The recognition of the role played by the employees in the knowledge industry brought a transition to the responsibility of the human resource department from recruitment and other mundane jobs to the formulation and implementation of the company strategies.

For the successful implementation of the strategies which have a long term impact on the organisation, the support and performance of the employees from all strata of the organisation is inevitable. The human resource department is the only department which has access and whose activities have a direct impact on all the employees. Hence, the role played by the HR in the implementation of the strategy is considerable.

For the acceptance of the strategy into the system, the organisation must have a culture that exudes a positive attitude to the changes brought in by the long term policies. Generally people are hesitant to adopt changes to their normal routine. So the first step of the HR department is to convince the people the need to move with the transitions occurring in the business world. Proper training and developmental activities are required to convince the employees the need to change.

Once this culture is introduced into the system, the next step is to ensure that a cordial relationship exists between all levels of the organisation. To formulate the long term plans the senior level management requires the knowledge, data and support of the middle and lower level management. The “thrust” of the strategy drafted at the top level of the organisation can be experienced in every business and function involved in the organisation. But the competition existing within the different businesses of the same organisation makes it difficult to acquire data required for the formulation of the strategy. As only a few are involved in the preparation of the strategy, the politics and competition existing within the system makes access to information difficult for them. Removal of the discontent and strain in the relationships is the task of the human resource department.

On the formulation of the strategy, the human resource department is to ensure that it is adopted by the workers into their daily routine. This requires educating the employees the reason for the specific policy by the top level management. The participation of the lower level managers is required to drive the subordinates towards the success of the policies. The employees must be convinced of how the acceptance of the policies can be of advantage for their personal and career development.

The human resource department must be aware of the problems that can arise on the implementation of the strategies. The line managers who are in direct contact with the employees can aid in having the “feel” of the employees. The human resource department task continues beyond this. They have to constantly review the changes brought into the system by strategy and make the necessary changes to the organisational structure and HR policies to guarantee its success.

Thus the role played by the HR in the implementation of the strategy is crucial to the organisation.