This collection of five articles examines the role and influence of human resources management (HRM) in strategic planning in major American companies. The first article, "Human Resources Management: A Strategic Perspective," by Mary Anne Devanna, Charles Fombrun, and Noel Tichy, describes how to conduct a human resource management audit to assess the HRM function's status in the company as a whole. In "Human Resources Management: Link to Strategy and Structure," Devanna, Fombrun, and Tichy provide a series of analytical frameworks to help managers think about the role and structure of human resources in their own organization. Lynn Warren discusses "The Role of Human Resources in Strategic Planning." The background to her article is provided by Devanna, Fombrun, Tichy, and E. Kirby Warren in "Results of Human Resources Management Study," based on a survey of major companies. They indicate that the influence of HRM in strategic planning is marginal, but that it should be made much stronger. Finally, "Managing the Middle: Implications for Human Resources Managers" by Devanna and E. Kirby Warren talks of the challenges that organizations face in the near future, especially in terms of managing the growing numbers of technical professional members of the work force. (KC)