chapter 03

Web support material to accompany Human Resource Management: Theory and practice, Third edition © John Bratton and Jeffrey Gold 2003, published by Palgrave Macmillan

Words of wisdom

‘Every generation believes it is living through great change, and our generation is no different . . .’

‘An infectious greed seemed to have gripped much of our business community in the late 1990s.’

‘Until the benefits of globalization are shared more widely, people will continue to rise up against

globalization.’

The Context of Human Resource Management


Conceptions of contexts:

An open system – a set of interrelated and interdependent parts configured in a

manner that produces a unified whole.

Work organizations acquire inputs from the environment, transform them and

discharge outputs to the external environment.



Conceptions of contexts


Globalization

The growing integration of the world’s economies.

Core economic activities are conducted on a global scale.

The communications revolution.

Fundamental political change.

The Economic Context


Table 3.1 Per capita income growth in selected developed countries, 1960-96



Fig 3.3 Growth in domestic product in the EU for the 3rd quarter of 2001 and 2000



Table 3.2 Non-regular forms of employment, selected countries, 1973-93



Technological change:

Advanced technical change.

Conventional technical change.

Organizational change.

The Technology Context


The Technology Context


The state:

Is responsible for economic policy that influences labour markets.

Establishes the legal context of employment relations.

Is an employer in its own right.

The Political Context


State interventions:

Facilitative

Supportive

Directive

Neoliberalist



Changing demographic determine the size and composition of the workforce.

Different attitudes and values relating to work, parenthood, leisure, ‘fairness’,

organizational loyalty.

The Social Context


The Social Context


What are the implications of economic and technological changes for the recipients of

HRM?

Depends on whether you are a ‘core’ (see empowerment and high rewards) or

‘peripheral’ (see employment insecurity) employee.

Employment standards tend towards worst rather than best practice.

Change and HRM

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jeffrey gold

palgrave macmillan change

implications of economic

economic contextglobalization

economic policy

organizational change

core economic activities