Strategic

Human Resource
Management
(MHRM 612-2)
CHAPTER …. 7
STRATEGIC ROLES
OF HUMAN
Addis Ababa University
RESOURCE
School of Commerce
 THE STRATEGIC NATURE OF HR ACTIVITY
1. Transactional activities
 consist of the service delivery
aspects of HR
What does e.g. recruitment, training, dealing with people
issues, legal compliance, employee
the work of services

2. strategic activities
HR  support the achievement of the org’s
practitioners goals
involve? 
involve the development &
implementation of HR strategies
 working with the line management

colleagues in the development and

implementation of business strategy

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 Evolution of HR Role
Tyson’s (1987) Ideal Types of HR Roles:
Con
Re Fix trib
co ing utin
g to
rd- Da Busi
ke y- ness
Succ
ep to- ess
day Thr
in oug
Iss
g ues
h
Expl
& Wi icit
W th Poli
cies
elf Un and
ar ion Inte
s grat
e ion

The
The Clerk Contract The
of Works Manager Architect
Model Model Model

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 Roles of HR Professionals
1. Business persons
2. Changers of change
According to 3. Consultants to the
Schuler organization
(1990), HR 4. Strategy formulators &
professionals implementers
are 5. Talent managers
6. Assets managers
7. Cost controllers

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 Roles …
1. Policy Formulators
2. Personnel Service Providers
According 3. Delegator s
 enables line managers serve as
to Caroll
primary implementer of HRM
(1991) HR systems
Managers 4. Technical Experts
are:  perform a number of highly

specific HR related skills

5. Innovator s
recommend new approaches in solving
HRM related problems
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 Roles …
1. Advisor role
 act as internal consultants
2. Handmaiden role
 primarily customer-oriented in the
According to
services they offer
Storey (1992)
3. Regulator role
HR
 formulate, promulgate, and
managers
monitor observance of employment
play: rules
4. change maker role
 links employee relationships with
the needs of the business Abraraw-SHRM-07-2017
 Strategic Partner Model
1. Strategic partners
According to
 helping the business to successfully
implement strategy
Ulrich’s (1997)
Strategic 2. Administrative experts
 improving organizational efficiency
Partner Model,
by re-engineering the HR function
HR
professionals 3. Employee Champions
 maximizing employee commitment
are:
and competence
4. Change agents

delivering organizational
transformation and culture change

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 Ulrich’s HR Role Model (1997)
. People

Employee Change
Champion Agent

Strategic
Operational

Administrative Strategic
Expert Partner

Process
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 What is Business Partner?
The term business partner is
loosely defined as covering a
diversity of jobs from:
 Strategic
What is  Administrative
Business
 Consultancy
Partner?
business partnering means:
Makes HR accountable to the
business
Expects HR to add real value
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 What Being Strategic Mean?
1. Creating an achievable vision for the
future
2. Foreseeing longer term
developments
What do HR 3. Envisaging options
People actually
4. Selecting sound courses of action
do when they
are acting 5. Rising above the day-to-day detail
strategically? 6. Challenging the status-quo
 Is the process of being strategic
reserved for those at the top or is it
something that everyone in HR does?
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 Role …
promoting the achievement of
organization’s goals by:
1. Developing and implementing
HR strategies that are integrated
What are the
Strategic Roles with the business strategy and are
of HR Directors? coherent and mutually supportive

2. Ensuring that a strategic approach

is adopted by the HR function
that supports the business and
adds value.
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 Roles …
is fundamentally the same for their
function as that of HR directors for the
whole organization
Promote the achievement of the
What are the
Strategic Roles
organization’s business goals by:
of Heads of HR 1. Developing & implementing
Functions? functional strategies that are aligned
with the business strategy and
integrated with the strategies for
other HR functions
2. Adopting a strategic approach in the
sense of ensuring that HR activities
support the business & add value
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?