Personnel Departments

One key factor that characterizes a successful organization is the ability to manage the relationship between the overall business strategies, and the work of the HR/Personnel Department can be the main ingredient towards that venture. In this research paper we will look closely at the roles and functions of personnel departments and how they can improve their strategic value to the organization.

According to Ulrich (1998): “HR should not be defined by what it does but by what it delivers”. This results in the enrichment of the organization’s value to customers, investors and employees.

Hope Hailey (1998) in contrast believes that HR could be regarded as chameleon function. This diversity dictates different roles for the function and practices of people management.

As the origin of people, management are traced, there were somewhat curious oddity amongst many academic writers to assume the origin of the almost exclusively in the nineteenth century, Britain. Torrington et.al (2002) suggests that Personnel Management was initially derived from social reformers, such as Lord Shaftesbury and Robert Owen. Foot and Hook (2002) began their historical practitioner as “welfare workers” born out of the industrial revolution. A similar theme was also adopted by Holbeche (2001). Personnel Department was emerged from the desire of enlightened employers to either