Human Resource Architecture®
The Key to Organizational Change
Behavior
changes
when
consequences
change
A KLP Performance Corporation
440 E. Congress • Suite 400R
Detroit, Michigan 48226 • U.S.A.
(313) 965-2011 • Fax: (313) 965-2067
www.idsPerformance.com
© 2002 Integrated Diversity Systems, LLC
Overview
In any organization, there exists a set
of interrelated consequences that affect
the control of human behavior. Some
of these consequences are embodied in
formal policies, programs, or procedures,
but many are an unwritten part of the
culture. The interrelated set of
consequences is what IDS terms its
Human Resource Architecture® (HRA).
The Human Resource Architecture is
one of three architectures that form the
infrastructure of an organization. The
others are metric and information. The
metric architecture consists of policies
and practices that establish how things
are measured. The information
architecture is policies and practices that
establish how things are known.
By contrast, the HRA includes things
such as selection standards, a
supervisor’s response to problems, pro-
motional rules, and pay change policies.
Usually, these practices are defined in
an organization’s human resource poli-
cies. Typically, the larger the organiza-
tion, the more likely the components of
HRA are written down and institution-
alized. Formal policies, however, of-
ten does not reflect the real set of con-
sequences that follow behavior. Too
often, regardless of what the personnel
manual states, organizationally destruc-
tive behavior is reinforced while orga-
nizationally appropriate behavior is
punished.
HRA Reinforces
Organizational Norms
The very presence of the HRA explains
why organizations find difficulty
implementing planned change. The
HRA reinforces the values that existed
before the change. Hiring practices,
promotion criteria, conflict resolution
systems, and others all influence the
way people behave. In other words, the
HRA itself inhibits change by
reinforcing the status quo.
When organizations change their
operating practices by introducing new
concepts, the HRA generally remains
unchanged, acting like a giant rubber band.
As long as leadership maintains pressure
for change, people will behave in new
ways. But as soon as the pressure is
relaxed, old behaviors return. Typically,
many structural elements of the HRA are
inconsistent with the organizational
change. This inconsistency reinforces old
behaviors or punishes new ones, leaving
the changed expectations and relationships
short lived.
In most organizations the HRA is not
marked by an orderly, logical, and
consistent relationship of parts. This lack
of coherence creates organizational
inconsistencies that lead to organizational
inertia and conflict.
Organizational Change
Organizational change, unless accom-
panied by a adjustment of the HRA, is
likely to fail in most organizations.
Once we understand that the HRA in-
hibits change, we can look for, find, and
alter individual policies, programs, and
practices that are misaligned. This takes
rigorous observations of the forces con-
trolling behavior and critical thinking
about the interrelationships of those
forces.
Those responsible for change must
explore each element of the HRA (as
seen on the reverse) to determine what
will inhibit change. Using process
improvement techniques, relationships
should be made visible, allowing them to
be analyzed and altered, thus aligning the
HRA and the organizational change effort.
Change can be rapid and effective. It is
our belief that to achieve these results,
the HRA must be aligned with the
organizational change so that the HRA
reinforces the new rather than old
behaviors.
Human Resource Architecture®
The pressure of a misaligned HRA
collapses organizational change

Recruitment criteria
Work rules Promotion criteria
Paid time off Assessment centers
Non-paid time off New hire orientation
Absenteeism and New leader training Employee surveys
tardiness Focus groups
Work location Ongoing involvement
Overtime Selec
Selectt ion HR effectiveness surveys
Problem solving/ Assessment centers
grievance HR/IS information
Progressive discipline centers
Status Quo Pressure

Policies &
Diagnostics
Procedures

re
Sta

ssu
tus

Pre
Qu

uo
oP

us Q
res
sur

Stat
e

Union Job
Relationship Descriptions
Changed
Union avoidance
Relation- Revised Describing
Adversarial vs. Requirements
collaborative ships Status Tasks Assigning work
Negotiation Quo Valuing work
contract Team vs.
Interpretation independent work
Grievance handling e St Dynamic job
Union security ur at
us redesign
ess Changed
Employee Pr Q Dynamic
uo
involvement uo Expectations Pr compensation
s Q es
u su
tat re
S

Performance Staffing
Evaluation
Individual based Strategy
Team based Layoffs/Displacement
Sta

Supervisor generated Out-placement

re

tus
essu

Team generated Reassignment

Multi Rater Retraining
Qu
o Pr

Establishing Rightsizing
oP
s Qu

expectations
ress

Performance criteria
ure
Statu

Measuring
performance
Compensation & Training and
Reward Systems Development
Cash: Fixed/Variable New work processes
Non-Cash: Fixed/Variable Teambuilding A KLP Performance Corporation
Benefits: Fixed/Variable Communication
Pay administration Participation 440 E. Congress • Suite 400R
Pricing strategy Decision making Detroit, Michigan 48226 • U.S.A.
Linkage to performance Problem skills (313) 965-2011 • Fax: (313) 965-2067
Interpersonal skills www.idsPerformance.com
Supervisory skills © 2002 Integrated Diversity Systems, LLC