Understanding Strategic Human Resource Management Aims

Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) is about aligning an organisation's human resource functions with its overall strategic goals. The aim is to ensure that the people within the organisation are managed in a way that helps the organisation achieve its objectives, gain a competitive advantage, and adapt to the changing business environment.

To successfully implement its strategic aims, an organisation must translate these goals into concrete actions related to how it manages its employees. This translation happens primarily through formulating and executing specific Human Resources (HR) elements.

Implementing SHRM Through HR Elements

Let's examine the options provided in the question and understand their role in achieving Strategic Human Resource Management aims:

• A. Policies: HR Policies are formal rules and guidelines that govern how employees are managed within the organisation. They cover areas like recruitment, compensation, benefits, leave, conduct, etc. Policies provide a framework and direction for HR activities, ensuring consistency and fairness. Formulating and executing the right policies directly contributes to achieving strategic aims. For example, a policy focusing on internal promotions supports a strategy of developing talent from within.
• B. Behaviours: Employee behaviours refer to how individuals act and perform within the workplace. While desired behaviours (like teamwork, innovation, customer focus) are often outcomes that SHRM aims to encourage, they are not the primary instruments an organisation formulates and executes to *achieve* the aims themselves. Policies and practices are designed to shape or influence these behaviours.
• C. Practices: HR Practices are the specific methods, procedures, and programs used to implement HR functions. These include activities like recruitment processes, performance management systems, training programs, compensation structures, and employee relations initiatives. Practices are the operational tools used to put policies into action and manage employees effectively towards strategic goals. For instance, implementing a comprehensive training program is an HR practice that supports a strategy focused on technological advancement.
• D. Competencies: Employee competencies are the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics needed to perform a job successfully. Like behaviours, desired competencies are often identified *based on* strategic aims and are developed through HR practices (like training) and assessed through other practices (like performance management). Competencies are attributes of the workforce, not the tools used to formulate and execute strategy directly.

Connecting HR Elements to Strategic Aims

Organisations formulate strategies and then translate them into HR policies and practices. These policies and practices, when executed effectively, are intended to shape employee behaviours and develop necessary competencies, ultimately leading to the achievement of the organisation's strategic goals.

Therefore, HR Policies and HR Practices are the core instruments that an organisation formulates and executes as part of its Strategic Human Resource Management effort to achieve its aims.

Based on this analysis, the elements that an organisation formulates and executes to achieve its aims in Strategic Human Resource Management are primarily HR Policies and HR Practices.

Revision Table: Strategic Human Resource Management

Additional Information on SHRM Execution

The successful execution of Strategic Human Resource Management relies heavily on the effective implementation of HR policies and practices. This involves clear communication of policies, fair and consistent application, and efficient management of practices like performance appraisals, training, and compensation.

While behaviours and competencies are crucial for organisational success and are indeed shaped by SHRM, they are more accurately viewed as results or capabilities that SHRM aims to foster and leverage, rather than the direct tools used to formulate and execute the strategy itself. The strategy is formulated into policies and executed through practices.