pattern of HR-related decisions that have been applied in the workplace.
Thus, 'espoused HR strategy is the road map and emergent HR strategy is
the road actually traveled' (Bamberger &. Meshoulam, 2000, p. 6).
A range of business HRM links has been classified in terms of a proactive-
reactive continuum (Kydd &. Oppenheim, 1990)^28 and in terms of
environment-human resource strategy-business strategy linkages (Bamberger
&. Phillips 1991)^29. In the 'proactive' orientation, the HR professional has a
seat at the strategic table and is actively engaged in strategy formulation.
At the other end of the continuum is the 'reactive' orientation, which sees the
HR function as being fully subservient to corporate and business-level
strategy, and organizational-level strategies as ultimately determining HR
policies and practices. Once the business strategy has been determined, an
HR strategy is implemented to support the chosen competitive strategy. This
type of reactive orientation would be depicted in Figure 2. 8 below by a one-
way downward at TOW from business- to functional-level strategy. In this
sense, a HR strategy is concerned with the challenge of matching the
philosophy, policies, programmes, practices and processes - the 'five Ps' - in a
way that will stimulate and reinforce the different employee role behaviours
appropriate for each competitive strategy (Schuler, 1989, 1992)^29.
The importance of the environment as a determinant of HR strategy has been
incorporated into some models. Extending strategic management concepts,
Bamberger and Phillips' (1991) model depicts links between three poles: the
environment, human resource strategy and the business strategy (Figure 2. 8 ).
In the hierarchy of the strategic decision-making model, the HR strategy is
influenced by contextual variables such as markets, technology, national
government policies, European Union policies and trade unions. Purcell and
Ahlstrand (1994) argue, however, that those models which incorporate
contextual influences as a mediating variable of HR policies and practices
tend to lack 'precision and detail in terms of the precise nature of the
environment linkages, and that 'much of the work on the linkages has been
developed at an abstract and highly generalized level' (p. 36).