Strategic Performance of the Human Resources Management Department: an Exploratory Research on the Implications from the Behavioral Styles of its Professionals

The objective of this paper is to describe the implications of an exploratory investigation toassess the behavioral preferences of employees in Human Resources Management (HRM) applying the concepts of work motivational orientation (Mediating, Analytical, Receptive and Entrepreneurial) taken from the contributions by Erich Fromm about personality and the resulting styles – Collaborator, Negotiator, Competitor, Conqueror, Achiever, Maintainer and Specialist. These styles originated from a data bank, composing 4,981 cases and the groupings that resulted in the seven profiles utilized in the present work were obtained by multivariate statistical analysis. The survey, relying on self-perceptions of 355 individuals, was obtained through the voluntary participation of employees who work in the HRM Department of the private sector and a public health organization. The results have an impact on the strategic and operational roles that human resources itself performs, since a difference in the composition of the behavioral styles was identified depending on the sector where these professional perform their work.

www.bbronline.com.br T hroughout history man has been able to gather people and resources together to overcome all sorts of obstacles and reach determined goals. In order for society to produce the goods that individuals need resources considered as production factors must be used: Physical Capitalcharacterized by the available natural resources such as tools, vehicles, constructions and equipment all used in the process of production; Technologywhich will speed up and increase production that guarantees the competitive edge over other economies; Human Capitalcharacterized by the entire physical and mental effort spent during the production process.
Human capital must be considered a relevant factor for the economic development of any country, without which, there would be no chance of success. This is also valid for the modern organizations of globalization which are constantly becoming more and more competitive in consequence of qualities, competence and, principally, the actions or behaviors of their human capital.
As organizations evolve they become vulnerable to changes in their organizational structure, behavior and the manner in which the employees and collaborators relate with each other. These changes are fundamental because they allow these organizations to adapt to the transformations necessary for market survival.

THE ROLE OF THE PROFESSIONAL AND THE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
In the organizational context, the HRM professional can exercise an influential role in organizational life, by defining policies, practices and tools that affect the levels of job satisfaction, motivation, commitment and relationships within the corporate environment and in this way help the organization, as well as individual employees, reach their objectives.
First of all, the changes that have occurred within the environment and the role of HRM on a national and international scale must be considered. As a consequence of the globalization process, this functional area has been under pressure to become more agile, flexible, innovative, and principally, results focused on the specific areas of Recruitment, Selection, Training, Compensation, Careers, Health and Occupational Safety. It is possible to see a change in paradigm in the areas of HRM within organizations, a demand for strategic positioning of the department, a fact which has, in the last few years, caused this area (HRM) to try and define management policies and practices for the human factor based on the concept of professional competences. The challenge facing the area of HRM and its professionals is now to identify, map, and evaluate skills within the workforce that are in line with the organization's qualities and proficiencies, collaborating as such, more effectively in reaching the goals established. Therefore, the focus is now a search for a new model of human resources that differs from the traditional approach because it is centered on meritocracy, performance management and the added value this brings to the organization DUTRA, 2009;ULRICH, 2009).
It is possible to identify to identify seven themes across time in the HRM literature: (1) explaining contingency perspectives and fit, (2) shifting from a focus on managing people to creating strategic contributions, (3) elaborating HR system components and structure, (4) expanding the scope of SHRM, (5) achieving HR implementation and execution, (6) measuring outcomes of SHRM, and (7)  Theory and research on strategy and human resource management also point to the importance of human and social capital as essential ingredients to the firm's long run success.
Much of the recent research suggests that HRM practices can positively affect firm performance, primarily through their impacts on human and social capital (BULLER; MCEVOY, 2012).These authors stress that the value of the HR function, HR professionals, and HRM practices will ultimately be validated only through their impacts on performance. It is also interesting to notice a major trend that seems to appear to assess HRM role in organizations deals with the implications of a whole-systems ecological approach to the design and implementation of human resource systems; being even possible to find and Finally, there is also evidence that the perceived effectiveness of the HR department in its operational roles is decisive in trade union representatives' general HR effectiveness assessment. On the other hand, for line managers, process-oriented roles are crucial .
These developments are evidence that the course of action taken by the area of HRM within this new paradigm will depend, among others aspects, on the preferred behavioral styles of the HRM professionals, since it is they who should install and lead the proposed changes. However, the courses of action taken will be more visible if the HRM professionals present behavioral styles compatible with the new proposal(s); if they do not, instead of furthering the implementation of the new model, they will represent an obstacle to the process of innovation that HRM must undergo.
In function of the challenges forecast in the theoretical field and the developments considered important and beneficial to the area of HRM, the question that this study proposes to answer is: does this professional have a profile in line with the new model or should he make considerable efforts in personal development?

