Recursos humanos

Where next for HRM? Rediscovering the heart and soul of people management
Mick Marchington
Chartered Companion of the CIPD Professor of Human Resource Management Co‐ordinator of the Fairness at Work Research Group, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester

Abstract
Is HRM becoming too closely linked with organisational performance? Does the growing tendency to look up the hierarchy and seek to satisfy the needs of major power‐brokers mean that too little time is spent looking at the rest of the organisation? This working paper argues that HR desperately needs to review the focus of its contribution to ensure that it retains distinctiveness and so adds real value. The author reasons that HRM needs to reconsider its roots in people management and its unique selling point which is based in a broader and more pluralistic definition of the subject. This has major implications for the work of practitioners and academics. It requires a stronger focus on the end‐results of HRM as well as its strategic formulation, and on identifying appropriate roles and measures that are more in tune with how HRM impacts on workers, as well as on product quality and customer service. This paper was commissioned by IES as part of its Visiting Fellows scheme. It helps mark the Institute’s 40th year anniversary.

December 2008 ISBN: 9 781 85184 407 4 IES Working Paper: WP20

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Where next for HRM?

Introduction
Plenty of time has been devoted to discussions about the meaning and significance of HRM, its link – if any – with performance, and its ability to translate strategic rhetoric into workplace reality. Where has this got us? In terms of prominence, there is little doubt that HRM has come a long way over the last forty years, both in terms of its practical contribution and its development as an academic subject of enquiry. It is now seen by many as a major contributor to organisational strategy and performance, with a series of