Adopting HRM
Adopting HRM
Human resource management has been presented as a radical alternative
to personnel management (...) consisting of exciting, modern ideas which
would replace the stale and ineffective prescriptions of personnel management.
In fact, the process of transition has been slow.
 But top companies are
thinking hard about their HR function. See
on HRM Guide USA
Additional notes: Fitz-Enz (1994) argues that businesses can adopt one of three approaches to HRM,
offering the practitioner one of three career choices:
Zombies: Those which take the traditional 'staff as expense' approach to people
management. Estimating that 30-50% of companies took this approach, especially small-medium,
family-owned enterprises described as the 'living dead' with no real professionalism in any of
their managerial activities.
Reactors: Where line-managers have grabbed back HR responsibilities as they have
(probably) never seen a professional HR function. Fitz-Enz describes this as the 'outsource-decentralize'
model. Line managers don't really want some of the HR responsibilities but think they have no
alternative. Perhaps 20-30% of organizations followed this approach.
Confidants: A small, trusted group of HR talents are in place as trusted experts,
consultants and brokers of external services. Fitz-Enz regards this as the most desirable, again
perhaps 20-30% of organizations.
Ferris (1999) argues that 'strategic HRM, international HRM, and political influences
on HRM, appear to be the three dominant perspectives that theory and research in HRM have
taken in the past 15 years.'
Addressing the future, he argues that there are 'multitudes of interesting questions to ask and research streams
to develop and pursue' for HRM scholars. And Ferris goes on to say that: "We have perhaps never
witnessed more intellectually stimulating times in this field than the present, and it encourages (no, demands!) creative,
innovative, uninhibited, and nonlinear thinking if we are to make significant contributions
to new knowledge, and truly develop a more informed understanding of HRM."
Similarly for HRM practitioners, there are 'exciting opportunities to make a difference.'
But practitioners are continually faced with escalating demands from their organizations to
be 'accountable and demonstrate tangible and quantifiable bottom-line impact.' So he sees HRM
as both a demanding and rewarding profession - but not one for the timid and faint of heart.
Whereas businesses in the past would tolerate a 'welfarist' personnel function, modern
organizations expect strategic business partners who:
- are HR professionals anticipating and articulating key HRM opportunities and challenges
- are internal experts proactively dealing with the business environment, embracing and leading change
- can that 'HRM is, indeed, the source of sustained competitive advantage.'
Ferris concurs with Ulrich (1997) in seeing effective practitioners as "Human Resource
Champions", concluding that 'HRM will be a "mentality" or way of thinking,
so pervasive that it is interwoven into the very fabric of organizations,
and integral to all of its decisions and actions.'
* Ferris, G.R. (1999) 'Human resources management: some new directions.(Yearly Review of
Management)', Journal of Management, May-June, 1999.
Fitz-Enz, J. (1994) How To Measure Human Resource Management (McGraw-Hill Training Series)
, McGraw-Hill.
* Ulrich, D. (1997) Human Resource Champions: The Next Agenda for Adding Value and
Delivering Results, Harvard Business School
The impact of Technology
Technology is playing an increasing role in HRM, particularly
through the use of .
 See also:
|
Human Resource Management
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