STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

BOOK REVIEW

A review of the book titled: Strategic Human Resource Management

by Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D

SUBMITTED TO:

Dr. Muhammad Abuzar Wajidi

Course In charge:
(HRM 714: Strategic Human Resource Management)
University of Karachi

SUBMITTED BY:
Zain Aman
M. Phil (Public Administration)
Department of public Administration
University of Karachi
 STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT BOOK REVIEW

1. Title of Book:
Strategic Human Resource Management

2. About the author:

Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D. is an award-winning US-based Amazon.com #1 Best
Selling Author, ranked # 1 HR, Innovation, and Future of Work Global Thought Leader &
Influencer (Thinkers360), ranked in the Top 30 in Management and Organizational
Culture (Global Gurus), entrepreneur, management consultant, teacher, and research
academic based in Orem, Utah. He serves on a host of nonprofit, community, and
association boards and committees and has received numerous awards for his teaching,
research, and service to the community. Current Professional Roles Academic: Dr.
Westover is a professor and chair of Organizational Leadership in the Woodbury School
of Business at Utah Valley University, Academic Director of the UVU Center for Social
Impact and the UVU SIMLab, and Faculty Fellow for Ethics in Public Life (previously the
Associate Director) in the Center for the Study of Ethics. Dr. Westover has been
published widely in academic journals, books, and practitioner publications. He is a
regular visiting faculty member in other international graduate business programs.
Consulting: Jonathan is an experienced organizational leadership, people management,
and organizational development consultant and managing partner and principal at
Human Capital Innovations, LLC). For two decades, he has worked to help transform
organizations across the globe. He is also the producer and host of the Human Capital
Innovations (HCI) Podcast and Managing Editor of Human Capital Leadership
Magazine. Previously, Jonathan was an external consultant with the firm Targeted
Learning, and an internal consultant in the Human Resource Development office at
Brigham Young University, in the corporate Organizational Development office at
InterContinental Hotels, and in the corporate Organizational Development office at LG
Electronics in Gumi, South Korea. Thought Leadership: Jonathan is a member of the
Forbes Coaches Council, Non-Resident Fellow in Social and Development Policy with
the Nkafu Policy Institute (part of the Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation), member of
the HR Certification Institute CEO Advisory Council and past member of the board of
directors, member of the Humantelligence Scientific Advisory, Board Chair and Director
of the Corporate Division of the Global Listening Centre, a CIPD Academic Fellow, and
an Advance HE Senior Fellow. Jonathan has been published widely and quoted as a
management expert in popular and professional media locally, nationally, and abroad
(such as Forbes, The Economist, U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal,
MSNBC, PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MarketWatch, HR.com, SHRM.org, HRCI.org,
The Washington Post, and USA Today). Highlights of Past Academic and Professional
Roles and Distinctions • Visiting Academic at Harris Manchester College at the
University of Oxford (2019) • Fulbright Scholar and AMINEF Senior Scholar at Atma
Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta, Indonesia (2018) • Educational Development Visiting
Fellow at the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Windsor in Ontario,
Canada (2018) • Learning Innovation Research Fellow at the Institute of Teaching and
Learning Innovation at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia (2017) •
Visiting Scholar at the East-West Center in Washington (2017) • POSCO Fellow at the
East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii (2016) • Visiting Scholar in the Kennan Institute at
the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. (2015) • Fulbright Scholar at Belarusian State
University in Minsk, Belarus (2012) Education Jonathan received his Bachelor of
Science degree in Sociology: Research and Analysis (with minors in management and
Korean) from the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences and his Master of Public
Administration degree (emphases in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource
Management) from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. He
received his Ph.D. in Sociology (emphases in International Political Economy and Work
and Organizations) from the College of Social and Behavioral Science at the University
of Utah. He has also received graduate certificates in demography and higher education
teaching from the University of Utah.
3. Theme of Book:

The theme of the book revolves around the basic definitions, concepts, compositions
and role of strategic human resources in an organization. Institutions that incorporate
strategic human resource management into their organizational structure are considered
as “living organizations” that carry a significant amount of worth and value for its human
resources. Contrary to the earlier beliefs, organizations today treat their employees with
far more admiration than before. Employees are considered to be the key elements of an
institution because of which, every employee is engaged in making the overall decisions
of that organization’s business. However, in order to inculcate human resources into the
strategic goals and mission of the organization, the vision of the organization must be
communicated down the line with every team member and must be given relevant
resources to carry out their job functions so as to align their key performance indicators
with the organization’s vision.

