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Strategic Human Resource Management (Shrm) Strategic Human

Last reviewed: March 28, 2012 ~16 min read
Abstract

This is a contextual paper addressing strategic human resource management. It reviews the chapters of introduction to HRM in public and non-profit organizations, legal environment and strategic HRM planning. The paper also oversees the theories pertaining strategic human resource management and their application to business performance. Theoretical analysis has been depicted and how the applications have helped in improving business performances in many organizations.

Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Strategic human resource management is a discipline of managerial ethics that deals with the alignment of inventive human functions to the objectivity of a business. It is the core of organizational achievement through a well-organized business structural culture. There exists a conceptual relationship between SHRM practices, tools of managing capital and in the performance of firm resources. The arbitration of the role of an organizational culture is also depicted under studies affirming SHRM. Strategic human resource management enhances categorization of practical evaluations of financial business performance (Ismail et al., 2010, pg 395).

Summation of Chapter 1

a) Introduction to SHRM

According to Pynes, strategic human resource management concerns the effectuation and adoption of changes in business agencies. These agencies require realistic info in accordance to the talent and capability of the managing staff (Pynes, 2009, pg 31). It denotes to the implementation of resourceful activities of staff members of the respective firms; execution of policies and applications in effectuating necessary modifications in ameliorating a firm's strategic and functional objectives.

There is increased completion in organizational structures in firms, hence the need in addressing and improving their management implications. Human resource management re-utilizes human capital and resources by bumping into professional, educated and industrious members (Fombrun et al., 1984, pg 11). Factorization of macro and micro environments in a firm has industrialized revitalization, improved quality of life and equally distributed firm justice; hence raising the urgency to manage human resources strategically.

b) SHRM in public and non-profit organizations

Public and non-profitable organizations indeed are finding it cumbersome to confront varying economy, technological, cultural and legislative changes. These changes are important as they determine the viability of the organization. The first step in achieving viability of public and non-profitable organizations is to have properly trained and pliable employees. In responding to such changes, agencies must incorporate their extensive strategic plans with the needs of the human resource management. Public and non-profitable organizations follow the slogan of better working conditions for improved performance. The slogan has helped various public organizations to rise to an advanced level that can cope up with the emerging technological trends.

Consequentially, public and non-profitable organizations overlooks deeply into the relationship between the sectors of operations and human resource contributions. External factors affect the internal functions of an organization, for instance financial uncertainty and economic changes brought about by regular adjustment in the field of operations in public and non-profit organizations may affect the demographic composition of labor force. An efficient human resource structure should b able to deliver employees with critical knowledge, abilities and skills to perform specified work. The employees must be flexible thus able to swiftly adapt to rapid as well as unstructured changes.

Strategic planning in human resources under public and non-profit organization is very essential. This is achieved through assessing the past trends, evaluating the present situations and projecting future events. Realistic planning can not work if strategic planning does not take into consideration relative information regarding current and capable human resources. For a public or non-profit organization to continue being viable, both internal and external environments have to be scanned, and necessary changes to be effected. Changes that are likely to affect the organization's operation in human resources should be anticipated

Summation of Chapter 2

a) Changing role of Human Resource Management

Sectors of the public, nonprofit and fro-profit firms have been facing many challenges concerning the long-run implications of human resources in the respective departments. HR managers address the issues of future possibilities of demography and workforce shortages. This has also been accredited the fact that these sectors face unending situations of retrenchment and retirement. The non-profit sectors face tremendous implications since their leadership positions are limited to young professionals who are neither willing to take up the places. Similarly, in public areas, several acts were developed to assist in improving executive government positions. The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 was effectuated in July 1979 to further develop a high cadre and competence of leadership and managerial personnel (Pynes, 2009, pg 33). It is estimated that most federal careers requiring professional expertise and authoritative skills are implemented in a knowledge-oriented aspect. Developing strategic human resource management was therefore implemented to address the impending progresses being done in the public and non-profit organizations; to face the layoff in jobs and income pitfalls; and to plan for the funding of future services of the organizations.

