Do you understand the Harvard Framework of human resource management? What exactly does it entail? In this article, we’ll explore every detail of this model below. Let us delve deeper into this model.
What is Harvard Framework?
The Harvard framework of Human resources is essentially a human resource-based model that is more akin to a holistic approach to human resources and includes multiple levels of the outcome. Human Resources, which includes all staff divisions, is the most important assignment in a business. If representatives are used effectively, an organization is very likely to achieve all of its objectives. Similarly, how a business firm organizes its staff can be extremely beneficial in achieving all objectives with holistic human resource utilization. Human resource management has significant implications, implying the need to explore better methods that will benefit the company.
Harvard Framework are Divided into Four Categories
The Harvard Human Resource Model is a critical model of human resources. It is all based on the 1997 work of Paauwe and Richardson, who added nuance to the above-mentioned model with respect to HR operations.
The Harvard Model of Human Resources identifies the four different areas of HR that we will discuss below:
- HR Flows: Human resource flows include placement, recruitment, appraisal, selection, termination, and promotion, among other things.
- Reward systems: There should be both an inspirational and a salary system to help encourage the employees.
- Employee Influence: A level of responsibility, power, and authority should be delegated.
- Work Systems: This is the concept of work as well as the alignment of people.
It leads to the Four C’s, or HR policies, that must be implemented: commitment, competence, congruence, and cost-effectiveness.
Harvard Framework Diagrammatic Presentation
The Harvard Map of Human Resource Management is a framework for all human resource strategies that consists of six different components, which are listed below.
Beer, the model’s creator, argued that while general managers determine some human resource policies and practices for their organizations, there is a need for some processes to quantify the appropriateness of all such policies. Beer developed a well-known human resource management model known as the Harvard Map.
This Harvard map is based on an analytical approach and provides a broad picture of all the consequences and determinants of Human Resource Policies. It denotes HR policies that are heavily influenced by two critical factors, which are listed below:
Situational factors
Law and societal values are also important in the business environment or within the firm, as are labor market conditions, workforce, unions, business strategies, and management philosophy. According to Beer, all of these factors limit the formation of all HR policies, but they may be influenced by human resource policies.
Similarly, there are some situational factors that have an impact on interests. These situational factors include workforce characteristics, unions, and all other variables included in the 8-box model. Paul Boselie created the 8-box model, which includes all external and internal factors that affect HR operations.
Stakeholder interest
The model starts with the stakeholders on the left side interest. All human resource policies are defined by the interests of these stakeholders. It consists of all management employees, the community, shareholders, and the government. Beer et al. also contended that stakeholders should have a say in all human resource policies. If not, the company will be unable to meet the needs of its stakeholders in the long run and will be labeled as a business failure.
Strategic HRM
When done correctly, HRM policies result in Human Resource Management outcomes. Cost-effectiveness, competence, retention, and commitment are all part of it. It can also be defined as a method of determining a business firm’s plans and intentions by investigating the relationships between human resource processes and procedures such as recruitment, selection, benefiting, training, and so on, and employment.
Long-term Consequences
All of these beneficial HRM outcomes have long-term consequences. It could be organizational, societal, or personal.
How the Harvard Framework helps HR managers Enhance Workplace Productivity and Retain Employees
While the Harvard model of human resource management has frequently been lauded as influential and important in improving employee retention and productivity. Let’s take a look at how the Harvard Framework helps HR managers improve employee retention and productivity.
- The Harvard model assists HR managers in recognizing that employees are active, rather than passive, agents in the company’s success or failure.
- This model assists in the attempt to balance the needs of multiple stakeholders. For example, the model’s creators emphasize the importance of trade-offs while also emphasizing that, in order to be effective, HR strategy cannot be considered in isolation.
- Reminds the HR leaders that any strategy has many moving parts and must balance the input of many stakeholders.
- Encourage line managers to take on more responsibilities for employees instead of delegating to HR.
- Assisting HR leaders in determining what is within or beyond their control. Furthermore, splitting internal and external factors to establish strategic HR in a real-world context.
- Recognizing the impact that apparently irrelevant decisions and actions can have on HR policies and the overall operation.
Final Thoughts
Beer’s Harvard model of HRM is implemented by resolving all issues of historic personal employee management. Although stakeholder theory is an important component of the Harvard model, it has a broader scope than Human Resource Management and was established outside the confines of Human Resource literature.
It is a situation in which the organization’s definition in terms of motives, activity lists, policies, and strategies, and breaking down the roles of the HR department, only if it matches the circumstances of the organization.
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