Strategic Human Resource Management: Are the Promises Fulfilled?

Abstract

During the 1980s attention was paid to the development of employment strategies and policies which served to promote the achievement of organizational objectives. However, numerous studies indicate that much organizational life and interaction is not directly related to achievement of organizational objectives. This paper examines the main features of the formal human resource management strategies of three organizations and identifies how they changed during the 1980s. It is particularly concerned with examining those factors which inhibited the implementation of these strategies. Policy was not always implemented because managers continued to apply either their personal social values or the standards and criteria associated with previous policies. In addition, social relationships between managers, their colleagues and their staff, and perceptions about the support of senior management for the new policies influenced policy implementation. Finally, there were inconsistencies and tensions between human resourcepolicies in the three organizations, reflecting the maintenance of policies associated with a previous management approach.