critically evaluate the extent to which the company is acting strategically with regard to its Employee Development Practices. Specifically comment on the purpose and value of acting strategically

Contents

Introduction p3

Aligning HR with the Business Strategy p3

Strategic Alignment within Microsoft p4

Employee Development p4

CD p5

CD at Microsoft p5

Conclusion p6

Introduction “A prominent theme in the academic literature on the HRM strategy has long been the idea that organisations should explicitly align their HR activities with their long-term strategic objectives.” (Taylor, 2008:537). This type of strategic alignment determines the extent to which an organisation’s HR department are acting strategically, Taylor (2008). Therefore “the clearer the alignment between HR activity and organisational strategic objectives, the clearer it is that a coherent HR strategy is being pursued” (Boxall and Purcell, 2003: 290). Within this report I will critically analyse the strategic alignment between the organisational strategy and the HR strategy of Microsoft, paying particular attention to the Employee Development Practices and how they align to the aims and objectives of Microsoft, to determine how strategically the company is acting.
Employees are an organisations most prized resource, therefore it is vital that they are given the environment to work to the best of their ability, Employee Development is a crucial part of this. Harrison defines Employee Development as “the skilful provision and organisation of learning experience in the workplace”, “through enhancing the skills, knowledge, learning ability and enthusiasm at every level, there can be continuous organisation as well as individual growth. Employee Development must, therefore, be part of a wider strategy for the business aligned with the organisation’s corporate mission and goals.” (Harrison, 1992:4)
Microsoft founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen has been described as a veteran software company (CrunchBase 2013), they are a multinational software corporation and one of the world’s largest software maker’s. Best known for

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