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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of human resources (HR) in organisational change at higher education institutions (HEIs) and the perceptions of those within the organisation towards the HR department and their capability in leading a change initiative.

The objectives were achieved through a case study in which an HR department at a British university was undergoing a cultural change initiative, implemented by the HR department. Primary research was collected by analysing documents underlying the change project. Also 12 semi‐structured interviews of 30‐40 minutes were carried out; interviewees were chosen based on the need to have a cross‐section including members of the change team and the pilot departments.

The HR departments at HEI may be faced with difficulties when attempting to implement change due to the relatively “new” nature of the function, meaning that they must first justify their position, worth and capability before attempting to gain the buy‐in of academic departments to implement a culture change in their departments.

More research could be carried out into a cross‐section of British universities with HR‐led change initiatives to broaden the data collection. Limitations in this research include the relatively small number of interviewees. A greater cross‐section of interviewees would have been beneficial.

The originality of this paper is in the relatively un‐discussed nature of the role of the HR department in change initiatives at HEI and how this could be improved, therefore this could be beneficial for HR departments in this sector.

Evidence from a survey of the Irish Q Mark companies suggests that there are implications for both the human resource (HR) function and for human resource practices where organizations are involved in the implementation of quality intiatives. In some cases the HR function has taken a role in strategic decision making and responsibility for the communications, training and involvement measures necessary to support the quality programmes. HR practices have also changed in some organizations, with a revision of selection, training and appraisal methods. From the employee’s perspective, quality programmes appear to lead, through teamworking and communications mechanisms, to increased involvement. However, the reporting and control measures allied to quality have the potential to increase the monitoring of work and there is little evidence that reward structures have been revised to take account of changes in work practices.

The first company under the Amara Raja Group was established in 1984, i.e. Amara Raja Electronics Limited (AREL) followed by Amara Raja Batteries Limited (ARBL). Its founder leveraged the presence of his family in Renigunta, a rural village in South India, and chose to start the industry there to create employment opportunities. Preference is given to local population in all ARG enterprises. Despite its strong people orientation, the HR department/function at ARG got strengthened only after Jaikrishna strived to make it central to business. The department's evolution has been demarcated in three phases. The first and second phase saw few initiatives, and during the third phase the HR department was structured according to the Dave Ulrich Strategic HR Model. While this structure had been successful until now, certain sections in ARG still doubted its sustainability.

The aim of this paper is to explore the importance and development of HR consulting and change management skills.

The paper describes the results of a study of HR consulting and change management skills, and the practical application of consulting and change management skills through professional education combined with action learning in a major global corporation.

The HR professionals in the study, drawn from a wide range of organizations, industries and geographies, tend to have a much higher level of confidence in their consulting and change management skills than the line managers who participated in this research.

In addition to pointing out specific areas where consulting and change management skills need to be improved, the paper demonstrates the value of increased skills through a case example of the impact of improving HR professional consulting and change skills in a top European‐based and global energy company. Following the review of this initiative and its impact, the paper identifies specific practical steps and methods for increasing HR consulting and change management effectiveness.

This paper assesses the role of human resource (HR) managers adopting a strategic role and devolution of HR work to the line in work organisations, and details interviews with 46 line managers drawn from an exploratory study in three work organisations in the UK over a two‐year period. The study finds that HR managers can be seen to be both engaging in the process of enhancing employee wellbeing at work, and also acting against it. The conclusions drawn are that, while the advantages to employee wellbeing through adopting a strategic HR approach led by HR managers and devolution of HR work to the line are numerous, the potential costs to employee wellbeing are also significant. The latter must be addressed by organisations if future employee commitment to these organisations is to be secured.

An increased understanding of the capabilities needed for HR Analytics and how to build synergies from these capabilities is of practical and academic importance. Using the lens of Systems Theory, an explorative case study is performed in a multinational food distribution company that is building its HR Analytics Capabilities. In this study, the synergistic enablers and mechanisms have been examined in practice for the domain of HR Analytics and the BA Capabilities involved (clustered into Technology, Governance, Analytic Practices and Processes, People and Culture). Examples of (in)compatibilities, integration efforts, mechanisms and synergistic outcomes are given from the case organization. This study provides insights on how in practice the interaction between BA Capabilities can lead to synergistic relationships and synergistic outcomes and through what mechanisms and enablers this is being facilitated. The study contributes to HR Analytics and IS literature in terms of the use of synergistic enablers and mechanisms in practice.

This chapter presents digital reverse mentoring as a novel kind of human and technological resource management intervention. It presents a case study of digital reverse mentoring at a large metal multinational. It highlights the various design elements of digital reverse mentoring that contribute towards achieving digital transformation and rebuilding of mindsets in the company. Through the case study the chapter also suggests that HRM needs to look beyond adoption of technological tools to actively participate in addressing the strategic concerns of digital transformation in a company.

Company programs to hire military veterans and Olympic athletes represent a convergence of responsibilities, interests, and opportunities for human resources (HR) and public relations (PR) staffs. These employment initiatives often reflect corporate social responsibility (CSR) values as well as business goals. This chapter explores why companies create special hiring programs, how they are integrated into an HR function, and the role of PR in communicating about the program as part of a socially responsible mission. Though distinctive in their roles – HR in managing corporate staffing and PR in shaping a company’s image and promoting its brands – these two functions can jointly amplify the value and impact of special hiring programs.

Although line managers have always been involved in managing human resources (HR), it is within human resource management (HRM) that their involvement has been placed centre‐stage as a core element of an HR approach. This article reports findings from 40 interviews with line managers on their experiences in handling HR work that has been devolved to them, from a study of three different UK work organisations. The study finds that significant organisational benefits and costs exist from involving the line in HR work. The article concludes that participation of both line and HR managers in HRM needs to be re‐assessed, as line involvement in HRM is a problematic initiative for organisations to adopt.

Examines five strategic human resource management (HRM) issues using a qualitative methodology. Two of these are related to the central organisational‐level constructs of structure and culture. The other three pertain to HR strategy, HR competencies, and HR outsourcing. The study employed the multiple‐case design method proposed by Yin, with a view to extending theory in strategic HRM research. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 35 managers (CEOs, line managers, and HR managers) of nine companies from two major industries in the manufacturing sector – electronic products and machinery/equipment. The research found that top management enlightenment and level of HR competencies together determine the role and status of the HR function in organisations, and that the companies studied pursue four types of HR strategies: informal and not communicated; informal and communicated; formal but not communicated; and formal and communicated. HR strategy was found to affect both vertical and horizontal fits of the HR function. Culture, HR strategy and HR competencies influenced organisational propensity to outsource HR activities.