Aarhus School of Business Summer University
Aarhus University, Aarhus
Course Title: Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Faculty: Professor Debi S. Saini, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon (INDIA);
E-mail: debisaini@mdi.ac.in;
debissaini@gmail.com
Duration of the Course Delivery: 31 July - 24 August, 2012
AIM OF THE COURSE
In the midst of chaotic competition at the global level, a large number of companies claim that their
people are their greatest asset. In actuality, however, some only genuinely practice this mantra. Many say
so but covertly use employee-unfriendly policies. But several others with well articulated vision and
sustainable potential do practice people-friendly management. This helps them in building employer
brand, attracting competent employees and ensuring employee engagement. Eventually, they result in
mutual benefit of employer and employee. To facilitate attainment of such goals, it is important that
appropriate HR interventions and policies are chosen; which in turn help in producing the requisite people
behaviors, attitudes, skills and mental models for individual as well as organizational success. In this
context, this course focuses on positive HR interventions as well as related measures, targets and
outcomes. The course also helps explain why some companies almost always adopt just hard, costreduction, and result-oriented people policies; and in the process remain only short-term focused in their
approach. It is emphasized that several low-cost companies have also been following soft and proactive
HRM.
Main issues:
Concretely speaking, the broad sets of issues focused on in the course relate to: helping promote peoplefirst culture to facilitate employee engagement; fitting human resource interventions in the organization
strategy; and aligning HR strategy with business strategy through appropriate selection of HR architecture
and developing in employees the desired attitudes, behaviors and mindsets.
Specifically, the course will focus on the following areas of people-management strategy:
• building a conceptual framework of promoting a high performance work system (HPWS) in view of the
contextual competitive realities and the emerging HR strategy literature;
• building employee recruitment, selection and talent acquisition strategies;
• selection of desired combination of soft and hard HR interventions;
• leading change through appropriate HR and employee-relations strategies;
• managing issues in promoting organizational flexibility;
• facilitating people engagement by promoting employee involvement, diversity & fun culture;
• inculcating a learning and knowledge dissemination culture;
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• articulating HR strategy issues in managing global business, including in emerging economies;
• measuring the effectiveness of investment in human capital; and
• aligning HR interventions with organizational strategies and goals.
TEACHING METHODOLOGY
Learning of the course contents will involve focusing on analyzing the relevant concepts, as also
organizational problems and the need for taking decisions to resolve them. It will be facilitated through
lectures, case discussions, video presentations, exercises, problem-solving discussions, role plays and
home assignments. The usual class session will begin by articulation and illustration by the faculty of the
theoretical concepts that are emerging in the fast-developing SHRM literature at the global level. Case
discussions will aim at solving people-management problems and deriving the relevant HR concepts
through that process. The above devices are aimed to promote learning by involving the class. The
participants will undertake some exercises in the class to help them develop specific people-management
competencies. Also, the participants will be encouraged to contribute to class learning by raising queries
and replying to those raised by others.
LEARNING OUTCOME
On completion of the course, the participants are expected to have mastered the following knowledge,
skills and competencies:
• A comprehensive understanding of linkage between people issues and contextual business realties.
• Ability to use different soft & hard HR interventions for building a conducive performance culture.
• Ability to grasp people issues in global business and facilitate global leadership development.
• Knowledge of linkages between IR breakdown & HRM strategies to resolve the resultant issues.
• Knowledge of innovative people interventions to promote out-of-box thinking & learning.
• Ability to adopt the relevant HR measures & setting targets for solving organizational problems.
• Ability to develop HRM strategy so as to be in alignment with needs of business strategy.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION:
Assessment Components:
1. Case presentation & discussion by groups & class participation
2. HRM strategy essay work:
3. End-Term Exams:
20 %
20 %
60 %
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The students will be divided in groups of four each for preparing and discussing issues involved in the
exercises, caselets and full cases scheduled for discussion on the scheduled day. The assessment of one’s
contribution, however, will be done on individual basis.
