Design and Implementation of Sets of Strategic Human Resource Management Practices

In an era of organizational flux due to competition and globalization, companies and employees are faced with constant change. Leaders must be able to adapt to change as the environment shifts. HR has been known as the organizational change agent, administrative expert, and employee advocate. More recently they have been regarded as business strategic partners for many organizations. In order to be successful and remain competitive in today’s market, Human Resources (HR) must be considered a strategic partner if an organization wants to flourish. Top executives today commit significant resources to ensure that their company’s functions are capable of rapid change and achieving their

In response to criticisms of the ‘best fit’ and ‘best practice’ approaches, the ‘resource based view’ model focuses on leveraging competitive advantage through both tangible and intangible organisational resources. However, questions arise regarding whether there is a best way of achieving strategic HRM. Evidence suggests that firms rarely adopt a single style of management and that it is likely that they use a mix of approaches for different groups (Wilton 2011).

Alignment between HRM practices and organizational strategy establishes a coherent system for organizations. There has to be a "fit" between the human resource planning and organizational strategy, Internal fit aligns HR practices with strategic organizational objectives while external fit aligns HR practices with the external environment. The external fit exhibits a more precise fit between quality policy and assertive performance HRM practices (Youndt,

In simple term, strategic human resource management is concern with the ways in people is crucial to company effectiveness. According to Miller (1987) strategic

This artifact was a seminar paper written as a literature review to address topics, theories, issues, and trends in HRD in the course Seminar in Human Resource Development. This artifact considers strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices in terms of what human resource (HR) practitioners are doing and how it affects the organizations they are doing it in and the field of human resource development (HRD). Definitions of SHRM are represented as; a human resource system designed for the mandates of business strategy and a planned model of human resources activities to allow the organization to achieve its goals. It reports SHRM information found in literature and relates it to the study of HRD. I selected this artifact because it compares and contrasts SHRM approaches of HRD and analyzes each of their strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, the artifact evaluates and clarifies the importance of SHRM to HRD and its purpose and goal within an organization.

Schuler, R. S., & Jackson, S. E. (2007). Strategic human resource management. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Wright and McMahan (1994) define strategic HRM as “the pattern of planned Human Resource deployments and activities intended to enable the organisation to achieve its goals.” A HR function should impact the success of an organisation; a policy must remain current and suitable to both the internal and external environment. Ulrich and Lake (1990) affirm, ‘HRM systems can be the source of organisational capabilities that allow organisations to learn and capitalise on new opportunities.’

The practise of Human Resources is moving from the traditional forms of managing people to a more strategic form whereby the Human Resources function is closely linked with organisational performance and success. This strategic form of human resources has increased the need for the Human Resource professional to understand the linkages between Corporate Strategy, Human Resource Strategy and Employee Integration.

Schuler (1997) summarises Strategic Human Resource Management as expressing how people are to be treated and valued in the workforce as well human resource management's responsibility for articulating the processes which encourage behaviour which is consistent with the organisation's business. In this context strategic human resource management also includes the development of guidelines for the implementation of people-related programs and, the more complex area of co-ordinating and facilitating change.

The term Human Resource Strategy is well defined as - “Human Resource management (HRM) is a strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasises that leverage people 's capabilities is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programmes and practices.” [ Bratton and Gold,4e,p3]

The strategic human resources management of the means every person from within organization from the top of management level to the bottom of ground staffs are doing things that make the organization successful. According to Schuler, R. S. (1992) strategic human resources management is defined about integration and adaption within organization .Its concern to ensure HR management is fully integrated with the strategy and these HR policies are adjusted and used by the employees and their line managers as part of their everyday work.

Strategic human resource management as described by Nel et al. (2011:562) is “long-term, top-level management decisions and actions regarding employment relationships that are usually made and performed with the overall general strategic management of

Strategic human resource management as described by Nel et al. (2011:562) is “long-term, top-level management decisions and actions regarding employment relationships that are usually made and performed with the overall general strategic

Aim: This research will help us understand the role played by Strategic Human Resources Management in Organizational success, what role a HR manager plays in improving organizational efficiency and how it differs from traditional Human Resources Management.

Within this essay an in depth analysis will be conducted on the difference between Human Resource Management and Strategic Human Resource Management using contemporary perspectives. Human Resource Management (HRM) is the process of managing human resources in a systematic way. It is a practice devised to maximise the performance of employees and is concerned with the application of management principles to manage organisational personnel while paying attention to the policies and systems of the entity (Delaney & Huselid, 1996). Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a function of management which entails development of policies, programmes and practices related to human resources, which are aligned with business strategy so as to achieve the strategic objectives of the organisation (Patrick M. Wright, 1992). Its primary purpose is to improve the performance of the business and maintain a culture that encourages innovation and works continuously to gain competitive advantage. In this essay the Resource-Based View, High Performance Management and High Commitment Management perspectives of Strategic Human Resource Management and Traditional and Collaborative