hrm changing trends

8/3/2019 HRM Changing Trends

1/13

1

HRMs TRENDS AND SHIFTING PRACTITIONER ROLES AND COMPETENCIES:

PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE FROM NOVA SCOTIA

Paula Crouse, Department of Information Technology, Mount Saint Vincent University

Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3M 2J6, (902)-457-6667, [email protected]

Wendy Doyle, Department of Business and Tourism, Mount Saint Vincent University


Jeffrey D. Young, Department of Business and Tourism, Mount Saint Vincent University


ABSTRACT

This paper examines the impact of environmental trends on roles and competencies of

professionals in human resource management (HRM). Results of in-depth interviews with six

human resources managers from a variety of organizations in Halifax, Nova Scotia are presented.Environmental trends include a shift to a strategic view of HRMs role, changing demographics,

and changes in technology. Findings suggest that HRM roles and their associated competencies

are changing; for example, there is a shift to a strategic and business partner role from moretraditional HRM roles. Implications for HRM professionals and future directions for research

are discussed.

INTRODUCTION

Organizations have long operated in environments that have changed quickly, dramatically and

frequently. There are numerous, often-cited, broad-brush trends that require organizational

responses. For example, globalization [5] [19] [33] can provide opportunities, but it also tends toincrease competition. Technology change, another trend [5], can facilitate communication [33]

as well as increase organizational efficiency [19]. Workforce demographics are changing [5] and

employees are aging [19] [33]. Further, employee diversity is increasing [19] [33] and employeeexpectations are changing [5] [19] and increasing [33].

In addition, customer relationships are changing [5] and customers are more demanding than

they have been in the past [22]. The financial performance of firms has also become a focalpoint for many [5] [24] [33] and others are paying attention to intangibles [33]. Social change,

for example, is resulting in employment laws that are more restrictive than in the past in manycountries [19] and ethical issues also remain prominent [24] [34].

Within these changing broader environments and organizations, the human resourcemanagement (HRM) function has evolved from a narrow personnel orientation to a broader

HRM perspective [20] and has further developed by becoming more strategic in orientation.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


2/13

2

This strategic human resource management (SHRM) orientation is emphasized by a number of

writers across various components of the HRM field, for example, recruitment and selection [9],training and development [29], and compensation [23].

Further, during these shifts many have been critical of the role of HRM and suggested among

other things that it does not add value to the firm [13]. However, others have shown that HRM

does indeed add value to the firm [20]. In addition, some have indicated that human resourcedevelopment (HRD), historically a part of the broader field of HRM, has begun to emerge as it

own field of enquiry [32].

Clearly, the field of HRM is changing and growing as a professionnew knowledge is being

created, the standards of performance will increase in level and type [22], and it is under pressure

from various quarters. The following paper examines the HRM function and HRM practitionersin Nova Scotia in terms of trends that the HRM profession currently faces and might face in the

future. It also considers the resulting changing roles and competencies required of HRM

practitioners.

Initially this paper reviews the literature relevant to trends facing the HRM profession andresulting changing roles and competencies. It then provides a description of the studysmethodology, presents results and discussion, and concludes with implications for the profession

and directions for future research.

HRM TRENDS, ROLES AND COMPETENCIES

There are numerous trends that have had impact directly on the practice of HRM; for example,

globalization has resulted in specific challenges to HRM including how to enhance global

business strategy, how to align HRM with business strategy, how to design and lead change, howto build global corporate culture, and how to develop global leaders [25]. Further, organizations

must compete for talent globally [22].

In addition, changes in technology have resulted in changes to how traditional HRM activities

are managed. For example, payroll and information systems can be more effectively andefficiently handled through better technology [1]. As well, web recruiting has increased

dramatically since the turn of the century [11] and e-learning as a way to train and develop talent

has also grown tremendously [11]. This increased use of technology and speed is evidenced bythe greater usage of technological learning opportunities such as online journaling [8], podcasts

[12], blogs [12] [17], wikis [18], as well as web discussions [14] and on-line simulations [31].

