The David Ulrich HRM model

bY: Lauren O'Donoghue, June 17, 2021

The David Ulrich strategic HRM model is used by customer-
focused companies around the world to improve efficiency and
efficacy in their HRM departments.
Ulrich's model helps to organize roles and responsibilities across
HRM departments, by defining who is responsible and accountable
for the key tasks that contribute to the smooth running of any
business. Additionally, Ulrich’s model is an opportunity for us to
think through and conceptualize HRM roles.
What is The David Ulrich HRM model?
The Ulrich model of HRM helps to organize roles and
responsibilities across HR departments. This HRM model was first
introduced by David Ulrich in 1995 as a way of organizing HRM
functions.
Meant particularly for larger corporations with big and unwieldy
teams, the model is designed to streamline ways of working and
ensure every team member is clear on their roles and
responsibilities, and what they're accountable for. However, influential to conceptualize roles in
the HRM Departments play, the model shaped how all organizations work with the HRM
function. The Resource-based view of human resources (where people are seen as key assets
and human capital in an organization are main strategic enablers), also accentuate that Ulrich’s
model is not only applicable in large organizations anymore.
Ulrich splits the role of HRM into four key foci:

HRM Dept as Strategic Partner. The Strategic Partner is there to help the organization to
manage the development and growth of the workforce. HRM look to the customer to see what
they could make better, and they review the systems and processes that might help to deliver

1
what the customer wants and needs more efficiently. This role drove the human capital
movement.
HRM Dept as Administrative Expert. This is a view of the HRM Dept as, mostly an internally
focused role. They manage costs, people, and the overall delivery of the day-to-day 'business
as usual' output. The external role is mostly to ensure that the organization complies to meet
the demands of legal requirements.
HRM Dept as Change Agent. The Change Agent role looks into the company's overall culture
and thinks about how it can be better, both from a personal and professional perspective. They'll
connect with line managers to lead and facilitate change to make the organization a better place
for everyone.
HRM Dept as Employee Champion. The Employee Champion role aids employees to speak
up and ensures they feel heard and respected at work. They support the delivery of processes
and practicalities that ensure safeguarding, and they can also help to make sure the company's
people are happier and healthier, which is of huge overall benefit to the organization.
This sets up the framework for a high-functioning HRM department and clearly defines which
roles should be focused on people and processes. Within those roles, it states whether each
individual should be looking at operational or strategic planning. This framework also helpd us
to think about HRM Departments main purpose in organizations.
The core goals attached to the model are to:
 Create a high-functioning and unified team structure in the HRM Dept.
 Define every role in the HRM department.
 Ensure the company is performing to its best and operating competitively.
 Measure performance of HRM to consistently do better.
The model was particularly revolutionary at the time as it put talent sourcing and future-thinking
firmly on the radar, and showed them to be as significant as the more traditional HR roles of
employee assistance and administrative tasks.

Who is David Ulrich?

2
David Ulrich is an HRM consultant, university professor, author, speaker, management coach,
and thought leader in HRM. He was born in Nevada in 1953 but grew up in Oregon. Ulrich
attended Birmingham Young University, before earning a Ph.D. in Business Organisation
Theory.
The focus of Ulrich's professional career has been strategic leadership and human resources
practices, and his HR books have helped thousands of businesses to address internal structure
issues, make positive changes and improve productivity and effectiveness.
Among many other topics, he's helped to shape thinking in aligning HR practices to customer
needs, the outcomes of effective leadership, and how investing in leadership can increase
shareholder value.
In the HRM world, David Ulrich is considered a guru, even though many now argue that his
theories are becoming increasingly outdated in a modern, technology-focused world. The
fundamental principles of his work continue to help many companies organize their HR function
in a way that better supports both people and processes.
Is the David Ulrich HR model still relevant?
When Ulrich's HR model came out, HR departments were not generally as efficient and forward-
thinking as they are now and there was certainly a need for a foundation on which to base and
build an HRM team on.
These days, HRM teams in many businesses tend to deliver both the everyday output that
ensures people feel supported and well looked after, while also proactively looking to the future
by sourcing talent, working on strategies, and helping to stay one step ahead of the competition.

A lot may have changed in terms of landscape, but the Ulrich model still has a great deal
of importance and relevance for modern businesses. Especially those with HRM departments
that recognize it as a useful foundation, and can build on it in a way that works for the particular
needs of their business.
Core Principles

3
Ulrich's HR model provided clarity of focus that greatly improved the efficiency of HRM
departments in thousands of large-scale companies, which ultimately helped to improve the
customer experience.
Splitting the work into four key areas (Strategic Partner, Administrative Expert, Change Agent,
and Employee Champion) helped to define roles and responsibilities and ensured safeguarding,
employee satisfaction, and the future of the company were not being neglected in favor of more
traditional HR tasks.
Source: Based on https://www.testcandidates.com/magazine/the-david-ulrich-hr-model/