The dual responsibility of the HR specialist: … for people issues and strategic management

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline the importance of human resources (HR) specialists being able to deal with both people issues and the strategic management of the organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on work carried out by the authors over the past two years, plus the HR literature.

Findings

The paper argues that good HR practices are often ignored, as HR issues seem either insignificant or in conflict with other agendas. In some cases, managers do not have the ability to deal with them.

Practical implications

The paper highlights the importance of the HR managers representing workers and management and mentions factors that affect this important responsibility.

Social implications

The paper explains how the management of any organization can be improved.

Originality/value

The paper presents the arguments in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Citation

Khan, A. and Khan, R. (2011), "The dual responsibility of the HR specialist: … for people issues and strategic management", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 37-38. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670731111163527