Models OF Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) PDF

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Within the framework of the concept of strategic human resource management, there are a number of prescriptive and descriptive models that form various approaches to the concept's theoretical development and practical implementation. There are those who refer to general approaches to strategic human...

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MODELS OF STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (SHRM) Within the framework of the concept of strategic human resource management, there are a number of prescriptive and descriptive models that form various approaches to the concept's theoretical development and practical implementation. There are those who refer to general approaches to strategic human resource management, and those who prescribe specific approaches to strategic HRM practise, such as resource capability, high-performance management (high-performance working), high-commitment management, and highinvolvement management.

SHRM models are either prescriptive or descriptive in nature. HRM can be derived empirically and conceptually from analyses of individual practises over time, leading to testable propositions and finally policy prescription, according to Guest's 1987 model.

According to Guest, strategic human resource management has four key elements or goals. (1) Integration; (2) Commitment; (3) Flexibility; and (4) Quality are the four elements. However, Guest's model ignores contextual factors such as the impact of situational and environmental factors on organisational practise. The other major paradigm is functionalism, which is based on Comte's functionalist sociology. It continues the positive tradition of biological concepts being applied to sociology. Malinowski and Radcliff Brown (1952), anthropologists, emphasised social order, stability, and continuity of the 'organic whole;' the main argument is that society holds together because of the concept of purposive rationality. As a result of applying the concept to organisational life, functionalism aims to establish objective knowledge. HRM's goal is to maintain organisational coherence by integrating the various sections that make up an organisation through strategy.

The High-Performance Working Model High-performance working entails the development of a number of interconnected approaches that, when combined, have a positive impact on the firm's performance in areas such as productivity, quality, and customer service levels, as well as growth, profits, and the delivery of increased shareholder value. This is accomplished by 'improving employee skills and enlisting their enthusiasm in achieving goals.' The starting point is a leader's vision and benchmarking in order to build momentum and identify a course for constantly measuring

progress. To that end, it necessitates structural and cultural constraints. The following are the main drivers of the support system or culture, according to Guest:

• Decentralized decision-making, particularly at the cutting-edge level, in order to continually renew and improve offers or services to customers or the general public;

• Induced learning for the development of people's capacities at all levels, with a focus on self-management and team capability to enable and support 'performance improvement' and increase 'organisational potential';

• Organizational objectives are aligned with performance, operational, and people management processes to foster trust, enthusiasm, and commitment to the organization's direction or course of action.

• Fair treatment of those who leave the organisation in the middle of their tenure, as well as engagement with community needs. This is a critical component of both internal and external relationships based on trust and commitment; and

• High-performance management practises, such as stringent recruitment and selection procedures, extensive and relevant training and management development activities, as well as incentive pay systems and performance management processes

The use of high-performance work systems or practises is how this approach is described in the United States. The United States Department of Labor (1993) defined the characteristics of a high-performance work system as follows:

Recruitment, selection, and training are all done with great care and attention.

• A formal system for sharing information with employees; • A clear job design; • A highlevel participation process; • Monitoring attitudes and studying behaviour; • Regular performance appraisals; • A well-functioning grievance redress system; and • Promotion and compensation schemes that recognise and reward high-performing members of the workforce.

Working at a high level necessitates the use of high-performance design methods. These necessitate the following steps in a logical order:

• Management clearly defines what it requires in terms of new working methods and the expected outcomes;

• Management broadens success parameters by setting new goals and standards on a regular basis;

• Acquiring multiple skills is encouraged. Employees who want to learn new skills are given encouragement and training.

• Equipment is chosen that can be used in a variety of ways and is simple to operate in order to optimise the socio-technical system (aspect of the organisation);

• Adoption of a supportive rather than autocratic leadership style (this is the most difficult part of the system to introduce) to support employee innovation and initiative; • Establishment of self-managed teams or autonomous work groups for better human relations;

• Support systems are available to assist teams in operating effectively as a unit;

• The new system is implemented with care, with employee participation and communication programmes aimed at empowering employees.

• Training is based on an objective evaluation of training requirements;

• Employee participation in the payment system is designed to 'fit' employee as well as management needs;

• Payment is based on team performance (team pay), but there is also provision for individual skill-based pay; and

• In some cases, a 'peer performance review' process is used, in which team members evaluate each other's performance as well as the team's overall performance.

The High-Commitment Management Model

One of HRM's defining characteristics is its emphasis on the importance of increasing cocontributors' mutual commitment. High-commitment management is a type of management that aims to elicit commitment so that behaviour is primarily self-regulated rather than controlled by management sanctions and pressures, and relationships within the organisation are built on a foundation of trust.

The following are some strategies for achieving high levels of commitment:

• Leadership development through training, with a focus on commitment as a highly valued trait at all levels of the organisation;

• A high level of functional flexibility, with job descriptions that aren't as rigid as they could be;

• De-emphasis of status differences and reduction of hierarchies

• A strong reliance on team infrastructure for information dissemination (team briefing), work design and distribution (team working), and problem solving (quality circles);

• Recognizing job design as a management skill in order to provide workers with intrinsic motivation;

• A policy of no mandatory layoffs and guaranteed permanent employment, with the option of using temporary workers to cope with fluctuations in labour demand;

• New types of evaluation and payment systems, such as merit pay and profit sharing; and

• Employees have a high level of involvement in quality management.

The High-Involvement Management Model

While commitment may still imply subjugation, this model is more democratic in that it treats employees as partners in the company whose interests are respected and who have a say in matters that affect or relate to them. There is a focus on communication and participation with the goal of creating a 'climate' in which managers and members of their teams maintain a continuous dialogue in order to reiterate or revise expectations as needed and share information on the organization's mission, values, and objectives. This establishes a complete mutual understanding of what both management and workers want, as well as a method for managing and developing employee potential to ensure target achievement through greater regional involvement. The structural and functional characteristics listed below are specifically desired.

• 'On-line' work teams; • 'Off-line' employee involvement activities and problem-solving groups; • Job rotation; • Suggestion programmers; and • Quality efforts decentralisation

The above account clearly demonstrates that high-involvement work practises result in superior performance, despite the fact that actual application may vary greatly. Work practises involving a high level of involvement have been shown to increase productivity. The effect is'significant' enough to have an economic impact on the organisations that adopt these 'new practises.'...