This document discusses the evolving role of line managers in people management. As HR responsibilities have increasingly been devolved to line managers, they now play a critical role in implementing HR policies and practices. However, line managers often struggle with people management tasks due to a lack of ability, motivation, and opportunity. Their effectiveness in enacting HR strategies can significantly impact employee experiences and perceptions. To better support line managers, organizations should provide training, involve them in policy design, set clear expectations, and recognize their people management work. When properly supported, line managers are well positioned to act as agents that shape employee attitudes towards the organization.
This document discusses the evolving role of line managers in people management. As HR responsibilities have increasingly been devolved to line managers, they now play a critical role in implementing HR policies and practices. However, line managers often struggle with people management tasks due to a lack of ability, motivation, and opportunity. Their effectiveness in enacting HR strategies can significantly impact employee experiences and perceptions. To better support line managers, organizations should provide training, involve them in policy design, set clear expectations, and recognize their people management work. When properly supported, line managers are well positioned to act as agents that shape employee attitudes towards the organization.
This document discusses the evolving role of line managers in people management. As HR responsibilities have increasingly been devolved to line managers, they now play a critical role in implementing HR policies and practices. However, line managers often struggle with people management tasks due to a lack of ability, motivation, and opportunity. Their effectiveness in enacting HR strategies can significantly impact employee experiences and perceptions. To better support line managers, organizations should provide training, involve them in policy design, set clear expectations, and recognize their people management work. When properly supported, line managers are well positioned to act as agents that shape employee attitudes towards the organization.
This document discusses the evolving role of line managers in people management. As HR responsibilities have increasingly been devolved to line managers, they now play a critical role in implementing HR policies and practices. However, line managers often struggle with people management tasks due to a lack of ability, motivation, and opportunity. Their effectiveness in enacting HR strategies can significantly impact employee experiences and perceptions. To better support line managers, organizations should provide training, involve them in policy design, set clear expectations, and recognize their people management work. When properly supported, line managers are well positioned to act as agents that shape employee attitudes towards the organization.
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Derby Business School
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Developing and Managing Performance
6. The Role of the Line Manager
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By the end of this session you will be able to:
Discuss the devolution of people management to line managers
Analyse the importance of line management in performance management Critically evaluate the ability and motivation of line managers to manage people effectively and the opportunities provided to them to do so.
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The evolving role of the line manager in people
management Causes: Results: New strategic role for HR an IRS survey (2006) found Integrated/shared responsibility for that in six in ten organisations people management (partnership) FLMs had taken on more Proximity to employees responsibility in the past three Technological advances years and in a recent CIPD Team briefing, appraising etc survey of HR/training direct management initiatives rather specialists almost three than channelling through trade quarters of respondents unions reported that line managers Decentralisation, financial autonomy had increased involvement for and responsibility learning and development Cost cutting activities in the last two years (CIPD 2007c) (Purcell et al 2009:62)
Growing responsibility for people management
Implementation: Appraisal Attendance management Recruitment and Selection Communication Training and development Disciplinary and Grievance Career Development Reward decisions Administration
Design:
The CIPD learning and
development survey finds that 51 per cent of respondents claim line managers have some involvement in determining learning and development strategy, and 4 per cent say the main responsibility rested with line management (CIPD 2007C) (Purcell et al 2009:63)
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Why are line managers so important?
1. Implementation: Rhetoric v Reality The HR causal Chain model Intended HR practices
Actual HR practices
Experienced practices
Line manager enactment
While some HR practices may have an impact on employees directly, most
rely on line manager action or supportEmployee perceptions of HR practices are therefore likely to be influenced by how their managers implement and enact these HR practices, or bring practices to life (Purcellet al 2009:65)
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e.g. Enactment of Reward Policy and Practice
(Purcell and Hutchinson 2007) The line manager must Set and communicate standard of performance/behaviour Clarify the aims of reward schemes Assess performance levels Communicate assessment decisions to staf Defend decisions
But. Difficulties differentiating between staff Lack ownership of the process Find it time consuming and bureaucratic Poor appraisal skills to assess performance Dislike holding difficult conversations
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Training and development
Recruitment & selection Pay satisfaction Work life balance
Performance appraisal
Ability and skill Motivation and incentive Opportunit y to participate
Front line management - implementing - enacting - leading - controlling
Challenge/ autonomy Teamworking
Career opportunity
Involvement Communication
Job security
Organisation commitment
Discretionary Behaviour
Motivation Job Satisfaction
Performance outcomes +
Why are Line
Managers so Critical? (Purcell et al 2003)
Why are line managers important?
