A voice at the table: Exploring strategic human resource development at a South African private hospital group

Abstract

Orientation: Although strategic human resource development (SHRD) is widely proposed for organisational effectiveness, its implementation in highly regulated industries, such as healthcare, may be adversely impacted.
Research purpose: Using McCracken and Wallace’s SHRD characteristics and Garavan’s model, the study investigated how human resource managers (HRMs) in a South African private hospital group understood and implemented SHRD.
Motivation for the study: In healthcare settings where professional hierarchies, centralised governance and regulatory pressures influence human resource development (HRD) practices, the study addressed research calls to capture practitioners’ perspectives in such complicated contexts.
Research approach/design and method: A qualitative, interpretive design was employed. Five purposefully selected HRMs were individually interviewed about their SHRD practices. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis process.
Main findings: Human resource developments implemented SHRD, but in a fragmented and inconsistent manner, contradicting the integrated approach proposed by SHRD theory. Strategic human resource development was unevenly implanted in the hospital context, due to contextual constraints.
Practical/managerial implications: The findings suggest contextualised SHRD frameworks, enhanced cross-level partnerships, developing SHRD competencies and local HRD discretion in HRD planning and decision-making.
Contribution/value-add: The study offers a more situated view of SHRD in practice, demonstrating that contextual factors, such as professional power dynamics, regulatory pressures and centralised control, influence implementation in healthcare, rather than merely highlighting implementation gaps.