Premium
Negotiating the Evolution of the Hr Function: Practical Advice From the Health Care Sector
Author(s) -
Barnett Steve,
Patrickson Margaret,
Maddern Janny
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
human resource management journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.44
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1748-8583
pISSN - 0954-5395
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-8583.1996.tb00416.x
Subject(s) - negotiation , underpinning , function (biology) , advice (programming) , public relations , human resources , human resource management , management , resource (disambiguation) , senior management , sociology , business , political science , engineering , computer science , economics , social science , computer network , civil engineering , evolutionary biology , biology , programming language
This paper has two aims. First, to consider explanations for the apparent gap between the paradigm of strategic human resource management on the one hand and actual HR practice on the other. Second, to generate practical advice for senior HR specialists who are aspriring to develop a strategic role for their function. the research underpinning these findings was based on case studies in three hospitals in Adelaide and a comparison of the findings with the situation at Leicester General NHS Trust where the first named author of this article was the HR director and a senior board member. the analysis reveals that specific features of each organisation's history, current structure and management, shape powerfully the nature of the HR function. Moreover, the local shaping factors define the degrees of freedom open to the HR function, so much so, that the notion that it can choose its organisational stance is here challenged.