The book then explains the importance of multiculturalism and diversity. This means that
as organizations grow, the need for diversified knowledge base also arises so as to help
the organization align its business strategy with the growing trends and demands of the
global market. By infusing diversity and multiculturalism into its human resource
management, the organization can not only equitable growth opportunities to its
employees but also cater the needs of people coming from diverse background thus
eliminating the cultural conflicts between human beings. The book also focuses on the
major concepts and takeaway messages for the readers and scholars alike. Some these
suggest that capital includes all resources a company uses to generate revenue. Human
resources or the people working in the organization are the most important resource.
Human resource management is the process of employing people, training them,
compensating them, developing policies relating to the workplace, and developing
strategies to retain employees. There are seven main responsibilities of HRM managers:
staffing, setting policies, compensation and benefits, retention, training, employment
laws, and worker protection. In this book, each of these major areas will be included in a
chapter or two. In addition to being concerned with the seven internal aspects, HRM
managers must keep up to date with changes in the external environment that may
impact their employees. The trends toward flexible schedules and telecommuting are
examples of external aspects. To effectively understand how the external forces might
affect human resources, it is important for the HR manager to read the HR literature,
attend conferences, and utilize other ways to stay up to date with new laws, trends, and
policies.

Dr. Westover than goes on to explain the crucial importance of pre recruitment steps that
an employer must install so as to appoint the most relevant and suitable candidate for a
job. For this purpose Dr. Westover suggests that the human resource management must
have a number of skills embedded into its team members. First, being able to organize
and multitask is necessary. In this job, files must be managed, and an HR manager is
constantly working in different areas of the business. Communication skills are
necessary in HRM as well. The ability to present good and bad news, work with a variety
of personalities, and coach employees is important in HRM. Specific job skills, such as
computer skills, knowledge of employment law, writing and developing strategic plans,
and general critical-thinking skills are important in any type of management, but
especially in human resource management. A sense of fairness and strong ethics will
make for the best HR manager. Because HR works with a variety of departments to
manage conflict and negotiate union contracts and salary, the HR professional needs
ethics skills and the ability to maintain confidentiality. Since one of the major
responsibilities of an HR department is to align the HR strategic plan with the business
strategic plan, critical and creative thinking, as well as writing, are skills that will benefit
the HR manager as well. Many people find themselves in the role of HR manager, so
we will use the term HR manager throughout this book. However, many other types of
managers also perform the tasks of recruiting, selecting, and compensating, making this
book and the skills listed in this section applicable to all majors. Certification exams can
be taken to make you more marketable in the field of HRM.

One of the most important aspects to productive HRM is to ensure the department adds
value to the rest of the organization, based on the organization’s strategic plan. One of
the major challenges of HRM is containment of costs. This can be done in several ways,
for example, in the way health care and benefits are offered. Many companies are
developing cafeteria plans that satisfy the employee and help contain costs. HRM can
also contain costs by developing and managing training programs and ensuring
employees are well trained to be productive in the job. Hiring is a very expensive part of
human resources, and therefore HRM should take steps to ensure they are hiring the
right people for the job the first time. Turnover is a term used to describe the departure
of an employee. Poor communication results in wasting time and resources. We can
 communicate better by understanding communication channels, personalities, and
styles. Technology is also a challenge to be met by human resources. For example,
employees may request alternative work schedules because they can use technology at
home to get their work done

Because technology is part of our work life, cyber loafing, or employees spending too
much time on the Internet, creates new challenges for managers. Technology can also
create challenges such as workplace stress and lack of work-life balance. The economy
is a major factor in human resource management. HR managers, no matter what the
state of the economy, must plan effectively to make sure they have the right number of
workers at the right time. When we deal with a down economy, the legal and union
implications of layoffs must be considered, and in an up economy, hiring of workers to
meet the internal demand is necessary. The retirement of baby boomers is creating a
gap in the workplace, related to not only the number of people available but also the
skills people have. Multigenerational companies, or companies with workers of a variety
of ages, must find ways to motivate employees, even though those employees may have
different needs. HR must be aware of this and continually plan for the challenge of a
changing workforce.