Also, each individual student will write an essay mainly focusing on any company of her or his
choice that has adopted some of the themes of strategic HRM being discussed in this course and the
results the practice of these themes have led to. In doing so, the student should bring out clearly
references to the literature that has been developed on these SHRM themes and how the company
concerned is applying these themes (practices) in its peculiar context. S/he should support her/his
formulations with the help of the working of those practices in few other companies as well, though the
main focus shall on the company that is the main focus of the essay. The information about the practice of
the relevant themes may be obtained from the internet, company websites, management journals, business
books, magazines and newspapers. The essay should identify the interventions chosen by the main
organization being focused on, and how these interventions have been linked to, or integrated with, the
company’s business strategy. You may choose a company from private-sector or public sector. While the
essay contents are being developed, the student must also link her/his formulations with the conceptual
learning gained from the course.
The project essay will be due to be submitted by each student in soft as well a hard copy on or before
13th August, 2012 (1. p.m.) and shall have a length of about 2000 words, double spaced (References and
appendices can be separate). It should be concise and crisp and bring in all relevant issues. The essay
should reflect the student’s diagnostic, analytical and application skills.
The project essay summary will be presented by each student on the last day of course teaching as
scheduled on 16th August, 2012.
SESSIONS PLAN
Date
Subject Topic & Issues
References
Assignements/
Exercices, etc.
Case
Qs/
Week 1
Day 1
Tuesday:
9-13
Readings:
Context and nature of strategic
Holbeche
HRM:
(2009), Chs 1
Linking Globalization and
& 2
the HR wave
New industrial relations
Saini
&
(IR) as a part of strategic
Khan (2000)
HRM
pp. 13-34; 50Challenges of Strategic
54
HRM/HRD
Nature of & Stages in
evolution of SHRM
Critique of strategic HRM
3
Day 2
Wednesd
ay 9-13
Strategic management, HRM
strategy, and HRM strategy
models:
Organization
Strategy
development
and
implementation:
Vision/
mission/ objectives /goals/
values
Rational vs. emergent
strategy
Business Strategy and
HRM Strategy Interface
HRM strategy models of
Tichy, Devanna et al., Beer
et al., and Others
Broad
theoretical
approaches
to
HR
strategy: best practice; best
fit; & resource-based view
approaches
Overview of Strategic
themes in SHRM
Readings:
Beardwell, et
al. (2004) ch.
2
Discussion on:
What is the hallmark of
HR strategy of Southwest
Airlines? (all students to
participate
in
the
discussion—see internet
for facts)
Case:
IBM: Strategies &
People Issues
Group 1
Questions:
1. Compare HR strategies of the
three CEOs of IBM on hardsoft dimensions of HR strategy.
2. Discuss fully the following
statement of CZARNECKI:
”They’re eager to stay, but
prepared to leave.”
3. “[w]e’re sometimes our
own worst enemy. We’re
awfully tough on ourselves….”
Discuss this observation of
Randy MacDonald
4. What should IBM do to
respond to the people mgt.
challenges that IBM faces?
5. What lessons in SHRM do
you learn from the IBM case?
4
Day 3
Thursday
day:
9-13
selection Readings:
Holbeche
92008), Ch.
Contemporary issues in
6
recruitment & selection
Wilkinson, et
Talent crisis & strategic
al.
(2010),
recruitment
Ch. 6
Gen X & Gen Y profiles
Stein,
S.
Issues in retention &
(2007), Ch. 5
turnover
Retention strategies
Recruitment
strategies:
and
Case:
S.G.
Recruits
Cowen:
New
Group 2
Key Questions:
1. What are the key
decision points used by
S.G. Cowen in making
hiring decisions?
2. What is your evaluation
of the process used by
the process used by the
firm?
3. How will you evaluate
the criteria used by the
company in making
hiring decisions?
4. Which two candidates
will you select if you
were a member of the
recruiting committee and
why?
Exercise: How people change
values to accommodate peers &
others
Day 4
Friday:
9-13
Changing paradigm in employee
relations:
Traditional
issues in
management of industrial
relations (IR)
Frames of reference in,
or Perspectives of, IR:
Pluralist,
Unitarist
&
Radical frameworks
Generic changes in IR at
global level and their
causal roots
From pluralist IR to neopluralism
and
neounitarist IR strategies
Readings:
Case: People Management
Saini
&
Fiasco at Honda Motor Cycles
Khan (2000),
and Scooters India Ltd.
