Chapter 12 of Human Resource Management in a Business Context (2nd Edition 2004) by Alan Price - published by Thomson Learning

Contents

Objectives
The purpose of this chapter is to:
- Introduce the concept of transformational human resource strategies.
- Compare incremental and packaged change programmes.
- Discuss the HR role in mergers and acquisitions.
- Consider the issue of behavioural transformation and negative change.
Transformational HR strategies

Change and organizational structures

Shrinkage

Incremental change

Action learning

Business Process Re-engineering

Strategic alliances

Mergers and the HR function

Mergers and Acquisitions - Project Planning

HR due diligence

Behavioural transformation

Negative change

Summary
In this chapter we investigated transformational or change management. Nowadays, change initiatives are common elements of human resource strategies as companies and public sector organizations struggle to achieve their objectives in a competitive environment. Frequently these involve some form of organizational restructuring using a change programme such as business process reengineering. Change programmes are fashion-driven and quickly become obsolete, to be replaced by the next heavily-touted set of magic solutions. Some of the most difficult aspects of change management for human resource practitioners come from mergers and acquisitions where their involvement is often late - if not too late to rescue a disastrous situation. Finally we looked at behavioural transformation, involving attempts to change corporate culture and recognised that negative attitudes to change are to be expected and are not necessarily unhealthy.
Further reading
Hanson's The M&A Transition Guide: A 10-Step Roadmap for Workforce Integration, published by John Wiley & Sons (2001), takes a step-by-step approach to HR involvement in the merger and acquisition process. Michael Hammer presents a review of recent thinking on change interventions in The Agenda: What Every Business Must Do to Dominate the Decade, published by Crown Publications (2001). His collaboration with Champy in Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution, Harper Business !993) was probably the best-selling business book of the 1990s. Black and Gregersen's Leading Strategic Change, Financial Times Prentice Hall (2002) is focused on the leadership of change but pays particular attention to resistance and harnessing negative attitudes.
Review questions

Problem for discussion and analysis
> Chapter 11 > Chapter 13

Human Resource Management
in a Business Context
2nd Edition 2004

by Alan Price
Published by
Thomson Learning
ISBN 186152966X

Order online from the following:

Amazon.co.uk - British pounds
Amazon.com - US dollars
SeekBooks.com.au - Australian Dollars
Amazon.ca - Canadian dollars
Amazon.de - Euros
Amazon.fr - Euros

The book can also be ordered from any good bookstore or directly from the publishers at Thomson Learning. On that website make sure your shipping region is correct (bottom of left hand column), then follow this track: Business and Economics > Management > Human Resource Management.