Environmental change and the task of the human resource manager

Abstract

The analysis of change has become a major preoccupation of modern business managers, including the human resource manager. However, although there is much interest in the analysis of change, there is no single descriptor that captures change adequately. There is no science of change and no academic subject that deals with all the complexities of change. One approach to the analysis of change is to employ a scanning model to identify and observe certain persistent long-term patterns of change. Such a model or checklist can be derived from the environmental hexagon, a modern, highly differentiated, concept of the business environment. The application of this environmental model in the South African business setting is illustrated and a number of long-term trends are described. Against this background certain tasks of the human resource manager are described. First, he should be perceptive of change and should be seen to be perceptive. Second, he should encourage the appointment of personnel who's task it is to observe and interpret change. Third, he should contribute towards rounding out the skills of his colleagues to equip them to observe and interpret change. Fourth, he should compile and evaluate a menu of suitable training experiences for his personnel. Fifth, he should evaluate carefully where and when to use these inputs in his organization. The changing environment is redefining the role of the human resource manager and is placing greater emphasis on flexibility and creativity.