Changing demographic trends, for example, worker retirement and reduced population growthare causing labour shortages for firms [3], and they might well face difficulty in recruiting,

retaining and engaging employees [11] [15] [16]. Talent management is thus a very importantprocess [11]. For example, various generational groups in the workforce have different

preferences for benefits and tailored benefit plans can be used to attract and retain talent [6].

Further, succession management has become a crucial issue because proper successionmanagement can help to develop and retain good people [5]. This is particularly so for

organizational leaders; however, only about 55% of organizations have a succession plan in


3/13

3

place and of these about one-third have not been particularly effective in their succession

management activities [2].

Further, being able to deal with many diverse groups as employees and customers is required [3].HRM managers must be able to source and recognize diverse and nontraditional talent

especially in a global and increasingly diverse environment. Indeed, managing takeovers and

acquisitions and the required integration of people and systems is a major challenge [1, p. 29].

HRM practitioners are under pressure to show how they add value to the firm [1]. Some suggest

that this can occur through increased employee abilities and increased organizational capabilities[22]. However, traditional HRM activities such as recruiting and career planning are devolving

to line managers [27], and the impact of HRM is increased for those HRM managers who

collaborate with line managers [22]. Further, outsourcing of HRM activities has become a majortrend in businesses [1] [7], and it has also increased in the public sector [10].

Ethical issues have increased for managers and organizations, and reputation can help or hurt a

firms recruitment and retention [34]. Changes in laws mean that HRM practitioners must work

to keep up [1] and talent must be treated fairly [11].

Have trends from the 1990s to the early 2000s affected the practice of HRM? What are these

trends? How have they affected professional practice? Are there any new trends in HRMpractice that are emerging? If so, what are these? How will they affect HRM practice?

As trends have emerged HRM professionals have been expected to occupy new roles and somehave suggested that the former functional HRM role has been supplanted by a more strategic

role, and new roles require new competencies [19] [33]. Many new or enhanced roles for HRM

practitioners have been described by numerous writers, and although many of these rolesoverlap, there are some that do stand out. For example, one key role for practitioners seems to

be that of change manager, learning to better assist organizational managers to deal withchange [16] [28] [33]. Also, HRM practitioners must begin to act as a business ally [33] bytaking roles as strategist and continuing to show how HRM adds value to the organization [16]

[22] [24]. Thus HRM practitioners must become competent in the use of ROI tools, develop

skills in influencing others (especially key decisions makers), show how meeting the needs ofdiverse firm stakeholders adds value, and create an action plan that prioritizes those needs [24].

HRM has a role to play as talent and succession managers by providing professional andtechnical expertise [5] [16] [33], but they must also ensure that senior managers are active in

managing this process [5]. Again their roles and competencies as influencers come to the fore.

HRM has also seen a shift in roles from training suppliers to learning managers [26] [30].

For example, some have discussed the demand for the increased speed of learning and the

associated increased demand for just-in-time (JIT) learning and its associated implications forHRM [4]. These include using available technology while maintaining a social touch in

learning. Practitioners must become more proactive and adopt roles that are facilitative and

supportive, and they must use JIT learning to get knowledge to the right people at the right time.

HRM practitioners must also act as ethics champions [22] by showing employees that, ifethical issues arise, they have options through open-door policies or 1-800 support lines and


4/13

4

helping to develop the right ethical culture [34]. In addition, HRM practitioners must be

integratorsbringing other people and processes togetherand collaboratorsworkingclosely with others [22]. They must also act as employee champions [22] in part by serving as

managers of diversity as well as creating cultures that facilitate employee loyalty and

engagement [16].

Clearly, HRM practitioners have, or should have, come a long way from keeping records andmanaging payroll systems. Their jobs now require serving many new and different roles than in

the past, and these roles require development of current competencies or the acquisition of new

ones. Many of these competencies revolve around hard-core business competencies, but others

also require a firm ground in areas such as communication, coaching, influencing, andunderstanding others among other competencies.

