268 PROGRESSING HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
managers are but one decision-maker among many in an organization and are
not the sole purveyors of justice. Responsibility for all decision-making is not
in their hands but is diffused amongst many people. Moreover, their decisions
are sometimes overruled and their advice sometimes ignored by CEOs and
managing directors. In addition, part of the problem has to do with there
being so many things ‘lumped’ under HR. This was particularly the case, it
was argued, for HR managers who are generalists managing all facets of the
HR function. Finally, it was also suggested that the ‘will’ and ‘skill’ of HR
managers is very important to their capacity to achieve moral outcomes and
processes.
Nevertheless, the HR managers I interviewed also stated that they are not
powerless. In most cases while they may not possess muchformalauthority,
their capacity to influence is significant. My interviewees suggested that the
basis of HR managers’ capacity to shape decisions varies, but four interrelated
factors are common: their identification as ‘experts’ in people management,
their ability to package agendas and messages in acceptable language, high
interpersonal skills, and high levels of credibility.
Turning to moral conflicts, the HR managers tended to identify three broad
dilemmas: clashes between justice and care, morality (including justice) and
organizational performance, and confidentiality and honesty or openness.
The interviewees claimed that clashes between the demands of justice (as
fairness) and the need to care for particular individuals are major tensions.
Ensuring absolute fairness between individualsandproviding real care for a
particular individual is difficult to achieve. Being just means being blind to the
individual’s particular needs, and caring adequately for one person can mean
being unfair to many others.
Most of the HR managers also acknowledged that organizational perfor-
mance as an ultimate goal is increasing in importance in HRM. For some,
this undermines moral norms: they clash with performance and performance
takes precedence. All saw the performance imperative as inexorable and while
a few were supportive of its increasing priority, many were ambivalent about
it and it was clearly an area of moral tension.
HR managers identified two types of clashes between confidentiality and
honesty/openness. First, they spoke of the tension they feel when employees
raise personal issues they wish to be kept confidential. This leads to moral
conflict if the information could have an effect on company operations. The
HR manager is torn between keeping a confidence and passing the informa-
tion on to other managers. The second situation involves HR managers being
privy to confidential information about impending company decisions. This
creates dilemmas for HR managers when they talk to employees who may be
affected or who ask about rumours they have heard.
It was clear from my interviews that all these areas, because they can lead
to a compromising of moral norms, are causes of stress for HR managers.