It has also been demonstrated that health service firms use a range of SHRM
practices to manage their knowledge workers and that these practices (including
personnel control oriented HR practices such as staffing and training practices) lead to
increased organizational performance (Rodwell and Teo, 2004). Widener’s (2004) study
also demonstrates that the reliance on strategic human capital by PSFs has led to the
usage of personnel control as the means to achieve a firm’s strategy. Personnel control
is needed to regulate behaviour through selection, training and the socialisation of
professional workers. In a similar vein, Ditillo (2004) argues that personnel and cultural
controls can be used to govern the behaviours of professional workers. These forms of
controls allowed the professionals in the particular project teams to engage in effective
communication and knowledge sharing among one another.