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• Key priorities for the HR department in the coming year
Background
Historically the HRM team at The SIH has been small. The organisation employs
approximately 2,300 staff across a wide range of disciplines and is supported by a team of
five HR professionals. Until June this year the team comprised:
• Human Resources Manager (now Organisational Development Manager) – responsible
primarily for the organisation’s overall HR function – mainly an operational role. Recent
drive for a more strategic focus
• Industrial Relations Advisor, responsible for leading contract negotiations. (In post for 15
years, in various HR capacities, now working in the Payroll team).
• Two Human Resource Consultants – offering general advice and support on HR issues
to managers and other staff (in post for 18 months). Positions were initially designed to
include a significant level of strategic involvement. This did not materialise to any
significant degree.
• Human Resources Administrator (secretary/reception and general enquiries)
All positions are full time.
The general philosophy for the department has been that managers in each of the Clinical
Practice Groups (Service Divisions) would manage all day to day human resource
responsibilities including recruitment and selection, appraisals, performance management,
salary reviews. Some senior managers in each area would also participate in contract
negotiations for the various staff groups such as technical and administrative. Resident and
senior medical officer and nursing contract negotiations are managed centrally and on a
national level, led by the Industrial Relations Advisor. The HR department would provide
specialist advice and assistance with HR matters such as the disciplinary process, breaches
of code of conduct and contract interpretation.
Between March and May 2003 the Department experienced several changes. The Industrial
Relations Advisor was transferred to the Payroll team to take on responsibility for rectifying
anomalies with the computerised staff rostering system and associated contract
interpretations and was not replaced. One of the Department’s senior consultants resigned
and the HR Manager (an external consultant) completed her contract.
The Graduate Management Review
3
A decision was taken by the CEO to change the HR Manager’s title role to that of
Organisational Development Manager and create a permanent position. Reporting lines also
changed from the Chief Operating Officer to the Chief Executive Officer.
An examination of strategic HRM theory
Defining strategy and HRM
The role of strategic planning is to provide organisations with a clear sense of direction for
the longer term by clarifying its values and mission, setting priorities and by identifying goals
and objectives. (Johnson and Scoles, 1988; Kane and Palmer, 1995). These in turn should
be cascaded down through the organisation, and ultimately reflected in the operational plans
of managers within individual service units.
Human Resource Management (HRM) itself may be deemed a strategic activity because it
aims to ensure the organisation develops and allocates its human resources in harmony with
other strategic plans and corporate objectives (Tompkins, 2002). The Human Resources
department plays a strategic role to the extent that its policies and practi