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Becoming an HR strategic partner: tales of transition
Author(s) -
Pritchard Katrina
Publication year - 2010
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.1748-8583.2009.00107.x
Subject(s) - transactional leadership , general partnership , context (archaeology) , strategic partnership , public relations , perspective (graphical) , identity (music) , strategic management , strategic planning , strategic leadership , business , strategic thinking , sociology , management , marketing , political science , economics , business administration , paleontology , physics , finance , artificial intelligence , computer science , acoustics , biology
This article aims to bridge the gap between previous examinations of HR strategic partnership from a role perspective and an emerging interest in the social construction of identity. I consider ‘strategic partner’ as a local, flexible social construction framed by the broader occupational context. Based on a year‐long ethnographic study, I examine the experiences of HR practitioners ‘becoming’ strategic partners, considering the themes of becoming strategic, becoming a partner and remaining a generalist. Practitioners depict becoming strategic as a ‘release’ from previous constraints, with becoming a partner positioned as filling a gap created by clients' deficiencies in people management. Meanwhile, tensions develop as strategic partners attempt to retain a say in transactional issues. I reflect on the resulting practical issues while also considering the role of HR practitioners in, in the words of Helen Francis, ‘the dynamic and socially complex nature of HRM’.