What are the limitations to the concept of strategic HRM?

Some of the limitations of HRM are: 1. recent origin 2. lack of support of top management 3. improper actualisation 4. inadequate development programmes and 5. inadequate information!

1. Recent Origin:

HRM is of recent origin.

So it lacks universally approved academic base. Different people try to define the term differently. Some thinkers consider it as a new name to personnel management. Some enterprises have named their traditional personnel management department as human resource management department.

Such superficial actions may not bear much fruit. What is actually required is a fundamental change in attitudes, approaches and the very management philosophy. Without such a change, particularly at the top management level, renaming of personnel department or redisgnating the personnel officer may not serve the purpose. With the passage of time an acceptable approach will be developed.

2. Lack of Support of Top Management:

HRM should have the support of top level management. The change in attitude at the top can bring good results while implementing HRM. Owing to passive attitude at the top, this work is handled by personnel management people. Unless there is a change in approach and attitude of top management nothing remarkable will happen.

3. Improper Actualisation:

HRM should be implemented by assessing the training and development requirements of employees. The aspirations and needs of people should be taken into account while making human resource policies. HRM is actuated half-heartedly. The organising of some training programmes is considered as the implementation of HRM. With this, management’s productivity and profitability approach remains undisturbed in many organisations.

4. Inadequate Development Programmes:

HRM needs implementation of programmes such as career planning, on the job training, development programmes, MBO, counselling etc. There is a need to create an atmosphere of learning in the organisation. In reality HRM programmes are confined to class room lectures and expected results are not coming out of this approach.

5. Inadequate Information:

Some enterprises do not have requisite information about their employees. In the absence of adequate information and data base, this system cannot be properly implemented. So there is a need to collect, store and retrieval of information before implementing human resource management.

In many organisations, even the professionals misunderstand HRM as synonymous with HRD. Some class room training programmes are generally arranged, which are called HRD programmes. These programmes are understood as human resources management. Such casual class room programmes are not the actual HRM programmes.

Even a well planned and executed HRD programme is not HRM. HRD is only a part of HRM which is an integrated approach to management. Undoubtedly, human resource management suffers from such limitations. But the impact it has made on the managerial effectiveness has been spectacular wherever it was introduced.