Professional Documents
Culture Documents
243-254, 1996
~ )
Pergamon
S0263-2373(96)00004-7
A Framework for
Diagnosing Human
Resource Management
Practices
JEAN-MARIE HILTROP, Senior Partner, InterCultural Consulting, Geneva
Introduction
For many years, academics and practitioners have
debated how to ensure that the 'human resources' of
an organisation '... are used in such a way that the
employer obtains the greatest possible benefit from their
abilities and the employees obtain both material and
psychological rewards from their work' (Graham, 1978).
This debate has to led to the formulation of a number of
theories or models of 'strategic' human resource
management (HRM) which link the HR policies and
practices of the organisation with the overall business
strategy of the firm (Walker, 1980; Fombrun, 1984;
Miles and Snow, 1984). In recent years, however, much
of the debate in the area of HRM has shifted attention
away from the linkage between HRM and business
strategy towards the formulation of various theories and
models that postulate explanatory links between certain
HRM practices and organisational performance (Ulrich
European ManagementJournalVo114 No 3 June 1996
2 43
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Exhibit I
Ten Dimensions of HR M a n a g e m e n t
Emphasis on Teamwork
Increasingly, teamwork is seen as one of the main
building blocks of successful organisations and much
EuropeanManagementJournalVo114 No 3 June 1996
"Academies'
Internal labour markets.
Reward systems based on individual contribution.
Recruitment from the outside only at entry levels.
Low employee turnover.
The key HR function is development.
Typical industries include consumer products and
pharmaceuticals.
2.
'C/ubs '
3.
4.
'Baseball Teams'
Open to all external labour markets at all levels.
Seek out people who make the largest individual
contribution.
The major HR function is recruitment.
Typical industries are consulting, advertising, and
investment banking.
'Fortresses'
Preoccupation with survival.
Group factors dominate the choice of promotions
and layoffs.
Primary emphasis on retrenchment.
Typical industries include textiles and retailing.
Exhibit 2
245
1996
2.
1.
Exhibit :l
1.
2.
3.
4.
Exhibit 4
Benefits
A Long-term Focus
Another important dimension of HRM is the extent to
which the organisation's HR policies and practices
encourage managers to take a long-term perspective.
As Schuster (1986) points out,
Identify training]
needs
[
Define learning
requirements I
I'oprogrammes
*ro'o'oOI
I
echniques
I
Implement
programmes
EvoltJate
I
Effects
Source: Armstrong, 1993
Exhibit 5
T h e P r o o e ~ of P l a n n e d T r a i n i n g
10.
11.
performance.
Openness and disdosure of information about
corporate goals, outcomes and intentions.
Proactive personnel planning and strategic HRM.
1. Employment security.
2. Opportunities for training and skill development.
3. Internal recruitment and promotion from within.
4. Career development and guidance.
5. Opportunities for skill development and
specialisation.
6. Autonomy and decentralisation of decisionmaking.
7. Opportunities for teamwork and participation.
8. Comparative equality of benefits and access to
perquisites for all the employees.
9. Extra rewards and recognition for superior
II Company A I
F']Company
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.:q.:
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.....*
,.,*,*
,.,,,..
t,'.','
,..,.
Index
....,
,...%,
it
.
%....,
..%..,
.......
....%,
:.:-:._.~:
rtorn~
Promotion Development
Exhibit 6
252
~lity
H R M P r o f i l e s of T w o A i r l i n e C o m p a n i e s
Index
Exhibit 7
Note
1.
References
Armstrong, M. (1993) A Handbook of Human Resources
Management, London: Kogan Page.
BeaumonL P. (1993) Human Resource Management: Key Concepts
and Skills, London: Sage.
Becket, G. (1964)Human Capital, New York: Columbia University
Press.
Beer, M., Spector, B., Lawrence, P., Mills, Q. and Walton, R.
(1984), Managing Haman Assets, New York: The Free Press.
Berger, L. (1991) Trends and issues for the 90s: Creating a Viable
Framework for Compensation Designs. In Rock M. and
Berger L. (eds) The Compensation Handbook, New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Bemardin, H.J. and Russell,J. (1993) Human ResourceManagement:
An F.~perimentalApproach, London: McGraw-HilL
Block, P. (1991) The EmpoweredManager: Positive PoliticalSkills at
Work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Crowe, D. (1992) A New Approach to Reward Management. In
Armstrong, M. (ed). Strategies for Human Resource
Management. London: Kogan Page.
Fombrun, C. (1984) The Extemal Context of Human Resource
Management, in Fombrun, C., Tichy, N. and Devanna, M.A.
(eds), Strategic Human Resource ManagemenL New York:
John Wiley and Sons.
Graham, H., Human Resource Management, (2nd ed.), Plymouth:
MacDonald & Evans, 1978.
Hilton, P. (1992) Using Incentives to Reward and Motivate
Employees. PersonnelManagement, 24, 9, 49-52.
Hiltrop, J.M. (1991b) Human ResourcePractices of Multinational
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JEAN M. HILTROP, A