2 Operations managers can have a profound influence on how organisations implement their human resource strategy (the overall long-term approach to ensuring that an organisation’s human resources provide a strategic advantage). One authority on human resource (HR) strategy (Dave Ulrich, the University of Michigan) proposes four elements to the HR activity:18

 Being ‘strategic partner’ to the business – aligning HR and business strategy: ‘organisational diagnosis’, manpower planning, environmental monitoring, etc.

 Administering HR procedures and processes – running the organisation’s HR processes and ‘shared services’: payroll, appraisal, selection and recruitment, communication, etc.

 Being an ‘employee champion’ – listening and responding to employees: ‘providing resources to employees’, conciliation, career advice, grievance procedures, etc.

 Being a ‘change agent’ – managing transformation and change: ‘ensuring capacity for change’, management development, performance appraisal, organisation development, etc.

What do you think is the relevance of these HR roles to operations managers?