What are the key roles that HRM practitioners occupy in 2008? What are the key competencies

that are required to operate within these roles? Are there any shifts in roles and competencies

anticipated?

METHODOLOGY

The methodology used in this study was qualitative and exploratory in nature and was intended

to examine a number of case studies [21]. For example, there is an opportunity for direct, face-to-face encounters which will provide a richness of detail, and there is also an opportunity to

engage in analysis during the data collection phase. The case study is the preferred strategy in

this research for several reasons: 1) questions of what, how, and why regarding informalworkplace learning are being examined, 2) the investigators have little or no control over events

within the sites to be studied, and 3) events in a real-life context are the studys focal point [36].

The studys findings are based on in-depth interviews with six HRM managers in a variety of

organizational contexts in the Halifax Regional Municipality (a major financial, government,

retail, industrial, military, university and health-care center in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada).

Organizations were selected from several sources: the Halifax Chamber of Commerce BusinessDirectory, the local telephone directory, various websites, and assorted media reports. The intent

of the authors was to increase the variation of the sample and thus participation was sought from

HRM managers in organizations from various sectors such as government, military, health care,and business to name a few.

In total 20 letters were sent between July 2008 and August 2008 to human resource managers at

these organizations explaining the study and inviting them to participate. Ultimately thesemanagers were contacted by telephone by the researchers to determine their willingness to

participate. At that point, an interview was arranged for a mutually convenient time and placefor those who agreed to participate in the study.

A pre-test of the interview guide resulted in minor revisions to improve clarity. Interviews werethen completed using an interview guide consisting of open-ended and closed-ended questions to

determine selected demographic and organization information as well as issues related to trends


5/13

5

impacting the profession and shifts in professional roles and competencies. Interviews took

approximately 60 minutes, were tape-recorded and were transcribed. The interviews were thencoded and analyzed on a qualitative basis.

RESULTS

Participants and Their Organizations

The results presented here are very preliminary given that interviews are still being conducted.However, the managers who participated in this study represented a diverse group across several

quite different organizations. Participants are identified by number to protect their identities, and

they and their organizations are briefly described below:

Participant 1 is a female Director of Human Resources at a post-secondary educational

institution with approximately 500 full-time employees. This Director is a generalist with 20

years of full-time work experience in the field of HRM. She holds a BA, BEd, MBA, andCHRP.

Participant 2 is a female Human Resource Manager at a health-care facility with approximately

1000 full-time and part-time employees. This Manager is a combined generalist and specialist

(recruitment and labour issues) with six years of full-time work experience in the field of HRM.She holds a Certificate in Adult Education and several professional credentials including

Professional Recruiter, IPM and Psychometrics Professional Assessor.

Participant 3 is a female Human Resource Director in a federal government department with

44,000 full-time employees. This Director is a combined generalist and specialist (advising

senior managers on all HRM areas) with four years of full-time work experience in the field ofHRM. She holds an undergraduate degree and professional accounting designation.

Participant 4 is a female Senior Vice-President of Human Resources in a diversified group of

companies with 3500 employees. This Vice president has a BA and an MBA and a combined 25

years experience in her firm and the HRM field.

Participant 5 is a female Director of Employee Services in a post-secondary educational

institution with 1700 employees. This Director has a BA, a Certificate in Personnel Managementand a Certificate in Human Resources Management and 20 years experience in HRM.

Participant 6 is a female Senior Director, Human Resources in a high-tech consulting firm with

600 employees in Canada and 1400 worldwide. This Director is a generalist, has a CHRP andhas 15 years experience in HRM.

The first set of questions considered trends from the 1990s to the early 2000s and how they

affected the practice of HRM. Strategic roles, demographics and changes in technology havebeen important trends.


