Bio

Trained as a work and organizational psychologist with 10 years of experience in HRM and business consulting, I joined Tilburg University in 2003 to teach and to research about HRM.

I strongly believe that all organizations can benefit more from human resource management, when more time is spend on understanding the causes of people-related issues in their specific contexts in combination with a better understanding of available research evidence. I take effort to understand the organizational context that relates to people management issues (research). I like to teach students (education) and practitioners (executive education, management) that it is possible to improve the quality of people related decision-making in organizations by making better use of research evidence and taking a bit more time to understand people related issues in organizations. 

Expertise

My research focus is on extending HRM theory to workers and work contexts that are less standard in HRM research, such as small entrepreneurial (family) businesses, migrant-, agency- and low skilled work. I combine a business- with an ethical/employee perspective in evaluating HRM outcomes (decent work).

For HRM education I have developed a modular approach that allows to appeal to various audiences who need an introduction course to human resource management (TSB, Tisem), while using the same underlying didactical set-up. Won teaching innovation (2009-2011) and best teacher awards (2013 - 2014).

Current roles:

  • Academic director Bachelor Human Resource Studies
  • Member of the Tilburg Institute for Family Business (TiFB)
  • Member of the European Labor Authority (ELA) working group on information
  • Project leader "Work, wellbeing and careers of Central and Eastern European workers in the Dutch food production chain"

Teaching

I am the Academic Director of the Bachelor Human Resource Studies. HRS provides two Bachelor programs: Personeelwetenschappen (NL) and HRS: People Management (Int.). The programs offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on the management of people in organizations: psychology, business, economics, sociology, ethics, law and research methods are all relevant in understanding which Human Resource Management (HRM) is optimal for business, for individuals and society.

In my courses, I teach how to do ‘Evidence based HRM’. All managers should some basic understanding of HRM. However, since not every organization is the same, and because the challenges that organizations face are different, there is no ‘one best practice suits all’ recipe for doing HRM. Organizations need trained experts and managers who know where to find the best HRM interventions for the issues that they face.

I also teach Comparative Employment Relations in Europe.

Courses

Collaboration

  • People Management Center (Tilburg University)
  • Tilburg Institute of Family Business (TiFB, Tilburg University)
  • European Labor Authority (ELA) working group on information (EU)
  • Instituut Gak
  • Editorial board  Journal 'Gedrag en Organisatie' 

Highlights

Recent key publications:

Kroon, B., & Paauwe, J. (2022). HRM in 21st century small organizations: A midrange typology to describe, contrast and contextualize the phenomenon. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 33(16), 3224–3251. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2021.1915359

Kroon, B. (2022). Evidence based HRM: What we know about people in workplaces. Open Press Tilburg University. https://doi.org/10.26116/yy4w-tn37

Recent publications

  1. Precarious employment amidst global crises - Career shocks, resources…

    Kerti, K. A., Van Engen, M., Szabo, O., Kroon, B., Bleijenbergh, I., & Freese, C. (2024). Precarious employment amidst global crises: Career shocks, resources and migrants' employability. Career Development International. Advance online publication.
  2. Building prediction models with grouped data - A case study on the pr…

    Yuan, S., Kroon, B., & Kramer, A. (2024). Building prediction models with grouped data: A case study on the prediction of turnover intention. Human Resource Management Journal, 34(1), 20-38.
  3. Leven, werk en loopbanen van Centraal en Oost Europese arbeidsmigrant…

    Kerti, K. A., Kroon, B., Bleijenbergh, I., van Engen, M., & Freese, C. (2023). Leven, werk en loopbanen van Centraal en Oost Europese arbeidsmigranten in uitzendwerk in Nederland. Demos: Bulletin over Bevolking en Samenleving, 39(10), 5-7. https://nidi.nl/demos/leven-werk-en-loopbanen-van-arbeidsmigranten-in-uitzendwerk/
  4. Precarious employment amidst global crises: - Career shocks, resource…

    Kerti, K. A., van Engen, M., Szabó, O., Kroon, B., Bleijenbergh, I., & Freese, C. (Accepted/In press). Precarious employment amidst global crises: Career shocks, resources and migrants’ employability. Career Development International.
  5. Refugees’ vulnerability towards precarious work - An intersectionalit…

    Knappert, L., Kroon, B., Kornau, A., & Abdelmageed, B. (Accepted/In press). Refugees’ vulnerability towards precarious work: An intersectionality perspective. In E. Meliou, J. Vassilopoulou , & M. Ozbilgin (Eds.), Diversity and precarious work during socio-economic upheaval: exploring the missing link Cambrindge University Press.

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