Section Threebenefits as well. An important benefit from the planner’s
perspective is that senior management will be more
comfortable with the knowledge that the manager has a plan.^26
As such, senior managers have greater confidence that the
manager has thought through the implications of potential
demand and supply relationships and there is less chance that
the company will be unprepared in the future.
Changing Receptivity Toward Planning
As noted in this section, a paradox of planning is that it is
difficult to conduct when it is most needed. The turbulent
business environment in which companies currently operate is
obviously a difficult time in which to plan. Nonetheless, there is
substantive evidence that companies have increased their
emphasis on human resource planning. It is evident that some
corporate-wide planning objectives require centralized,
sophisticated human resource planning processes. However, as
noted earlier, there has been a trend toward the use of simple
planning and forecasting techniques on a decentralized basis by
line managers. This trend has developed at a time when
planning has been difficult and long-term planning horizons
seem to some like a relic of a foregone era. As the human
resource function’s role shifts from direct involvement to
greater indirect and shared involvement, it will need to take on
a more strategic role in environmental scanning and more