6/13

6

The shifting role of human resources from processing human resource transactions to being a

strategic member of senior management was a common finding. Participant 1 indicated that thebiggest trend has been the positioning of HRM as a strategic partner: others have realized

HR is not just paper clearing, record-keeping Participant 2 held a similar view, suggesting

at one time Human Resources was probably more of a processing department; it wasnt part of

the whole business of the organization. I think its becoming much more part of the business ofthe organization were part of that whole senior management group and making decisions for

the organization. HRM is now much more strategic in orientation, and as a result, Participant 2suggested that broader knowledge and need for specialists is required of practitioners; for

example, in labour issues, When I hear about organizations hiring lawyers to be HR

professionals, I can appreciate why. Participant 3 said that her organization had shifted from atransactional role for HRM to one that is based on providing advice and consulting to managers.

This has then required HRM to develop its own expertise within certain areas to be more

efficient and competitive (e.g. hiring and compensation). This strategic shift resulted in

Participant 5 stating that, Everything we do is built on, dependent on, and linked to ourstrategy I can remember when HR used to be the personnel police and it is now being a

strategic partner we need to enable employees to be more independent and self-sufficientrunning reports that enable decision making.

The new strategic role seemed to arise from changing demographics as well as other factors.However, demographics such as the aging population impact benefits (very costly) and also

make recruitment/retention more difficult. As the older employees leave, new ones must be

recruited. Participant 2 indicated that demographics were less of an issue for her organization

because turnover was very low. However, in the changing labour market, younger hires aremore demanding than their predecessors, they want more money when they start, and they are

not afraid to ask for time off. However, responses to different demands from different groups are

limited because of a high rate of unionization and associated collective agreements, whichclearly delineate pay rates and other benefits. For Participant 3 the aging workforce was a factor,

and it resulted in the development of various programs such as those related to disability

management, mental health and wellness issues in the workplace, as well as a focus onsuccession planning. The aging workforce (and associated early and normal retirements) has

resulted in managers moving through the ranks more quickly than in years previous.

Consequently, HRM must help provide more coaching and mentoring for these managers.

Participant 4 felt that changing demographics was the most important trend and has resulted in aplan to combat her firms labour shortage. For Participant 5 this shift in workforce

demographics has led to different ways of recruiting and retaining and a tendency to focus more

on engagement than previously. Likewise Participant 6 believed that fewer graduates wereavailable for her firm to recruit and groom and that demographics had changed, which affected

recruitment: How do we stay on top of whats driving the people who want to work for us?

Technology changes have also had an impact on human resource practice. For Participant 1

technology has changed what is required of people in their jobs and then creates a need for more

and more training as technology continues to develop. It is difficult to recruit and retain ITpeople because the organization has difficulty matching the salaries, benefits and perks of the

private sector. On the other hand, Participant 3 suggested that HRM had driven changes in

technology because these changes helped HRM achieve its goals of providing consulting andcoaching to managers through having technology handle more of the transactions processing.


7/13

7

These changes were echoed by Participant 4 and Participant 5 who indicated that enhanced

technology had been brought in to make the organization more competitive with its recruiting.Participant 5 saw technology being leveraged to help her organization shift to a self-service

model.

The second set of questions focused on new trends in HRM practice that are emerging and how

they are affecting HRM practice. Clearly, the issue of demographics and dealing with youngerworkers was a key issue.

Participant 1 identified generational differences as a current trend because the different groups,such as Boomers, Xs, and Ys, all want different things. People dont stay forever, and her

organization is experiencing more turnover recently. Exit interviews suggest that some people,

many younger people, leave their jobs for no particular reason (e.g., not going elsewhere forhigher salary). Many younger people are leaving simply because they dont see themselves

committing for 20 years. How do we keep them satisfied?

