HR Needs in Strategic Types
The strategy an organisation chooses will assist it to compete in its industry and aims to maintain competitive advantage. Maintaining competitive advantage requires creating value usually by reducing cost or by differentiating a product or service. Depending on the strategy adopted a company will need to align HR to support its strategy. Organisations should be scanning their overall position regularly and refine their strategy to maintain competitive in their industry.
HR can influence 'role behaviours and attitudes' and specific skills required for general 'competence' to achieve the organisation's desired strategy.
EXAMPLE
Cost Strategy
Employees need to engage role behaviours with a high concern for quantity and short-term focus on efficient production satisfied working with repetitive tasks
Differentiation Strategy
Employees need to be creative, develop new ideas, have a tolerance for ambiguity with a focus on quality and long term.
There are a myriad of strategies an organisation may take such as; directional, concentration, internal growth, external growth, downsizing, emergent, etc.
Your strategic human resources activities will develop your human capital pool capability (knowledge, skill, behaviours) to adapt to a company's constant changing environment.