IF HR WERE REALLY STRATEGICALLY PROACTIVE: PRESENT AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN HR'S CONTRIBUTION TO COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Current business conditions mandate greater competitive advantage from HR agendas and processes. To add greater competitive advantage, HR must contribute strategic value against criteria from customer and capital markets. HR can add strategic value either reactively or proactively. In its strategically reactive mode, HR assumes the existence of a business strategy and adds value by linking HR practices to the business strategy and by managing change. In its strategically proactive mode, HR creates competitive advantage by creating cultures of creativity and innovation, by facilitating mergers and acquisitions, and by linking internal processes and structures with ongoing changes in the marketplace. This article defines and describes these specific practices through which HR can contribute to greater competitive advantage. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

[1]  Brian E. Becker,et al.  HIGH PERFORMANCE WORK SYSTEMS AND FIRM PERFORMANCE : A SYNTHESIS OF RESEARCH AND MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS , 1998 .

[2]  Richard E. Wintermantel,et al.  In the changing world of human resources: Matching measures to mission , 1997 .

[3]  Dave Ulrich,et al.  MEASURING HUMAN RESOURCES: AN OVERVIEW OF PRACTICE AND A PRESCRIPTION FOR RESULTS , 1997 .

[4]  Arthur K. Yeung,et al.  ADDING VALUE THROUGH HUMAN RESOURCES: REORIENTING HUMAN RESOURCE MEASUREMENT TO DRIVE BUSINESS PERFORMANCE , 1997 .

[5]  Joseph C. Krallinger.  Mergers & Acquisitions: Managing the Transaction , 1997 .

[6]  E. Fama,et al.  Industry costs of equity , 1997 .

[7]  Anil Shivdasani,et al.  Do independent directors enhance target shareholder wealth during tender offers , 1997 .

[8]  D. Ulrich.  Human Resource Champions , 1996 .

[9]  Frank V. Cespedes.  Concurrent Marketing: Integrating Product, Sales, and Service , 1995 .

[10]  Ronald N. Ashkenas,et al.  The boundaryless organization : breaking the chains of organizational structure , 1995 .

[11]  Dave Ulrich,et al.  Shared Services: From Vogue to Value , 1995 .

[12]  George E. Kroon.  Improving Quality in Services Marketing , 1995 .

[13]  Martin Christopher,et al.  Improving the quality of services marketing: Service (Re) design is the critical link , 1995 .

[14]  Taylor Cox,et al.  Cultural diversity in organizations , 1993 .

[15]  C. Prahalad,et al.  THE CORE COMPETENCY OF THE CORPORATION , 1990 .

[16]  J. Beglinger.  Managing the merger. , 1989, Aspen's advisor for nurse executives.

[17]  Randall S. Schuler,et al.  Managing Human Resources , 1984 .