A key theme that emerges in relation to best-practice HRM is that individual practices cannot be implemented effectively in isolation (Storey, 2007)) but rather combining them into integrated and complementary bundles is crucial. MacDuffie (2005) argues that a ‘bundle’ creates the multiple, reinforcing conditions that support employee motivation, given that employees have the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their work effectively (Stavrou & Brewster, 2005). In the configuration school, cohesion is thought likely to create synergistic benefits which in turn enable the organization’s strategic goals to be met.