An Examination of the Factors Associated with the Integration of Human Resource Management and Strategic Decision Making

Organizational researchers have long recognized the need for top managers to diagnose, respond to, and even anticipate economic, political, and cultural events that have actual or potential effects on organizations. The key difference between tradition conceptions of human resource management and strategic HRM is the extent to which human resource management is integrated with the strategic decision-making processes that direct organizational efforts to cope with the environment. The strategic HRM perspective considers employees a strategic resource. It is observed that in organizations where top managers viewed employees as a strategic resource, there is a greater integration among its workers. This would seem to suggest that integration is one logical mechanism through which to capitalize on any competitive advantage this particular resource might provide. At a broader level, this result provides sorely needed evidence related to the resource-based view of the firm