...Global Journal of Human Resource Management Vol.3, No.3, pp.58-73, May 2015 Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org) HISTORY, EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: A CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE Kipkemboi Jacob Rotich1, Moi University, School of Human Resource Development, Department of Development Studies, P.o Box 3900-30100, Eldoret, Kenya. ABSTRACT: Various attempts have been made towards tracing the historical development of the discipline of Human Resource Management (HRM). However, these initiatives have largely been concentrated on certain specific periods of time and experiences of specific countries and regions such as Australia, the USA, the UK and Asia (Nankervis et.al, 2011; Kelly, 2003; Ogier, 2003). This paper attempts to document the entire history of the discipline of Human Resource Management from a holistic perspective. The evolution and development of HRM will be traced right from the pre-historic times through to the postmodern world. Major characteristics in the evolution and development of HRM will also be examined and documented. KEYWORDS: Human Resource Management (HRM), evolution, history INTRODUCTION Defining Human Resource Management (HRM) According to Armstrong (2006) Human Resource Management (HRM) is defined as a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization’s most valued assets – the people working there who individually and collectively...
Words: 6796 - Pages: 28
...Human Resource Management Is No More Than ‘Old Wine in New Bottles’. In: Business and Management Human Resource Management Is No More Than ‘Old Wine in New Bottles’. Human resource management is no more than ‘old wine in new bottles’. Discuss. ‘’HRM is regarded by some personnel managers as just a set of initials or old wine in new bottles. It could indeed be no more and no less than another name for PM ’’ ( Armstrong, 1987) First we have to understand the meaning of HRM, but attempts to define HRM precisely have resulted in confusion and contradiction rather than clarity [Price, 1997]. However, according to Storey (1989) Human resource management is a completely different philosophy and an approach contrast to Personnel management. In his view, HRM provides a completely new form of managing personnel and can therefore be regarded as departure from the orthodoxy of traditional personnel management. The normative models of personnel management shows that PM is about selecting, developing, rewarding, and directing employees in such a way that not only will they achieve satisfaction and ‘give of their best’ at work, but by so doing enable the employing organization to achieve its goals. When considering the definition of Human resource management and Personnel management, there are many differences on the perspectives of researchers. Legge (1989) reviewed the definition of a variety of writers. She could come to conclude that there are three features which seems to distinguish HRM...
Words: 526 - Pages: 3
...‘Global shifts in the supply and demand for labor mean that organizations need to focus more heavily on attraction, retention and career development of staff in order to meet these challenges’- Discuss The present essay focuses on the strategic human resource management and global shifts in demand and supply of labor which almost all the companies are facing to have skilled personnel. This essay critically evaluates some of the issues related to SHRM, global shifts in the supply and demand for labor which is then linked to the attraction, retention and career development for employees which an Organization provides these days for having better workforce with in the company. To support the arguments in the essay, the evidence are taken from the published scholarly articles. In the beginning of the essay we understand the role of SHRM, issues related to shifts in global labor market and its impact on organizations where recruitment, retention and career development of staff have become major challenge to the companies. We can also understand how employer formulates the strategy or strategies to retain the skilled employees with in the company. The role of HR executives in the SHRM and Organizational Performance are raising needs for the business and in the next future the HR will play a vital task in achieving the competitive advantage of the company. One international review shows that HR needs to be strategically planned to achieve competitive advantage by being more amenable...
Words: 2607 - Pages: 11
...International Journal of Human Resource Management 9:1 February 1998 HRM strategies and labour turnover in the hotel industry: A comparative study of Australia and Singapore Angeline Cheng and Alan Brown Abstract This study explores the perceptions of HR managers on the strategic management of labour tumover in a selection of large hotels in Australia and Singapore, The main argument is that the effects of labour tumover can be mitigated with strategically managed human resources through the four key HR activities. The hotel industries in both Singapore and Australia revealed a comparable range of HR policies and practices being adopted, with an explicit recognition of the contribution an organization's human resources have on the bottom-line. There was a clear convergence towards minimizing tumover primarily through the recruitment, selection and induction processes. This was despite fundamental social, economic and labour differences between Singapore and Australia, Keywords Introduction In recent years, there has been widening recognition that human resource management (HRM) strategies impact on an organization's perfomiance and bottom-line results, contributing to overall effectiveness (Nankervis and Debrah, 1995). Particularly in the service industry, the effective utilization of human resources can give an organization its competitive edge (Schneider and Bowen, 1993). This has led to an increased interdependency of corporate strategy with human resource management (HRM), By effectively...
