E-Human Resource Management 5. This book is presented in four sections — the first intended to be more general in nature, the following three devoted to specific aspects of the HRM field in the new information era. Section I, The Cutting-Edge in HRM, presents an overview of how ITCs are modifying general HRM processes and functions. This is the aim of the first three contributions. | 22 Paauwe Farndale Williams Box 4. Four roles of HR in the knowledge economy Lengnick-Hall Lengnick-Hall 2002 Human Capital Steward HR can act as a facilitator in partnership with employees with the aim of achieving the highest return possible on the company s human capital investments. Human capital goes beyond task-related knowledge skills and abilities to include general life experiences social skills values beliefs and attitudes. As such individuals need to be guided and facilitated rather than controlled and dominated. The HR department needs to lose the policing or paternalistic role to encourage individual voluntary contribution. Given human capital s value to the organization and that it is both unique and perishable appropriate strategies for hiring training retaining and removing need to be adopted including the encouragement of innovation and flexibility. Knowledge Facilitator The HR department has a role to play in facilitating both knowledge capital held in explicit and implicit sources and knowledge flows. This can be achieved by promoting an understanding and value of knowledge management creating knowledge sharing and usage expectations. Other strategies include schemes for continuous learning and brokering knowledge exchange. An overhaul of existing appraisal and compensation practices may be required to support the desired knowledge management behaviors. Furthermore the HR department needs to encourage the organization to change its behavior in light of what it learns. Relationship Builder The focus here lies on managing relationships between individuals and groups both internal and external to the organization to enhance social capital across the total value chain. However relationships are complex requiring multiple dimensions to be considered including rapport trust respect empathy bonding collaboration breadth scope range of transactions and affinity interest attraction . Appropriate HRM strategies for building such relationships include .