GENERAL AND SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
Within organizational environments identification of behavioral styles and patterns contributes to the recognition of tendencies in the actions taken by professionals that can be used to guide their training, development and placement in the workplace, in this way guaranteeing a balance between natural preferences and necessities or the requirements of the position that is occupied (RICCO, 2004). Using a reference framework designed from the realities of Brazilian organizations for identification of behavioral patterns in actual work situations, the general objective of this work is to identify the Mobilization Styles of the professionals who work in the area of HRM within organizations.
The intended contribution is a mapping of styles and dominant behavioral patterns of professionals who are in the process of establishing their careers in the area of HRM, which can be used to provide support that, will:  Increase the possibility of and direct changes within the areas of HRM by influencing the actions of the area's professionals and thus take HRM to new heights of efficiency, productivity, quality and service to the organization's employees; balance and not to a concentration of those styles which will be mapped.
Verifying there is a concentration or the predominance of specific behavioral stylesin this study considered as mobilization styles -, the present work can also contribute to guide the efforts to develop and train the professionals of HRM as well as to hire or promote individuals that possess unusual styles, or rather, styles that favor changes in the role of HRM, thus granting them a more strategic function.
Specifically, this work aims to identify the Mobilization Styles (RICCO, 2004) of professionals that work in the area of HRM, in order to: a) Identify the possible existence of predominant Mobilization Styles that may configure behavior which is ideal for the adaptation and professional success in the HRM area.
b) Compare the mobilization styles of professionals in the area of HRM that work in private industry with the styles of professionals who work in public service.
Present companies need to meet the challenges of competition, innovation and change, in a context where the human factor can represent a variance which contributes effectively to reaching goals and targets.
Thus, not only the leaders, but the professionals of HRM, too, must understand the organization and translate its mission and objectives to the teams, and also promote the keeping of employees through effective management involving behaviors, relationships, motivation and work commitment. It is also an assumption of this work that a self-understanding of the individual styles and motivations of the preferred behavior of HRM professionals can furnish them with a base with which they can exercise their roles in the organization and guide the organization through the established challenges and changes.

THEORETICAL BASIS
This topic presents and discusses the main concepts that relate to the comprehension and description of the knowledge which forms the basis for carrying out this field research.
Basically, concepts covering the individual differences at the job place, motivational theories  Bowditch (1992) stresses that personality is the deciding factor controlling individual differences. Personality refers to relatively consistent and enduring degrees of perception, thought, feeling and behavior which give individuals their unique identity (DAVIDOFF, 2001). In relating the concepts about individual differences to the previously presented motivational theories, one notes that although it is not easy, it is very important that managers and supervisors discover the type and style of the individuals under their supervision so that they can offer them adequate motivational tools and implement effective staffing actions.

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
Nonetheless, accepting and dealing with the differences in human behavior is not an easy task, although, it is well known that this represents one of the characteristics capable of producing results, just as high levels of productivity and a positive organizational climate that promotes job involvement. It is undeniable that each individual has his own particular way of thinking, preferences, and manner of facing everyday challenges and situations. At present, propositions and necessities are constantly being tested in the workplace due to the continually changing nature of activities. Technologies and managerial philosophies may generate elevated heights of stress that can turn differences in style or guidance into resentments, failures to effectively communicate and interfere with a real understanding of interpersonal intentions. Instead of just simply trying to label people, perception and comprehension of the orientations or motivational preferences of the employees who operate within the organizations represent an opportunity to liberate the creative potential of the individuals and oversee the human factor more effectively. Goleman (2004) states that people are placed in positions of great responsibility without taking into consideration their emotional or interpersonal skills. He defines "emotional skills" or behaviors as how people manage themselves and proposes classifying them into six different categoriesself-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills and the ability to work in groups. For the objectives of this present research project, these categories represent fundamental points of interest since they can be considered traits or the implicit orientations of any manager or professional's profile.