Participant 2 felt that changing demographics would require her organization to adapt to recruit

people from new demographic groups. HRM and others must change their attitudes toward theworkforce coming in. However, she also felt that this would have to be done with thecollaboration of the unions, a job that is made more difficult by a lack of money. However, she

felt that incentives for young people and much more flexibility in taking time off were

appropriate responses to different generational wants. Participant 3 also felt the impact ofchanging demographics. She indicated that preparing younger workers, who lack the experience

of their predecessors, to deal with difficult situations was an issue: They havent been through

the school of hard knocks kind of thing where you sort of learn things just by doing over time, soits how we prepare those people so that, you know, when they are dealing with their difficult

circumstance those kinds of skills in the organization. Participant 4 identified three broad

groups of people in her firm: older senior managers, middle-aged managers, and young, new

entrants. She has seen an extreme difference in attitude across the groups, largely in terms ofwork ethic. For example, I mean if they decide (younger workers) that they want to stay at

home for whatever reason, that should be acceptable, and then if you convey that reason the

person stated on to the senior management, they cant comprehend it at all. Participant 5 feltthat the emergence of many different types of generations in the workplace at one time was

forcing her organization to change its definition of diversity and how that impacts on

recruitment, retention, and engagement.

In addition, Participant 2 felt that acquisition of broader knowledge was still an emerging issue

because things, for example, will continue to change and develop. Participant 3 also believedthat issues such as disability, mental health and wellness programs, and succession planning

were emerging. Participant 6 also identified work-life balance, wellness initiatives, successionplanning and technology changes as trends. There was also a trend toward increased demand forHRM reports in her firm. These emerging trends are now requiring HRM people to focus on

issues of performance management and developing well-rounded IT consultants and to develop

new recruiting strategies to identify those who possess the hot skills.


8/13

8

The third set of questions explored key roles that HRM practitioners occupy in 2008, key

competencies that are required to operate within these roles, and shifts in roles and competenciesanticipated.

All six participants occupied a variety of roles and were engaged in dealing with standard types

of issues such as performance management issues, discipline, HRM planning, recruiting and

training and development. However, the one role that emerged very clearly was that of internalconsultant. These HRM practitioners provided advice and guidance on a range of issues to

managers for decision making. They all saw their role as strategic, and as Participant 1

indicated, their job is to feed into the executive management group being a business

partner. Participant 5 echoed this sentiment and said, serving on different committees,working with executives and senior leaders around their strategies and what we can do to help

support them.

Competencies that were identified by all six participants were numerous but can be categorized

as follows:

Technical HR skills being technically competent and well roundedthat is, knowledgeableabout a broad array of issues such as labour relations, wrongful dismissal, succession planning,competency assessment, reward and recognition programs, benefits and pension issueswere

seen as being important by all six. Indeed, Participant 2 summed up the need for technical skills

quite well by saying, being able to interpret collective agreements, always be prepared to goto court Hows that going to be perceived in court?

Strategic skills knowing the business and industry in which they operated was important as

were analytical skills, and as Participant 3 said, being able to translate the vision into

operational activity. In a related vein was the notion of managing change. Participant 6 said a

key competency is the ability to move through changing landscape quickly.

Organizational/management skills being able to work under pressure, having strong leadershipskills, establishing priorities, having project management skills, and possessing strong

investigation skills.

Personal skills having good judgment, common sense, self-awareness, for example, knowing

your limitations.

Interpersonal skills being able to deal with diverse individuals and teams, facilitating,

negotiating, influencing, knowing who to ask, coaching.

One issue that emerged was that of the overall HRM role, which is to some extent dependent on

organizational size and resource availability. Two participants in smaller, publicly fundedorganizations seemed to be in the trenches and seemed to be involved in the day-to-day HRM

operations to a greater extent than some participants who were in larger, more fully resourced

organizations. Consequently, those in smaller organizations felt that they had to developstrategically, but they also had to know about a broad range of technical issues because they had

to deal with the day-to-day issues to a greater extent than did those in larger organizations.


9/13

9

However, those in the larger, better resourced organizations felt that their role was more one of

team and strategic leadership and the technical issues were left to specialists. For example,Participant 4 said that she had oversight of the HRM area; however, she had professionals in

place to handle the technical aspects. Her role is to provide leadership for the HRM strategic

plan. Further, Participant 5 said,do I have all the strengths necessary to be successful?

Probably not. But its more about the outcomes by using the strengths that exist throughoutteams of people What I care more about is that collectively we have what it takes to achieve

those outcomes Thus participants in the larger organizations focused on being strategic butalso on developing their own leadership and team-building capabilities.