2. Discretionary Behaviour? Making choices in the way jobs are done (e.g. speed, care, innovation, style of job delivery) Hard to define monitor/control the effort/innovation and productive behaviours required Everyday behaviours that the employer wants but relies on the employee to deliver
Can be conscious or unconscious
Can be withdrawn, reciprocal, individual or collective (breaching the contract)
Why are line managers important?
3. Relationships Social exchange theoryemphasises the important of leadership behaviour and tell us that a reciprocal relationship exists between employees perceptions of the degree of support the organisations provided to meet their expectations and their own behaviour (Purcell et al 2009:64)
Leader-Member Exchange Theory:
LMX (Uhl Bien et al 2000) Subordinate effort Subordinate commitment Subordinate loyalty and support Open communication Assistance with administrative duties Organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) Less use of pressure tactics to influence the leader Higher satisfaction Better performance
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Agents of the organisation
(Hutchinson 2013)
To what extent do you
trust your senior management to look after your best interests?
A lot Somewhat Only a little Not at all
% 25 34 23 18
(Guest and Conway, CIPD 2004)
the immediate supervisor
plays a critical role as a key agent of the organisation through which members form their perceptions of the organisation (Liden et al 2004) employees views of the organisation can be shaped by the overall quality of their relationship with their line manager (Hutchinson 2013:73)
the tasks (skills and knowledge) Feeling of line managers they dont need training its common sense Faddish nature of PM&D interventions seen it all before. Line management disdain for HRM/PM&D work Not a rewarded or recognised element of their job Competing work pressures not seen as a priority Perceived as too difficult Benefits not understood Heavy workload, lack of time Lack of support, recognition and rewards for undertaking HR? Its not my job!
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The role of the line manager in reward
Respondents viewed the costs of IPRP as significantly outweighing its benefits. The amount of managerial time it subsumed, the conflicts it could create and the potential for decisions that decreased rather than increased levels of employee trust were seen as more likely to lead to adverse consequences than positive outcomes (Harris 2001 p1191)
Lack of involvement in reward design Line managers felt schemes
were imposed (therefore lack of ownership) Perceived size of compensation pot too small for such a small amount it is not worth the hassle involved (p1186) Taking up growing amounts of managerial time Criticism of associated bureaucracy and paper work the paper trail becoming and end in itself Too great a focus on individual targets negative impact on flexibility and creativity Unworkable in periods of significant internal restructuring and should be discontinued (p1188) Priority on reinforcing managerial trustworthiness leading to abdication management
Hidden Agendas impact on IPRP effectiveness
(Harris 2001 p1184) Hidden Agenda Change the culture Remove complacency
managers Fairer reward systems Identify and reward good performance
Reduced employee flexibility
Erosion of commitment Distrust of management Feelings of unfairness Loss of goodwill Motivates high performer in short term
The need for line manager support
(Review Hutchinson 2013 pgs 89-93)
Education on the reasons for introducing HR policies and The picture we have of the practices FLM role, therefore, is one of Training on how to implement increasing responsibilities, work them overload, role ambiguity and Well-designed, consistent and dilemmas concerning appropriate HR policies for competing priorities. Line management to apply managers often have other Involvement of line managers more immediate business in policy design priorities than managing the People management objectives people working for them, and Recognition and reward of consequently people people management activities management may be taken Realistic workloads less seriously (Purcell et al Senior Management support 2009:62)
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Partnership Working
Further Reading
Harris L (2001) Rewarding employee performance: line managers values,
beliefs and perspectives, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol 12 No 7 pp11820-01192 Purcell J, Hutchinson S (2007) Front-line managers as agents in the HRMperformance causal chain: theory, analysis and evidence, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol 17, No 1, 3-19 Purcell J, Hutchinson S (2007) Rewarding work, The vital role of line managers, London, CIPD Available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/hrresources/research/rewarding-work-vital-line-managers-role.aspx Renwick D (2003) Line manager involvement in HRM: an inside view, Employee Relations, Vol 25 No 3: 262-280 Whittaker S, Marchington M (2003) Devolving HR responsibility to the line, Threat: opportunity or partnership?, Employee Relations, Vol 25, No 3 245261
The Talent Management Handbook, Third Edition - Making Culture A Competitive Advantage by Acquiring, Identifying, Developing, and Promoting The Best People
Iles, P., Chuai, X. and Preece, D. (2010) 'Talent Management and HRM in Multinational Companies in Beijing: Definitions, Differences and Drivers', Journal of
The Talent Management Handbook, Third Edition - Making Culture A Competitive Advantage by Acquiring, Identifying, Developing, and Promoting The Best People
Iles, P., Chuai, X. and Preece, D. (2010) 'Talent Management and HRM in Multinational Companies in Beijing: Definitions, Differences and Drivers', Journal of
