015). Event analysis: organizational financial performance and downsizing.  Academy of Management Annual Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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