The role played by Line manager and HR in ensuring the HR strategies are efficient and effective

University Degree Business and Administrative studies

MBA 5622: Managing People for Performance V

Semester 1, 2008-03-25

Assignment 1

“A report for the senior HR manager in a medium size business which outlines the importance of the roles played by HR specialists and line managers ensuring that HR strategies are effectively developed and implemented within the organisation.”

Prepared by:- Raja Nanda

10053978

Lecturer:- Megan Paull

Submission Date:- 25.03.2008.

Executive Overview:

The purpose of this report is to outline the importance of the roles played by HR specialists and line managers in a medium size business. It explains the relationship between them in implementing the HR strategies and the problems occurred while devolution of responsibilities to the line manager. The HR strategy should consist of board themes rather than narrow perceptions.

Introduction:

The relationship between the HR function and line management has, of course, long been identified as important in HRM. The dominant view has been that, although the management of human resource is vital to the success of organisations, this management need not- indeed, should not- be the direct, day to day responsibility of specialist HR manager. According to this view, it is line manager who take on new responsibilities and it is incumbent on HR managers to ‘devolve’ these to them (Graeme currie; stephan Procter, 2001, p53). Today CEOs and line managers recognise the key role of HR in helping their companies gain a competitive advantage over both domestic and foreign competitors. This competitive advantage can only result from HRM practices, which are jointly developed and implemented by human resource (HR) specialists and line mangers (Papalexandris and panayotopoulou, 2004). In this report I have explained the roles of HR specialist and line managers separately and then moved on to the integration of HR strategies. I have shown how the strategies of HR are been implemented by both the mangers and how the devolution of responsibilities helps the organisation and simultaneously creates problems.

The role of HR specialist:

Throughout the 1990s, there has been a good deal of debate about the differences between Industrial Relations/ Personnel Management (IR/PM) and HRM as distinctive approaches to the management of people (Storey, 1992 and 1995; Sisson, 1994; Guest, 1995; Legge, 1995 cited in Philmore et. Al, 2006). Although there is a debate on exact definition on HRM but the main aspects of HRM is alternative frame of reference (closely linked to individual as opposed to collective forms of management), placed between organisational strategies and the way people are managed. It is believed that it is a key to competitive advantage, an emphasis on employee flexibility, and a quality of making use of HR techniques to produce employee commitment. The role of the personnel specialist in the literature has been described as a peer among managers; in the middle; an altruistic role; a representative; an expert, and their history as one of a “struggle for status” (Anthony and Crichton, 1969 cited in Renwick D, 2000). Tyson and Fell (1992) presented a conceptual classification of three models of personnel management ranging from a 1960s “clerks of works” (“routine” administrative), a 1970s “contracts manger” (‘interpretative” industrial relations) and 1980s “architect” (“business manager” planning). Authority in the first two models is vested in line mangers with the architect exercising integration, with architects seeking dialogue with their colleagues involving open power- broking and, on occasions, managing conflicts (Renwick D, 2000).

Integration of HRM strategies:

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Integration of HRM strategies:

The factors that have impact on successful HRM integration is the role of the people who work in the HR area itself. According to Beer (1997) people working with the HR function must clearly understand how HRM is different from the older-style personnel management approach and be prepared to support the necessary changes. The new definition of HR role states that the HR manager should acts more as a business partner. The HR professional should clearly understand how HR fits with, and supports the organisation’s mission and strategy, should also have knowledge of basic business processes. Research by Huselid et al. (1997), however, has shown that HR managers may not be meeting the challenge of this new role. These researchers found that most HR Mangers were very proficient in the delivery of professional HRM capabilities that relate to traditional technical activities. Strategic HRM capability levels, however, that support that business partner role, were lower. This latter set of capabilities ensure that human resources staff understand the connection between business considerations and HRM needs.

The research conducted in Australia by Fisher and Dowling (1999) showed that the HR managers agreed with and supported strategic HRM initiatives. The results of their study showed that as well as reporting HR title name changes, senior HR managers also acknowledged the importance of HRM involvement in strategic decisions, integration of HRM policy areas, the contribution of HRM to the bottom line and attention to communication between employees and employers (Sheehan C, 2003).

HRM integration also require big support from all the areas of the organisation. The representation of the board of directors can be critical if HR managers are asked to put appropriate input into strategic decisions i.e. integration of HRM with organisational strategic decision-making processes.

Another important feature of strategic HRM integration is the devolution of HRM responsibilities to the line function. Even if there is an increase of line mangers involved in management of Human resource but still there is some force that resist the line mangers to uptake the responsibilities of HR. The HR functions in certain areas such as IR, pay and benefits, OHS and recruitment and selection whereas line managers focus on responsibilities such as work force expansion and reduction (Sheehan C, 2003). In line with this Currie and Proctor (2001) have suggested that rather than devolution of responsibilities, what in fact exists is a “Partnership” between HR and line mangers (Sheehan C, 2003).

The role of line mangers in implementing strategies:

Dalton (1950) sees the role of the manger as containing a series of dilemmas where the ambiguity inherent in the job seems to select mangers that are best able to absorb, or resolve/utilise conflict for both personal and organisational ends (Renwick D, 2000). Druker (1974) views the management job consisting of five basic operations:

Setting objectives; 2) Organising; 3) motivating and communicating; 4) Measurement; and 5) People development (Renwick D, 2000).

The line manager is involved in day to day activities of organising ritual and ceremony, negotiations, and the processing of soft information. The line manager has inevitable responsibilities of handling the personnel and industrial relation activities, although many personnel and industrial relations specialist felt that such managers had only modest capability in industrial relations, a view reflected by many mangers themselves (Renwick D, 2000).