Chs. 2, 3
(HMSI)…
General discussion with all
grops
Key Questions:
1. Who are the IR actors in
this case?
2. What role in IR is being
played by government?
3. Analyze this case in
terms of the changing
5
frames of reference in IR
4. What was the Co.’s HR
& IR strategy before the
fiasco?
Week 2
Day 5
Monday:
9-13
Strategies
for
developing
cooperative employee relations:
New IR dynamics
Union-substitution
strategies
Readings:
Boxall et al. (2007), Group 3
Ch. 7 by D. Guest
Key Questions:
Re-orienting managers &
union
leaders
for
cooperation as opposed to
adversarialism
Managing
Employee
Relations through New
Psychological contract
Building
contract:
Day 6
Tuesday:
9-13
Psychological
Strategic approach to building Readings:
an engaging and
exciting
organization
Mabey, C et
al.
(1998)
Balancing employee &
Ch. 12
business needs
Factors that contribute to
employee engagement.
Case: People Management
Fiasco at HMSI contd…
5. Analyse the causal roots
of the fiasco at HMSI?
6. If you were HMSI’s
CEO, what HR strategy
would you have followed
in
the
pre-fiasco
situation?
7. What SHRM lessons can
one learn from the case?
8.
What should HMSI do to
build
a
sustainable
people
management
strategy?
Case : People Management in
Gabston & Hammings
Group 4
Key Questions:
1. Do you agree with the
observation of Gabston’s
CEO that “The market is a
beast; it does not spare any
one?”
Key practices used by
some
companies
in
promoting engagement &
excitement?
2. Do you think that there is a
problem with Gabston’s
people management?
Role of transformational
leadership in building
engagement
3. Why do you think the two
organizations
follow
different HRM policies?
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4. If you are Karim what would
be your change agenda, if at
all?
5. How will you handle the
Kasir issue?
Day 7
Wednesda
y: 9-13
Managing diversity (DM):
Readings:
Saini (2007)
Proactive
diversity
management (DM) as a
HRM strategy
Concept and approaches
to DM
Building
a
diversity
strategy agenda
Stein,
(2007),
12
S.
Ch.
Case: Managing Diversity at
Spenser Owens & Co.,
Group 5
Key Qs.:
1. What is the cause of the
problems
that
the
company
in
encountering?
2. What needs to change to
address the problems?
3. Should
organizations
aspire to be culturally
diverse, and if so, why?
DM Exercises—one at the
beginning of the class, and
the other towards the end
of the class
Day 8
Thursday
:
9-13
Managing
organizational
flexibility & leading change:
Flexible
organization––
The flexible firm model
of Atkinson
Flexibility as per hard
and soft HRM strategy
models
Soft flexibility through
Work–Life balance
HR issues in promoting
and managing change
Leadership development
issues
for
building
capacity to adapt to
change needs.
Readings:
Case: Dynamics of Change at
NDPL
Holbeche
(2008), Ch. Groups 6
15
Torrington et Questions:
al.
(2008),
1. What factors contributed
Ch. 5
to Co.’s turnaround?
2. What role was played by
different change agents?
3. What lessons in SHRM
do you learn from the
case?
Leadership Development:
An exercise
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Day 9
Friday:
9-13
Employee involvement (EI)
strategies
as
opposed
to
collectivist
“employees’
participation in management”:
Readings:
Case:
Labour-Mgt.
Torrington et
Partnership: How to make it
al.
(2008),
Work & Its analysis by 3
Ch. 21
Analysts
The Concept of EI &
Employee participation
The logic of the changing
paradigm and its relevance
in the new business
environment
Company
newsletter;
team
briefing;
team
working
Attitude
surveys;
suggestion
schemes;
quality circles; and TQM
EI: Rhetoric & realities
All groups to come prepared
with this case: (any two group
can be asked to present &
discuss)
Questions:
1. What do you think was
the CEO’s strategy in
going for the changes?