Dr. Westover then summarized his initial chapters into an easy to recall summary
whereby the reader can recollect the information necessary for his/her learning in a
convenient manner.

4. Objectives:

The goal with this book is not only to provide the necessary academic background
information but also to present the material with a practitioner’s focus on both large and
small businesses. The writing style is clear and focused, with clear and concise
language that makes the book interesting and understandable to the future HRM
professional and manager alike. It is highly likely that anyone in business will have to
take on an HRM role at some point in their careers. This text is useful enough for the
HRM professional, but the information presented is also applicable to managers,
supervisors, and entrepreneurs.
5. Significance/Relevance:
The book holds recognizable significance for readers, students, professionals,
practitioners, entrepreneurs and scholars alike. The significance of human resources
management and incorporation of strategic human resources into the overall business
model of an organization cannot be overlooked as it is essential for an organization to
consider the wellbeing and importance of its human capital above its material resources.

6. Methodology:

Each chapter contains several staple and innovative features as follows:

Opening situation: The opening situation is used to show how the chapter topics have
real-life applications for HR professionals and managers. The short openings are
straightforward and show the practical application of the concepts.

Learning objectives by section: Instead of a long list of learning objectives at the front of
the chapter, we divide the learning objectives by section and offer exercises and key
terms for every section in the book. This is a great way to “self-check” and make sure
the key concepts are learned before moving to the next section.

How Would You Handle This? situation: These situations are created to utilize critical-
thinking skills that are necessary for strategic HRM. The situations are ethics-based in
nature and also include audio that discusses the situation.
Figures: There are numerous figures in every chapter. I think you will find they are clear
and focused but are not a series of endless graphs and charts of statistics that are
interesting but of little value to learning the key strategic concepts in HRM.

Case study: The case study at the end of every chapter is a good way to make sure
students have learned the material. The case presents real-world situations and utilizes
HRM knowledge and skills to complete. The case studies are often tied to not only the
current chapter but also past chapters to ensure continued application of past concepts.

Team activities: The team activities will sometimes require students to work in small
groups but may also involve the entire class. These activities are designed to promote
 communication, teamwork, and of course, the specific HRM concept, which are all
valuable skills in HRM.

- Language:
The books has been published in English language but it is widely taught in academia
and read by scholars across the world by students and professionals of human resource
management.

- Tools/Techniques:
- This book utilizes a technology focus and shows how HRM activities can be leveraged
using technology.

- We have also included a chapter on communication and information about motivational

theories. Since communication is a key component of HRM, it makes sense to include it
as a full chapter in this book. Human motivation is one of the cornerstones of HR, which
is why we include information on this as well.

- Rather than dividing certain chapters, we have combined some chapters to provide the
entire picture of related topics at once. For example, in Chapter 6 "Compensation and
Benefits", we discuss both pay and benefits, instead of separating them into two
chapters.

- The exercises and cases utilize critical thinking skills and teamwork to help the points
come through.

- The Fortune 500 boxes focus on the concepts and how large companies apply these
concepts. However, we still focus on small- and medium-sized businesses.

- Practical application is the focus of this book. We want you to be able to read the book
and apply the concepts. We feel this approach makes the material much more useful,
instead of only academic.

- How Would You Handle This? situations in the book utilize critical-thinking skills to think
about ethical situations in HRM. Each situation also includes audio examples on how an
 HRM professional or manager could handle the situation. These features and
pedagogical components make the book easy to read and understand while still
maintaining an academic focus.

- Number of Pages:
The book has been expanded into 227 pages elaborating the strategic human resource
management in an organization, its significance, utilization and role in the growth and
success of an organization.

- Organization of book/chapterization

The organization of the book is intuitive. The book follows the process HR professionals
or managers will go through as they ensure they have the right employees at the right
time to make sure the company is productive and profitable.

