Human Resource Management
Executive summary
There are various functions of human resources management and there are different approaches taken by the management in terms of managing the human capital. The soft and hard approaches are often implemented by different organisations depending on their structure. As such, this paper sought to compare these two philosophies in a bid to establish the advantage as well as disadvantages of each approach. A critical analysis of the case study of Toyota which uses the soft approach showed that there are various benefits that can be derived from treating the employees as valuable assets to the organisation. This approach helps the employees to be committed to their work which contributes to the overall performance of the organisation as a whole.
Table of contents
1.0 Introduction 3
1.1 Part A: Comparative analysis of hard and soft philosophies of HRM 3
1.2.1 Advantages and disadvantages of the soft and hard approaches to HRM 4
1.3 Justification of the soft approach 5
1.4 Part B: Five soft approaches used by Toyota 5
2.0 Harvard model of HRM 6
2.1.1 Towards defining HRM 7
2.1.2 HRM theories 8
2.2 HRM strategies 9 2.3.1 Continuous improvement and respect for people 10
2.3.2 Effective teamwork 10
3.0 References 11
1.0 Introduction
The origins of our efforts to manage people lie in the way we view others and make judgement about them (Hall, 1988). For Hall (1988), the philosophies of human resources management (HRM) are those assumptions about people and the workplace and their abilities and needs and these form the foundation of managerial actions. From this assertion, it can be noted that there are mainly two philosophies namely the ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ approaches to HRM which are applied by different organisations. As such, this paper seeks to provide a comparative analysis of the soft
There are various functions of human resources management and there are different approaches taken by the management in terms of managing the human capital. The soft and hard approaches are often implemented by different organisations depending on their structure. As such, this paper sought to compare these two philosophies in a bid to establish the advantage as well as disadvantages of each approach. A critical analysis of the case study of Toyota which uses the soft approach showed that there are various benefits that can be derived from treating the employees as valuable assets to the organisation. This approach helps the employees to be committed to their work which contributes to the overall performance of the organisation as a whole.
Table of contents
1.0 Introduction 3
1.1 Part A: Comparative analysis of hard and soft philosophies of HRM 3
1.2.1 Advantages and disadvantages of the soft and hard approaches to HRM 4
1.3 Justification of the soft approach 5
1.4 Part B: Five soft approaches used by Toyota 5
2.0 Harvard model of HRM 6
2.1.1 Towards defining HRM 7
2.1.2 HRM theories 8
2.2 HRM strategies 9 2.3.1 Continuous improvement and respect for people 10
2.3.2 Effective teamwork 10
3.0 References 11
1.0 Introduction
The origins of our efforts to manage people lie in the way we view others and make judgement about them (Hall, 1988). For Hall (1988), the philosophies of human resources management (HRM) are those assumptions about people and the workplace and their abilities and needs and these form the foundation of managerial actions. From this assertion, it can be noted that there are mainly two philosophies namely the ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ approaches to HRM which are applied by different organisations. As such, this paper seeks to provide a comparative analysis of the soft
References: Harvard Model of HRM, 12 November, 2011, viewed 12 November, 2011, . The Harvard Map of HRM, 2008, Viewed 12 November, 2011, .