“Human Resources Management & Personnel Concepts, in Knowledge work and knowledge-intensive firms“
Alevesson, Mats 2004.
The reading is rich of HRM principles, covering a large range of knowledge work and knowledge intensive firms’ characteristics that have implications on Human Resources Strategy. It refreshes on the first three modules of the course as it links knowledge work as the starting point of HRM strategies, articulating on the differences between human capital advantage and human process advantage. The paper clearly highlights knowledge work serving as an integrative framework for HRM policies and practices.
Formulation of a solid and viable strategy hinges on the quality of the employee recruited as evidenced by KIF’s who have some of the most educated staff (Flemming 2007). A well structured comparison of work tasks did help me understand the module better with KIF’S being customised, non-standardised, complex problem solving, creativity and being person intensive. All this can be related to HRM strategy success stories such as that of Starbucks.
It draws the point for the balance between human capital and human resources advantages as organisations cannot afford to ignore them especially with the sucess of Chinese and Japanese companies in modern day (Woodman et al 1993).
The reading states personnel as the organisation’s most significant resource but with the current economic meltdown, one has to think strategy linked to capital, bearing in mind recently collapsed KIF’s hence capital will play a major role in shaping strategy.
Many incentives and practices can be used to attract the best staff and motivate them to match the HRM policies of an organisation (Flemming 2007). Well articulated article that builds a good understanding of the next three modules to come. The greatest challenge though in modern global crisis will be balancing exploration and exploitation. The ‘fit of the puzzle’ is how management will manage the processes of value creation in this current global crisis.
List of references
R W Woodman, J.E Sawyer & R.W Griffin, Towards Theory of Organisational Creativity’, Academic of Management Review, April 1993, Oxford.
http://www.ebrc.fi/kuvat/Poulfelt_SF07.pdf, viewed 10 April 2009.
