CORPORATE ISSUES
Vision and mission
In the broadest terms strategic HRM is concerned with the people implica-
tions of top management’s vision of the future of the organization and the
mission it is there to fulfil. HR strategies, like those of all the other functions,
are there to support the realization of the vision and mission of the organi-
zation and the achievement of its goals.
The personnel director at Mercia Systems made the following comment
about vision and strategy: ‘The first thing is that the organization has to
know where it is going. That is why it needs a vision. It has to know why it
exists and who its customers are. This leads to the development of strategies,
which in turn lead to action plans. The plans follow three lanes: systems,
processes and people.’
Two of the other functional directors at Mercia Systems commented on the
significance of vision and a sense of purpose or mission:
I would put it in a single word, which is vision. If you can create a vision and
communicate it to people you can release a colossal current of energy.
Communication and vision mean education and training, and I am one of the
operational guys who believe that whatever you are currently spending on
education and training you start by doubling it.What contributes most to success is a clear sense of purpose and definition of
where you are trying to get to. Unless you have a top team with a clear and
unified understanding of purpose and direction it can be difficult to cascade it
throughout the organization.The managing director of Welland Water commented that ‘We look at our
vision for the company and we say: “How do we maximize the contribution
that our people can make to achieving that vision?”’
Organization
HR strategy may address such issues as structure, teamworking,
performance or quality and customer care.
Structure
The managing director of ABC Distribution said that ‘I do not see any
difference between the HR strategy and the business strategy on organization
because we evolve our organization to reflect where the business is going.’
98 l The practice of strategic HRM