Managing Work And Organisations: Understanding Human Resource Management

This book is an accessible introduction to the key debates in human resource management. It offers a fresh critique of taken-for-granted assumptions underpinning HRM and is a pointer for future directions in HRM. In the book Ken Kamoche critically examines contemporary issues in the management of people. He reviews some of the significant themes that have shaped HRM as it has emerged during the course of the last century.

The book identifies the definitive role of the tension between the drive for organisational performance and the "humanisation" of work. It argues, however, that our understanding of both strands is inadequate and poorly researched, leading to an incomplete picture of the dynamics of managing people. The book also examines the relevance of such contemporary debates as the resource-based view, appropriation and globalisation, and explores how researchers and practitioners can now move towards a more viable conception of HRM.