Approaches to Strategic Human Resource Management
APPROACHES TO STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Strategy is a plan that is intended to achieve a particular purpose or objective, or pattern of consistent behavior over time. On the organizational level we can refer to a strategy as a fundamental way in which the organization does things.
Strategic human resource management is therefore the approaches to making decisions on the intentions and plans of the organization through policies, plans and practices. These concern employee relations, employee resourcing, growth, development, performance management and reward.
However it is important to note that for a human resource strategy to work it must be aligned to the business strategy and the organizational culture which is therefore referred to as achievement of vertical integration. The choices made in strategic human resource should not only relate to but should also anticipate critical needs of the business both now and inn future. They should also be based on proper study, analysis experienced unity in judgment by the top management of the organization.
It is with this in mind that three different approaches to the development of human resource strategy have been identified over the years.
Delery and Doty first identified in 1996 as universalistic, contingency and configurational approaches. Richardson and Thompson in 1999 renamed the first two as best practice and best fit approach. All these approaches are based on certain assumptions as follows.
Best Practice Approach
This is also known as the Universalistic Approach. It is based on the assumption there exist certain best human resource management practices that if implemented will definitely lead outstanding performance by an organization. These best practices according Guest (1999) include,
Firstly, conducting a careful selection of personnel using tests to determine their potential to positively contribute towards the organization.
Secondly, recognizing training as a continuous activity and
Strategy is a plan that is intended to achieve a particular purpose or objective, or pattern of consistent behavior over time. On the organizational level we can refer to a strategy as a fundamental way in which the organization does things.
Strategic human resource management is therefore the approaches to making decisions on the intentions and plans of the organization through policies, plans and practices. These concern employee relations, employee resourcing, growth, development, performance management and reward.
However it is important to note that for a human resource strategy to work it must be aligned to the business strategy and the organizational culture which is therefore referred to as achievement of vertical integration. The choices made in strategic human resource should not only relate to but should also anticipate critical needs of the business both now and inn future. They should also be based on proper study, analysis experienced unity in judgment by the top management of the organization.
It is with this in mind that three different approaches to the development of human resource strategy have been identified over the years.
Delery and Doty first identified in 1996 as universalistic, contingency and configurational approaches. Richardson and Thompson in 1999 renamed the first two as best practice and best fit approach. All these approaches are based on certain assumptions as follows.
Best Practice Approach
This is also known as the Universalistic Approach. It is based on the assumption there exist certain best human resource management practices that if implemented will definitely lead outstanding performance by an organization. These best practices according Guest (1999) include,
Firstly, conducting a careful selection of personnel using tests to determine their potential to positively contribute towards the organization.
Secondly, recognizing training as a continuous activity and
References: 1. Armstrong Michel (2006) A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice Kogan Page 2. C.B.Gupla (2008) Human Resource Management, 9th edition 3. Aswathappa Y (2008) Human Resource Management Text Cases (5th edition)