Emerging issues in strategic HRM in Singapore

To face the onslaught of hypercompetition, organizations need to be responsive and flexible. The human factor, if managed effectively, is perhaps the most important in imparting organizational flexibility. Managing the human factor as a competitive tool falls in the domain of strategic human resource management. This article discusses the state of HRM in Singapore. It identifies five important issues in strategic HRM field that, if fully understood, would help scholars and practitioners develop better theoretical frameworks. Specifically, it is proposed that the link between HR and strategy depends on the type of strategy pursued by the organization; organizational culture influences the status of HR and its integration with the rest of the organization; the competencies of HR managers affect the status of HR and its link with organizational strategy; HR strategy or lack of it affects the HR function’s vertical and horizontal fits; these factors all influence the outsourcing of HR activities.