Participants did detect some shifts in roles and competencies. For example, both Participant 1and Participant 6 felt that HRM practitioners, at least in their organizations and industries, must

be better generalists and they must have well-rounded HRM and business knowledge because

their organizations are relying on them. This is in part a function of the size of theirorganizations and the economic and other resource constraints faced. Participant 2 believed

there would be greater emphasis on succession planning, which is something that we have not

done a lot here. Other areas that were on the upswing included promoting organizationaldevelopment, adult learning, conducting more professional assessments for leadership

competencies, and focusing on organizational health and work/life balance issues. Participant 3

spoke of the benefits of operational experience and how her organization has moved from ageneralist to a specialist approach, which develops a depth of expertise. This is counter to what

Participant 1 suggested, but Participant 3 is in a very large, well-resourced organization and these

specialists cannot only be afforded, but they are also needed.

Participant 4 indicated that workforce demographics would tend to remain an issue and other

factors such as mental-health issues and employee assistance programs would increase inimportance. Participant 6 also mentioned demographics and being able to meet the changing

needs of employees as well as focusing on work-life balance issues. Participant 5 indicated that

HRMs roles such as recruitment/retention, stewardship, building leadership capacity, buildingemployee self-sufficiency, assisting people with their learning and growth, and developing a

top-notch services model have and are aligned with the broader strategy of her organization.

All participants seemed to agree that HRM practitioners needed to understand the business of the

organization, but Participant 3 also raised the issue of understanding the financial impact of

HRM work when we are proposing HR strategies we have to really add some value.

Discussion

The interviews to date reinforce the trends noted in the literature. Changing demographics

appear to be the driving force behind the trends in the changing role of human resourcespractitioner. As skilled people become more of a scarce resource, HRM becomes more of a

critical area for organizations. The participants reported that human resources is moving to more

of a strategic role, and this trend has also been reported by [9] [29] [23] [20]. How is this trendevidenced in the day-to-day activities of a human resource manager? The HRM manager may be

sitting on top-level management teams and be expected to contribute to the strategic decision-


10/13

10

making of the organization. Some suggest that this means that the HRM manager has to be

familiar with tools used to make strategic decisions, for example, ROI and the skills to influenceothers [24]. HRM managers are also taking a strategic approach to HRM decision making and

planning as well as participating on organization-wide teams.

Technology has allowed HRM to free up resources to deal with the new roles that result from

changing demographics. Clearly the participants found that HRM was changing from atransactional approach to a coaching/advising role as transaction activities such as hiring,

performance appraisal, and payroll activities were transferred to line managers. This is

consistent with the findings of a number of researchers [27] [22]. The change in role of HRM

from transactions to coaching/advising has been facilitated by technology. Whether technologyhas driven the change or HRM managers whose role is changing have driven technology to

develop the necessary tools can be debated. However, without the technology improvements, the

delegating of payroll and other traditional HRM functions would not have been possible. Thenew role of coaching and advising requires different skills and competencies.

The participants also discussed another trend that is affecting their role, and that trend is the

changing demographics of the workplace. Again, this trend is documented in the literature bynumerous researchers [2] [3] [5] [6] [11] [15] [16]. The implications of this trend are far-

ranging. The participants mentioned mental health, wellness, benefits, succession planning,recruitment, retention, disability management, different needs and work values of various age

groups as well as managers moving up in the ranks more quickly. The last implication results in

what some refer to as talent management [11]. This results in HRM managers providingcoaching and advice to the young managers receiving promotions quickly as well as planning

ways for various generational groups to work together. In other words, HRM managers must act

as change managers [16] [28] [33].

Some research indicates that technology changes are affecting the role of HRM managers [1]

[11], and one interviewee felt that HRM needs were driving technology. Another intervieweefelt that technology changes were affecting learning needs, and it was especially difficult to

attract and retain IT people.

There is a sense from these few interviews that practitioners are developing HRM as an internal

consulting organization [35]. Certainly the results of this paper show that although thetransactional issues are still being managed, HRM practitioners are making the shift to providing

transformational services as well, tying their work to that of the organization, and they are trying

to be relevant to their organizations.