MOTIVATION
Due to the wide range of motivational theories, from the classical such as Maslow's theory of necessities, to the contemporary ones, such as the expectancy of Vroom (ROBBINS, 2010), only those that support this present work by emphasizing the intrinsic aspects of the motivational process, will be exposed.
Whether by common sense or intuitively, each individual has his own conception or idea as to what motivation is, which makes the concept look simple. Nonetheless, the question is quite complex having several theories on the matter with none of them presenting definite answers as how to best motivate people. It is widely understood that motivation is an interior state of mind that causes an individual to follow a determined course of action or behavior (SPÉCTOR, 2002). Motivation is in some way linked to intensity and persistence as it refers to the effort that an individual makes to complete some undertaking and his refusal to give up that course of action. When applying the concept of motivation to work, Robbins (2010, p. 196) defined it as … "a process responsible for intensity, direction and persistence to reach a specific goal".
Intending to synthesize the concept, Robbins, (2010) proposes the definition of motivation as 'the process which awakens the desire or predisposition to make continuous effort towards achieving some organizational objective, influenced by the organization's capacity to satisfy individual necessities'. The term 'awakens' refers to the impulse or energy that becomes the base of the action. In this sense, the people can be interested in projecting a good image of themselves as a professional in a certain area of work or field of knowledge, perform some task with outstanding quality, have a good feeling about themselves for having performed a certain group of activities, make a lot of money, or experience a feeling of contributing positively to the organization in which they are. Although it should never be imagined that these impulses can be the same for different people, that which emerges here as relevant is that there is always one or more reasons that inspire people everywhere or, the concept of motivation has a universal character and helps explain behavior in innumerable situations. So, it is in the interest of the individuals to respond to the motives or impulses that move them and present action which they believe will satisfy the same.
The concept of intrinsic motivation is of special relevance for the objectives of this present work. As will be detailed in the section covering methodology, the identification of behavioral styles begins with a self-perception of preferences or motivational orientations that reveal impulses which are frequently manifest in individual attitudes that are intentional or influenced by situations experienced in a social context.
In light of the concept that motivational orientation represents a preference or internal predisposition to act, the motivational theories which give support to this present work are; those which privilege intrinsic aspects such as the theory of cognitive evaluation (DECI; FLAST, 1998), theories founded on necessities like those of Maslow, Alderfer and McClellan and the presumptions which link motivation at work to feeling or the significance that is given to it by the professional who performs it (CODA; FONSECA, 2004; SIEVERS, 1994).

MOTIVATIONAL ORIENTATIONS: CONCEPT AND APPLICATION
Starting with the fundamental contribution of Maslow, it has been widely recognized that people are motivated by necessities, basically those which are not fully satisfied at any given moment. Although these necessities may be common to all human beings, the manners in which people organize to satisfy them are specific or particular to each individual. Nonetheless, it is still possible to recognize relatively stable tendencies in behavior which characterize what is known as "motivational orientation". By definition, it is any pattern of behavior that surges frequently in the attitudes of someone (FROMM, 1986).
Nevertheless, due to cultural characteristics, it has become necessary to adapt this kind of typology to aspects which can easily be understood by the professional operating within Brazilian companies. Contrary to other approaches, the M.A.R.E. Diagnosis of Motivational Orientations represents an attempt to identify the manifestations of the basic motivational orientations in the workplace instead of just interpreting these motivations using selfperceived personality traits as a base. Consequently, the questionnaire which provides support for conducting this research concentrates on self-perception of customary behavior and action in the workplace, while considering inherent traits of the personality as a secondary theme, underlying the entire process.  and Exploitative (E.). The marketing orientation emphasizes the individual's concern with trading, adaptation and integration; the accumulative a focus on synthesis and past experiences the receptive reveals a concern with people and learning and the exploitative reveals a need to take out of the environment all that it offers (FROMM, 1986 Table 1 presents a synthesis of the principal characteristics of each one of these motivational orientations, as well as a view of the parallel established between the classification proposed by Coda (2000), and that originally proposed by Fromm (1986):  Coda (2000, p. 6) It is important to point out that within this approach the working professionals are expected to present all of these orientations during their work activities and that the differences will occur in terms of quantity and the order of preference that each one is utilized. The M.A.R.E. Diagnosis of Motivational Orientations is an instrument with sixteen affirmations with four alternatives portraying different forms of behavior in work situations related to each one of the orientations measured. So, the respondent should evaluate each alternative, giving grades as follows: score 4 for his first choice, i.e., the alternative that he most identifies with as preferred; score 3 to the second choice and successively until he attributes a score of 1 to the alternative least preferred in that situation. This procedure will   between these styles and other independent variables such as productivity at work.
As an example, using Mobilization Styles as a base, Coda and Cestari (2008) investigate the links between the individual's behavioral profile and his performance in relation to a

SPECIALIST
Controlling and sharing valid experiences brings safety, and relationships should be based on personal development as well as the proper use of others' skills. Set corroborated challenges through careful actions that produce solid results as well as a concern with exercising reason. Decision making based on relevant data and information. Seeks to be an expert in his field of work and is guided by strategy and process. Acts like a "know it all", and is persistent, careful and methodic.

