After reading the Home Depot case it unambiguously appears the original decision to place HR managers in each store did not make sense. Conversely, it seems the suggested reorganization does make sense, partly because it is responsible for removing those HR managers from Home Depot stores. There are several reasons why the original decision to put these HR managers in stores did not make sense. There was the dual reporting on the part of the HR manager and the store manager, which helped to non-plus those attempting to glean an accurate understanding of the store itself. Allocating these human resources might have helped Home Depot expand its presence, but it did little for its stock options and overall customer service—areas in which the organization must focus on to perpetuate its organization. Additionally, Home Depot’s company culture required a certain, blue-collar approach, which was not always met by the in-store HR personnel.

The suggested reorganization makes sense for several reasons. With the resources saved from employing in-person HR managers, the company will be able to staff more associates. More associates should correspond to greater customer satisfaction. Moreover, the reorganization supports HR as a strategic function in which HR plays a greater role in achieving strategic objectives (Mello 150). By having district managers assigned to various stores, Home Depot’s HR is less focused on administration and more on strategy. Home depot requires transformation chance to improve customer service and boost its stock, which is a boon of strategic HR (Mello 157). Moreover, the restructuring appoints specialists for certain HR functions (Mello 164), which is what Home Depot needs to get its employees well trained to service customers.

Works Cited

Mello, Jeffrey. Strategic Human Resource Management. New York: South-Western College Pub. 2014. Print.