The results also show that these practitioners occupy a variety of roles and have developed and

continue to develop a variety of skills and knowledge. Further, these roles and knowledge andskill requirements appear to be shifting somewhat for each practitioner. Although there are

shared trends, there is also an element of individuality in roles and competencies. This

individuality is based on individual HRM practitioners own roles and competencies (possessedand required) and the different organizational/environmental contexts in which they operate.

This situation puts tremendous pressure on practitioners as they not only manage the shift from

transactional to transformational practice, but they must continue to keep learning.


11/13

11

How are future trends going to affect the role of HRM professionals? All six participants

discussed again the impact of changing demographics. Again this included dealing with youngerworkers who have different needs and values, assisting young managers who are quickly being

promoted without as much experience, succession planning, disability, mental health and

wellness programs. In other words, there were no significant new trends forecasted that were not

already affecting their roles.

Changing demographics have resulted in a much more strategic role for human resource

directors or vice-presidents. The competency needs for this role centre on breadth of knowledge

of how the business or organization works. Yet, more complexities are being added to human

resources, which increases the need for specialists. In large organizations, specialists support thegeneralist at the head of the human resource area. These generalists at times are brought in from

other functional areas and have MBAs or professional accounting designations as they have to

bring value to the senior management team and need that broad perspective. Future research isneeded in this area to answer questions such as: How do smaller organizations with a limited

staff handle the two roles, that is, a generalist with broad business knowledge and a specialist

who can handle labour relations, conflict management, coaching, benefit plans, disability issues,etc.? In larger organizations, what types of succession plans exist for human resource directors?

If human resource practitioners are becoming more specialized, where will future heads of the

human resource area come from as they need broad general skills?

Another area of future research could be how companies are dealing with a new version of

diversity, that is, one based on different ages and resulting values in the workplace as opposed todifferent genders, language, culture or religion. Yet another area of future research could look at

the ways that human resources departments are measuring the value that they add to

organizations which would include how the human resource area is contributing to strategicdecision-making.

REFERENCES

[1] Adler, P. S. Making the HR outsourcing decision. MIT Sloan Management Review, 2003,45(1), 53-60.

[2] Bernthal, P., & Wellins, R. Trends in leader development and succession. Human ResourcePlanning, 2006, 29(2), 31-40.

[3] Bohara, A. M. Managing talent in a global work environment. Employment Relations Today,

2007, 34(3), 27-35. www.interscience.wiley.com DOI 10.1002/ert.20162 retrieved July

18, 2008.

[4] Brandenburg, D. C., & Ellinger, A. D. The future: Just-in time learning expectations andpotential implications for human resources development. Advances in Developing Human

Resources, 2003, 5(3), 308-320.

[5] Busine, M., & Watt, B. Succession management: Trends and current practice. Asia PacificJournal, 2005, 43(2), 225-237.
http://www.interscience.wiley.com/http://www.interscience.wiley.com/


12/13

12

[6] Clark, A. D. The new reality: Using benefits to attract and retain talent. Employment

Relations Today, 2007, 34(3), 27-35. www.interscience.wiley.com DOI10.1002/ert.20162 retrieved July 18, 2008.

[7] Cooke, F. L., Shen, J., & McBride, A. Outsourcing HR as a competitive strategy? A

literature review and an assessment of implications. Human Resource Management,

2005, 44(4), 413-432.

[8] Cyboran, V. L. Fostering workplace learning through online journaling. Performance

Improvement, 2005, 44(7), 34-39.

[9] Das, H. Recruitment, selection and deployment of human resources. Toronto, ON: PearsonPrentice Hall, 2007.

[10] Davidson, G. K. Emerging trends and early lessons in public-sector HR outsourcing.Employment Relations Today, 2005, 31(4), 31-37. www.interscience.wiley.com DOI

10.1002/ert.20039 retrieved July 18, 2008.