2. What are the Strong
points of the first
analyst?
3. What are the limitations
of analyst number three?
4. With which analyst you
agree more and why?
5. What do you think are
the benefits of studying a
case
through
the
methodology
of
evaluating the analysts?
Week 3
Finalize your individual project contents so as to be ready to be submitted by the
evening of 12th August (6 p.m.). Among others, do read the concluding chapter in
Holbeche (2009) (pp. 477-488) while you finalize your project contents
Day 10
Monday
9-13
Developing
a
learning
organization
(LO)
and Readings:
benchmarking of HR practices:
Holbeche
(2009), Ch.
Learning and knowledge17
creation culture
Forster
Nature
of
learning
(2005) Pp.
organization
Case: Westing
Travels Inc.
Tours
&
Group 7
Questions:
1. What issues do you see in the
case from the viewpoint of
8
Senge’s model of learning
Organization & Garvin’s
building blocks
Issues in creating a
learning organization
Managing
knowledge
workers and the role of
HR
379-395.
developing Westing
learning organization?
as
a
2. What role should HR play in
transformation of Westing as a
learning organization?
3. What is wrong with JD’s
strategy? What should he do to
confront the issues involved?
4. What lessons should Westing
learn from this case to
reformulate its HRM strategy?
Day 11
Tuesday:
9-13
Day 12
Wednesd
ay: 9-13
Case: HCM Beverage Co.
Strategic HRM issues in global Readings:
Group 8
business management:
Holbeche,
Chs. 13 & 14 Key Qs.:
Internationalization
1. What challenges does
Saini
&
strategies of companies
Johnson face?
Khan (2000),
Approach of staffing in
Ch. 15
2. In case he stays, what
global organizations
should
be
his
Management of crosstransformational change
cultural issues
agenda?
Building global mindset
and developing global
3. Is he fit for the Job of a
leaders
global manager?
HRM strategy, human capital Readings:
management
and
creating
Holbeche
measures for high performing
2009), Ch. 4
organization
Phillips
(2005), Ch.9
Strategy implementation
through Balanced Score
Card (BSC)
Steps in building a BSC
HR Score card as a
measure
of
HR’s
contribution to business
strategy
Building an HR scorecard
Nature of human Capital
(HC) development
Various types of
HC
measures; their merits &
limitations
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Day 13
Thursday
:
9-11 a.m.
Aligning HRM strategy with Readings:
business strategy:
Holbeche,
Ch. 5
Developing HR strategy;
& aligning it to business
Ulrich
&
Brockbank
Identifying critical success
factors
for
comptt.
(2005), Ch. 7
advantage
Identifying
desired
culture & behaviours
Exercise: Building and
aligning HR Strategy (To be
supplied later)
Also, Applying alignment
knowledge in the HCM
Beverage Co. case discussed on
Day 11—All groups to come
read and participate in
discussion
Identifying
HR
interventions & aligning
them to culture
Day 13
Thursday
11.15a.m
to 1.00
p.m.
And 23.45 p.m.
Embodying organizational culture & capabilities in organizational
members through HRM strategy: Learning from the course through
presentation of the project summary by each student individually.
Week 4
Exam Preparation
LIST OF LITERATURE (COMPULSORY)
Basic Text:
Holbeche, L. (2009), Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy, Butterworth Heinemann,
Chapters 1, 2, 4,5, 6, 13, 14, 15, 17. (Each student will procure a copy of this text book).
Other Compulsory Readings:
Mabey, C., Salaman, G., and Storey, J (eds.) (1998) Strategic Human Resource Management: A
Reader, Los Angeles, London, Delhi: Sage Publishers. Chs. 12.
Torrington, D., Hall, L. and Taylor, S. (2008) Human Resource Management, 7th edition, Prentice
Hall, London. Chapters 5, 21
Beardwell, I., Holden, L. and Claydon, T. (2004), Human Resource Management (4th edition),
London: Prentice Hall, Chapter 2.
