Abstract
AbstractThis article examines the perceived importance of human resource (HR) practitioners' role as ‘organisational professionals’ at national and organisational levels. Informed by institutionalist theory and drawing upon interviews at national and organisational levels, a dissonance is identified in the degree to where HR's non‐substitutable expertise lies. It is concluded that HR's role in dealing with workplace conflict is under‐recognised at national level as it does not fit with the proactive ‘strategic’ narrative seen to be what HR needs to achieve to be influential. At organisational level, however, conflict management is a source of power because, unlike many other HR roles—valued as they may be—conflict management is the role that can least be substituted by non‐specialist HR practitioners because of its unpredictability.
Highlights
Expertise in dealing with workplace conflict is identified as the most important resource held by human resource (HR) professionals, while this is downplayed at national level
Drawing cascaded evidence from policy documentation, national‐level interviews and two comprehensive organisational United Kingdom (UK) case studies, we find that while HR's role in dealing with day‐to‐day workplace conflict is in plain sight at organisational level; it is absent in national‐level strategists' and opinion‐formers’ narratives
This article has sought to identify what attributes of HR practice are deemed important to claim legitimacy as an organisational profession at national level and at organisational level
Summary
2. In the United Kingdom, the HR profession is successfully led by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development which defines the occupation by defining the knowledge and behaviours of would‐be entrants to the profession. 1. This article asks what are the core non‐substitutable resources that qualified HR professionals call on to justify their position. 2. Empirical research conducted at national and organisational levels identify a mismatch with what is deemed essential. 3. At organisational level, expertise in dealing with workplace conflict is identified as the most important resource held by HR professionals, while this is downplayed at national level
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