Case Study Senior Managers Perception of the practice of Human Resource Management.

Human Resource Management

ASSIGNMENT
Senior Managers Perception of the practice of
Human Resource Management
14th November, 2016

Submitted To:
Course Instructor: Mr. Jayendra Rimal

Submitted By:Mohit Maheshwari

EMBA Fall 2015- Semester II

Case Study Senior Managers Perception of the practice of Human Resource Management.

Q1. What questions/issues is the author trying to address? How important are they? Why?
The author Lois Farquharson is focusing on the issues of Human Resource Practices that are
followed in the companies that were listed in the Sunday Times as the UK best employers. The
author quotes Caldwell stating that evidence of its widespread uptake by UK companies has
invariably been disappointing. This statement shows that the UK companies are not following
the Human Resources efficiently. The author has focused on the following points in the article:
I.

The author talks about the relationship of Human Resource Management and Business
Effectiveness. So, is the role of Human Resource Personnel in important in an
organization? The answer to this question is simple and obvious, the human resource
managers help in providing input, advice, direction, and execution with respect to
business or organization effectiveness which can be measured through organization of
staff and how does the human resource managers manage their human capital.
There are many ways that HR can contribute to business strategy. It ranges from helping
to identify and design strategic options, through to picking the best options, including
facilitating the implementation of the strategic options the company chooses to pursue.
Usually new strategies require different behavior and different performance from many
individuals and parts of the organization. This type of change should be a real sweet
spot for HR.
As per my personal experience the human resource management plays a vital role in
forming the organization, they are the one who hire employs, go through the process of
job evaluation and job description. According to me human resource is the entry gate to
any organization.

II.

Secondly the author talks about the relationship of Human Resource Management and
Business Strategic Process. A successful business owner realizes the strong connection
between the two. Developing human capital is important to the longevity and success of
a business. In the past, personnel administration was merely the processing of payroll,
benefits and applications. Human resources strategy today involves executive leadership
teams conferring with human resources experts to develop complementary goals for
human resources and the overall business.
The recruitment and selection process of human resources department is important in
building a productive workforce. Developing a human resource strategy for recruiting
and selecting the best employees affects organization's bottom line. Maintaining a
workforce where employees enjoy high levels of job satisfaction and job security
translates into a workforce that helps achieve business goals.
As per my personal experience, human capital, or human resources, is your most
valuable resource.

Case Study Senior Managers Perception of the practice of Human Resource Management.

III.

Thirdly the author speaks about Human Resource Policies and Priority of such policies.
Human Resource Management is about people. It is about guiding employees in such a
way that they are willing and able to use and develop their knowledge, skills, abilities
and focus in the best possible way to serve the goals of the organization.
The way Human Resource Policy is implemented and used by organization can vary
enormously, especially with regard to the importance of the role that Human Resource
Managers plays in the organization. Furthermore, there will be differences in the
manner in which administrations use the various elements of Human Resource
Management. Overall, it can be stated that the key to a successful and efficient
organization is to create consistency and coherence between the policy of Human
Resource and the organization.

The author has focused on these three questions in the article:

1. How is HRM linked to business effectiveness?
2. How is HRM connected to business strategy processes?
3. What are current priority HRM policies?

Case Study Senior Managers Perception of the practice of Human Resource Management.

Q2. What basic assumptions/arguments does the author make? What facts/opinions does he
present? How valid are these assumptions/arguments/facts/opinions in the light of
theoretical development in the thematic field?

The author makes the following assumptions in the given research article:
I.

The first basic assumption that the author has made is that the organization which are
listed as the best employers by The Sunday Times are implementing the human
resource management strategies effectively and efficiently. The article which aims to
know the perception of senior level managers towards Human Resource Management in
their organization in terms of business effectiveness, business strategy process and
Human Resource Policy Priorities.

II.

The second assumption that was made by the author in the article is that the senior
level managers follows the theoretical perceptive of Human Resource Management:
HRM and business effectiveness; HRM and business strategy processes; and priority
HRM policies. But as per the findings of the article it shows that the perception of senior
managers is different in practical approach from that of the theoretical approach.

III.

The third assumption that was found in the research paper was senior line managers
perception plays a vital role in forming the human resource strategies and policies in the
organization. It is there perception towards the importance and efficiency of human
resource management that helps in forming a strategy that can help in forming the
triangle of Human Resource that the author talks about in the article.

The above mentioned assumptions that the author makes in the research paper are valid
enough other than the theoretical perspective of Human Resource Management techniques
followed by the senior level managers. As the practical world differs a lot from the theoretical
world and challenges storm in the door without knocking and no theory seems to apply there
and hence in assuming that theoretical perspective is followed by the senior level managers
towards Human Resource Management is not a valid assumption.