Words: 9583 - Pages: 39
...Review and Recommendations– Amalgamation of Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV Case Study Organisational Development & Change Word count 3144 (including references) Review and Recommendations– Amalgamation of Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV) Organisations facing global pressures and rapidly evolving technology have become key drivers in decisions relating to organisational change. Pressure to remain competitive in a global market has resulted in demand and increases in strategic change initiatives across within organisations. These demands are not limited to private, profit orientated organisations. Government entities are also faced with environmental challenges that create a necessity to adapt through various change management initiatives. Generally more bureaucratic and less malleable than private organisations, change projects are likely to require greater planning and focus to ensure success. Facing some of these difficulties, Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV) underwent a restructure in 1999 in order to amalgamate six existing rural services into a single provider. Restructuring health care providers is not uncommon in current times as they aim to adopt a patient focused care model through integrating processes, technology, facilities, organisational design and employees (Clarke and Lee 1994). Experts have attempted to provide guidance and sequence to organisational design in healthcare (see Decker et al, 2001; Henderson & Williams 1991)...
Words: 3567 - Pages: 15
...global economic shifts, and international governance among others, have been the enabling factors. Visionary business leadership has transformed national-level firms into robust multinationals that dispense a wide variety of goods and services to a scale never witnessed before. As many companies yearn to take their business internationally, they face ever-present challenges in the new business arena. Managers, therefore, need to take a keen interest in assessing the corporate strategies to fit the demands of international business so as to maintain their competitive edge and suitably serve the culturally diversified individual and institutional customers. This report analyses a myriad of aspects that multinational companies face in the global provision of goods and services. In its deliberations, the reports deeply evaluate the National Double Diamond model and its later improvement as well as the SAFe criteria that are essential to business leaders in effectively engaging in international business. It gives insight on how the varied features of the international business impact on the business strategy. Additionally, it also highlights the best approaches the corporate managers reshapes their corporate strategies to suit the international cultural diversity of the workforce, clients among other stakeholders effectively. On more specific terms, the report gives recommendations that the Irish Ryanair undertakes to establish successfully and run a strategic business unit...
Words: 5789 - Pages: 24
...global economic shifts, and international governance among others, have been the enabling factors. Visionary business leadership has transformed national-level firms into robust multinationals that dispense a wide variety of goods and services to a scale never witnessed before. As many companies yearn to take their business internationally, they face ever-present challenges in the new business arena. Managers, therefore, need to take a keen interest in assessing the corporate strategies to fit the demands of international business so as to maintain their competitive edge and suitably serve the culturally diversified individual and institutional customers. This report analyses a myriad of aspects that multinational companies face in the global provision of goods and services. In its deliberations, the reports deeply evaluate the National Double Diamond model and its later improvement as well as the SAFe criteria that are essential to business leaders in effectively engaging in international business. It gives insight on how the varied features of the international business impact on the business strategy. Additionally, it also highlights the best approaches the corporate managers reshapes their corporate strategies to suit the international cultural diversity of the workforce, clients among other stakeholders effectively. On more specific terms, the report gives recommendations that the Irish Ryanair undertakes to establish successfully and run a strategic business unit...
Words: 5789 - Pages: 24
...global economic shifts, and international governance among others, have been the enabling factors. Visionary business leadership has transformed national-level firms into robust multinationals that dispense a wide variety of goods and services to a scale never witnessed before. As many companies yearn to take their business internationally, they face ever-present challenges in the new business arena. Managers, therefore, need to take a keen interest in assessing the corporate strategies to fit the demands of international business so as to maintain their competitive edge and suitably serve the culturally diversified individual and institutional customers. This report analyses a myriad of aspects that multinational companies face in the global provision of goods and services. In its deliberations, the reports deeply evaluate the National Double Diamond model and its later improvement as well as the SAFe criteria that are essential to business leaders in effectively engaging in international business. It gives insight on how the varied features of the international business impact on the business strategy. Additionally, it also highlights the best approaches the corporate managers reshapes their corporate strategies to suit the international cultural diversity of the workforce, clients among other stakeholders effectively. On more specific terms, the report gives recommendations that the Irish Ryanair undertakes to establish successfully and run a strategic...
