Showing papers in "Human Resource Management in 1983"

Strategy and Organization Planning

Abstract: The topics of human resource planning and organization planning have significant areas of overlap. The overlap has generated some debate as to which one is a subset of the other. This debate is not as important as the inclusion of organization planning into any strategically oriented human resource function. Toward that end my remarks will be oriented to the organization planning function and its current state. I will also focus on overall corporate organization rather than subunits. There has been a great deal of progress in the knowledge base supporting organization planning in the last twenty-five years. Modern research on corporate structures probably started with Chandler's Strategy and Structure. Subsequent research has been aimed at expanding the number attributes of an organization beyond that of just structure. I have used the model shown in Figure 1 to indicate that organization consists of structure, processes that cut the structural lines like budgeting, planning, teams, and so on, reward systems like promotions and compensation, and finally people practices like selection and development (Galbraith, 1977). The trend lately is to expand to more attributes like the 7's (Waterman, 1980) and to "softer" attributes like culture. All of these models are intended to convey the same ideas. First organization is more than just structure. And second, all of the elements must "fit" or be in "harmony" wdth each other. The effective organization is one that has blended its structure, management practices, rewards, and people into a package that in turn fits with its strategy. However, strategies change and therefore the organization must change. The research of the past few years is creating some evidence by which organizations and strategies are matched. Some of the strategies are proving more successful than others. One of the explanations is organizational in nature. Also the evidence shows that for any strategy, the high performers are those who have achieved a fit between their strategy and their organization.