Changing Role

Of

HRM

 Hiller

et. al (1993) comments that:

"The greatest single reward that

any manager can receive is to
have his or her subordinates say
that they are better workers
because of the manager's
leadership. Such an attitude builds
morale and loyalty, and these will
accomplish the impossible".

Who then is responsible

for Managing People?

Everybody in the
organisation.

Expectations of the HR
role
Karen Legge 1978
Conformist innovator
Deviant innovator
Problem solver
Tyson & Fell 1986
Clerk of the works
Contracts manager
Architect
Storey 1992
Handmaiden
Regulator
Adviser
Change maker

Expectations of the HR
role
Wilkinson & MArchington 1994

Facilitator
Internal contractor
Hidden persuader
Change agent

Ulrich 1998
Administrative expert
Employee champion
Change agent
Business partner

HRs reputation
There is good reason for HRs
struggling reputation.
It is often
ineffective,
incompetent, and
costly and in a phrase,
it is value depleting.

Ulrichs model

To overcome this reputation, he argues that HR must adopt these four roles;

FOCUS
Strategic & forward looking

STRATEGIC
PARTNER

CHANGE
AGENT

ACTIVITIES
Management of
process

Management of
people

ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPERT

EMPLOYEE
CHAMPION

Operational & day to day

Ulrichs model
Business partner: Partner in strategy
execution and ensuring that it is developed and
put into effect
Administrative expert: Expertise in
organisation of work and deliver administrative
efficiency
Employee champion: Voice of employee
representation and work in improving their
contribution
Change agent: agent of continuous
transformation, shaping processes and culture to
improve the organisational capacity for change.

Outsourcing HR
function

Most widespread areas of HR work

undertaken by consultants
Training and Management
Development
Recruitment,
Selection, and
Outplacement

4 reasons why employers

turn to external
1. Consultants provide expertise on time
consultants
that is not available internally
2.

3.

4.

Provide independent views and

opinion (theoretically) free from
internal influence
HR function can be more strategic by
outsourcing routine, clerical and
administrative duties
Cost savings

Line managers and HR

Specialists
Line

managers now have far greater

responsibility for HR issues
Line managers work more in
conjunction with specialists

Aspects of HRM line

managers are most likely
Rarely did line managers take lead on
to take

HR policy issues
Line managers playing greater part is
resourcing and employee relations
while in development and reward the
professionals still had a significant role
Work in conjunction but depends on
the power base of the managers

Training line managers

for people management

Most of managing people is

function

common sense anyway. When

ever an issue comes up it is
always where you have had
no preparation . you can
deal with it if you consider
the issues carefully.

How HR can support

middle managers

HR strategies should be composed of broad

themes that can then be contextualised
Middle managers should be encouraged to
contribute towards elaboration of these themes
The HR function should be organised to allow
HR professionals to work closely with line
managers
The development of middle managers is
directed towards their contribution to strategic
change

Responsibility for HRM

The

key characteristics of
distinctiveness in the modern form of
HRM is the decentralisation of HR
responsibilities to line management

Line

responsibility is basic to its

effective practice

Role of line
management

the role of line management is no more

restricted to monitoring and organising
production but also achieving the HRM goals
of commitment, quality, flexibility and
ultimately the profitability of subordinates.
Thus it is implied, both implicitly and
explicitly, that the role of line management
is expanded or redefined so that it
incorporates people responsibilities rather
than purely technical responsibilities.

Responsibility for HRM

Sandy Adironadack in her book Just About
Managing has suggested that Human Resource
Management (Personnel Management) should
involve:
ensuring the organisation has clear, appropriate
and workable policies and procedures for all
aspects of employment and volunteering;
ensuring the organisation's policies and
procedures comply with legal requirements, and
are updated to comply with changes in the law;
ensuring all staff, whether paid or voluntary, are
properly recruited, inducted, supervised, trained
and supported;

contd.
ensuring all workers feel they are a valued part
of the team and organisation;
involving workers in discussions and decisions
which affect their work or working environment,
and ensuring they have adequate information
and time to participate;
ensuring workers know what they are supposed
to be doing, how to do it and how it fits into the
organisation's overall work;
helping workers plan work and assess priorities;
helping workers recognise and overcome
intellectual, technical or personal difficulties
affecting their work;

contd.
ensuring workers have opportunities to
learn, change and develop within their work;
setting deadlines and information workers
about them, implementing procedures to
monitor work against the, changing them as
required;
setting standards of performance(quality of
work and/or behaviour) and implementing
procedures to monitor them;
dealing with poor time-keeping, poor work
performance, and other potential or actual
disciplinary matters;

contd.
creating

and maintaining a safe and

pleasant physical environment;
creating and maintaining a good
emotional environment;
helping sort out conflicts within the
group;
dealing with worker's concerns and
grievances