Words: 5787 - Pages: 24
...Challenges of Human Resource Managers In a time of increasing globalization, economic rationalization, competitiveness, deregulation, technological revolution and changing workforce there is an increasing need for human resource management to be able to capitalize and gain on the challenges that this changing environment will bring. For a company to be able to successfully stay ahead of its competition, human resource management has to be seen as a significant contributor within the company. Human resource management will face many challenges and will operate in a constant environment of change. Two of the most important challenges to the role of human resource management in the future is the capacity to develop and utilize a new set of competencies to fulfill the changing roles and the ability to move to a strategic human resource. In this assignment I will outline how each of these areas have developed to become two of the most important changes for Human Resource Managers and why I believe they are critical to the success of an organization. Strategic Human Resource Management The literature on the changing role of human resource management stresses the requirement to move from an administrative support function, or the more traditional human resource operational management model, to a strategic and facilitative role. To sustain the transformation of the human resource functions to a Strategic Human Resource Management model; it will require human resource professionals...
Words: 3202 - Pages: 13
...Assignment 1: Literature critique An exploration of the impact of strategic international human resource management on firm performance: The case of Foreign MNCs in China By Chanzi Bao, Robert and UK Farhad Analoui, Robert Gordon University. 2011 Overview of the article’s content The paper reports the intensive competition arising from globalisation requiring MNCs to seek low cost, innovation, speed and adaptability and the need to manage their human resources globally and strategically in order to become a source of competitive advantage. The authors state that there is a need to manage human resources strategically so that they become source of sustained competitive advantage (Wright and McMahan, 1992; Boxall and Purcell, 2008). And that this has led to the evolution of strategic international human resource management (SIHRM), which not only acknowledge the need of balancing global integration and local responsiveness (Evans et al., 2002), but to seek strategic fit between HR policies and business strategy in order to achieve superior business performance. The researcher’s paper focus upon China with reference to foreign MNCs’ operations and the challenges faced from the dual pressure of balancing globalisation and localisation. Arguing that by combining the concept of SHRM with IHRM it identified a new research area of SIHRM which addressed the HRM issues and activities resulting from, and impacting on, the strategic activities and international concerns of MNC’s, that the universality...
Words: 1440 - Pages: 6
...Assessment 1: Discuss the ways strategic human resource management (SHRM) could contribute to organisational performance in the next five years. Human resource management (HRM) is the function within an organisation that focuses on its most valued asset – its personnel. HRM is one of the most important functions in any business and is detrimental to the company’s overall success. It has taken quite a while for HRM to be adopted into the business strategy as organisations were unwilling to accept or change their ways. Their focus was on economic growth for the company. However researchers such as Hezberg, Maslow and Lewin revealed that employee performance was influenced by their social and emotional needs and their desire for interesting work. This is when the shift began for companies to not only focus on economic growth, but to satisfy the needs of their employees in order to improve performance and productivity which will bring greater success to the company. Human resource management has a number of key policy areas including recruitment and selection, job analysis and design, workforce planning, performance management, training and development and career planning. It is through these policies that we can understand the concept of strategic human resource management (SHRM). SHRM explicitly links these policies, practices and systems to enable the achievements of an organisations strategy and goals. In my understanding, SHRM represents an attempt to methodically manage...
Words: 1778 - Pages: 8
...Theses 2009 Strategic human resource management: what does it mean in practice? Ken Lovell Southern Cross University Publication details Lovell, K 2009, 'Strategic human resource management: what does it mean in practice?', DBA thesis, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW. Copyright K Lovell 2009 ePublications@SCU is an electronic repository administered by Southern Cross University Library. Its goal is to capture and preserve the intellectual output of Southern Cross University authors and researchers, and to increase visibility and impact through open access to researchers around the world. For further information please contact epubs@scu.edu.au. Strategic Human Resource Management: What does it mean in practice? Ken Lovellll Ken Love B Com (Industrial Relations), University of New South Wales B Soc Sc (Hons) (HRM), Southern Cross University A research thesis submitted to the Graduate College of Management, Southern Cross University, Australia, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration 15 May 2009 Statement of Original Authorship I certify that the substance of this thesis has not currently been submitted for any degree and has not previously being submitted for any other degree. I also certify that to the best of my knowledge any help received in preparing this thesis and all sources used have been acknowledged in this thesis. Signed ………………………………………………. Ken Lovell 15 May 2009 K Lovell: SHRM in Australia Page i ...
