Aligning organizational culture and strategic human resource management

Purpose As strategic human resource management (SHRM) continues to grow as an important issue for organizations, it is imperative to examine all factors that contribute to the success and failure of the organization’s human resources (HR) and strategy implementation. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that organizational culture should be an integral factor when considering SHRM. The authors also present a model for the strategy-culture-SHRM linkage and propositions to guide future research. Design/methodology/approach The authors present a conceptual model proposing organizational culture as a moderator of the relationship between an organization’s strategy and SHRM. Findings In addition to the conceptual model, the authors present a number of testable propositions for determining how firm performance and effectiveness may depend on the linkage between strategy and the utilization of HR as a competitive advantage. Originality/value Currently, there is a lack of research regarding the conceptualization of organizational culture as a moderator between an organization’s strategy and SHRM. We discuss the importance of the alignment of HR both as a source of competitive advantage and an influence on an organization’s strategy. The authors integrate the current research to create arguments for testable propositions and future research directions. The authors also argue that misalignments may occur which may prove detrimental to the organization.