Samenvatting Strategic Human Resource Management (2025-2026)
INTRODUCTION
HR as a bad guy vs. hero
- Bad guy
o Those who control the workers (if they come to work, if they arrive on time, if they keep their schedule
...)
o Those who punish or admonish
o Those who fire
- Hero
o The workers' lawyers
o Those who defend their rights
o The only ones who care about the satisfaction of your needs
o The discordant voice among the management team
HR went from an administrative “clerck” to a “change architect”
- A lot of conflicts between what the employees or company wants
- Profit vs. people
- Performance vs. sustainability
- HRM is needed because it has an strategic value and organizations are all about people
CHAPTER 1: STRATEGIC HRM IN 21ST CENTURY
Employees are the most important assets in an organization – they need management so they can boost
organizations
- Employees are the most important assets of an organization and require eNective management to
maximize their contribution
- During a crisis, HR may be deprioritized, but it remains crucial for organizational success
- Organizations need to manage employees in a balanced and strategic way during crises
- It is important to recognize the impact of HR in managing people and supporting the organization’s overall
success
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IS INEVITABLE
Organization = an entity with goals and a structure to carry out activities and achieve objectives
- Challenges: must remain competitive and perform well both financially and non-financially
Historical and Economic Context
- Shift from production economy to service-based economy (the 1990s)
- From physical tasks and job design based on assembly line to:
o Technology (e.g., robotization): requires new skills and competencies
o Scientific progress, new discoveries: high knowledge intensity
o Emerging branches of industry (IT, telecomunications, financial institutions)
- Organizational changes:
o Mergers, acquisitions, reorganization, outsourcing to developing countries
1
,- Societal changes:
o Dual-career couples with children, importance of work-life balance, aging population
Competetive advantage = performing better than others in the same branch of industry
- Financial: sales, profit, market share
- Non financial: reputation, employer branding, employee knowledge and skills
- HR’s crucial role in supporting competitive advantage:
o Treat and develop employees well
o Protect and enhance organizational reputation
Human value & HR
- Employees are valuable assets; diNicult to teach all competencies they need
- HR strategically contributes by:
o Autonomy (A), Belonging (B), Competence (C) → Self-determination (ABC)
o Employer branding and knowledge management
3 MAJOR SUBFIELDS
Micro HRM
International Strategic
HRM HRM
Micro HRM
= Aimed at studying the shaping of the employment relationship at the individual employee level
- Recruitment, selection, training, development
- Related to organizational behavior and work psychology
- The impact of HRM practices on employee attitudes and behavior
Is about the individual employee and his/her relationship with work
- Specific polevies / rules
- Motivations (internal or external)
- Ex. How motivated does an employee become after a raise of salary
International HRM
= Studies the development of employment relationship in an international context, with special attention to
HRM in large multinationals or in international governmental organizations.
- HRM for expatriates, transferability of HRM practices across borders
- The impact of diNerent institutional
- Country contexts on HRM
Branding of a company abroad works diNerent in diNerent countries
- Need to adapt the company to the country we’re in
- Impact of diNerent institutional contexts on HRM
2
,Strategic HRM
= Studies the shaping of the employment relationship taking into account the internal and external
organizational context
- Designing high-performance work systems (HPWSs)
- Linking HRM to business strategy
- Adding value through HRM
Aligning the function of HRM-department with the strategy of the organization
- Talking about a context, but important to ensure that the stategy is aligned with how they deal with HR
o Important to stay sustaineble, competitive and profitable
- Fit between diNerent HR-practices and how to ensure they are aligned with eachother
IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT
HRM is embedded in diNerent institutional contexts
- It involves managing multiple stakeholders by using a balanced perspective
- Context is important – Ex. DiNerent countries = diNerent legislation, diNerent cultures
Overview of the potential stakeholders
Stakeholder Interests Level
Shareholders High profits, growth and increased market Organization level
value
Employees Security, fun, development and challenges Individual employee level
Managers Productivity, quality, innovation and status Team and organizational level
Top managers Reputation, shareholder value and long- Organizational level
term success
Work councils Employment security and good working Organizational and individual level
conditions
Trade unions Employment, fairness and good working Organizational and individual level
conditions
Local Government and Employment, political interests Societal level
interest groups
National government Labor legislation and social legitimacy Societal level
Other interest groups Sectoral interests, professional interests Societal level
Suppliers Vendor business interests Organizational and societal level
Customers Costs, quality and innovation Societal level
To gain a clear understanding of the balance/context for the balanced approach, it is important to consider the
stakeholders
- Stakeholders influence strategic decision-making within a company
