Strategic HR Planning Flashcards
What is human resource planning (HRP) ?
The process of anticipating and providing for the movement of people into, within and out of an organisation with the aim of finding the best fit between employees and jobs.
What is strategic HR planning (SHRP) ?
The process by which organisational goals, as put forth in mission statements and organisational plans, are translated into HR objectives to ensure that the organisation is neither over- nor understaffed, and that employees with the appropriate talents, skills and desire are available to carry out their tasks duties in the right jobs at the right times.
What are four options when considering human resource planning (HRP) ?
1) Planning can be either proactive or reactive planning.
2) Breadth of planning
3) Formality of plan
4) Degree of fit of HRP with organisation’s strategic plan.
What are the types linkages?
• Input linkages. Here, HR information is made available either before or during the strategic planning process. This can take place through a specialised HR unit doing scanning or through a specialised committee of HR personnel.
• Decision inclusion linkages. Here, HR staff are either directly or indirectly involved in the organisation’s strategic planning process. An HR executive may, for example, serve as a full partner in the strategic team. He or she would then introduce and monitor HR issues and implications, as well as participate in developing overall goals and strategies. Another approach may be for an HR executive to sit in during a strategy session and participate only in discussions about HR issues.
• Review and reaction linkages. Here, HR staff can respond to a proposed or final strategic plan. The plan may be reviewed from an HR flexibility (can the necessary manpower be obtained?) and desirability (will there be a strike?) viewpoint. Staff may even have sign-off authority.
What is meant by a time frame or a planning horizon?
The length of time over which the objectives will be achieved and the plan for accomplishing them will endure.
Short-range objectives – one year or shorter
-objectives are specific
Intermediate objectives – 2-4 years
-objectives are specific
Long-range objectives – 5-15 years
-objectives are more general
What are the ways that a HR professional can be successful?
• HR managers will have to be knowledgeable about the organisation. This will enable them to undertake an analysis, collect data, develop appropriate plans and programmes, and ask questions that relate to the mission and goals of the organisation.
• HR professionals will have to demonstrate their competence and expertise to line managers.
• Developing linkages between HR planning and strategic organisational planning is a process that occurs over time. When and how quickly this occurs depends on the organisation’s competitive circumstances, the perceived potential of HR to play a significant role in the organisation and the readiness of HR professionals to respond when opportunities arise.
What is the responsibility of a HR unit?
• Participates in the strategic planning process for the entire organisation
• Identifies the HR strategies
• Designs the HR planning data systems.
• Compiles and analyses data from managers on staffing needs
• Implements the HR plan as approved by top management
What is the responsibility of a HR manager?
• Identify supply and demand needs for each division/ department
• Review/discuss HR planning information with HR specialists
• Integrate the HR plan with departmental plans
• Monitor the HR plan to identify changes needed
• Review employee succession plans associated with the HR plan
What is strategic HR planning important?
Linking HR planning with the organisational planning process will facilitate the organisation’s ability to pursue a given number of strategic objectives and initiatives successfully and, as a result, create a competitive advantage. The overriding reason for integrating HR planning with strategic organisational planning is to ensure that the HR programmes and policies function in a such a manner that they achieve immediate and long-range organisational goals.
• A better understanding of the HR implications of organisational strategies.
• Recruiting experienced talent well in advance of needs.
• New resources (staff).
• New employees with different skills and competencies are incorporated in the organisation.
• Employee engagement plans can be implemented based on SHRP.
• SHRP can guide planning for key job roles in the new world of work (Industry 4.0).
• Helps with adherence to compliance requirements.
• Improved planning of assignments and other employee developmental actions such as lateral moves to permit longer-range broadening of managerial perspectives.
• Improved analysis and control of personnel-related costs by providing more objective criteria concerning payroll, turnover, relocation, training and other costs.
What is strategic change?
Major transformations in the structure, size or functioning of an organisation for the purpose of achieving strategic objectives.
What is radical change?
When organisations make major adjustments in the ways in which they do business
What is incremental change?
An ongoing process of evolution over time, during the many small occur routinely.
What are the two elements essential to strategic HR planning (SHRP)?
HR Objects: What is to be achieved with regard to the organisation’s human resources
HR Plans: blueprints for actions
What are the common pitfall in strategic HR planning (SHRP) ?
• The identity crises: HR planners work in an environment characterised by ambiguous regulations, organisational politics and diverse management styles. Unless HR planners develop a strong sense of mission (direction), their existence may be challenged.
• Top management support: For the process to be viable, it must have the full support of management. Sometimes this may not be forthcoming
• Size of effort: Many SHRP programmes fall in the beginning because of a complex start. Build the process up gradually instead of starting with a complex system.
• Coordination with other functions: It is important that the process is coordinated with the other management and HR functions - for example, there should be an internal fit within HIR and an external fit with the rest of the organisation.
• Integration with company plans: As mentioned earlier, HR plans must be derived from organisational plans: plans made in isolation will not serve any purpose.
• Non-involvement of operating managers: Successful SHRP requires a coordinated effort on the part of operating managers and HR staff. If this does not take place, line management will not execute the plans formulated in the SHRP process.
• The technique trap: As the SHRP process has evolved, new and sophisticated techniques have been developed. Whereas many are useful, there can be a tendency to adopt and use some of them because everybody else is. Organisations must decide on the purpose of the activity and use techniques to fit their specific needs.
