Bad human resource management, on the other hand, focuses people on the job. Bureaucracy and rules guide behavior. An emphasis on legal regulations becomes more important than an emphasis on values and vision, according to Welbourne. This type of HR management can kill a firm's entrepreneurial spirit. HR management as a field needs to radically reposition itself, she concludes.
HR is called upon to do so much police work, so much that is controlling.
HR is schizophrenic. Perhaps, she suggests, it's time to turn the police work that is truly necessary over to the company's accounting department and let HR do a better job of nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit that fuels a company's growth. Line Managers Need Big Picture Making HR's interactions with line managers more effective for the individuals involved and for their companies is the goal of another SHRM Foundation study. The study helps identify what HR managers and line managers expect and need from each other and provides important insights to HR professionals about how they can become more valuable partners, the guidance and support they can offer, and the issues they must address in working with line managers. Debra J. Cohen, HR management associate professor at George Washington University, Washington, D.C., arranged interviews with a human resource manager and a line manager from 27 companies in 11 U.S. cities.