- Each stakeholder has their own interests, which may conflict and potentially cause problems
- Common goals include profit, growth, and increasing market value
Managers also have distinct interests:
- They aim for their teams to be productive and profitable, as their performance is evaluated based on
employee results
- Since many diNerent parties have varying objectives, a balanced approach is necessary to minimize
tensions and align interests eNectively
3
, THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL STRATEGIC HR-MODEL
A multi-actor perspective
= Multiple stakeholders including employees, managers, HR professionals, works councils, trade unions, top
management, shareholders, financiers and government
- Taking into account a lot of diNeren perspective
A broad societal view
= With an emphasis on diNerent institutional contexts, for example on the level of branches of industry, regions
and countries
- Takes into account the context
A multi-level perspective
= Including the individual employee perspective and the strategic organizational perspective
- Takes into account diNerent perspectives from employees to manager to CEO
PAAUWE (2004)
Human resources are something more than just ‘resources’;
- They are human beings with:
o Feelings, emotions
o Norms, values
o DiNerent sources of motivation
o Interests
o Personality trates
- There are diNerent factors that can determine employee attitudes and behavior
- HRM is not concerned solely with financial performance
o Focus on psychological factors (e.g., from the field of work and organizational psychology,
organizational behavior)
- It’s about humans from the organization
o Micro HRM
o Goal is to create working conditions which are attractive and comptetitive
o “How should i design the work so it’ll be motivating for my people, bus also challanging & visual
HRM focuses on the exchange relationship between employee and organization
- Four contract elements
o Legal contract – ex. Number of vacation days
§ What you get on paper
§ The return you earn for what you’re doing for the company
o Economic contract – ex. ENort, energy, time of the worker vs. rewards given the employer
§ Something that is agreed between the employee and employer
o Psychological contract – ex. Intagible, not written – extra profit for possible promotion
§ Some things that are known that are needed to be done to receive a promotion
4
INTRODUCTION
HR as a bad guy vs. hero
- Bad guy
o Those who control the workers (if they come to work, if they arrive on time, if they keep their schedule
...)
o Those who punish or admonish
o Those who fire
- Hero
o The workers' lawyers
o Those who defend their rights
o The only ones who care about the satisfaction of your needs
o The discordant voice among the management team
HR went from an administrative “clerck” to a “change architect”
- A lot of conflicts between what the employees or company wants
- Profit vs. people
- Performance vs. sustainability
- HRM is needed because it has an strategic value and organizations are all about people
CHAPTER 1: STRATEGIC HRM IN 21ST CENTURY
Employees are the most important assets in an organization – they need management so they can boost
organizations
- Employees are the most important assets of an organization and require eNective management to
maximize their contribution
- During a crisis, HR may be deprioritized, but it remains crucial for organizational success
- Organizations need to manage employees in a balanced and strategic way during crises
- It is important to recognize the impact of HR in managing people and supporting the organization’s overall
success
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IS INEVITABLE
Organization = an entity with goals and a structure to carry out activities and achieve objectives
- Challenges: must remain competitive and perform well both financially and non-financially
Historical and Economic Context
- Shift from production economy to service-based economy (the 1990s)
- From physical tasks and job design based on assembly line to:
o Technology (e.g., robotization): requires new skills and competencies
o Scientific progress, new discoveries: high knowledge intensity
o Emerging branches of industry (IT, telecomunications, financial institutions)
- Organizational changes:
o Mergers, acquisitions, reorganization, outsourcing to developing countries
1
,- Societal changes:
o Dual-career couples with children, importance of work-life balance, aging population
Competetive advantage = performing better than others in the same branch of industry
- Financial: sales, profit, market share
- Non financial: reputation, employer branding, employee knowledge and skills
- HR’s crucial role in supporting competitive advantage:
o Treat and develop employees well
o Protect and enhance organizational reputation
Human value & HR
- Employees are valuable assets; diNicult to teach all competencies they need
- HR strategically contributes by:
o Autonomy (A), Belonging (B), Competence (C) → Self-determination (ABC)
o Employer branding and knowledge management
3 MAJOR SUBFIELDS
Micro HRM
International Strategic
HRM HRM
Micro HRM
= Aimed at studying the shaping of the employment relationship at the individual employee level
- Recruitment, selection, training, development
- Related to organizational behavior and work psychology
- The impact of HRM practices on employee attitudes and behavior
Is about the individual employee and his/her relationship with work
- Specific polevies / rules
- Motivations (internal or external)
- Ex. How motivated does an employee become after a raise of salary
International HRM
= Studies the development of employment relationship in an international context, with special attention to
HRM in large multinationals or in international governmental organizations.