In Chapter 1 "The Role of Human Resources", we discuss the role of human resources
in business and why, in a constantly changing world, the HRM function is key to a
successful business.

In Chapter 2 "Developing and Implementing Strategic HRM Plans", we discuss HR

strategic plans and how those plans should be developed. Strategic planning is
necessary to tie company objectives with HRM objectives, but it is also important to have
a “people plan” and address the ever-changing work environment.

In Chapter 3 "Diversity and Multiculturalism", we discuss the diversity aspect of business

and why multiculturalism is so important to ensuring a healthy organization.

In Chapter 4 "Recruitment", recruitment, the process for getting the most qualified
individuals with diverse backgrounds, is the focus. We discuss some of the important
laws to consider when hiring people and methods to recruit highly qualified individuals.

In Chapter 5 "Selection", we talk about the selection process. Once you have recruited
people, you must organize the process that selects the best candidate. This can include
interviewing, employment tests, and selecting the criteria by which candidate
performance will be measured.

In Chapter 6 "Compensation and Benefits", we discuss how you compensate individuals

through pay, benefits, vacation time, and other incentives.

Chapter 7 "Retention and Motivation" discusses the talent management approach—that

is, how you can retain the best employees through retention strategies and motivation
techniques.

The training and development aspect of HRM is likely one of the most important aspects
of HRM. After you have gone through the time and effort to recruit, select, and
compensate the employee, you will need to ensure career growth through continuing
training, which is the focus of Chapter 8 "Training and Development".

Since communication is a key component to any and all aspects of HRM, we have a
detailed discussion on communication and management style. While some of the
information may be covered in other classes on topics in which people (such as HRM)
are the focus, a review on communication is important.

In Chapter 9 "Successful Employee Communication", we also discuss management

styles, since this is an important form of communication, and in fact, many people leave
organizations because of their managers.

Chapter 10 "Managing Employee Performance" discusses some of the possible

performance issues and how to handle those performance issues. We also discuss
employee discipline and how to handle layoffs.

Chapter 11 "Employee Assessment" focuses on how to assess performance of the

employee. We address performance evaluation systems and methods.

Most HRM professionals will work with unions, the focus of Chapter 12 "Working with
Labor Unions". The unionization process, how to negotiate union contracts, and history
of labor unions are discussed.
Employee safety and health are necessary to a productive workplace. Chapter 13
"Safety and Health at Work" addresses some of the health and safety issues, such as
drug use, carpal tunnel, and other issues relating to keeping employees healthy at work.

Chapter 14 "International HRM" looks at the differences between international HRM and
domestic HRM. We discuss the recruitment, selection, and retention components of
international HRM.

Finally, Chapter 15 “Leading an Ethical Organization” looks at issues of corporate

governance, corporate ethics, and social responsibility within organizations.
7. Conclusion:

Human resource management involves seven main areas: (1) staffing, (2) workplace
policies, (3) benefits and compensation, (4) retention, (5) training, (6) employment laws,
and (7) employee protection. Human resource managers need many different types of
skills. Being able to organize, multitask, and communicate effectively, as well as having
specific job skills, such as how to run a particular computer program, and a sense of
fairness and ethics, is crucial to a successful career in HRM. There are many
contemporary challenges associated with HRM. First, it is up to everyone in the
organization to contain costs. HR managers need to look at their individual departments
and demonstrate the necessity and value of their functions to the organization. HR
managers can also help contain costs in several ways, such as managing benefits plans
and compensation and providing training. The fast-changing nature of technology is also
a challenge in HRM. As new technologies are developed, employees may be able to
implement innovative ways of working such as flextime. HR managers are also
responsible for developing policies dealing with cyber loafing and other workplace time
wasters revolving around technology. Employee stress and lack of work life balance are
also greatly influenced by technology. Awareness of the changes in the economy allows
the human resource manager to adequately plan for reductions and additions to the
workforce. The aging and changing workforce is our final factor. As baby boomers retire,
there likely will not be enough people to replace them, and many of the skills the baby
boomers have may be lost. In addition, having to work with multiple generations at once
can create challenges as different expectations and needs arise from multigenerational
workforces.