CHANGE AND HUMAN RESOURCES

Change and Human Resources



Table of Contents

Introduction2

Literature Review3

Critical Analysis6

Human Resource Strategies and Changes6

Conclusion10

References12

Bibliography14

Change and Human Resources

Introduction

This paper intends to discuss the impact of 'changes' on human resource strategy and policies. Change is assumed to be the only thing constant in today's world of innovation and increased competition. The most important change that has occurred in the past few decades is the rise of globalization. Globalization has made every aspect of business to change. The field of human resource is no different. The core of human resource practices depends upon the external environment. The changes in external environment must be clearly monitored by the human resource managers in order to deal with the external changes and also for responding effectively to the challenges created by such changes. Changes that relate to the business environment can take various forms like changes in the pattern of domestic and international competition, changes in social structure, changes in the globalization trends and also the changes and developments in technology. All these changes impact the human resource strategy and thus the human resource policies (Ulrich et al 1997 Pp. 45-52).

The changes in external environment can easily be analyzed by the tool of PESTEL. All the changes that occur under the categories defined by the PESTEL analysis easily contribute to the changes in human resource strategy and policies. Implementation of a more strategic approach towards human resource management in today's business context which is constantly changing requires a detail analysis of changes that can impact the human resource strategies. The human resource policies and strategies must be well integrated with the overall objectives of the business which mainly depends on the external environment and its changes. The purpose of this paper is to make the reader aware about the impact of various 'changes' on human resource strategy and policies (Rose, 2001 Pp. 342-358).

Literature Review

The human resource management is becoming the most important aspect of any business organization mainly because it deals with the most important aspect of any business which relates to managing people. In today's business environment, it has become increasingly important for businesses to focus on the attainment of competitive advantage in the form of 'people' or 'human resources.' This has become the most important aspect of competitive advantage because technology and innovation can let the competitors copy everything except for 'human resources.' Broom et al 1998 suggested that one of the most important factor that always impact the human resource strategy is 'change.'

The immense amount of literature present on the topic of human resource management relates to its strategies in the context of globalization. The increasing trend of globalization can be seen as a change that is immensely impacting the human resource strategies and policies (Becker & Huselid, 2006 Pp. 898-925). Globalization has impacted the strategies of human resources from the very core aspect of identifying the factors that influence the establishment of human resource strategies and also its implementation.

Moreover, the domestic and international competition aspect also impacts the strategies ...