HRM: partners or mere servants of management and employees?
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2024-07-10
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en
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This study examines how HR professionals discursively construct the value of HRM, against a backdrop of discourses of legitimacy. The HRM role has changed from personnel department to a more strategic partner, resulting in blurred boundaries of the HRM domain. This, combined with facing conflicting demands from the organization and employees results in a struggle for legitimacy for HRM.
By interviewing HR professionals from various organizations, this study offers an insight into this legitimacy struggle by uncovering the underlying issues contributing to this struggle and by highlighting conflicting demands and expectations of HRM. The results show that HRM must balance organizational and employee interests but is often unable to fully meet both interests. This is accompanied by images of being a moral compass and exemplary role, but also a competing image of representing the organization and protecting corporate assets, resulting in ambiguities in responsibilities and expectations for whom HRM is. These conflicting expectations and ambiguity in responsibilities complicate the HRM domain. HRM is unable to meet everyone’s expectations and satisfy their needs, resulting in them having to choose sides and possibly favor the organization while being indispensable in managing organizational processes. HRM therefore has a key role in managing processes but falls short in meeting everyone’s expectations, contributing to the existing struggle for legitimacy.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen