HUMAN RESOURCE A source of competitive advantage? Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, Edited by Fabio Emanuele Noia, Link Campus University of Malta, 2006 Chapter 1 Human Resource

What are the new challenges at the beginning of the new millenium? 1. Technology impact 2. World is shrinking 3. Better and more communication 4. Higher visibility 5. Demographics 6. Continuous transition Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

a strategic approach to employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging people capabilities is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment polices, programmes and practices. Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

People at work. Who they are? Where do they work? When do they work? Why o they work? What do they do? Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

An historical perspective Personnel Regulatory, administrative, industrial relations aspects Human Resource, internal sources of competitive advantage, employer- employee relations Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

An historical perspective Hard & Soft Hard: resource Soft: human Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

An historical perspective Hard & Soft Hard: resource Soft: human _________________ Human Resource = People in work organisations ___________________ employee relations + leveraging people’s capabilities + achieving sustainable competitive advantage + distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programmes, and practices. Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Key ingredients PeopleIntegration Line managers Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Human Capital People are worth investing in as a form of capital: people’s performance and the results achieved can be considered as a return on investment and assessed in terms of costs and benefits Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Human Capital What people bring (in a variable and unpredictable way) to the workplace: intelligence, aptitudes, commitment, tacit knowledge, skills, ability to learn, and will results in behaviors favourable to the success of the organisation. Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Nature of employment relationship Dynamic, interlocking economic, legal, social, and psychological relations that exists between individuals and their work organisations. Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Nature of employment relationship Economic: pay-effort bargain Legal: law and statutory rights and obligations affecting both parties Social: individuals are members of social groups and respond to social norms Antropological: sharing of values, beliefs and underlying assumptions Psychological: two way exchange of perceived promises and obligations Psychological: two way exchange of perceived promises and obligations Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Psychological contract Psychological contract Impact (beyond expectations) on Commitment Work motivation Task performance On behalf of the individual and Organisational support On behalf of the organisation Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Psychological contract Psychological contract= A metaphor that captures a variety of largely unwritten expectations and understandings of the two parties about their mutual (perceived) obligations. Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Psychological contract Psychological contract___________ What do you think about the concept of the psychological contract? Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Human Resource Multidimensional Activity requires awareness of Human Resource Multidimensional Activity requires awareness of___________PrerogativesContingenciesSkills Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Human Resource Prerogatives Human Resource Prerogatives___________PlanningStaffingDevelopingMotivatingMaintaining Making Relations Making Change Happen AuditingEvaluating Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Contingencies affecting Contingencies affecting Human Resource ___________ External context Organisational strategy Organisation Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Human Resource Skills ___________ Technical, cognitive, interpersonal, mentoring, teaching, influence, legal, communication. Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Human Resource Brings the attention on ___________ Integration with strategic planning Integration with strategic planning Importance of the psychological contract Importance of the psychological contract Importance of learning Importance of learning Focus on the individual Focus on the individual Proactivity Proactivity Performance outcome. Performance outcome. Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Paradoxes of Human Resource ___________ Increase of demand for productivity and autonomy of workers (new organisational design) conflicts with demand for loyalty and commitment (undermined)? ____________ A paradox involves ambiguity and inconsistency: actions undertaken in contrast with goals ___________ Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Human Resource Approach Extent to which it has been adopted ___________ Systemic adoption: scarce, no paradigm shift yet Systemic adoption: scarce, no paradigm shift yet Individual HR practices: there has been a remarkable take up. Individual HR practices: there has been a remarkable take up. Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Summary___________ 1.Primacy of people 2.Polisemy of human resource terminology 3.Reciprocal commitment 4.Different mind sets of personnel, hard and soft human resources 5.HR Paradox 6.Likelyhood of paradigm shift Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Assignment___________ __________ Evaluate goals of HR Department as described on websites. Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003

Searching the web ___________ ment.co.uk ment.co.uk Freely Inspired from Bratton J., Gold J., Human Resource Management, Theory and Practice, Palgrave, 2003