As line managers have lack of formal education and are been promoted from within the organisation, they have some typical management responsibilities such as:-

People management
Managing operational cost
Providing technical expertise
Organisation work allocation and rotas
Monitoring work processes
Checking quality
Dealing with customers/clients
Measuring operational performance

(Source : )

It is the line manger’s responsibility for achieving company objectives, where as staff functions are to provide advice and services. This produces many benefits to the senior managers such as it reduces their requirement of detail information; it makes the middle and lower line manager less depended on them; and ability to draw on expert services. In spite of that, there are some drawbacks, as line managers are generally lack of skill in transforming the staff advices to a productive work practice.

Line managers and issues:

The success to HR lies in involving and inviting line management to actively participate in designing and implementing HR activities. There are many reasons of increase involvement of line management in HRM such as need for a comprehensive approach in a cost centred unit where the decision can be taken promptly on the spot. As the operating cost of employees now a days are really high, there is a pressure in cost based organisation to include HR issues, such as recruitment, selection, training, motivating and committing of the workforce, in line management responsibilities.

The areas where front line mangers make a significant difference to people management practices include:

Performance appraisal
Training, coaching and guidance
Employee engagement (involvement and communication)
Openness – how easy is it for employees to discuss matters with their front line manger
Work – life balance
Recognition – the extent to which employees feel their contribution is recognised

(Source: )

To overcome the problems related to high performance employees in respect to their behaviour, the line manger should poss certain qualities and skills :-

Create a good working relationship with all the employees by listening, asking communicating, be fair, suggestive and problem solving.
Coaching and guiding the employees to get their jobs done and overcome the problems.
Team building environment

Changes in HRM affecting line management:

The most important changes affecting HRM which have been experienced recently includes:-

New technology
Increase in change driven HR activities; and
Changing job contents

New technology: The development of new technologies and system of communication can make the function of HRM easier and provide advice from HR and required services to the line. The use of internet and intranet within the organisation and HR call centres helps the HR to handle its work without the help of HR department. Sophisticated human resource information systems (HRIS) can provide HR services for recruitment, selection, distance learning, employee benefits etc. This helps in reducing cost of an organisation by replacing HR administrative personnel with new technology (Papalexanddris and Panayotopoulou, 2004).

Change-driven HR activities: The most common change driven activities such as culture change, quality enhancement, performance management, and empowerment are specially among firms which are going through organisational changes such as mergers and acquisitions, expansion efforts. These activities require high level of HR service which are sophisticated and cannot be provide through electronic means, hence the line managers are pushed to learn about HR works and take more responsibility.

Changing Job contents: If we look at the way the job contents of traditional post have changed, we can easily find out the amount of HR skill have been transferred in line manager’s job. Thus the HR skill such as managing relationships, leadership and communication are required to perform the currently available jobs.

The devolution of HR responsibilities:

In the recent years the line managers are playing the more prominent role in HRM due to more HR work being devolved to them (Brewster and Larsen, 2000; Currie and Procter, 2001, et al. Cited in Renwick D, 2002). The involvement of line managers in HR at work, increased the power and influence of trade unions and shop stewards in the 1960s and 1970s, giving HR managers the power to coordinate management issues by negotiating collective agreements (Renwick D, 2002). The involvement of line manager in grievances and discipline cases made the organisation to ask their HR manager to sit in these meeting and guide the line mangers, and ensure of good outcomes.

Need for devolvement of responsibilities:-

Smoothing the internal/local management
Speeding the decision making process
Implementation of policies according to the locality; and
Cost efficient

(Renwick D, 2000)

There are two important problems occur while devolution of HR responsibilities to the line, they are:-

Resistance to the changes in line management which comes with devolution, this puts HR specialist into problematic situation; there is a lack of consensus in the debate about the role of Line managers; and
Lack of formal education.

(Karin Bredin and Jonas Soderlund, 2006).

Devolution makes line manager an important person in the HR organisation:

The research shows that the personnel activities of line manager are increasing who in turn will assume more responsibility for human resource issues. It is also a problematic situation as whether line manager has the time and ability required to take over those responsibility. The devolution of responsibilities will create new demand in line management and a new approach towards handling the issues related to people and HRM (Karin Bredin and Jonas Soderlund, 2006).

Conclusion:

After exploring the work relationship between the HR specialist and the line manager in implementing the HR strategies in a medium size organisation, I have evaluated that there is no specific pattern or model for the implementation of strategies. Every organisation is different in structure and has different nature of problems. To overcome these problems and implement the HR strategies, the HR specialist and line managers have to work as a team to plot the model of solution. I think consensus of ideas among them is the most important aspect.

References:

Cathy Sheehan (2003). “A model for HRM strategic integration”. Emerald Personnel Review,34(2), 192-209. Retrieved from

Douglas Renwick (2000), “HR-line work relations: a review, pilot case and research agenda”, Employee Relations, 22(2), 179-205. Retrieved from

Douglas Renwick (2002), “Line manager involvement in HRM: an inside view”, Employee Relation, 25(3), 262-280. Retrieved from

Graeme Currie & Stephen Procter (2001), “Exploring the relationship between HR and middle managers”, Human Resource Management Journal, 11(3), 53-69

Karin Bredin and Jonas Soderlund (2006), “Reconceptualising line management in project – based organisations”, Emerald Personnel Review, 26(5), 815-833. Retrieved from

Nancy Papalexandris & Leda Panayotopoulou (2004), “Exploring the partnership between line managers and HRM in Greece”, Journal of European Industrial Training, 29(4), 281-291.

Philmore Alleyne, Liz Doherty & Dion Greenidge (2006). “Approaches to HRM in the Barbados hotel industry”. International journal of contemporary hospitality, 18(2), 94-109

“The role of frontline managers in HR” Retrieved on March 2008 from