[11] Frank, F. D., & Taylor, C. R. Talent management: Trends that will shape the future.Human Resource Planning, 2004, 27(1), 33-41.

[12] Gronstedt, A. The changing face of workplace learning. T+D, 2007, 61(1), 20-24.

[13] Hammonds, K. H. Why we hate HR. Fast Company, 2005, 97, 40-47.

[14] Hulkari, K., & Mahlamki-Kultan, S. Reflection through web discussions: Assessing

nursing students work-based learning. Journal of Workplace Learning, 2008, 20(3), 157-

164.

[15] Jamrog, J. The perfect storm: The future of retention and engagement. Human Resource

Planning, 2004, 27(3), 26-33.

[16] Jensen, E. HRs role in helping companies achieve high performance. Employment

Relations Today, 2005, 32(2), 39-52. www.interscience.wiley.com DOI

10.1002/ert.20062 retrieved July 18, 2008.

[17] Karrer, T. Learning and networking with a blog. T+D, 2007, 61(9), 20-22.

[18] Laff, M. The world according to WIKI. T+D, 2007, 61(5), 28-31.

[19] Lipiec, J. Human resources management perspective at the turn of the century. PublicPersonnel Management, 2001, 30(2), 137-146.

[20] Liu, Y., Combs, J. G., Ketchen, D. J., Jr., Ireland, R. D. The value of human resource

management for organizational performance. Business Horizons, 2007, 50, 503-511.

[21] Lofland, J., & Lofland, L. Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and

analysis. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1984.
http://www.interscience.wiley.com/http://www.interscience.wiley.com/http://www.interscience.wiley.com/http://www.interscience.wiley.com/http://www.interscience.wiley.com/http://www.interscience.wiley.com/


13/13

13

[22] Losey, M., Meisinger, S. R., & Ulrich, D. Conclusion: Reality, impact, and

professionalism. Human Resource Management, 2005, 44(2), 201-206.

[23] Martocchio: J. J. Strategic compensation: A human resource management approach (4th

ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006.

[24] May, G. L., Sherlock, J. J., & Mabry, C. K. The future: The drive for shareholder value and

implications for HRD. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 2003, 5(3), 321-331.

[25] Mendenhall, M. E., Black, J. S., Jensen, R. J., & Gregersen, H. B. Seeing the elephant:

Human resource management challenges in the age of globalization. Organizational

Dynamics, 2003, 32(3), 261-274.

[26] Nijof, W. J. Is the HRD profession in the Netherlands changing? Human Resource

Development International, 2004, 7(1), 57-72.

[27] Perry, E. L., & Kulik, C. T. The devolution of HR to the line: Implications for the

perceptions of people management effectiveness. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2008, 19(2), 262-273.

[28] Rynes, S. L. Where do we go from here?: Imagining new roles for human resources.Journal of Management Inquiry, 2004, 13(3), 203-213.

[29] Saks, A., & Haccoun, R. Managing performance through training and development(4th

ed.). Toronto: Thomson Nelson, 2007.

[30] Sambrook, S., & Stewart, J. Factors influencing learning in European learning oriented

organisations: Issues for management. Journal of European Industrial Training, 2000,24(2), 209-219.

[31] Slotte, V., & Herbert, A. Journal of Workplace Learning, 2008, 20(3), 165-180.

[32] Smith, A. Engagement or irrelevance? HRD and the world of policy and practice. Human

Resource Development Review, 2006, 5(4), 395-399.

[33] Ulrich, D., Brockbank, W., Johnson, D., & Younger, J. Human resource competencies:

Responding to increased expectations. Employment Relations Today, 2007, 1-12.

[34] Vickers, M. R. Business ethics and the HR role: Past, present, and future. Human ResourcePlanning, 2005, 28(1), 26-32.

[35] Vosbergh, R. M. The evolution of HR: Developing HR as an internal consulting

organization. Human Resource Planning, 2007, 30(3), 11-23.

[36] Yin, R. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Beverly Hills, Calif.: SagePublications, 1984.

hrm changing trends

Documents