nce in the position but increasingly position descriptions include broader statements about the role of the employee in the overall goal of the organisation. This can be seen in statements such as:- the commitment to flexibility in work practices and the willingness to undertake further learning which are becoming commonplace as human resources become increasingly involved in assisting employees to align their goals with that of the organisation. Another example of this is the emphasis on employees contributing to quality activities outside of their immediate duties such as occupational safety and productivity reviews. All of these are part of the strategy to manage employee behaviour so as to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Numbers of Australian banks such as the ANZ bank have used various models of influencing employee culture in order to improve the outcome for the company and shareholders (Schuler, 1997, p. 52). Sherriton and Stern (1997, p.27) view cultural change as the most critical challenge facing human resource professionals. Changing Needs for Human Resource ManagementTransformation of human resource management has been necessitated in part as a result of the rapid globalisation of the markets, changing societal values and demographics and the fundamental technological revolution that has occurred over the last ten years. Robinson (1989) identified eight key changes that impact on organisations in the United States. These changes included a diverse workforce with an increasing proportion of women. The average age of the workforce has increased to over 40 years and there has been increasing levels of illiteracy. A shrinking labour force particularly at the entry level, along with an increase in the numbers of part-time workers or other flexible work contracts has also challenged the role of human resource management. Furthermore an increase in the numbers of employees being supervised by one manager, the use of te...
