1.6 Summary

In sum, HRM is the task of individuals who have specialized in, and are primarily responsible for, human resources. It is also the task of individuals not specialized in, but often responsible for, the day-to-day implementation of personnel functions and activities (including line supervisors and managers). Within many firms, line managers and HR managers are interdependent in the effective use and management of human resources. As suggested throughout this course, HRM cannot be effective without the support and direction of top management. Top management shows this support by allowing the HR manager and the HR department to play important roles in the organization.

One of the most widely accepted principles of HRM is that human resource management should be the responsibility of every manager within the organization. This is reinforced in light of the increased openness of many organizations and a general conviction that it will be impossible for the entire HR function to be strategically integrated by a small group of HR specialists. With the increased number of professional employees working in organizations today, it has even been suggested that each employee in the organization, not only those who occupy a supervisory role, should be responsible for HRM.

In today’s competitive work environment, employees are increasingly taking an active role in HRM. For example, employees may help determine their own performance standards and goals. It is no longer uncommon for employees to write up their own job descriptions. Perhaps most significantly, employees are taking more active roles in managing their own careers, assessing their own needs and values, and designing their own jobs. Nonetheless, HR departments must help guide this process to ensure that individual plans are congruent with organizational objectives.

Finally, many small organizations do not have individuals performing the HR function on a full-time basis. As organizations grow, the HR department typically begins to emerge. While there are no strict rules about when to create an HR department, most HR departments are eventually created depending on the size and complexity of the organization as well as the importance of HR to the CEO and other top executives within the organization. Typically, when a small business is created, the founder or CEO looks after HR activities. As the CEO is obliged to spend more time on other aspects of the business, HR tasks are delegated to other employees who often create the HR department.