An important defining characteristic of human resource management is that it is strategic. This characteristic is expressed by the concept of strategic HRM - an integrated approach to the development of HR strategies that enable the organization to achieve its goals. To understand the notion of strategic HRM it is necessary to appreciate the concept of strategy upon which it is based, and this is considered in the first section of the paper. This leads into a definition of the concept of strategic HRM followed by expositions of its aims and approaches.