Strategic HR

Question 0

Challenges of Strategic HR

Answer 0

• Maintaining a Competitive Advantage
• Reinforcing Overall Business Strategy
  • Avoiding Excessive Concentration on Day-to-Day Problems: Take time to focus on long
  term
  • Developing HR Strategies Suited to Unique Organizational Features
  • Coping with the Environment
  • Securing Management Commitment
  • Translating the Strategic Plan into Action
  • Combining Intended and Emergent Strategies
  • Accommodating Change

Question 1

Benefits of Strategic HR

Answer 1

• Encouragement of Proactive Rather than Reactive Behavior
• Explicit Communication of Company Goals
• Stimulation of Critical Thinking and Ongoing Examination of Assumptions
• Identification of Gaps Between Current Situation and Future Vision
• Encouragement of Line Managers’ Participation
• Identification of HR Constrains and Opportunities
• Creation of Common Bonds

Question 2

Control vs. Flexibility

Answer 2

Control (establishing predetermined procedures)

Flexibility (allowing room for expectations and personal judgment)

Question 3

Efficiency vs. innovation

Answer 3

Efficiency (getting work done at minimum cost)

Innovation (encouraging creativity, exploration, and new ways of doing things, even though this may increase production costs

Question 4

Explicit vs. Broad Job Description

Answer 4

Explicit job descriptions (in which job’s duties and requirements are carefully spelled out)

Broad job descriptions (in which employees perform multiple tasks and are expected to fill different jobs as needed)

Question 5

Detailed vs. loose work planning

Answer 5

Detailed work planning (in which process, objectives and schedules are laid out well in advance)

Loose work planning (in which activities and schedules may be modified on relatively short notice, depending on changing needs)

Question 6

Evolutionary Business Strategy

Answer 6

Engage in aggressive acquisition of new businesses, even if they are totally unrelated to one another

Question 7

Steady State Business Strategy

Answer 7

Very choose about how they grow, avoid acquiring firms outside their industry or even companies within the industry that are very different from
them

Question 8

Defenders (actual)

Answer 8

Are conservative business units that prefer to maintain a secure position in relatively stable product or service areas instead of looking to expand into uncharted
territory

Question 9

Prospectors (actual)

Answer 9

Emphasize growth and innovation, development of new products, and an eagerness to be the first in a new-product or market area, even if some efforts fail