- HRM for expatriates, transferability of HRM practices across borders
- The impact of diNerent institutional
- Country contexts on HRM
Branding of a company abroad works diNerent in diNerent countries
- Need to adapt the company to the country we’re in
- Impact of diNerent institutional contexts on HRM
2
,Strategic HRM
= Studies the shaping of the employment relationship taking into account the internal and external
organizational context
- Designing high-performance work systems (HPWSs)
- Linking HRM to business strategy
- Adding value through HRM
Aligning the function of HRM-department with the strategy of the organization
- Talking about a context, but important to ensure that the stategy is aligned with how they deal with HR
o Important to stay sustaineble, competitive and profitable
- Fit between diNerent HR-practices and how to ensure they are aligned with eachother
IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT
HRM is embedded in diNerent institutional contexts
- It involves managing multiple stakeholders by using a balanced perspective
- Context is important – Ex. DiNerent countries = diNerent legislation, diNerent cultures
Overview of the potential stakeholders
Stakeholder Interests Level
Shareholders High profits, growth and increased market Organization level
value
Employees Security, fun, development and challenges Individual employee level
Managers Productivity, quality, innovation and status Team and organizational level
Top managers Reputation, shareholder value and long- Organizational level
term success
Work councils Employment security and good working Organizational and individual level
conditions
Trade unions Employment, fairness and good working Organizational and individual level
conditions
Local Government and Employment, political interests Societal level
interest groups
National government Labor legislation and social legitimacy Societal level
Other interest groups Sectoral interests, professional interests Societal level
Suppliers Vendor business interests Organizational and societal level
Customers Costs, quality and innovation Societal level
To gain a clear understanding of the balance/context for the balanced approach, it is important to consider the
stakeholders
- Stakeholders influence strategic decision-making within a company
- Each stakeholder has their own interests, which may conflict and potentially cause problems
- Common goals include profit, growth, and increasing market value
Managers also have distinct interests:
- They aim for their teams to be productive and profitable, as their performance is evaluated based on
employee results
- Since many diNerent parties have varying objectives, a balanced approach is necessary to minimize
tensions and align interests eNectively
3
, THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL STRATEGIC HR-MODEL
A multi-actor perspective
= Multiple stakeholders including employees, managers, HR professionals, works councils, trade unions, top
management, shareholders, financiers and government
- Taking into account a lot of diNeren perspective
A broad societal view
= With an emphasis on diNerent institutional contexts, for example on the level of branches of industry, regions
and countries
- Takes into account the context
A multi-level perspective
= Including the individual employee perspective and the strategic organizational perspective
- Takes into account diNerent perspectives from employees to manager to CEO
PAAUWE (2004)
Human resources are something more than just ‘resources’;
- They are human beings with:
o Feelings, emotions
o Norms, values
o DiNerent sources of motivation
o Interests
o Personality trates
- There are diNerent factors that can determine employee attitudes and behavior
- HRM is not concerned solely with financial performance
o Focus on psychological factors (e.g., from the field of work and organizational psychology,
organizational behavior)
- It’s about humans from the organization
o Micro HRM
o Goal is to create working conditions which are attractive and comptetitive
o “How should i design the work so it’ll be motivating for my people, bus also challanging & visual
HRM focuses on the exchange relationship between employee and organization
- Four contract elements
o Legal contract – ex. Number of vacation days
§ What you get on paper
§ The return you earn for what you’re doing for the company
o Economic contract – ex. ENort, energy, time of the worker vs. rewards given the employer
§ Something that is agreed between the employee and employer
o Psychological contract – ex. Intagible, not written – extra profit for possible promotion
§ Some things that are known that are needed to be done to receive a promotion
4
