Reconceptualising line management in project‐based organisations. The case of competence coaches at Tetra Pak
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710774061 |
| Date | 14 August 2007 |
| Published date | 14 August 2007 |
| Pages | 815-833 |
| Author | Karin Bredin,Jonas Söderlund |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
Reconceptualising line
management in project-based
organisations
The case of competence coaches at Tetra Pak
Karin Bredin and Jonas So
¨derlund
Department of Management and Engineering, Linko
¨ping University,
Linko
¨ping, Sweden
Abstract
Purpose – The aim of the article is to analyse HR devolution from HR departments to the line. Two
important problems are addressed. The first problem concerns the disregard for the changes in line
management that comes with HR devolution. The second problem addressed deals with the lack of
studies of organisational contingencies.
Design/methodolgy/approach – The paper presents and analyses an in-depth case study of a
radically projected firm within the Tetra Park group where a new HR-oriented management role has
been created to replace the traditional line management role. Based on the case study findings, the
paper elaborates on the new approach to line management and how a new management role is
moulded in the context of project-based organisations.
Findings – Based on literature studies, the paper identifies four key challenges for HRM in
project-based organisations that are critical for the development of the new approach to line
management in such settings. Based on case study observations, it analyses the creation of a new
management role – theso called “competence coach” – in project-based organisation within the Tetra
Park group. It argues that the new approach adopted points to the need of breaking out of traditional
conceptions of line management, and of developing the concept of an HR-oriented management role
that is a legitimate player in the HR organisation of a firm.
Originality/value – The paper provides a rich case description of a project-based firm in a HRM
perspective. The descriptions and the analysis give practical as well as theoretical implications of
HRM issues that arise in project-based firms, and of changes in line management as a way of
developing the capabilities to handle these issues.
Keywords Devolution,Human resource development,Human resource management,Line management
Paper type Case study
The devolution of HR responsibilities
A key theme in contemporary research on HRM is the devolution of HR responsibilities
from HR departments to the line (e.g. Cunningham and Hyman, 1999; Currie and
Procter, 2001; Hall and Torrington, 1998; Larsen and Brewster, 2003; Thornhill and
Saunders, 1998; Whittaker and Marchington, 2003). This trend seems to be well
documented and as Hall and Torrington (1998, p. 41) state, it “has potential
implications for the role of the line managers at all levels, the role and development of
personnel professionals, the feasibility of establishment-wide HR strategy and
consistency in the handling of day-to-day people issues”.
We see two important problems in existing research on the devolution of HR
responsibilities to the line. The first problem concerns the disregard for the changes in
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
Project-based
organisations
815
Received February 2006
Revised March 2006
Accepted October 2006
Personnel Review
Vol. 36 No. 5, 2007
pp. 815-833
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/00483480710774061
line management that comes with devolution; the consequences for HR specialists are
usually the focus of attention. The second problem concerns the lack of studies taking
contextual contingencies into consideration. In this paper, we suggest that this well
recognised process of devolution highlights the need for a closer analysis of the
changes in line management. Furthermore, based on case study findings , we argue that
organisational structure is a fundamental contextual contingency in the analysis of
both contemporary HRM challenges and of the increased HR orientation of line
management. Drawing on recent research on new organisational structures, we
particularly address the project-based organisational context.
The article is structured in the following way. In the next sections, we develop the
discussion of the previously mentioned problems, which together point to the need to
address what is happening to line management in project-based organisations.
Thereafter, we present a single-case study of a company within the Tetra Pak Group.
In the analysis and conclusions sections we concentrate on a few key observations and
avenues for future research.
The empirical case is interesting for several reasons. During a short period of time, the
company under study was drastically changed from being a traditional matrix
organisation into an innovative kind of project-based organisation. The transformation
led to the creation of a new management role – the so-called competence coach – that
substituted the former line management role. The competence coach role was created to
give HRM issues a higher focus and priority. The new organisational structure at Tetra
Pak gives an interesting example of a new approach to line management, which implies
an increased HR orientation. It also provides insights into processes of HR devolution.
Moreover, the case might offer more general insights into the separation of people
responsibilities and technical responsibilities in project-based contexts. We believe that
this can provide a good ground for elaborating on human resource management in new
organisational forms where projects play key roles. Given our empirical focus, it is worth
taking into account that recent empirical studies into project-based forms of organising
have particularly emphasised their effects on management and HR policies and practices
(see, e.g. Hobday, 2000; Whittington et al., 1999).
Devolution makes line managers key players in the HR organisation
The trend to devolve HR responsibilities to the line has been acknowledged in a
number of recent studies, as indicated above. Clark, (1994, p. 21) argues that “Key areas
of personnel activity are increasingly ‘owned’ by line managers who then assume
greater responsibility for more dynamic human resource issues”. Many research ers
suggest that this devolution is problematic for a number of reasons. For examp le,
Larsen and Brewster (2003) question whether line managers have the time, the ability
and the competencies that are required, or if they even have the wish to take on
responsibility for HR. Similarly, McGovern et al. (1997, p. 26) argue that line managers
have limited incentives to get involved in HR activities and that this often leads to a
short-term focus of managerial activity where people issues get low priority. The
studies by Thornhill and Saunders (1998) and Cunningham and Hyman (1999) come to
similar conclusions. Other studies on the other hand, show that line managers welcome
the increased HR responsibilities and are well prepared to take them on (Whittaker and
Marchington, 2003). It seems clear, however, that the devolution of HR responsibilitie s
places new demands on line management; the “new approach” to line management
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