Section Two
components of each of your major competitors.
Your knowledge of how brands are sorted among
sales divisions and who reports to whom can give
important clues as to a competitor’s strategic
priorities. You may even know the track record
and characteristic behavior of the executives.^65Regardless of the form of linkage between human
resources and the strategic planning process, human resource
managers must predict the type of people that will be needed
to support the strategy.^66
Implementation of Resource Reallocation Decisions
A major role of human resource management is to assess the
feasibility of implementing a strategy and to provide such input
in the strategy formulation process. Because the essence of
strategy is to concentrate resources so that the organization
can gain advantage over its competitors, this means that some
units, divisions, or product lines must be denied resources. As a
result of the denial of resources, human resource management
must prevent the demoralization of those not receiving
resources. Often, areas not receiving resources are still critical,
at least in the short run, to the success and prosperity of the
company. For example, those business areas in which there are
opportunities and in which the company has strengths (the star