ABSTRACT
The argument presented here is concerned with the way in which organisations produce and reproduce themselves as texts. As such, it seeks to give some attention to the ways in which strategic planning can be related to a disregard of the moment in favour of some hypothetical future state which is invariably preferable to the present. This concern for futurity not only involves a vicarious engagement with the present but also, by an emphasis on progress and improvement, leads to a concern with measurement and a desire for well-defined means of determining whether or not any achievement towards future goals has been made. The concept of benchmarking typifies this need for performance measures and suggests a fundamental need for reassurance that the organisation is, after all, moving in the right direction. Of course, the trajectory of strategic development is not only about parameters of normality but also about improvement. Organisational life is replete with the exhortation to improve and, moreover, to continue endlessly to improve. So, all aspects of organisational life are subjected to the ‘totalising discourse’ (Knights and McCabe, 1997) of quality management, culture change or whatever is the current vogue in change terminology.
HRM style practices involve:
Personnel or human resource issues becoming the concern of all managers (as opposed to being delegated to a personnel function).
Human resourcing issues becoming central to all strategic-level deliberations in the organisation.
The development of a strong culture encouraging employees to be highly committed to the organisation and its continuous improvement.
Account of high commitment HR practices, (Leopold, Harris and Watson, 1999: 30)
