Key Learnings of Strategic HR Management (SHRM)
The sugarcoated ideology of exploitation…
Introduction
If one examines the systematic structure concerning business success, it could be said that we would have to choose between either economic or social objectives.
SHRM suggests the combination of both, as an increase of happiness by a feeling of self-realization within the workplace will then also have economic effects which further lead to even more happiness of the employee, as he sees himself as a productive member of the company.
Depressing…
I found the term ‚humanization of work‘ depressing, as it gives us the ideological narrative within the basic framework of exploitation in capitalism, rendered by an improvement of working conditions to further increase the development and feeling of self-actualization at the work place.
The notion of self-actualization gives people a higher meaning and the achievement of one’s full potential is directly related to the economic success of the company.
The employee then becomes the most submissive worker that is open to full capitalist exploitation — so the role that SHRM plays in modern businesses is therefore not really to take care of the employee, but to render the ideological narrative within the basic framework of exploitation.
Propaganda?
We can then conclude, that SHRM can be seen as a propaganda machine of the company that promotes the idealistic views on the personnel, beginning at the recruitment until the layoff — the main function that constructs an employee’s „life cycle“, a word that is often used in marketing to denote the life of a product.
This further adds to the exploitative imagery of humans seen as ‚resources‘ within the company.
Gender politics
The economy of gender politics has also found its place within SHRM contextualized into a narrative of diversity within the dialectic framework of plurality in an organization.
The importance lies in the responsibility of the company to enhance sustainable development, eliminating societal inequality and socio-cultural discrimination.
This collectivist approach further displays the benefits of individual differences within a group, taking into account disadvantages groups and their needs.
Therefore the structural paradigm lies within the submaterial capitalist theory of diversity management, making it an interpersonal affair to improve team effectiveness and cooperation to lead to value added synergy.
Is this not a post-capitalist approach where the subject is contextualized into a theory that includes group identity as a sole reason for beneficial exchange for everyone.
The ideology is very present here, especially when we were asked whom we would give a house or an apartment for rent.
The only correct answer to this question would be:
To the person who pays the most money — therefore increasing maximum profitability on this asset.
Yet, it seems this course is aimed towards a different agenda, forming students into mindless feminists who will choose every opportunity to feel offended, probably forgetting about the most important aspect in business relations: Voluntaryism, meaning that all forms of human association should be voluntary.
Relevance for work and my life in general
The interesting identity of SHRM which is also relevant for my work is the interdisciplinary connection between SHRM and different areas of business.
That is to say, SHRM is not seen as a predominant role by itself, but has subsequent defining characteristics that denote the bridge between Economics and Human Resources or Marketing and Human Resources.
The key change that drives the strategy of modern Human Resources departments in organizations is the shift from administrative to supportive focus.
SHRM is interpolated into other areas of business as a dialectic neocapitalist construction woven into the social theme of entrepreneurial expression creating a patriarchal big Other that is always lingering as a driving force behind the main theme, delivering an ideological enigma of the idealistic image of a paternal subjective within the company’s structure.
The very absence of SHRM makes it seem even more present, performing its function without being used, further nourishing the ideology (still conceived as a „helping hand to employees“, „always there when you need us“, etc.) beyond any material realization.
What is present though, is the exploitation of the working class, personified in a supervisor.
Yet, the employees feel secure, always having a department of SHRM where they could go to.
This course made me aware of the subliminal exploitative nature of SHRM in modern companies.
This further helped me in the understanding of the structural conception of exploitation within capitalism.
What has been absolutely helpful to understand was understanding the difference between internal and external hiring processes, and the advantages of internal hirings where talents are immediately available.
It also made me aware about the complexity of the different — active and passive — ways of talent sourcing.
When I look back at the hiring process of the company I am working for right now, I have to say that — while they sure had a sophisticated recruiting process, planned into every detail — most applicants did not show up or did not even put any effort into their job application.
I can only assume that the reason for that is the general reluctance of going the extra step, as many application processes take too much time.
What companies think that will help them (e.g. Assessment centers, giving tasks to do, having a long job application process) is actually keeping them from hiring talented people.
A company can benefit from its own speed, a factor that is also valued as a positive candidate experience.
Interrelations to other concepts
I see an interrelation between SHRM and Marketing inside the company.
The fundamental strategy behind SHRM is the conceptual identity of meaning that every individual worker or employee and their work inside that company has. This further relates to the notion of value to their own life.
SHRM therefore has the purpose to add even more significance to the definition of why someone is providing their time, while on the other hand putting the company first in their narrative to promote the possibility of self-actualization and hide the exploitative nature of the predominant capitalist concept.
I also see the concepts of SHRM related to selling, that means selling the company to the applicant and making it obviously the best choice for their dream-applicant.
The recruiting process itself is therefore not something to fill a gap but to sell a chance of self-actualization within a their company, making it the most desirable place for anyone to work there.
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