Words: 108427 - Pages: 434
...Theses 2009 Strategic human resource management: what does it mean in practice? Ken Lovell Southern Cross University Publication details Lovell, K 2009, 'Strategic human resource management: what does it mean in practice?', DBA thesis, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW. Copyright K Lovell 2009 ePublications@SCU is an electronic repository administered by Southern Cross University Library. Its goal is to capture and preserve the intellectual output of Southern Cross University authors and researchers, and to increase visibility and impact through open access to researchers around the world. For further information please contact epubs@scu.edu.au. Strategic Human Resource Management: What does it mean in practice? Ken Lovellll Ken Love B Com (Industrial Relations), University of New South Wales B Soc Sc (Hons) (HRM), Southern Cross University A research thesis submitted to the Graduate College of Management, Southern Cross University, Australia, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration 15 May 2009 Statement of Original Authorship I certify that the substance of this thesis has not currently been submitted for any degree and has not previously being submitted for any other degree. I also certify that to the best of my knowledge any help received in preparing this thesis and all sources used have been acknowledged in this thesis. Signed ………………………………………………. Ken Lovell 15 May 2009 K Lovell: SHRM in Australia Page i ...
Words: 108427 - Pages: 434
...SBL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND LAW MANAGING HUMAN CAPITAL Module Tutor: Dr. Rajendra Kumar Student: Iryna Viter Student Ref: 0188SBMA1109 Course: MBA1 D, APR 10 TABLE OF CONTENTS: I. INTRODUCTION------------------------------------------------------------3 II. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT--------------------------------4 III. STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT --------------6 IV. HUMAN RESOURCES PLANNING-------------------------------------8 V. JOB ANALYSIS--------------------------------------------------------------9 VI. JOD DESIGN/DESCRIPTION--------------------------------------------10 VII. RECRUITMENT/SELECTION-------------------------------------------11 VIII. TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT------------------------14 IX. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL------------------------------------------18 X. REMUNERATION---------------------------------------------------------19 XI. MOTIVATION--------------------------------------------------------------21 XII. ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT-------------------------------------------24 XIII. RECOMMENDATIONS---------------------------------------------------25 XIV. CONCLUSIONS-------------------------------------------------------------25 XV. REFERENCES---------------------------------------------------------------27 XVI. BIBLIOGRAPHY-----------------------------------------------------------28 I. Introduction In today’s tough competitive market many companies are faced...
Words: 8013 - Pages: 33
... Qantas has recently undergone a huge transformation with the reduction of 5000 jobs. Competition paves the way to downsizing and reorganisation changes which meant that QE was going to reduce its workforce from 500 to 180 engineers. The main cause for this reduction in engineering was benchmarking the QE organisation with engineering organisations of other major competitor airlines such as Emirates airlines, Singapore airlines and British airways, retirement of ageing aircraft, reliability and on-wing performance of newer engines / airframes due to improvement in materials and computers/ programs that simplified administrative tasks. The most significant reason was that Qantas was losing its domestic market share to Virgin Australia and this meant that Qantas had to lower its cost base in order to compete. This reduction in workforce meant that existing engineers had to be flexible & adaptable to learn and pickup engineering functions that redundant staff had been doing all these years. There was clearly a failure to analyse jobs before the transformation and redesign work in line with the new company strategic plan. Table of contents Introduction 6 Background 6 External factors 7 Transformation 7 Recommendations 9 1. Organisational management and planning 9 2. Communication 10 3. Technology 11 Conclusion 12 Reference list 12 Introduction This report focuses on the recent business transformation of Qantas Engineering in which executive...
Words: 2482 - Pages: 10
