111111111111111111111111EZZV 352: EMERGING HR PRACTICES
Chapter 4: The strategic role of human resources management.
Breaking Down the Key Topics from Your Notes
1. The Big Change in HR
HR used to be like a secretary who just handled paperwork, payslips, and
holidays (Personnel Management). Now, it needs to be a strategic
partner—like a co-pilot who helps the CEO (the driver) make big
decisions about the journey.
Real-life example: In a school, the old HR would just make sure
teacher contracts are signed. The new, strategic HR would help the
principal decide what kind of teachers to hire to improve the
school's science results, and then create a training plan to make
them better.
2. The "Best Fit" vs. "Best Practice" Debate
This is a central argument in your notes.
Best Practice: This is the idea of a "Gold Standard" or a recipe
book. It says: "Here is a list of the best HR policies (like great
training, good pay, lots of feedback). Every company should use
them to be successful." It's a one-size-fits-all approach.
Best Fit: This says, "It depends." The best HR strategy
must fit the company's main goal.
o Example from your notes: If a company's strategy
is Innovation (like Apple), its HR should focus on hiring
creative people, rewarding new ideas, and having a relaxed
work environment.
o If the strategy is Cost Leadership (like a low-cost airline), its
HR might focus on being efficient, training staff to do multiple
jobs, and controlling salary costs.
3. The HRM Cube (Solving 3 Types of Problems)
Your notes say organisations have three kinds of problems, and HR helps
solve them.
Technical System: The "How-to" problems.
o Example: A pizza shop needs to make pizzas quickly. The HR
solution is to create a training program to teach new cooks the
exact steps to make a pizza in 5 minutes.
, Political System: The "Who gets what" problems.
o Example: The same pizza shop has a limited bonus budget.
The HR system decides how to fairly share the bonus between
the fast cook, the friendly delivery driver, and the clean-up
person.
Cultural System: The "What we believe in" problems.
o Example: The shop wants to be known as "the friendliest pizza
place." HR creates a "Employee of the Month" award for the
friendliest server and makes "customer service" a core value
in hiring.
4. Challenges in South Africa (The "Leapfrogging" Idea)
Your notes point out a big issue: While the rest of the world uses modern
HR tech and strategy, many South African companies are still using paper-
based, old-fashioned admin.
"Leapfrogging" means skipping the slow steps and jumping straight to
the modern way.
Real-life example: In many parts of Africa, people never had landline
telephones at home. They leapfrogged directly to using mobile
phones. The challenge for SA HR is to do the same—jump from
paper files directly to using smart software and data to manage
people, without going through all the slow stages in between.
Test Your Knowledge Based on YOUR Notes
Question Paper: Chapter 4 - The Strategic Role of HRM
Section A: Definitions (4 Marks)
1. In your own words, what is the main goal of Strategic Human
Resources Management (SHRM)?
2. What is the difference between the 'operational' and 'strategic'
levels of the HR function?
Section B: Key Concepts (6 Marks)
3. Explain the "Best Fit" approach to SHRM. Use a real-life example of a
company (it can be a restaurant, a shop, a tech company, etc.) to
illustrate your answer.
4. The "HRM Cube" suggests HR must help solve three types of problems.
If a company is struggling because employees do not share the same
, values and are always in conflict, which system is failing—Technical,
Political, or Cultural? Explain your choice.
Section C: Application (5 Marks)
5. Based on the challenges listed for South Africa, what does it mean for
an HR professional to become an "agile partner"? Suggest TWO things
an HR department in a South African company could do to "leapfrog" into
21st-century practices.
Bonus Question (2 Marks)
According to the slides, what are the "three tasks" of SHRM as stated by
Dyer & Holden (1988)?
(Answer Key for you to check later):
Bonus Answer: 1. Considering proposals regarding desirability and
feasibility. 2. Establishing HR strategies to support organisational
strategies. 3. Working with line managers to ensure implementation.
Answer Key: Chapter 4 - The Strategic Role of HRM
Section A: Definitions
1. In your own words, what is the main goal of Strategic
Human Resources Management (SHRM)?
The main goal of SHRM is to connect the people-management side
of a business (HR) with the overall business plan (strategy). It's
about using HR—like hiring, training, and rewarding employees—to
help the company achieve its big goals, rather than just handling
administrative paperwork.
2. What is the difference between the 'operational' and
'strategic' levels of the HR function?
o The Operational Level is about the present. It involves
creating action plans to meet today's labour needs, like hiring
for open positions or processing this month's payroll.
o The Strategic Level is about the future. It involves acting as
a partner to top management, helping to plan for the
company's long-term growth, and designing HR strategies that
support the company's future goals.
Section B: Key Concepts
3. Explain the "Best Fit" approach to SHRM. Use a real-life
example.
