despite the apparent strength of this trend, however, the research evidence concerning devolution of HR responsibility to line managers does not always suggest business benefits. On the one hand, line managers are more likely to be able to determine appropriate HR solutions by virtue of their better understanding operational complexities and being,closer, to workers. Whittaker and Marchington report that line managers were both prepared and willing to take on additional HR responsibilities, particularly where they related explicitly to the development of their team.