There is a need for some serious reflection amoung HR practioners and theorists alike about what constitutes good Strategic HRM. (Stone, 2010) What constitutes good Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) lies in the historical and contemporary definitions of Human Resource Management and the practice of such definitions within the work environ. There are four main roles of the Human Resource Manager, one of them being strategic partner to both management and employee relationships. (Stone, 2010) When looking into Stones Letter to the editor (Stone, 2010.pp10) it is easy to see where the writer is coming from. The utilisation of workers/employees as factors in the production process has been a long evaluated process which has become in essence relative to the work environment they are relegated to. The job of the Human Resource Manager has evolved over time from that of Personnel Manager to Human relations and then to what we term as Human Resource Manager. The Human Resource Manager is relied heavily upon to predict and identify positive and negative factors in the workplace, then create and implement strategies to align job satisfaction and work ethic with the strategic vision of the employer to create an outcome that benefits both. It is a difficult job for any one person and relies on the co-operation of all parties involved. The author of the letter to the editor points out that the inference of Human Resource Management as strategic and vision based creates a type of reactive management which he terms as management by crisis. (Stone, 2010; pp10) However if we were to look at the theory and practice of strategic HRM as a whole over time and in terms of relationship with the other key roles of the HRM we would see that though some may see these practices and implemented strategies are not only necessary for the continuation of employment and business growth, but play a key role in the happiness of staff and the continuation of application and alignment to the vision and core values of the organisation as a whole. In order to truly understand this concept of Strategic HRM and the 1
Diagram removed (Source: Rudman, R: 2010 pp 16) To finish we look at Puzzled HR Practitioner and his inference to management confusion in the whole strategic HRM. Puzzled talks about how people are perceived as just another production process and how the role of the HRM is blurred into management confusion over which role the HRM actually takes. The above diagram looks at this relationship as a working relationship and if we are to look at the research and theory we can see that HRM is not essentially a part of the management structure although they do have input into what essentially relays from management to employee. (Rudman, 2010) The development of organisations as a whole does not rely on the positions of management and employee respectively, it relies on the integration of management procedures and policies and employee wants and needs. When an employer can see the employee as more than just a production process the integration begins. The integration of needs and satisfaction of employee relations into management process brings about the change agent of HRM and serves as a catalyst for changes within the organisation as a whole. Any organisation willing to succeed will bring about any changes possible, and in the current climate it is evidently possible for such things to happen. If we look at the beliefs and people management of corporate giants in New Zealand such as The Warehouse, Mad Butcher, and New Zealand Post, the vision and HRM statements say it all; an example being The New Zealand Post:
References
Bartol, K., & Martin, D. (1998). Management. (3, Ed.) Boston, USA: McGraw Hill Ltd. Caldwell, R. (2003). The changing roles of personnel managers: Old ambiguities, new uncertainties. Journal of Management Studies , 983-1004. Robbins, S., Millet, B., Cacioppe, R., & Marsh, T. W. (1998). Organisational Behaviour (2 ed.). Australia: Prentice Hall. (2010). In R. Rudman, Human Management in New Zealand. North Shore, New Zealand: Pearson. (2010). Future Challenges for HR Management. In R. Rudman, Human Resources management in New Zealand. North Shore, New Zealand: Pearson. (2010). Roles and Responsibilites for HR Management. In R. Rudman, Human Resources Management in New Zealand. North Shore, New Zealand: Pearson. (2010). Strategic Human resources Management. In R. Rudman, Human Resources Management in New Zealand (5 ed.). North Shore, New Zealand: Pearson. Stone, J. (2010). Managing human resources (3 ed.). Brisbane, Australia: John Wiley.