COLLABORATOR
Gets what is considered valuable by trading with others and tends to stress relationships as the only way to receive positive things and events, like success. Expresses a desire to participate in teamwork as a form of personal and professional self-development. Concerned with people and the quality of the work process. Likes helping others and finding solutions to existing problems in a participative way.

Credits attaining objectives to good judgment and controls what is obtained.
Takes possession of whatever is thought to have value. Likes competitive situations that offer a chance of personal growth. Anxious to reach new levels of performance and demonstrates a commitment to achieving results based on processes. Seeks situations where he can present his capacity to perform and achieve what is expected.

MAINTAINER
Most important is to assure the continuance of actions and innovations within the organizational context. Establishes relationships which permit controlling and overseeing situational variables while emphasizing follow-up and a concern with the operational processes. Understands the beliefs and opinions of others, acting responsibly, is comprehensive, methodical and persistent. Tends to avoid risks, seeks security.

COMPETITOR
Credits having good judgment for the ability to obtain the best things in life, always ready to take a chance and decide what has to be done. Seeks challenges that depend on competitive performance, obstinate and resolute. Focused on winning and obtaining results, using the processes that guarantee them. Compares self with others when results are obtained, assumes the responsibility for resolving problems.

ACHIEVER
Obtaining results is what is important even if it means changing one's attitude. Promotes actions aimed at achieving organizational goals and prefers to deal with situations where he can make things happen. Aimed at achieving personal and organizational results, is flexible, energetic and pro-active.

NEGOTIATOR
The important thing is to make advantageous trades protecting what has been gained. Adapt to new situations or change one's opinion does not mean a loss of personal influence. Promotes integration. Demonstrates a capacity to convince and has considerable skill in understanding people's needs and resolving conflicts. Puts self in the position of others and is focused on acquiring organizational vision. Table 2 -Main Characteristics of the Mobilization Styles Source: Adapted from Ricco (2004)

SURVEY QUESTIONS
The theoretical context and framework presented sanction the elaboration of the research questions in this work, identified as follows.

METHODOLOGY
In order to clarify how this study was carried out, characterization of the type of research, the subjects, tools used, data collection procedures, and the various steps that were performed are presented as follows.
The methodology used to develop this research has a quantitative character distinguished by the use of descriptive measures to analyze data. Due to the nature and the objectives of the question, the research is in itself exploratory since it tries to provide more familiarity with the question in the hope of making it transparent or elaborate hypothesis. The instrument employed for collecting data was the M.A.R.E. Diagnosis, made available by authorization of the author, while the Mobilization Styles were verified according to the proceedings suggested by Ricco (2004). The systematic steps executed during the research are described as follows.

Step 3 Identification of the Mobilization Styles
According to procedures described by Ricco (2004), the values obtained for the 4 different motivational orientations evaluated were calculated using specific computer software to identify the mobilization style of each participant from the two samples collected.

Step 4 General Comparative Analysis
The Mobilization Styles of the total number of professionals sampled from the public company and private business, operating in HRM, were compared with the available national sample of Mobilization Styles of Brazilian Professionals to identify the existence of dominant styles. Step

