There are several ways to conceptualize the structure and means for organizing the HR system in an organization.
The first, and perhaps most familiar, is the functional method (Rothwell, Prescott, & Taylor, 1998). In this approach, HR management is organized into units such as employee relations, training, compensation and benefits, and payroll. Each is considered a function because it bears specific responsibilities for the organization 's total HR system.
A second way of structuring HR management is the point of contact method. With this approach, which is much rarer than the functional approach, HR is organized around meeting the needs of its clients , stakeholders, and community. There are separate functions for worker input (such as recruitment, placement, and orientation), maintaining workers (such as payroll, training, compensation, and employee relations), and output (such as decruitment and retirement).
A third way to think about HR management has become popular in recent years . This method divides those who do the work of the HR function into two groups. One group handles transactions, such as processing payroll, making name changes on benefit forms, and updating employee records. A second group extends the people management expertise of the HR function to line management groups, offering on-the-spot, real-time consulting advice to managers and workers who may be dealing with "people challenges."
There are, of course, other ways of organizing the HR function. Basically, the HR subsystems of most organizations include recruitment, selection, performance management, job analysis and evaluation, compensation, payroll, development and improvement, and career and succession planning. But regardless of whether you are an HR specialist or generalist in one of today 's organizations, you should be aware of how competency-based HR management differs from traditional workbased HR management.Figure