The key concept that emerges from this material can be summarised in the following statement:

The essential function of 21st-century human resource management personnel is to work in partnership with the management and staff of the organisation to develop the collective employee capability to a point at which it is optimally equipped to meet future environmental demands.

This objective requires the creation of a positive organisational culture that reflects a unitary perspective on the management-staff relationship within the firm, and in turn mandates a strategic approach to all change initiatives of any significance.

This Key Concept Exercise requires you to reflect on the extent to which the management of your current employing firm, or an alternative firm with which you are familiar, is effective in progressing towards achievement of that status. In short, how well does the organisational culture at that firm align with the demands of a unitary perspective on the workplace environment?

To prepare for this Key Concept Exercise:

• Read the Required Learning Resources for Week 7.
• Reflect on the ideas presented in the Week 7 Key Concept Overview and the assigned journal articles in the light of your own practical experiences in the workplace.

To complete this Key Concept Exercise:

By Day 3 (Saturday)

In formulating your Key Concept Exercise, consider the following issues:

• Recent changes in the business environment have not been accompanied by similar changes in human resource management processes.
• It is the HR department’s responsibility to correct this failing.
• This responsibility requires the HR department staff to develop a range of new skills that will support a unitary perspective on employment relationships.
• HR department staff needs to develop a broader understanding of the firm, its markets and its business model.
• The most effective response to those demands, for any firm, is to implement the principles of strategic human resource management (SHRM).
• The character of the individual firm, its markets and its business model will influence the applicability of a strategic HRM approach.

In an approximately 500-word response, address the following issues/questions:

Use those six propositions as the basis for an assessment of the organisational culture in place at your own employing firm, or another firm with which you are familiar. The post should include:

1. An identification of areas in which the firm is especially effective,
2. Areas in which an improvement would be desirable, and
3. A brief comment on specific actions that the firm could take that would assist in improving its alignment with the six propositions above.