Specific Comparative Analysis
The Mobilization Styles of the professionals working in the Health Department of the City of São Paulo were compared with the professionals of HRM who work in private businesses (Abril + MBA HRM students) to identify the existence of different dominant styles between the two samples.  Resources, 86% were women and 14% men, while from the private companies 78% were women and 22% men, an equal concentration of women in both samples.          than those found in the national sample, while the Collaborator style was found to be the least frequent in relation to the national sample.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMENDATIONS
The HRM professional, a liaison between employees and an organization's executives , has become, as well as professionals of other functional areas, faced with a constantly changing corporate environment involving rising levels of competition and complexity.
Endeavoring to meet these challenges, this professional develops specific behaviors which  policies, mainly those that value and recognize the worth of the employees such as compensation and employee recognition programs.
It must be remembered that during the initial phase of Human Resources Management in Brazil the professional of this area was not expected to assume a posture focused on generating results and creating company value. By the end of the 1990's this situation began to change drastically with the beginning of globalization and its' resulting competition, bringing with it an imposition -for the HRM professional also -to focus on and contribute effectively to obtaining organizational results.
Probably, due to the new reality, the dominant styles that focus on entrepreneurship, Achiever, Conqueror and Competitor, with behavior typically guided by obtaining that which was planned, the generation of results and productivity and a constant search for challenges in the exercise of their activities, had not yet appeared in HRM. Thus, the first question raised by the present study receives an affirmative answer since the most frequent Mobilization Styles as well as the least frequent, were identified among the professionals in the area of HRM, thus leaving to be explored the differences in the composition of these styles in relation to the type of organization in which the HRM professional exercises his functions.
Although still preliminary in character due to all it comprehends, another significant result responding to the second objective of this study touches on differences in mobilization styles found among HRM professionals in private and public organizations. As was previously noted, the proportion of Competitor, Achiever, and Conqueror and Specialist styles was greater in private businesses while the proportion of Collaborator and Negotiator styles was greater among professionals in the public organization. The existence, also, of the mobilization style Specialist in private businesses indicates that in these organizations, whether it was replacement of the professional or a change in his behavior, it was not done without losing sight of the quality and technical efficiency of the processes and activities of HRM, essential concerns of professionals with the Specialist style of mobilization.
The two styles found in the public company surveyed, Negotiator and Maintainer, are responsible for the most traditional challenges facing professionals in the area of HRM, focusing on resolving conflicts between employer and employee and the gradual evolution of the policies in favor of betterments for the employees. It is also worth mentioning that in this type of organization a direct concern with results and goals is something new or has not yet become incorporated into the work agenda. The response has come in the form of attempts to install models of personnel management based on skills that promote directly or indirectly, a leveraging for the organization's intended results.
Another point of interest regarding the present work is the dialogue with the perspectives of Ulrich (1997Ulrich ( , 2000 and Smilansky (1997) for performance of the HRM area.
According to these authors, the new agenda for the area of HRM and its employees gives precedence to two essential points: first, promote business competitiveness, and second, if the first aspect is successful, perform a role seen as strategic within the organizational context. To do this the professionals should focus on their work production rather than specialization and the technical quality of what they do. They should combine their role in terms of its value, producing mechanisms that yield functions of HRM which cause results to flow quickly. They should develop a capacity for learning and evaluating results and the impacts of policies and proceedings which they can bring into play whenever the competitiveness of their organizations increases or is maintained, instead of giving precedence to the comfort and well-being of the employees; to sum up, they should become conscious of the fact that they have to lead the cultural transformation within the context of their work.
In respect to the operational roles and strategies to be carried out by the HRM area employees, Ulrich (1997Ulrich ( , 2000 indicated as the main ones: (1) Strategic Partner: it means adjusting HRM strategy with business by means of diagnosis and concluding with implementation of the entrepreneurial strategy; (2) Administrative Specialist: represents the efforts to analyze and propose improvements not only of the HRM processes, but also of the organizational processes, concluding with administrative efficiency; (3) Employee Champion: features concern for and a posture of listening and responding to employee's demands, In the interest of finalizing this present work, it is worthwhile to note that knowing the Mobilization Styles of professionals in HRM not only permits a better understanding of their motivations and primary behavioral characteristics, but also, of how to advise the hiring, permanence and development of these professionals. So, if the performance challenge is linked to the generation of results, it is recommended that professionals with the styles of Conqueror, Competitor and Achiever be sought out. On the other hand, if the objective is to obtain commitment, enrichment and loyalty to the company, then, the styles Collaborator and Negotiator are the most indicated.
As regards the development of these professionals in the case they are with a public company, the training programs should be focused on entrepreneurial management, establishment and derivation of departmental goals in support of organizational goals, regardless of the actual business strategy since the presence of Mobilization Styles derived from the Entrepreneuring orientation, proved to be very low. Conversely, in private businesses the development of HRM professionals should be aimed at the role of Employee It is also worth pointing out the limitations of the present study as regards the size and purpose of the samples used in the analysis. Thus, at the present dimension of the research, generalizations that include all HRM professionals should be avoided, as this would depend on a more detailed planning of the sample, including level (local, state, regional, national, etc.), and choosing the best manner of collecting the data. Therefore, other studies are recommended utilizing larger, more representative samples with public and private organizations of various sizes and sectors to correctly evaluate, in function of more comprehensive results, the very 'strategic character' of the HRM area within organizations.