A strategy with an organisation of your choice

Perhaps the most important resource in an organisation is its people so the role people play how they interact through formal and informal processes and the relationships that they build are crucial to the success of strategy. This report will look at the Human resource strategies at Hewlett Packard and at those of Seagate Technology, two companies at the forefront of information technology. “Strategic management is about managing for long-term success.

By understanding and applying the principles of strategic management you can greatly enhance your success as a business person and your effectiveness as a manager”1 By formulating and implementing effective strategies business performance can be enhanced. Human Resource Strategies at Hewlett Packard Hewlett Packard’s reputation for innovation and enlightened people management is lauded not only amongst academics and management gurus but also by other major companies.

From its origin as garage business producing technical equipment in 1937 to its present-day status as a $47 billion-a-year company, the emphasis has been on fast-paced innovation together with a highly sophisticated performance management process and a set of cultural values enshrined in the ‘HP Way’2 The major strength of HP has been the manner in which it strongly links business and human resource strategies. This gains clarity from the business planning process. Both the long-term plan and the annual plan have clear HR elements.

For the long term, strong leadership and organisational development processes are combined with detailed scanning of demographic trends to ensure capabilities will align with long-term aims. For the annual plan, the performance management system uses various mechanisms to plan, monitor and assess individual performance. Human Resource Strategies at Seagate Technology Revolutionizing a Digital World When Seagate was founded in 1979, it was the first company to build 5. 25″ hard disc drives specifically for the PC.

And while it may have seemed like a minor milestone at the time, in reality the introduction of Seagate’s hard disc drives helped fuel the PC revolution, and the world has never been the same. Suddenly, it was possible to quickly and easily store and access data like never before, giving people access to unprecedented amounts of information and eventually giving rise to developments like the Internet. The entire computing landscape changed dramatically and evolved to a point today where computing and digital information has become part of our everyday lives.

For 24 years Seagate has been developing the technology and manufacturing the products that helped make it all happen. Seagate believe their employee’s are a vital component in their overall strategy to be the world’s largest disc drive manufacturer and put a lot of importance in being an “Employer of Choice” 3 HP Corporate Objectives HP’s Corporate Objectives have guided the company in the conduct of its business since 1957, when first written by co-founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. The Corporate Objectives for the New HP include: 4

Customer Loyalty: To provide products, services and solutions of the highest quality and the greatest possible value to our customers, thereby gaining and holding their respect and loyalty. Employee Commitment: To help HP employees share in the company’s success that they make possible; to provide people with employment opportunities based on performance; to create with them a safe, exciting and inclusive work environment that values their diversity and recognizes individual contributions; and to help them gain a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from their work.

Seagate’s greatest strength is its ability to respond quickly and intelligently to the change that is inherent across the industry. Seagate attributes its success to a sound business strategy and exceptional strength in technical competencies, which provides the flexibility to address the worlds rapidly evolving storage needs.