Promoting Organizational Fit in Strategic HRM: Applying the HR Scorecard in Public Service Organizations

Abstract

Some models of strategic HRM promote the idea of linking HRM's practices so they “fit” line managers' needs for implementing their strategies and objectives. We tried to apply the idea of “fit” by using the HR Scorecard in two public sector organizations: the Victoria Cool Aid Society and the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection. In our applications, we took each of the organization's strategic themes and asked a series of questions to identify HRM objectives, activities, initiatives, and measures to respond to internal client needs. The projects focused on the long range outcome of helping each organization achieve its strategies and objectives in an effective and efficient way. It did this by helping develop a better “fit” between HRM's systems, procedures and practices and what various line departments needed.