b) HR Planning

This is a significant concept in the implementation of strategic human resource management. It involves the analyzing and identification of urgent and available human resources. This is done to attend to a firm's objectives. The planning of HR depends on a five-step conceptual model. The first process is identifying a strategic direction. An organization's workforce is linked in stipulating long and short-run objectives. The staff involved outlays the organization's strategies, annual operations and financial analysis and business plans. The second step focuses on the analysis of the workforce and its conduct of work and the identification of performance gaps. Thirdly, an action plan is developed to curb with the already established gaps, implement and assess strategies and restructure the workforce and other technological aspects of the firm. He forth phase oversees the implementation of the plans developed. In this phase, human and financial resources are objectified. For enhanced execution of the plans, coordination, communication and marketing strategies are necessitated and comprehended by the HR team who enforce the plan. Finally, the HR team is subjected to monitoring, evaluating and revising the plans and mitigating cornerstones that undermine continued progress of the firm's strategic plans.

c) SHRM Implementation

Firm usually have future prospects in operating beyond their conventional roles and operations. Similarly, a firm ensures continued partnerships amongst its managers and employees. For these reasons, the firm's HRM team is necessitated to implement its SHRM plans. A good working relationship with the workforce provides the staff with an insight of HRM issues and keeps them informed on their needs and those of the HR departments. Proper implemented SHRM plans provide a template for corporation modification and innovation. Implementation of the SHRM by executive HR managers is overseen by several phases.

The first phase is building a project planning team. It is mainly consistent of HR competent professionals. The organizations leaders and other external investors sponsor the process and directions as the HR team contribute by show-casing competence and expertise (Pynes, 2009, 45). Responsibility is the key factor that foresees the development and success of the project team. Secondly, inputs in project planning are reviewed by the HR team. Data concerning workforce and firm documentation are collected and analyzed accordingly. This phase concerns human capital that affects firm especially in the HR departments through retirement, attrition, retrenchment, and hiring projections. Stakeholder concerns in a firm are critically looked into and addressed through SHRM models of implementation. The third stage engages all managerial positions in a firm. Senior managers, HR managers and others are put at a cross-section of the project team in developing the functionalities at hand being implemented by the SHRM. Assessing gaps, challenges and devising possible solutions follows as the forth phase. The planning team is required to quantify information and determine gaps and limitations limiting SHRM implementation. Qualitative data on the achievement of the firm goals and other priorities is also considered. This defines the work load of the staff who are obligated to enable firm attainment of the strategized goals and mitigation of potential challenges (Pynes, 2009, 45). Finally, action plans are drafted for comprehensive implementation. This is after close analysis and receipt of feedbacks from a firm's stakeholders. A time frame for the SHRM implementation is also laid down to guide the team behind implementation in working at the allocated period and successfully.

d) Future of SHRM

SHRM has been utilized as an implement of projecting future events of the firm. Assessing past trends and evaluating to current situations of the firm through SHRM assists a firm in knowing their progress in their operational strategies (Pynes, 2009, pg 40). This is exceedingly becomes essential for firms whose staff inch to retirement restrictions. Through SHRM forecasting, agencies are able to consider proper allocation of job positions to employees who can push programs to longer periods.

Focusing to the future ensures that a company has the most competent staff to attain its future prospects. SHRM enables a company to follow its stipulated mission, vision and operational values assessments. Resultant benefits are effective competencies, enhanced working relationships and equity in allocation of workload and technological advancements to the firm's workforce.

In forecasting for a company's future, the HR team is necessitated to involve in determining the number and eccentrics of employees through skill analysis. A firm's team needs to inspect and determine skillful capabilities of persons contesting for the audited positions.

Summation of Chapter 3

The utmost purpose of an external legal environment is essential in an organization's human resource management as well to its practitioners. It is vital fro an organization to comprehend laws that regulate a corporation's human resource management actions. Managers given the HRM mandate to contribute in making strategic decisions are expected to have a familiar compliance to the legal environment (Pynes, 2009, pg 56).

The utmost purpose of an external legal environment is essential in an organization's human resource management as well to its practitioners. It is vital fro an organization to comprehend laws that regulate a corporation's human resource management actions. Managers given the HRM mandate to contribute in making strategic decisions are expected to have a familiar compliance to the legal environment and associate the experience to their professional expertise (Storey, 2009, pg 71).

