Expanding customer orientation in the HR function

While it has long been recognized that the human resource function must tak e a move customer-oriented perspective on the design and delivery of HR pro grams, this view has focused primarily on internal customers. However, exte rnal customers can provide important input into HR activities (e.g., job an alysis information), they can participate in HR activities (e.g., selection decisions), and they can use HR activities (e.g., receive training). By ex panding customer orientation in the HR function to focus explicitly on exte rnal customers, a more direct relationship between human resource managemen t and competitive organizational performance can be established. (C) 1999 J ohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.