Hr Managers Should Have a Seat at the Strategic Management Table, but Only When They Earn It.

“One of the key themes of this unit is that if organisations are to manage people effectively, human resource management must be strategic. With this in mind, present a paper covering the following:

a) The proposition that HR managers should have a seat at the strategic management table, but only when they earn it.

b) How effective is your HR Manager? Critically analyse the role of the HR manager in your organisation.

The Proposition

Responding to the proposition that “HR managers should have a seat at the strategic management table, but only when they earn it” is in some respects similar to trying to resolve the question - which came first, the chicken or the egg. The answer to this is by no means simple.

Two key components need to be clarified to determine the validity of this proposition, the first of being what does strategic management mean. This then leads on to whether human resource (HR) managers have a role in this process. This appears to be a two-part question. Firstly is there a role for the HR function at this strategic management table, and secondly, what characteristics are required for an HR manager to be effective within this forum.

Strategic Management

Thompson and Strickland have defined strategic management as “the process whereby managers establish an organisations long-term direction, set specific performance objectives, develop strategies to achieve these objectives in the light of all the relevant internal and external circumstances and undertake to execute the chosen action plans”. The purpose of developing such strategies is to create or maintain a position of competitive advantage by capitalising on organisational strengths and minimising weaknesses. (Stone: 1998, 13-14)

To implement any strategy successfully requires the development of appropriate organisational skills and competencies. Over time organisations will succeed through developing strategies that gain a competitive advantage by...