In 1990, as literature review of the human resource management, prevailed case studies as a research method. Since then, as the example of competence management system, new models, systems and technologies have joined the list of prescriptions of the area. Whereas the case study has reduced potential for external validity, the question is to what extent, maintained the tradition of methodological research noted in that decade, there is empirical support for all sorts of norms that prevail in career paths, and same academic, of the area of people management. In this sense, the present study characterizes national production on the human resource management between 2001 and 2010 circulated in all 121 national journals in the area of administration, accounting sciences and tourism, rated between A1 and B4 for the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes) and whose editorial spanned topics related directly and indirectly with the proposed focus. With the use of filters refereed by 18 judges specially trained for the task, it was analyzed 197 articles whose central themes were about models, systems, technologies and human resource management policies and practices. The results showed a field marked by empirical studies that describe facets of the management of human resource functions, especially the evaluation, from the public perception of various sampled in a non-probabilistic way at one organization at a time, to which access is given transverse by opinion surveys and case studies operated by questionnaires and interviews that resulted in prevalent use of statistical techniques and content analysis. Thus, it is considered that the accumulated knowledge does not allow the proper generalizations that recurrently come out in the technical and scientific works in the area. Notes on the methodology employed in most studies, especially with regard to the research method and sampling procedures, reveal that the production area longer serves the purpose of describing, or even explain the dynamics of specific topics in the locus that were applied to generate the ideal regulations.
Human resource management; Human resource policies and practices; Personnel management; Human resource administration; People administration
