HR Planning & Strategy

Question 1

What are the major elements of HR planning & strategy?

Answer 1

• HR Planning is about the how and the when
• HR strategy is about the what and the why
• Scenario planning provide the opportunity to prepare for growth, consolidation and or retreat
• Succession is planning about sustainability

Question 2

What are examples of HR strategy?

Answer 2

• Innovation emphasis
• Quality Improvement emphasis
• Cost reduction emphasis

Question 3

What are the elements of an innovation emphasis HR strategy?

Answer 3

• High commitment
• Flatter organisational structure
• Teams

Question 4

What are the elements of an cost reduction emphasis HR strategy?

Answer 4

• Hard model
• Compliance
• Efficiency
• Hierarchical
• High control
• Narrowly defined jobs

Question 5

What are the elements of an quality improvement emphasis HR strategy?

Answer 5

• High levels of participation
• TQM
• Continuous learning

Question 6

What are the strategic approaches to realising the stragegic value of HRM?

Answer 6

• Best fit: context-specific application (interpretivist)
• Best practice: universal application (positivist)
• The two approaches are not mutually exclusive
• Each approach has limitations

Question 7

What are the principles for effective HRM?

Answer 7

• Vertical alignment
• Horizontal Alignment
• Positive psychological contracting to ensure HR strategy implementation
• Environmental scanning (contingencies)

Question 8

What is vertical alignment?

Answer 8

• Business strategy - HR strategy - HR processes
• Exist when the HRM system aligns with all other elements of the organisational environment - the culture, strategy, structure and so on

Question 9

What is horizontal alignment?

Answer 9

• Complementary HR practices

- Making sure all HR processes additively reinforce HR strategy, and thus support business strategy

Question 10

What are the elements of positive psychological contracting?

Answer 10

• Social exchange, promoting perceptions of support, trust, fairness
• Efficacious govenenace of the employment relatiionship
• Climate surveys

Question 11

What are the factors or environmental scanning as a principle for effective HRM?

Answer 11

• Organisational analysis: HRIS

- Constant

Question 12

What is HR strategy?

Answer 12

• The ways in which human resources are deployed to meet organsitiaonl objectives, and to adapt and respond to external and internal environmental factors that affect the organisation.
• Not uniform within firms
• Difference divisions/units may require different attitudes, behaviour and skills from members

Question 13

What is HR planning?

Answer 13

• Refers to activities, prodcueures, polviies requires to support the behaviours, competencies and results needed to enable organisational and business unit strategic objectives

Question 14

What kind of questions are asked of HR planning?

Answer 14

• What are staffing needs? - Labour demand forecast, supply analysis
• Supply analysis
• What procedures will be used to align HR processes with new business plans?
• How will these initiatives be rolled out?
• How will new HR practices be evaluated?

Question 15

What compromises HR planning?

Answer 15

• Making HR processes more strategically aligned, and evolving HR practices
• Changes in organsitonal structures (e.g. delayering)

Question 16

What is the process of HR planning?

Answer 16

• Environmental scanning
  
  • External: global, national and industry contexts
• Specifying the objectives to be achieved along with the measures to be used to assess
• Developing specific plans for HR policies and practices, along with timetable for implementation

Question 17

What are the realities of HR planning?

Answer 17

• Often conducted annualy
• For many organisations HRP is about
  
  • Demand/supply forecasting
  • Filling any gap to ensure skill oprimaisation
  • Training and development

Question 18

What are the benefits of HRIMS?

Answer 18

• Standardise
• Improved planning and program developmend
• Reduced admin