Strategic

PERSPECTIVES ON
Human STRATEGIC HUMAN
Resource RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Management

oThe Universalistic Perspective

oThe Contingency Perspective
oThe Configurational Perspective
oThe Contextual Perspective
The Universalistic Perspective
o some HR practices are better than
others
What does the o all orgs should adopt these best
Universalistic practices
Perspective of o There is a universal relationship
SHRM state? between
o individual ‘best’ practices
o firm performance
o they are best in any situation
o also called ‘best practice
approach’
o a specified set of HR practices will
always produce superior results
Abraraw-SHRM-04-2017
 Universalistic …
Best HR practices
of Pfeffer (1994):
o employment security
o selective hiring
o self-managed teams
o high compensation
contingent on o ignores the notion of system-level
performance resources
o Extensive training o negates the notion that sustainable
o reduction of status comp. adv. can be achieved through
differentiation in the
differentials, and o firm’s resources
o sharing information o firm’s strategies
o firm’s policies Abraraw-SHRM-04-2017
 The Contingency Perspective
o an org’s HR policies must be consistent with
o other aspects of the org
What does the o the primary contingency factor is
o the org’s strategy
Contingency o also called ‘best-fit approach’
Perspective of o best fit can be perceived in terms of vertical
SHRM state? integration between
o business and HR strategies
o argues that an org’s set of HRM policies and
practices will be effective
o if it is consistent with other org’al
strategies
o External fit is then what matters

Abraraw-SHRM-04-2017
 The Contingency …
Contingency
factors include:
o life cycle stage
of the org
o competitive
strategy
o strategic
configuration
o keeping the
o Strategy
o Structure
o HR dimensions in direct alignment
o lack of evidences that
o a tight fit leads to positive outcomes
o the concept of fit implies
o inflexibility and rigidity Abraraw-SHRM-04-2017
The Configurational Perspective
o a holistic approach that emphasizes the
What does the importance of the pattern of HR practices
Configurationa o concerned with how this pattern is related to
o the org’al performance
l Perspective o a firm with bundles of associated HRM practices
of SHRM will have
state? o a higher level of performance
o Bundling is the dev’t & implementation of
o several HR practices together
o argues that a strategy’s success turns on
combining
o internal and external fit
o Bundles of HR practices may be more
appropriate because
o they fit together to mutually support a
defined set of employee behavior Abraraw-SHRM-04-2017
 The Configurational Perspective
What does the
Configurational
Perspective
of SHRM state?

o configurational patterns, rather than

empirically observable phenomena, are
ideal types
o the HRM system is defined as
o a multidimensional set of elements
o that can be combined in different ways
o to obtain an infinite number of
possible configurations Abraraw-SHRM-04-2017
 The Contextual Perspective of SHRM
o not only of its internal working and how it can
reinforce the achievement of business goals,
What does but also of
the o its influence on the external & org’al context
Contextual o a broader set of stakeholders is considered in
Perspective the formulation and implementation of HR
of SHRM strategies
o these stakeholders may be
state?
o not only internal but also external and
o both influence & are influenced by strategic
decisions
o the mutuality of interests is considered as a
necessary requisite for the maintenance of the
org’s position in the long term. Abraraw-SHRM-04-2017
 The Contextual Perspective of SHRM
the contextual
model becomes
apparent basically
in the
reconsideration of
three aspects of
SHRM

1. the nature of HR o HRM is described as

2. the level of analysis o a function that is
3. the actors implied o no longer the exclusive responsibility of
in this org’al HR specialists
o but is extended to the rest of managers
function
o especially at the line level Abraraw-SHRM-04-2017
?
Abraraw-SHRM-04-2017