Question

the ABS Company’s employees are used to a relaxed organisational culture with lots of flexibility, freedom to make decisions and more concern towards employees’ wellbeing. The new CEO, David, wants to bring in more discipline and control, within the organisation to ensure employees are following the new corporate strategy. If you are the HR manager,what HRM style would you use to support David’s strategy: hard, soft or a combination? Explain your choice.

Answer 1

answer-

Hard style of HRM is to treat employees like means to do task and like machine not focus on thier needs and growth while soft style is people oriented and manager focus on thier needs, growth and development.

In this context,I would use combination of both Hard and soft HRM style to support david's strategy because David wants to bring discipline, structure and order in the organization so that employees can be more task oriented and achieve organization's goals. But, we know that not all employees are the same some are hard working, motivated, like their job while some are lazy, dislike their job and not care about achieveing goals and task so David with combination of both approach will be able to create balance in the organization.

for example- with Hard style of HRM, David will micro manage those employees who are lazy and like to relax and not care about achievement of goals. David will punish such employees so that order can be created and discipline can be maintained.

On the hand, David will reward and allow some freedom to employees who are hard working, creative, achieve their goals and targets. Hard style will help David to focus on poor performing employees and discipline them because hard working employees already doing their job good. they do not need hard style or micro managing.