HRM Devolution: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Real-World Examples

This essay examines the devolution of Human Resource Management (HRM) responsibilities to line managers. It defines HRM devolution as the transfer of tasks like recruitment, employee relations, and performance appraisals from HR managers to line managers to improve efficiency and employee engagement. The essay discusses the advantages, including strategic focus for HR, alignment of HR practices, and cost savings. Disadvantages highlighted are resistance to change, inconsistent practices, increased workload for line managers, and potential loss of control and competence. A real-world example of Samsung is provided, illustrating both the benefits and challenges of this approach. The essay references scholarly articles to support its arguments and extends the discussion into new and relevant areas of HRM, offering a comprehensive analysis of the topic.

Running head: HRM
HRM
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

HRM
The Human Resource Devolution can be successfully defined as the passing down of
certain responsibilities to the line managers in order to ensure that the activities can get
distributed easily and the performance of the Human resource management as an enterprise can
be improved to a greater extent. The procedure is generally undertaken by involving the line
managers to undertake certain tasks which need to be ideally carried out by the Human Resource
managers such as recruitment, ensuring overall satisfaction of the employees and meeting of
their overall needs (Sparrow et al. 2016). By devolving the Line managers with the
responsibilities of the Human resource manager, the enterprise will be able to engage in
development of close associations between the various employees and their associated managers.
Some of the HR policies and activities which are necessarily devoured can be mentioned to be
the recruitment selection, the employee relations, the grievance management and training and
associated recruitment activities as well.
As the line managers are involved in a close association with the various employees, they
can carry out the associated plans, promotions as well as the performance appraisal aspect in a
better manner. The procedure of the Human resource devolution has certain advantages as well
as disadvantages as well which can be discussed to be as follows:
Advantages
 Strategic capability for HR managers: When the regular tasks of the enterprise shall be
given out to the different HR managers then in such a scenario, the enterprise will be able
to ensure that it is being able to focus on the overall strengthening of the strategic
capability of the managers and the HR can focus on the strategic vision of the firms.
 Strengthening and Aligning the HR: Secondly, when the line managers will be held
responsible for carrying out the tasks of the Human resource, they will be able to
understand the activities in a better manner and this will be assisting in aligning the
Human resource of the firm (Perry and Kulik 2008).
 Cost Savings: No new HR recruits would be required to be hired by the firm and in this
scenario; it would be saving enormous costs of the enterprise and would lead to better
results.

HRM
 Better engagement: The devolving the HR department, the Line managers would be
handling the operations of the employees and would understand their issues in a better
manner.
Disadvantages
 Resistance to change: One of the biggest disadvantages in this scenario is the fact that it
leads to resistance to change. If the managers are not satisfied with the task, they would
not be willing to undertake this initiative.
 Inconsistent practices: As the line managers are not trained in the Human resource
domain, they are bound to make certain mistakes which may then impact the employee
welfare as a whole.
 Increased workload: The workload of the different employees has increased consistently
and in consideration of this, the line managers may be under the feeling that they are
being burdened (Bratton and Gold 2017).
 Lack of control and competence: Lastly, once the line managers are involved in the
procedure of the Human resource manager, the HR Department may lose out on the
control of the operations.
The example of Samsung can be taken in this scenario whereby, the different employees
are often placed under the control of their managers and they are motivated to undertake
initiatives which would benefit the HR Department as a whole. However, one critical aspect to
be considered in this scenario is related to the fact that, in the case of Samsung, there is a
growing resentment towards the firm due to added responsibilities.

HRM
References
Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
Perry, E and Kulik, C. ,2008. The devolution of HR to the line: Implications for perceptions of
people management effectiveness. International journal of Human Resource Management. 19(2)
pp. 262-273
Sparrow, P., Brewster, C. and Chung, C., 2016. Globalizing human resource management.
Routledge.