A Little Labor Knowledge Could Go a Long Way for HR as Unions Push Into Private Sector - Essay Example

5. Secondary issue(s): The need for organizations to apprise themselves on current labor laws stemmed from the thrust of the National Labor Relations Board to familiarize themselves on the National Labor Relations Act which incorporates rights of the employees both in union and nonunion places. Further, current issues that emerged focusing on social media and “whether employer crackdowns on its use by employees venting about their job violates the National Labor Relations Act” (Pyrillis, 2011, par. 5). 6.

Relationship of primary article discussion to this course (Strategic Planning & Implementation): The article discussed issues pertinent to the need for contemporary organizations to revert to giving significance in the role of industrial relations and labor laws. Upon closer evaluation, the article’s discussion is related in scope to the Strategic Planning and Implementation course in terms of anticipating changes in the external environment and assuming a more proactive than a reactive stance.

As learned from the module, “strategic planning is a step by step process with definite objectives and end products that can be implemented and evaluated. Very simply, it is a process by which we look into the future, paint a picture of that future based on current trends, and influence the forces that will affect us” (Ahoy, 1998). 7. . d to incorporate knowledge of current labor laws and industrial relations in anticipation of future trends that see the increasing importance of these functions in human relations management.

In the article written by Lieberman (2010), she stressed that through effective application of strategic planning process, organizational success can be ensured. She enumerated six steps in the strategic planning process, to wit: “1. Identify the problem; 2. Outlining the process for developing appropriate strategies; 3. Establishing success criteria; 4. Brainstorm, prioritize, and select viable strategies; 5. Articulate clear, measurable action plans; and 6. Define ways to measure progress and success” (Lieberman, 2010, p. 1). As these appears to be a standard planning process, the differentiating factors emerge as the organizations’ ability to design appropriate strategies given the identified problems and in line with their mission and goals.

Linking this discourse to the primary article, it can be deduced that lessons from stategic planning courses emphasize the need to look into the future so that the design of strategies would incorporate future trends and therefore the proactive stance is effectively implemented. The article written by Powell (1992) aimed to establish the link between strategic planning and financial performance. As averred, various studies have already published findings that enumerate the benefits of strategic planning in terms of directly improving economic value through generation of information; “it ensures a through consideration of all feasible options, it forces the firm to evaluate its environment, it stimulates new ideas, it increases motivation and commitment, it enhances internal communication and interaction, and it has symbolic value