What Are the Different Methods of Strategic Human Resource Management?

Individuals who practice human resource management are responsible for developing and upholding policies and values that make work environments pleasant for employees and which motivate workers to do their best work and contribute to strengthening company culture. These professionals might also negotiate salaries, benefits, and responsibilities with employees and participate in recruiting processes. When these professionals use strategic human resource management, they plan step by step how to perform these duties and to generate the best results. They consider environmental factors, potential risk, and potential opportunities when they are developing these management methods.

An important method for most human resource management professionals involves the development of organizational culture. When human resource professionals meet to discuss how best to implement and enforce company values and policies, they might first determine which are the key issues. For instance, many human resource workers might discuss the importance of diversity in the workplace and opportunities for employees to speak their minds about work related issues.

It is also common for strategic human resource management professionals to take more of a top-down approach. This management method is also known as a control based model. In this kind of management style, employees might have less say in company policy. Instead, they are expected to follow instructions passed down from high level professionals.

Other important methods for human resource management involve recruitment strategies and processes. In these processes, human resource workers participate in finding the best candidates for open positions. One method for this kind of strategic human resource management is to create a resource guide that lists all positions within an organization, as well as ideal credentials, experience, and skills.

Another method for recruiting processes is to mine applications and resumes. In these processes, human resource professionals search through files to sort out promising job candidates from those who are not qualified. They might also contact college programs and employment agencies to learn about promising talent that might fit certain positions.

Strategic human resource management methods for employee negotiation depend on policies that are decided at high level management and executive levels. For instance, financial executives might decide, based on budgetary concerns, how often an employee can receive a pay increase and what increase percentages are acceptable. Human resource professionals, however, might consult executives how best to make these decisions. They might, for example, decide that the best strategic human resource management method is to make employees eligible for raises after three years of employment if they have demonstrated merit at their jobs.