Case Study Senior Managers Perception of the practice of Human Resource Management.

Q3. What are the significant empirical/conceptual contributions of or gaps in this article?
The article shows evidences that there has been potential gap between rhetoric strategies of
Human Resource Management and the practical implementation of Human Resource
Management. The research article talks about the three triangle that consist of Human
Resource in the organization in terms of Business Effectiveness, Business Strategy Process, and
Human Resource Policy Priority, but in the practical world finding the perfect triangle is very
hard to implement, it would take enormous amount of time and monetary units to attain the
perfect triangle.
The article talks about the above mentioned points and does not have any gap in the research
rather it has gap in implementation of the mentioned strategy. Reduced quality of service, lack
of clarity of HR ownership, lack of communication with HR, and a distancing of the relationship
between HR and their clients are some of the difficulties that can arise.
The senior managers support the Human Resource Management for it to focus on efforts in
organizations on business needs and integration between Human Resource Management and
business strategy processes. The contrary to this theory is that Human Resource Management
policy priorities are derived from the strategic business direction and that they are perceived to
support business operations and, consequently business performance.
The article aims are finding the theoretical perspective of senior managers towards Human
Resource Management and business effectiveness; Human Resource Management and
business strategies; and priority Human Resource Management policies. But only finding the
theoretical perspective will not be enough to conclude the study, the practical perspective need
to be found to make the research a whole complete research. Because in the practical world we
face many problems which we have not read or know in a theoretical aspect, and hence
practical perspective need to be researched too.

Case Study Senior Managers Perception of the practice of Human Resource Management.

Q4. What conclusions does the author draw? Are these conclusions justified in the light of the
empirical/theoretical evidence by the author? How important are these conclusions?
The author concludes that the Human Resource Management practices are centered with that
of the business imperatives of performance and results. The article shows evidence that Human
Resource and Business effectiveness, Human Resource and Business Strategy process and
Human Resource Policy priority are being perceived by the senior level managers of the
organizations that were listed as the best employers by The Sunday Times.
Human Resource professionals have sought to demonstrate their contribution to organizational
performance by focusing on the more strategic aspects of their role. The triangle model that
the author have purposed is one of the best practice in Human Resource Management in
business, with chief executive recognition at the top apex focusing on business needs and
effectiveness for HRM, constitutes a model of the principal and best practice features that
denote well developed HRM at present.
The author concludes that leadership is seen as one of the most important Human Resource
Management priorities and the leadership ability promotes and reinforces itself in the
organization value of Human Resource Management. The article shows clear evidence about
how effective leadership is recognized in the organization culture. Effective leadership is
recognized as important in organizational culture, employee engagement and business
performance in changing environments alike.
The three areas of Human Resource Management namely- Human Resource Management and
business effectiveness, Human Resource Management and business strategy processes, and
Human Resource Management policy priority, which are continuously checked and kept in
tracked by the business informants, is that these three aspects of Human Resource
Management are perceived by the senior manager respondents to be closely meshed together.
Focusing Human Resource Management efforts on business needs and organizational
effectiveness leads to a close integration between Human Resource Management and business
strategy processes.

Case Study Senior Managers Perception of the practice of Human Resource Management.

Q5. How could this work be further extended or refined?

The research can be made further reliable or extended is through adding a research for
knowing how the practical perspective of senior managers is towards the three areas of Human
Resource Management- Human Resource Management and business effectiveness, Human
Resource Management and business strategy processes, and Human Resource Management
policy priority.
Only knowing the theoretical aspect and forming an opinion on the practical aspect is not
enough to form an overall opinion on the practice and perception of senior level managers
towards Human Resource Management. In addition to these perceptions of the importance and
impact of HRM, it is also important to consider the internal and external impacts on the
development of HR strategies and policies.
The research is limited to the employers who are listed as the best employers by The Sunday
Times and hence the practices they follow have to the best practices in the whole UK. This
research is only limited to the cream of the senior level employees. To get the real picture the
research should be conducted on a large scale basis not taking in consideration the size of the
organization or the reputation of the employers.
As per personal experience reading the paper I find that the research was mainly focused on
the perception of senior line managers on Human Resource Management of some specific
companies (Six Companies) and then results and findings can only be limited to them and
cannot be generalized. And hence to increase the generalization of the result the bases of
number of companies are to be increased.

References:
Perceptions of the Human Resource Management Function among Professionals
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUK
EwjPyKKMqfQAhUDORQKHcT0BosQFggkMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ccsenet.org%2Fjournal%2Findex.php%2F
ijbm%2Farticle%2Fdownload%2F13109%2F10455&usg=AFQjCNGzTe4JK9yJ3kbb6Lgrm3u0VTi5Ew&sig2=
ko6pptMs3UkTg-nitsKAOQ