Saini, D. & Khan, S. (eds.) (2000) Human Resource Management: Perspectives for the New Era,
Los Angeles, London, Delhi: Sage Publishers. Chapters 1, 2, 3.
Forster, Nick (2005), Maximum Performance: A Practical Guide to Leading and Managing
People at Work, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Ch. 9.
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Phillips, J. (2005) Investing in Your Company’s Human Capital: Strategies to Avoid Spending Too
Little or Too Much, New York: American Management Association., Ch. 9.
Wilkinson, A., Bacon, N., Redman, T., and Snell, S. (Eds.) (2010), The Sage Handbook of Human
Resource Management, Los Angeles, London, Delhi: Sage Publishers. Chapters 6.
Saini, D. (2007), “Manpower Diversity for Business Success: Some Emerging Perspectives,”
Manpower Journal, XLII (2).
Ulrich, D. and Brockbank, W. (2005), The HR Value Proposition, Boston: Harvard Business
School Press, Ch. 7.
Ulrich, D., Allen, J., Brockbank, W., Younger, J. and Nyman, M. (2009), HR Transformation:
Building Human Resources from Outside In, New york: McGraw-Hill, Ch 2.
Boxall, P., Purcell, J. and Wright, P. (2007) Oxford Handbook of Human Resource Management,
Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ch. 7.
Stein, S. (2007), Make Your Workplace Great: The 7 Keys to an Emotionally Intelligent
Organization, Mississauga (Canada): John Wiley, Chs. 5, 12.
LIST OF LITERATURE (OPTIONAL)
Boxall, P., Purcell, J. and Wright, P. (2007) Oxford Handbook of Human Resource Management,
Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chs. 13.
Beardwell, I., Holden, L. and Claydon, T. (2004), Human Resource Management (4th edition),
London: Prentice Hall, Chapter 7.
Atkinson, J. (1984), Manpower strategies for flexible organizations. Personnel Management, pp.
28–31.
Barney, J. (1991), "Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage, Journal of Management,
17 (1), pp.99--120.
Gupta, A. (1986), “Matching Managers to Strategies,” Human Resource Management, 25 (2).
Hollinshead, G., Nicolls, P. and Tailby, S. (2003), Employee Relations, 2nd ed., London: Prentice
Hall, Chs. 2, 13.
Wilkinson, A., Bacon, N., Redman, T., and Snell, S. (Eds.) (2010), The Sage Handbook of Human
Resource Management, Los Angeles, London, Delhi: Sage Publishers. Chapters 11, 21
Ulrich, Dave (1998) “A New Mandate for Human Resources”, Harvard Business Review, JanuaryFebruary.
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Storey, J., Wright, P. and Ulrich, D. (eds.) (2009), The Routledge Companion to Strategic Human
Resource Management, London: Routledge. Chapter 18, 30
Wilkinson, A., Bacon, N., Redman, T., and Snell, S. (Eds.) (2010), The Sage Handbook of Human
Resource Management, Los Angeles, London, Delhi: Sage Publishers. Chapters 3, 15
Stein, S. (2007), Make Your Workplace Great: The 7 Keys to an Emotionally Intelligent
Organization, Mississauga (Canada): John Wiley, Chs. 9.
Torrington, D., Hall, L. and Taylor, S. (2008) Human Resource Management, 7th edition, Prentice
Hall, London. Chapters 5, 21
THE CASES TO BE USED ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Cases to be bought from the Copyright holder:
Saini, Debi S. (2006), People Management Fiasco at Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India Ltd.
Available Harvard Business Publishing
Delong, Thomas (2006) S.G. Cowen: New Recruits, Harvard Business Publishing.
Ely, Robin (2006) Managing Diversity at Spenser Owens & Co., Harvard Business Publishing.
Black, S., and Morrison, A. (1998), HCM Beverage Company, Harvard Business Publishing
Complementary Cases from the course faculty, Dr Debi Saini:
Case: People Management in Gabston & Hammings
Case: Labour-Mgt. Partnership: How to make it Work
Case: IBM: Strategies & People Issues
Case: Dynamics of Change at NDPL
Case: Westing Tours & Travels Inc.
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