IS HRM APPROACHING VANISHING POINT?: SOME EXTRAPOLATIONS FROM CURRENT RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

1. IS HRM APPROACHING VANISHING POINT?: SOME EXTRAPOLATIONS FROM CURRENT RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

2. SOME RESEARCH FINDINGS: SPECIALISTS IN AMBIGUITY: CAREER ORIENTATIONS AND ROLE STRESS AMONG HR MANAGERS IN KWAZULU-NATAL (BASED ON R.L. LEGG (2002) Sources of Stress among Human Resource Practitioners Unpublised PhD thesis University of Natal, Durban).

4. SUMMARY • THE FINDINGS SUGGEST: • THE TRADITIONAL WELFARE/MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST IN AMBIGUITY TAG HAS RE-EMERGED AS A TRANSACTIONAL (MANAGEMENT ORIENTED) TRANSFORMATIONAL (LEADERSHIP ORIENTED) DICHOTOMY. • HRP WHO ARE BEST ABLE TO PERFORM THE TRANSFORMATIONAL ROLE (ENTREPRENEURIAL CAREER ANCHOR DOMINANT) EXPERIENCE HIGHER LEVELS OF WORK STRESS. • THESE FINDINGS HAVE AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR THE RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND TRAINING OF HRPs IN THE SHORT AND LONG-TERMS

5. THE FUTURE: AN ONGOING CONVERGENCE IN LINE MANAGEMENT AND PEOPLE MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

6. HRM VANISHING POINT People oriented LINE MANAGEMENT Cost oriented

7. THE NOTION OF A VANISHING POINT IS EMPHASIZED IN • DOUBLE VISION (PEOPLE MANAGEMENT, OCTOBER 2003) • THE TRADITIONAL HR PROFESSIONAL WHO SUPPORTS LINE MANAGEMENT IS RAPIDLY BECOMING EXTINCT • LINE MANAGERS ARE TAKING ON SPECIALIST ROLES THEMSELVES E.G. EXPERIENCED SALES MANAGERS WORK WITH SALES TEAMS AS “PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS”

8. A FUTURE SCENARIO FOR PEOPLE MANAGEMENT WILL COMPANIES NEED PEOPLE?

9. YES LIMITS TO TECHNOLOGY NO LIMITS TO HRM

10. ARIE DE GEUS A FORMER ROYAL DUTCH/SHELL EXECUTIVE AND A MEMBER OF THE CENTER FOR ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING AT MIT BELIEVES: WE ARE APPROACHING A NEW ERA WHERE PEOPLE WILL TAKE CENTRE STAGE

11. DE GEUS IN HIS BOOK “THE LIVING ORGANIZATION” • STATES THAT BUSINESS: • PRODUCES GOODS AND SERVICES FOR WHICH PEOPLE ARE PREPARED TO PAY A PRICE • USES LAND, LABOUR AND CAPITAL FOR PRODUCTION AND HISTORY: • SHOWS A SHIFT IN THE DOMINANT PRODUCTIVE FACTOR FROM LAND TO CAPITAL AND NOW TO LABOUR/ HUMAN TALENT/HUMAN CAPITAL

12. WHAT IS DE GEUS’ VISION ? • THE COMPANY IS A LIVING SYSTEM THAT FIGHTS FOR SURVIVAL AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW. • WE CANNOT KEEP REPLACING LABOUR WITH CAPITAL; MACHINES WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REPLACE PEOPLE. • THE ROLE OF PEOPLE IN THE SUCCESS OF THE ORGANIZATION IS CRITICAL AND FUNDAMENTAL. • IN THE FUTURE COMPANY SUCCESS WILL DEPEND ON CREATIVITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF PEOPLE NOT CAPITAL EFFICIENCY E.G. MEDIA INDUSTRY ( BOOKS), FOOTBALL CLUBS (TALENT)

13. THE FUTURE: • COMPANIES WILL FIND IT INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO SUBSTITUTE CAPITAL FOR LABOUR(HUMAN TALENT). • COMPANIES WILL BECOME MORE HUMAN CAPITAL • (INTEREST ON TALENT) ORIENTED. • COMPANIES ARE LIVING SYSTEMS COMPOSED • OF LIVING BEINGS(PEOPLE).

14. HR WILL BECOME MORE FOCUSSED ON • THE MONITORING AND PROMOTION OF • THE ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH OF THE COMPANY • LIVING SYSTEM • THIS WILL INVOLVE ROLES AS: • THE ORGANIZATIONAL PHYSICIAN: • WELLNESS MONITORING • THE PEOPLE GURU: EFFECTIVE TALENT IDENTIFICATION • AND USEAGE. • THE TRANSACTIONAL MANAGER: KEEPING AN EYE ON THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF PARTICULAR HR • PROCESSES AND POLICIES.

15. AND, TRANSFORMATIONAL MANAGEMENT: CREATING NEW SYSTEMS FOR CHANGING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND ENHANCING WORK MOTIVATION.