HRM (Managing Strategic Human Relationship Style)

Managing Strategic Human Relationship Style - Topic 11 Q.1 What are the ingredients that make up Leidtka's ‘integrated' approach to producing metacapabilities? And what is the method of achieving these as outlined in the article? a) Learning, participative leadership, collaboration, TQM, strategic thinking Linking strategic HR (business concerns) and people processes - linchpin role b) Relational process approach - involving community of practice method and ‘ethic of care' value-driven practices Q.2 Doorewaard & Benschop outline what they call a ‘differentiated' approach to Strategic HRM. What is this? And what are they reacting to? This is a flexible, adaptive approach which recognises that people and systems don't operate in terms of narrow rationalist terms as the market model suggests. In contrast they advocate what they call a process-relational approach (paralleling Liedtka) where the whole person is taken into account in terms of needs and behaviours. This approach recognises that actions/behaviours, described as rational, in reality incorporate emotional responses to situations and that emotions are a positive force for people and organisations not just negative. Hence we see, as Fineman et al suggest, that people, like organisations, don't operate in singular mechanical ways but rather are driven by various demands, which can be messy, ambiguous and conflict driven. This requires a much more sophisticated understanding of human behaviour and organisational context in relation to SHRM operations. Q.3 What are the 3 factors Leidtka names as required for organisations to survive in the new economy knowledge focused era? ‘Meaning' - beliefs, values (e.g. Omtanke, deep dive) as a source of coherence; ‘Purpose' - worthwhile intent, shared purpose; ‘Learning' - individual and group Q.4 How do Doorewaard & Benschop (& Leidtka) say meaning is made in the organisation? Through the intersection of the three factors above which means for the organisation it occurs through the subroutines of the everyday organisational life. People make meaning through their bodies not just their minds as emotions embrace ideas, actions, experiences, assumptions. For organisations to capitalise on this source of coherence they need to ensure they have intrinsic values that are acted out not just paid lipservice to. Hence authenticity, integrity, moral values - are terms and practices organisations are beginning to contemplate in more substance than Wray Bliss and Salaman previously document. Q.5 How does Leidtka's relational-process model, which utilises soft and hard academic theory and research, compare to the fads and fashions approach? We learn through a multitude of imports, ie - by doing, by observing, by listening to.., by witnessing by modelling, by reading first-hand narrative accounts (soft theory), like the life of Richard Branson, and finally reading research studies as comprised of the material for 7022EHR. Liedtka shows how we can combine those various methods into a comprehensive learning framework which incorporates the best of the traditional strategy approach with more contemporary understandings and underlying values ethos to produce a comprehensive new economy SHRM managing people model. In contrast, the commodified human resource (market) approach introduces short-term, quick fixes, in a superficial manner in top-down ways that tend to produce disaffection, alienation and resistance, which means they are inevitably unsuccessful. Consequently, they are soon replaced by the latest fad. Researchers like David Collins demonstrate this has been going on throughout the industrial era to ill effect for both people and the organisation involved. Q.6 Leidtka outlines a shift from strategic planning to strategic thinking. What does this mean? Does this link to content in other articles on the course? Strategic planning tends to be top-down, reserved for senior management, prescriptive and thus increases bureaucracy which in turn kills initiative and creativity through the overly controlled character of such change projects The plans tend to be set in stone with any variation that portrayed as a witness. Context is rarely considered adequately enough. Strategic thinking on the other hand, operates in a much more open ended, democratic way, recognising the interdependencies between people, systems, and the wider environment. ‘Design thinking' is a popular way of describing this new economy approach. It rests on the acceptance of testing options through risk-taking, and holistic understandings which lead to wisdom leadership. There is also recognition that individuals at every level should have the power to make decisions and the courage to challenge ineffective ones. Watson, Jones & Kriflik, Lowry and Senge & Carstedt all contribute ideas to the ‘strategic thinking' model and Scandic, IDEO, IBM and Westpac, to name a few, operationalise the ‘stewardship leadership' concepts outlined. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------