The "Best Fit" approach says that there is no one-size-fits-all "best"
Chapter 4: The strategic role of human resources management.
Breaking Down the Key Topics from Your Notes
1. The Big Change in HR
HR used to be like a secretary who just handled paperwork, payslips, and
holidays (Personnel Management). Now, it needs to be a strategic
partner—like a co-pilot who helps the CEO (the driver) make big
decisions about the journey.
Real-life example: In a school, the old HR would just make sure
teacher contracts are signed. The new, strategic HR would help the
principal decide what kind of teachers to hire to improve the
school's science results, and then create a training plan to make
them better.
2. The "Best Fit" vs. "Best Practice" Debate
This is a central argument in your notes.
Best Practice: This is the idea of a "Gold Standard" or a recipe
book. It says: "Here is a list of the best HR policies (like great
training, good pay, lots of feedback). Every company should use
them to be successful." It's a one-size-fits-all approach.
Best Fit: This says, "It depends." The best HR strategy
must fit the company's main goal.
o Example from your notes: If a company's strategy
is Innovation (like Apple), its HR should focus on hiring
creative people, rewarding new ideas, and having a relaxed
work environment.
o If the strategy is Cost Leadership (like a low-cost airline), its
HR might focus on being efficient, training staff to do multiple
jobs, and controlling salary costs.
3. The HRM Cube (Solving 3 Types of Problems)
Your notes say organisations have three kinds of problems, and HR helps
solve them.
Technical System: The "How-to" problems.
o Example: A pizza shop needs to make pizzas quickly. The HR
solution is to create a training program to teach new cooks the
exact steps to make a pizza in 5 minutes.
, Political System: The "Who gets what" problems.
o Example: The same pizza shop has a limited bonus budget.
The HR system decides how to fairly share the bonus between
the fast cook, the friendly delivery driver, and the clean-up
person.
Cultural System: The "What we believe in" problems.
o Example: The shop wants to be known as "the friendliest pizza
place." HR creates a "Employee of the Month" award for the
friendliest server and makes "customer service" a core value
in hiring.
4. Challenges in South Africa (The "Leapfrogging" Idea)
Your notes point out a big issue: While the rest of the world uses modern
HR tech and strategy, many South African companies are still using paper-
based, old-fashioned admin.
"Leapfrogging" means skipping the slow steps and jumping straight to
the modern way.
Real-life example: In many parts of Africa, people never had landline
telephones at home. They leapfrogged directly to using mobile
phones. The challenge for SA HR is to do the same—jump from
paper files directly to using smart software and data to manage
people, without going through all the slow stages in between.
Test Your Knowledge Based on YOUR Notes
Question Paper: Chapter 4 - The Strategic Role of HRM
Section A: Definitions (4 Marks)
1. In your own words, what is the main goal of Strategic Human
Resources Management (SHRM)?
2. What is the difference between the 'operational' and 'strategic'
levels of the HR function?
Section B: Key Concepts (6 Marks)
3. Explain the "Best Fit" approach to SHRM. Use a real-life example of a
company (it can be a restaurant, a shop, a tech company, etc.) to
illustrate your answer.
4. The "HRM Cube" suggests HR must help solve three types of problems.
If a company is struggling because employees do not share the same
, values and are always in conflict, which system is failing—Technical,
Political, or Cultural? Explain your choice.
Section C: Application (5 Marks)
5. Based on the challenges listed for South Africa, what does it mean for
an HR professional to become an "agile partner"? Suggest TWO things
an HR department in a South African company could do to "leapfrog" into
21st-century practices.
Bonus Question (2 Marks)
According to the slides, what are the "three tasks" of SHRM as stated by
Dyer & Holden (1988)?
(Answer Key for you to check later):
Bonus Answer: 1. Considering proposals regarding desirability and
feasibility. 2. Establishing HR strategies to support organisational
strategies. 3. Working with line managers to ensure implementation.
Answer Key: Chapter 4 - The Strategic Role of HRM
Section A: Definitions
1. In your own words, what is the main goal of Strategic
Human Resources Management (SHRM)?
The main goal of SHRM is to connect the people-management side
of a business (HR) with the overall business plan (strategy). It's
about using HR—like hiring, training, and rewarding employees—to
help the company achieve its big goals, rather than just handling
administrative paperwork.
2. What is the difference between the 'operational' and
'strategic' levels of the HR function?
o The Operational Level is about the present. It involves
creating action plans to meet today's labour needs, like hiring
for open positions or processing this month's payroll.
o The Strategic Level is about the future. It involves acting as
a partner to top management, helping to plan for the
company's long-term growth, and designing HR strategies that
support the company's future goals.
Section B: Key Concepts
3. Explain the "Best Fit" approach to SHRM. Use a real-life
example.
The "Best Fit" approach says that there is no one-size-fits-all "best"
