What has the CIPD done for HRM and Industrial Relations?

1. What has the CIPD done for HRM and Industrial Relations? Professor Mick Marchington Chartered CCIPD Manchester Business School January 2010

2. Plan-Learning outcomes (!) • Membership, education and qualifications • Information, publications and research • Professionalism, policy and the law • CIPD membership for academics • Constructing a balance sheet assessing the CIPD contribution to HRM&IR

3. So what has the CIPD done then? Cynical Charlie says ‘nothing’ • Given that the CIPD never really warmed to the use of the term ‘human resource management’ and it last used ‘industrial relations’ over 25 years ago, you could argue that it has done absolutely nothing!

4. So what has the CIPD done then? Optimistic Olga says ‘lots’ • CIPD is one of the two main professional bodies for HR people in the world, and it has made a whole range of contributions to the subject area, both in theory and in practice, since the merger of IPM and ITD in the early 1990s

5. Membership, education and qualifications

6. Membership of the IPM/CIPD • 1913: 48 • 1939: 760 • 1971: 14,000 • 1981: 23,000 • 1994: 50,000/75,000 (merger) • 2001: 110,000 • 2009: 130,000

7. HRM&IR jobs occupied by CIPD members • About 40% of all HR posts but that is rough estimate • Much higher in large organisations, those dealing with trade unions and with large units • HR (sole or joint) presence on board still high for large organisations • Small firms rarely have CIPD-qualified staff or specialists, even at board level • Some large firms now going for non-HR practitioners for HR posts (eg marketing) • CIPD qualification important for its coverage and rigour

8. The qualifications structure • Well-developed scheme for many years at a range of levels • Strong links with specific universities for years • Regular changes in subject matter and terminology for graduate-level scheme (PES, PQS, PDS) • Some lack of clarity about level of qualification for graduate entry • Part-time, full-time and flexible routes into membership (PAC) • Examinations and skills key parts of system

9. HRM and IR; what’s on the tin? • From psychology to personnel management to people resourcing and now to HRM • From sociology to industrial relations to employee relations and now to employment relations • From training and development to employee development to learning and development and now to HRD • From PM in context to HRM in context • From core P&D/PM&D to leadership and management

10. Forget the label, look at the contents (HRM) • Focus on how HRM can contribute to improved organisational performance • Implicit assumption that HRM can and should achieve high commitment • Business partners and line managers seen as two vital components for success • Tendency to look at models derived from leading organisations not cost-cutting firms • UK-centric for the most part

11. Forget the label, look at the contents (IR) • Focus on the management of employment relations not equal weight on all parties • Emphasis on individual relations as much as on union and non-union representation • Implicit assumption that stability and cooperation is the way forward • Mostly UK-oriented but EU law included (obviously!)

12. Shifting sands: the centrality of HRM&IR to the qualifications • Growth and decline of IR/ER over time: from core to (potential) periphery • Continuing importance of personnel management/HRM over time • Growing emphasis on leadership and generic management since 1990s • Greater emphasis on research and project management since early 2000s

13. CIPD, higher education and the HR function – mutual gains? • Growing number of research-led universities now have accreditation • Increase in overseas students on HR/IR Masters degrees who want CIPD membership • Sustained involvement of academics in design of CIPD schemes and as examiners • Practitioners work as examiners/presenters on courses • Students more business aware and (hopefully) contribute more to organisational goals • Some flexibility in delivery but is there a danger of a national curriculum for HRM&IR?

14. Information, publications and research

15. Information, dissemination and conferences • Web pages, fact-sheets, surveys • Library and journal access • People Management • Workshops (eg voice and value) • CIPD Annual Conference • Sponsorship of HRMJ

16. Other publications/reports • About 60 per year over last decade • Surveys, guides, tools, research insights, event reports – for example: • HR trends and prospects • Latest trends in L&D/ER etc • Mediation (joint with ACAS) • HR and recruitment agencies • Women in the boardroom

17. Publications allied to teaching • CIPD long-term publishing presence • Books written to match CIPD standards but also used on other courses • Many of these written by academics (eg HRM at Work; Employee Relations; People Resourcing; HRM in an international context) • How do these compare with other books on these topics (orientation and sales)?

18. Research into practice (RiP) • Findings from CIPD-funded projects (sole and jointly funded) • Approximately 40 between 2005-2009 • Some very widely quoted and led by well-established academics (eg Purcell on line managers; Truss on engagement; Guest on psychological contract; West on HRM and performance; Marchington on employee voice) • Managing people in networked organisations (MBS team - published 2009)

19. Internal CIPD staff/researchers • Duncan Brown – HR strategies, outsourcing • Mike Emmott – employee relations • Dianah Worman, OBE – equality and diversity • Martyn Sloman – learning and development • John Philpott – labour markets and employment • Ben Willmott – pay and rewards/pensions • Lee Sears (Bridge) – next generation HR

20. CIPD research and publications - good or bad for HRM&IR? • CIPD has sizeable presence in the market place (website and publications) but how central? • Range of academic textbooks on HRM&IR but are these widely used? • Research reports lead into journal papers/book chapters and contribute to RAE • Impact of academic research reports and publications via fact sheets/guides etc • Greater reliance on CIPD staff and consultancy firms in the future?

21. Professionalism, policy and the law

22. CIPD mission statement and contribution to professionalism • Developing and promoting good practice in HRM – individuals and organisations • Upholding the highest ideals in managing and developing people • Code of professional conduct requires fairness, legality and confidentiality • Requirement for continuing professional development • Underlying and growing emphasis on ethics and corporate social responsibility

23. Contributing to the policy agenda • Roles on other bodies (eg IPA, Work Foundation, ESRC) • Regular submissions to government (eg working time, information and consultation, equality) • Chief Economist on TV/radio regularly • Daily press releases on HR issues (eg engagement, absence, national insurance contributions)

24. CIPD policy stance and advice on HRM&IR • Equality and diversity: legal, business and moral case unequivocally proposed • Bullying and harassment: develop a culture where this is seen as unacceptable • Communication and consultation: very important but flexible routes favoured • Working time: support for limits but individual choice is paramount • Trade union recognition: up to individual worker and employer

25. Whose side is the CIPD on? • Wealth creation AND employee well-being • Fighting for removal of unfair treatment but also retention of managerial prerogative • Does the CIPD see HR as a shaper or a follower of organisational goals? • Is the higher profile of the CIPD good or bad for HRM and IR as a whole?

26. CIPD membership for academics

27. CIPD membership for academics • Lower number of HRM&IR lecturers eligible for membership • Problem when it comes to accreditation of courses with CIPD exemption? • New route for parallel membership – Academic Associate, Member and Fellow • Same set of criteria (activities and behaviours) as for practitioner members, assessment mechanism to be determined

28. Proposed criteria for Academic MCIPD (activities) • Subject expert, author of relevant publications, delivers workshops • Supervisor, internal examiner, leader of HRM&IR within organisation • Professional HR expertise, project leader, network of contacts • Teaches subject, develops new programmes, knowledge transfer to external organisations • Contributes to management of own organisation • Develops self and others

29. HR professionals with CIPD good for business and society Bigger and more popular university courses Support for research and valuable data resource Policy impact good for profile of HRM&IR across the board CIPD willingness to welcome academics as members CIPD ‘training’ restricts lateral thinking and financial awareness Less variety in content and approach Researchers chosen that ‘fit’ with CIPD orientation Policy impact reflects management agenda, albeit soft HRM Will academics have same influence as other members? Assessing the contribution of the CIPD to HRM&IR

30. So, what do you think that the CIPD has done for HRM and Industrial Relations?