Paying the piper: choice and constraint in changing HR functional roles

Catherine Truss, Lynda Gratton, Veronica Hope-Hailey, Philip Stiles, Joanna Zaleska

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

120 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

HR directors are often exhorted to play a more 'strategic' role in their organisations. However, it is not necessarily clear what is meant by this, or whether it is possible for departments to change their role at a whim. In this article we examine the changing role of the HR function within two contrasting organisations - an NHS trust and a bank - over a period of seven years. Drawing on role-set theory and concepts of negotiated order, we illustrate how HR functional roles are located within a complex and dynamic social setting, and present a model that seeks to map these interrelationships.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)39-63
Number of pages25
JournalHuman Resource Management Journal
Volume12
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2002
Externally publishedYes

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