In recent years an efficient personnel management became an indisputable fact for success and competitiveness of organizations. Personnel resources emerged to key resources for organizations because the capabilities of employees play a main role in strategic behaviour organizations and in turn cause in an influence of effectiveness of the strategy implementation process. Therefore human resources must become an integral component of the strategic planning process because an effective use of human resources is likely to give an organization a significant competitive advantage. Regarding to Beer, Spector, Lawrence, Quinn Mills and Walton the change in HRM can only be executed “…when general managers develop a viewpoint of how they wish to see employees involved in and developed by the enterprise, and of what HRM policies and practices might achieve these goals. Without either a central philosophy or a strategic view – which can be provided only by general managers – HRM is likely to remain a set of independent activities, each guided by its own practice tradition” (1984, p. 4). For this reason there were pleas for developing HRM to a growing integral strategic dimension, the ‘Strategic Human Resource Management’. As an expansion of HRM it ‘involves’ employees in the strategy formulation process and adjusts HRM to organizational strategy in order to guarantee an efficient strategy implementation (van Donk and Esser, 1992). But SHRM was characterized as an area of difficult definitions and contentious theory.
Due to the described research up-to-dateness of dependency between organizational strategy and HRM the emphasis of this essay is a critical examination if only one model of organizational strategy, the ‘Classical Approach’ is sufficient to practice HRM. By using a confrontation of the understanding and execution of further organizational strategy approaches and specialised HRS models this work attempts to find out if there is a need to have a broad and integrated understanding of these approaches and concepts to practice HRM respectively SHRM. In the following this work will regard to these issues and is going to begin with the definition of certain models of organizational and human resource strategy...
Table of Contents
1. Cohesion of organizational strategy and human resource management
2. Introduction of selected organizational strategy models
2.1 The ‘Classical Approach’
2.2 The ‘Processual Approach’
2.3 The ‘Systemic Approach’
3. Introduction of HRS Models for the implementation of SHRM
3.1 The ‘Closed Matching Model’
3.2 The ‘Open Matching Model’
4. Critical evaluation and analysis of the adequacy of the models of organizational strategy and HRS in the economy reality
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Themes
The primary objective of this essay is to critically evaluate whether the 'Classical Model' of organizational strategy is sufficient for the practice of effective Human Resource Management (HRM) or if an integrated approach is necessary to align organizational needs with specialized human resource strategies.
- Analysis of classical, processual, and systemic organizational strategy models.
- Examination of HRS models for the implementation of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM).
- Critical assessment of the limitations of deterministic strategy models in real-world economic contexts.
- Evaluation of stakeholder interests and the political dimensions of strategic decision-making.
- Synthesis of the necessity for a broad, integrated approach to align HRM with organizational goals.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 The ‘Closed Matching Model’
The ‘Closed Matching Model’ combines a specific type of organizational strategy with suitable HR policies and practices and thus the match is quite close (Millmore et al., 2007). Schuler and Jackson (1987) argued that any particular organizational strategy requires different ‘needed role behaviours’ from employees and the corresponding HR techniques to support these. For the organizational strategy Porter’s (1985) typology termed as ‘innovation’, ‘quality enhancement’ and ‘cost reduction’ was used. It is “…a theory which sees behavioural consistency with pre-selected business strategy as the basis for integrating human resource management activities” (Boxall, 1992, p. 67). The concept of Schuler and Jackson is also mentioned by Millmore et al. (2007) for the linkage of the ‘Classical Approach’ to HRM which shows the interaction of these models.
Chapter Summaries
1. Cohesion of organizational strategy and human resource management: This chapter highlights the increasing importance of HRM as an integral strategic component for organizational competitiveness and introduces the research question regarding the sufficiency of the 'Classical Approach'.
2. Introduction of selected organizational strategy models: This section details three distinct strategic perspectives—the 'Classical', 'Processual', and 'Systemic' approaches—to provide a theoretical foundation for the subsequent analysis.
3. Introduction of HRS Models for the implementation of SHRM: This chapter introduces specific models that attempt to align organizational strategy with HR policies, specifically focusing on 'Closed' and 'Open' matching models.
4. Critical evaluation and analysis of the adequacy of the models of organizational strategy and HRS in the economy reality: This chapter provides a critical examination of the presented models, identifying their limitations in dealing with complex, real-world organizational dynamics and the necessity for a more integrated view.
5. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the necessity of a multifaceted approach to HRM, emphasizing that no single model is universal and that HR practitioners must combine various strategies to suit specific organizational contexts.
Keywords
Human Resource Management, Strategic Human Resource Management, Classical Approach, Processual Approach, Systemic Approach, Closed Matching Model, Open Matching Model, Organizational Strategy, Strategic Alignment, Employee Involvement, Stakeholder Interests, Strategic Decision-Making, SHRM, Economic Reality, Competitive Advantage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this essay?
The essay explores the relationship between organizational strategy and human resource management, specifically questioning whether relying on a single 'Classical Model' is adequate for modern business practices.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The paper covers organizational strategy models, strategic human resource management (SHRM), implementation models for HRM, and the critical evaluation of these theories in the context of economic reality.
What is the central research question?
The work examines whether a specialized, integrated approach that accounts for organizational complexity and various stakeholder needs is superior to relying solely on the 'Classical Model' of strategy.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses a qualitative literature review and comparative analysis, contrasting diverse organizational and HR strategy models against empirical and theoretical findings.
What does the main body discuss?
The main body defines various strategy models, introduces SHRM implementation frameworks (Closed and Open Matching Models), and critically evaluates these models regarding their effectiveness and limitations in real-world applications.
Which keywords characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as SHRM, Classical Approach, Strategic Alignment, Organizational Strategy, and Employee Involvement.
What are the main criticisms of the 'Closed Matching Model'?
The critique centers on its static nature, the 'Problem of Strategic Ambiguity', the 'Problem of Managerialism', and its failure to account for rapidly changing environments and diverse employee interests.
Why does the author advocate for a 'Systemic Approach'?
The author highlights the systemic approach because it acknowledges that organizations operate within unique social and cultural systems, which makes universal, one-size-fits-all strategy models impractical.
- Quote paper
- Julia Dohrmann (Author), 2008, Is it sufficient only to rely on the ‘Classical Model’ to practice, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/115243