Legal circumstances are perceived as a foundation on external environmental subsystems and should be directed towards comparative sectors of business such as HR. A firm is necessitated to have appropriate and legal super-structures, rules and regulations used in regulating the organizational culture and decisions made. Lawful procedures put in place have evolved and changed societal propensities in enforcing efficient conduction of strategic human resource management (Florkowski and Nath, 2000, pg 305). Legal encumbers and accommodates human resource operations that diversify the compliances in achieving implementation of SHRM.

Awareness in legal environment of HRM influences the conduction of operations at human resource operations such as decision-making, diffusing business functions. More so, cross-cultural differences in the firm are also differentiated in firm to insure less discriminatory incidences. Legal authorization in work places has importantly impacted by increasing respected operations by fellow workmates. Similarly, legal environment reduces litigation risks, and marginalizes the necessary boundaries that define rules and regulations in the respective firms. However, most HR researchers have had difficulties in efficiently comprehending the requirements to be met by a firm's legal environment.

Legal environment show-cases the importance of all gender in acquiring different positions in firm and more so, on HRM. In recent cases presented for gender inequality, women have been misrepresented in business entities. They have been offered less viable positions that incidentally have less accountability. In SHRM, they are clustered as a weaker species that cannot succumb to HRM risks and criticisms (Northouse, 2009, pg 309). There is also a general notion that women are less educated as compared to men, and that they cannot put up with managerial positions such as those of HRM. They are also offered less training and work opportunities, prejudicing them as leaders. An understanding to legal frameworks in firms especially in HRM opportunities defines the working relationship that a firm should exhibit (Northouse, 2009, pg 309).

a) Concepts and Issues

The law encompasses rules and regulations guiding an organization's operations. Understanding the role of law in human resource management conceptualizes critical aspects of law; the law itself, hard law and soft law (Storey, 2009, pg 72). The first aspect relates to the fact that laws are enforceable in external authority in an organization. The hard laws are legalities implicated to an organization from association with the government. This is inclusive of constitutions, judicial laws, authoritative regulations and statutes. They dictate how operations should be carried out. Contrastingly, soft laws provide unbinding constrictions towards the behavioral characteristics of an organization. The soft rules include the codes of conducts, charters and social declarations. Organizations exercising HR have a choice in abiding in the soft legalities. Nevertheless, the latter rules do not vividly guide the HR team in dealing with external pressures foreseeing a firm's operations.

HR teams have an obligation in ensuring that a firm maintains its legal environment. The teams are necessitated to have keen interest in normative laws and hard laws. Under several circumstances, the team is subjected to complying with standardized soft laws that result to effective societal reactions.

Application of theories to SHRM

There are two major theories that relate to human resource management. These are the X and Y theories. They were proposed by Douglas McGregor to oversee the behavior of workers in an organization in the 1960s.

a) Theory X

Theory X was a theory that was designed to oversee human attributes that avoided work. The theory uses the notion of command-and-control. It shows that most employees do not have the self-driven attitude when doing their work. They have to be ordered or given instruction in order to partake certain duties. This can be attributed to many reasons. It may be because of low wages or poor working facilities that make the employee less passionate about work. Lack of motivation for workers lowers their morale thus making them have lazy or negative attributes towards work. It is difficult for an organization to attain its goals with this kind of operation. Discriminations can be related to this theory. It causes lack of focus and wrangles among employees thus making the working environment not conducive for self-driven attitude towards work.

b) Theory Y

This theory is the contrast of the X theory. It assumes that people can exercise self-control and self-direction so as to achieve the organizational objectives. Unlike the X theory, the Y theory employs a lot of discipline in the road to achieving desired goals. It eases the work of the management teams as it is based on team work and self-governance towards a common desired goal. Modern organizations prefer using this theory as it is easy to adapt to change due to its flexibility. Its disadvantage is that it requires a lot of input. For an employee to be self-motivated, he or she has to benefit fully from his or her work. This theory requires professionals who are well paid. It also requires strict personnel so as to recruit potential workers.

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PaperDue. (2012). Strategic Human Resource Management (Shrm) Strategic Human. PaperDue. https://www.paperdue.com/essay/strategic-human-resource-management-shrm-78858

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