To What Extent Can HRM Be Described as Strategic - Essay Example

? To what extent can HRM be described as strategic? A long set task inside the Government's Management Framework is the Human Resource Management (HRM). The government through this devise seeks to develop and manage staffs, employees and develop into a good employer and secures staff commitment and their all round development and help them to serve the best to the community with appropriate change in the community. Through optimal staff management procedures a developed customer service and performance oriented culture will evolve (Human Resource Management). Strategic human resource management on the other hand is a process which links the human resource function with the strategic objective of the organization in order to improve the future performance (Bratton). This paper will focus on the extent to which the human resource management can be considered as strategic. Strategic human resource management (SHRM) The purpose of the HR strategies is to guide the human resource management development and implementation programs. The programs dedicate towards the means of communicating to all concerned the intentions of the organization about the management of the human resources. The Human Resource strategies provide a dynamic vision but they also determine to which direction the actions are required to be executed and realized. The strategic human resource management develops a stream of dynamic decisions which help in the formation of a pattern developed by the organization for the management of the human resource and also identification of specific areas which needs to be developed. The strategies will basically focus on the do’s and dont’s of the organization to maintain the organizational health stability (Armstrong, 124). In strategic human resource management, the functioning system appears in a systematic cycle following a sequenced chronological order. These can be classified into five different dimensions: a) mission and goals, b) environmental analysis ,c) strategic formulation , d) strategy implementation and lastly d) strategy evaluation (Bratton, 40). Validation of strategic human resource management There are limitations to the strategic human resource management. They do not always take into account the circumstances that are unique to a company's structure which may require alteration to regular procedures. The strategic human resource may not be always cost effective in nature since it focuses more towards a centralization-based approach and ignore the factors such as implementation and operating costs (Armstrong, 385). The strategic human resource management may not find its optimal feasibility in smaller companies that do not provide hardcore corporate environment. It can be also said that the concept of strategic human resource management are based on beliefs about the rationality of the approaches used to develop strategy. The process also seems to underestimate the significance of politics, power, and culture. The implications of the power and politics perspective of the HRM are manifold. It is a fact that anyone who has worked with the organizations in the development of the HR practices such as selection and appraisal systems has inferred that it is political rather than technical or strategic consideration which determines the development of the final product (Armstrong, 278). Focus on organizational processes such as power and influence, institutionalization, conflict and contest for controls needs to be given special emphasis in order to under how the strategic decisions will be successful (Klimosk and Zaccaro). The prevalent conceptualizations of SHRM are depended on the conventional rational perspective to administrative decision-making, acts of linear planning and choice and action. Managerial fallacy Critical organizational theorists have criticized these assumptions stating that the strategic decisions are not necessarily based on the output of rational calculation. The theorists argue that the image of the manager as a reflective planner and strategist is based on a false hypothesis and further added that the managerial behavior at several instances are more uncoordinated, fragmented and not based upon pillars of rationality. The limitations of the managers with instances of lack of information, time and cognitive capacity is reflected on the political perspectives on strategic decision-making. The process of strategic management is a highly competitive process where the managers rampantly compete for resources, status and power which deflects from the ultimate achievement of rational decision making. Theorist Johnson argues that, “Strategic decisions are characterized by the political hurly-burly of organizational life with a high incidence of bargaining … all within a notable lack of clarity in terms of environmental influences and objectives” (Bratton 57). Neglect of contingencies Another constraint in the SHRM is the focus on the connection between external market strategies and HR function. Emergence analysis depends exclusively on external marketing strategies i.e., the way the firm competes, and disregards the internal operational strategies i.e, the way the firm is managed, and it sways the HR practices and performance. In an industry which is flexible, and the key to profitability is customized product range and high quality adopt a manufacturing strategy that allows, via new technology and self-managed work teams, for far fewer people but ones who are functionally flexible, within a commitment HR strategy regime. But the SHRM stresses on the recognition of surplus value within product markets. The focus will have to be on the complex contingent variables that constitute the full transformation process (Bratton 57). Managerial control A dominant HR strategy is strongly related to a specific competitive strategy as in when the management seeking to compete in the marketplace by using standard differentiation strategies, the application of the commitment HR strategy is most likely to be adopted. Again, the managerial behavior is influenced by the gap between the employee’s potential and actual performance level and comes to irrational decisions (Bratton 57). Strategic overlapping The managers act strategically and the patterns of the strategies evolve in a dynamic platform. But it is often found that the one strategic decision overlap other strategic goals. For example in times of recession, there is a tendency for corporate management to improve the profitability by downsizing and applying more demanding performance outcomes at the unit level may be an optimal strategy but it may contradict the goal of the goal of employee commitment and cooperation (Bratton 58). Conclusion The strategic human resource management has definite implications for the well organized functioning of the institutions and organizations. But strategy formulation and its successful implementation is really a complex job. Personal goals of the managers often come in the practice and rational decisions are often deviated to find real life application for better performance of the organization on a wider level. However it can be said that to whatever extent the group of managers are committed to a particular HR strategy the external and internal structural externalities stands as contradiction and restraints the management action. References Armstrong, M. A. (2006), Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, Kogan Press Publisher Bratton, J. (n.d.), Strategic human resource management, available at: http://www.palgrave.com/business/brattonandgold/docs/bgcha02.pdf (accessed on May 27, 2012) HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (1995), Civil Service Branch, available at: http://www.csb.gov.hk/english/publication/files/e-hrmguide.pdf (accessed on May 27, 2012) Klimosk, R. J. & Zaccaro, S. J. (n.d.), The Nature of Organizational Leadership Understanding the Performance Imperatives Confronting Today's Leaders, available at: http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/07/07879529/0787952907.pdf (accessed on May 27, 2012) Read More