IS HRM APPROACHING VANISHING POINT?: SOME EXTRAPOLATIONS FROM CURRENT RESEARCHAND ANALYSIS

SOME RESEARCH FINDINGS:

SPECIALISTS IN AMBIGUITY:CAREER ORIENTATIONS ANDROLE STRESS AMONG HR MANAGERSIN KWAZULU-NATAL (BASED ON R.L. LEGG (2002) Sources of Stress among Human Resource PractitionersUnpublised PhD thesis University of Natal, Durban).

Figure 1 A diagrammatic representation of the changing dilemma in HRM

High Role S T R E S S Low

T I M E

Personnel Management

H R M

Strategic HRM

SUMMARYTHE FINDINGS SUGGEST: THE TRADITIONAL WELFARE/MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST IN AMBIGUITY TAG HAS RE-EMERGED AS A TRANSACTIONAL (MANAGEMENT ORIENTED) TRANSFORMATIONAL (LEADERSHIP ORIENTED) DICHOTOMY.

HRP WHO ARE BEST ABLE TO PERFORM THE TRANSFORMATIONAL ROLE (ENTREPRENEURIAL CAREER ANCHOR DOMINANT) EXPERIENCE HIGHER LEVELS OF WORK STRESS.

THESE FINDINGS HAVE AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR THE RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND TRAINING OF HRPs IN THE SHORT AND LONG-TERMS

THE FUTURE:AN ONGOING CONVERGENCE IN LINE MANAGEMENTAND PEOPLE MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

Peopleoriented

Cost oriented

HRM

LINE MANAGEMENT

VANISHINGPOINT

THE NOTION OF A VANISHING POINT IS EMPHASIZED IN DOUBLE VISION (PEOPLE MANAGEMENT, OCTOBER 2003)

THE TRADITIONAL HR PROFESSIONAL WHO SUPPORTS LINE MANAGEMENT IS RAPIDLY BECOMING EXTINCT

LINE MANAGERS ARE TAKING ON SPECIALIST ROLES THEMSELVES E.G. EXPERIENCED SALES MANAGERS WORK WITH SALES TEAMS AS “PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS”

A FUTURE SCENARIO FOR PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

WILL COMPANIES NEED PEOPLE?

YES LIMITS TO TECHNOLOGY

NO LIMITS TO HRM

ARIE DE GEUS A FORMER ROYAL DUTCH/SHELL EXECUTIVE AND A MEMBER OF THE CENTERFOR ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING AT MIT BELIEVES: WE ARE APPROACHING A NEW ERA WHEREPEOPLE WILL TAKE CENTRE STAGE

DE GEUS IN HIS BOOK “THE LIVING ORGANIZATION”STATES THAT BUSINESS:

PRODUCES GOODS AND SERVICES FOR WHICH PEOPLE ARE PREPARED TO PAY A PRICE

USES LAND, LABOUR AND CAPITAL FOR PRODUCTION

AND HISTORY:

SHOWS A SHIFT IN THE DOMINANT PRODUCTIVE FACTOR FROM LAND TO CAPITAL AND NOW TO LABOUR/ HUMAN TALENT/HUMAN CAPITAL

WHAT IS DE GEUS’ VISION ?

THE COMPANY IS A LIVING SYSTEM THAT FIGHTS FOR SURVIVAL AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW.

WE CANNOT KEEP REPLACING LABOUR WITH CAPITAL; MACHINES WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REPLACE PEOPLE.

THE ROLE OF PEOPLE IN THE SUCCESS OF THE ORGANIZATION IS CRITICAL AND FUNDAMENTAL.

IN THE FUTURE COMPANY SUCCESS WILL DEPEND ON CREATIVITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF PEOPLE NOT CAPITAL EFFICIENCY E.G. MEDIA INDUSTRY ( BOOKS), FOOTBALL CLUBS (TALENT)

THE FUTURE:

COMPANIES WILL FIND IT INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO SUBSTITUTE CAPITAL FOR LABOUR(HUMAN TALENT).

COMPANIES WILL BECOME MORE HUMAN CAPITAL (INTEREST ON TALENT) ORIENTED.

COMPANIES ARE LIVING SYSTEMS COMPOSED OF LIVING BEINGS(PEOPLE).

HR WILL BECOME MORE FOCUSSED ONTHE MONITORING AND PROMOTION OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH OF THE COMPANYLIVING SYSTEM

THIS WILL INVOLVE ROLES AS:

THE ORGANIZATIONAL PHYSICIAN: WELLNESS MONITORING

THE PEOPLE GURU: EFFECTIVE TALENT IDENTIFICATION AND USEAGE.

THE TRANSACTIONAL MANAGER: KEEPING AN EYE ON THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF PARTICULAR HR PROCESSES AND POLICIES.

AND, TRANSFORMATIONALMANAGEMENT:CREATING NEW SYSTEMS FOR CHANGING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND ENHANCING WORK MOTIVATION.