Reinventing HR: Strategic and Organisational Relevance of the Human Resources Function

by Cecile Schultz, Hugo van der Walt

Overview

Revolutions are typically huge and dominating events in the world's history accompanied by radical, visible change. The current revolution is in this regard 'silent' yet change is everywhere. The changes in organisational life are affecting management and the way in which businesses are being run.

In this volatile context the Human Resource (HR) function need to be strategically correctly positioned. It needs to be 'reinvented' and positioned in terms of all aspects of people and relations in an organisational context, with clearly identified main activities (professional streams). In order to understand the current state of affairs of the HR function and to give definition to a future ideal positioning for the function, the authors conducted a survey. It was sent out to members of management, as well as to HR practitioners. Based upon the findings of the survey, as well as an analysis of international trends and developments, the authors propose six transitional pillars for the HR function:

1. Leadership and meaning
2. Relationships
3. Workplace socialisation
4. Productivity
5. Organisational transformation
6. Personal wellness

These pillars, as strategic focus areas, are built upon foundational HR competence and business acumen. The intention behind the project is to enable the HR function to reinvent itself into a discipline which is acknowledged and respected for its relevance, competence and professionalism.

Reinventing HR will provide you with the context in which the HR function needs to find its strategic and operational relevance.

Content includes:

• Research report and findings
• Transitional pillars
• Foundational understanding: HR competence and business acumen
• Leadership and meaning
• Relationships
• Workplace socialisation
• Productivity
• Organisational transformation
• Personal wellness
• The future

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781869225384
Publisher:	Knowres Publishing
Publication date:	03/30/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Cecile completed her BCom (Industrial Psychology), BCom Hons (Human Resource Management), MCom (Industrial Psychology) and her Doctorate degree in Human Resource Management. Her career started during 1992 at the Department of Foreign Affairs in South Africa where she operated as a Human Resource Officer. She has been employed by the Tshwane University of Technology since 1994 till current. Her passion for HR and Organisational Leadership lead to supervision of post graduate students and several research outputs such as articles and conference papers. She wrote two chapters in Dessler’s Human Resource Management book during 2011. Her involvement with KeyStone Strategic People Solutions widened her horizons of HR or rather People Management. She enjoys her community engagement once a month at the People Upliftment Programme (POPUP) training centre in Pretoria. Cecile is married to Raymond, and they have two children, Christiaan and Cilé-Mari. Hugo started his career in the mining industry in 1981 at Anglo American, in the Human Resources department. He left Anglo American in 1995 to set up his own business consultancy and has subsequently been involved in various strategic initiatives, both in a business and community environment. Hugo is a founder member and director of KeyStone Strategic People Solutions (KSPS). At KSPS, he is able to live out his passion which is to contribute towards people wellness and effectiveness, as the main contributor to organisational success. He completed his B.Sc. Honn. degree in Psychology at the Potchefstroom University and Certificate Programme in Industrial Relations (CPIR) at Wits Business School. Currently, he is also a part-time lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in the Faculty of Management Sciences. He is also a founder member of the Casa Deo initiative, which specialises in socio-economic development at community level. The Initiative links various community development projects in a geographic area into integrated execution frameworks. Hugo is married to Charmaine, and they reside in Pretoria.