Human Resource Development - Literature review Example

Introduction Of all the assets in a company, the human resource is the primary resource which can decide the survival and growth. When the human resource in an organization is motivated, the achievement of the goals becomes easy, but on the other hand, when the people in the organization are not motivated, then they are not assets but liabilities. The corporate world has begun to realize the need and importance of employee development in the current dynamic business environment. An awareness of how individuals differ in their values priorities and values maturity, learning style, orientation has helped many companies cope better with interpersonal conflicts, botched communications, breakdowns in trust, and misunderstandings. According to Fisher(1996), more positive group climate, more cooperative behavior on tasks, more productivity in accomplishing tasks, faster problem solving, few errors in solving problems and less hostility among members are most prominent characteristics of an interpersonally compatible group. Any organization can use these findings to create a motivated environment by understanding the internal environment of the organization. With the importance of development of human resources highlighted, next it is essential that the role of awards has on improving the effectives of the training and development programs has to be analyzed. In this paper, the essentials of a good employee development program are discussed. Then the role of the National Training Awards(NTA), instituted by the UK government to improve the efficiency of the training and development of human resources is explained. Current business environment In the current era of globalization the business environment is so rapidly changing that it is challenging for the managers to foresee the changes that are going to occur in future. The organizations have to be continuously take efforts to equip themselves to cope with the ever-changing business environment. Irrespective of the industry, there is a very high need for qualified, motivated and committed workforce to face the challenges posed by globalization and information technology. The success of any entity is directly dependent on its ability to see into the future. The extent to which an entity can envision itself into the future decides the survival and growth of that entity. But at this point of time, it is not sufficient that a company just grows, but it can serve the best interests of its stakeholders only if it can ensure sustained development. United Kingdom has a long history of good corporate governance and managerial excellence, but can this excellence sustain the competition from the emerging economies is the biggest question. The UK companies have to be prepared to withstand the onslaught of efficient products and services from Asian economies like China and India for example. Hence, it becomes very essential that the corporations realize the need for careful development of their human resource in order to have a sustained growth. Thanks to the information technology, that geographical distance does not define the sphere of business transactions. Hence, companies have to be ready to face the competition with their strengths better toned. The institution of the NTA is the need of the hour to emphasize the importance of quality human resource to have growth. Importance of self awareness In a study by Whetton and Cameron(2005), 402 individuals were asked to name the most effective managers and the skills they have, the main factors listed were verbal communication, managing time and stress, managing decisions, influencing others, delegating, self awareness and team building. Self awareness here implies awareness at the individual level, team/ department level and as a whole in the organization level. It can be often observed that in a business organization, managers are faced with the challenge to modify the day to day operations to achieve the long term strategic goals and vice versa. This may be due to the gaps between the aspirations and the actions of the firm. The organization may aspire to achieve the mission and vision, but the ground reality faced by the company may create hurdles in the path. In an organization, long term strategic plans are useful to tune up the operations to achieve future objectives. It is often hard to follow the preplanned course of actions. This is a result of lack of self awareness. An awareness about our capabilities, future challenges and opportunities are the crucial steps in planning and execution of strategies. It should be a defensive strategy when an organization is under crisis. But it has to be the first step in an offensive strategy, when an organization has to gear up to meet the expectations of its customers. The NTA gives an opportunity to the corporate, both small and big to take a closer look at themselves and to realize how they can improve the effectiveness of their human resource practices. Institution of these awards, first helps to draw attention of innumerable corporate leaders and managers about the importance of effective human resource development. Standards in HRD When it comes to designing HRD it is often misleading for the manager to understand the scope and scale of the development programs. According to Locke(2002), a good training and development program should include rewards and discipline appropriately to extinguish unacceptable behavior and encourage exceptional performance. It should provide internal and external incentives , timely rewards and specific, accurate and honest feedback on performance. An organization which has realized the need for the introduction of the human resource development, has to define the objectives of the program and should be able to measure whether the program has achieved the necessary results. The NTA awards has given a comprehensive guidelines to judge the organizations for their training and development efforts. Hence, any organization which is in the path of development, can use the standards to ensure the effectiveness of the program. Though human resource development activities are carried out for ages, the NTA helps to set standards of measurement. Many companies who run development programs can compare their programs with that of the award winners and can improve themselves. In short, the NTA helps in Benchmarking with development of human resources. Reinforcement of the outcome Awards such as the NTA, is a continuous reinforcement of a specific behavior. It is mentioned in the official website of the National Training Awards that, "Winning a National Training Award brings with it significant benefits for your business. It: - demonstrates an organizations commitment to investment in its people - positions a business as forward thinking with a competitive edge - gives external recognition and endorsement of the training program - brings a sense of pride and kudos for both staff and employees" It is essentially important that a human resource development program should be given appropriate and timely feedback to reinforce the desired behavior of the employees. When an organization gets a NTA award, the recognition and pride will serve as a very strong reinforcement of the desired behavior. It is proven by experts that reinforcement is the fastest way to establish new behavior. On the other hand, when the award is not received by an organization, it serves as a starting point for scrutinizing the programs more carefully and to reconsider the priorities. Therefore, it can be said that the NTAs are very useful supportive communication for the corporate who want to improve their performance.. Conclusion According to David Fred(2007), "A strategic plan results from tough managerial choices among numerous good alternatives and signals commitment to specific markets, policies, procedures and operations in lieu of other, 'less desirable' courses of action". In the long run an organization has to: 1. Value to the shareholders by providing value for their investments through strategic plans. 2. Value to the employees by improving their skills and to be updated about the trends in the industry. 3. Maintain strong relationships with the players in the supply chain To have success and growth in the long run the organization has to make the training and development program a part of the strategic plans. As organizations commit more resources to the development of employees, cost/benefit analyses become critical. Value-added training designs must respond to the needs of a rapidly changing business environment. The NTAs help the corporate adopt the effective human resource development programs and also helps to formulate effective strategies to have success in the long run. When an organization is able to involve people from all the levels then the formulation and implementation of strategies are relatively easier. To involve employees from all levels a positive work environment enhanced with constructive flow of information is essential. The training programs that are developed which are motivated by the NTA is a path to establish the right environment to foster growth and development. Sources 1. David R. Fred (2007) Strategic Management - Concepts and Cases, Prentice Hall, New Jersey 2. Fischer, S. G., MAcrosson, W. D. K. & Yusuff, M. R. (1996) Team Performance and human values. Psychological Reports, 79, 1019 - 24 3. Locke, E. A.,Latham , G. P (2002, September). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. American Psychologist, 57, 705 - 17 4. Whetton A. D, Cameron S. K (2005), Developing Management Skills, (6th Edition), prentice Hall, New Jersey Additional sources 5. www.nationaltrainingawards.com 6. Cohen, S. G, and Bailey, D. E (1997) "What Makes Teams Work: Group Effectiveness Research From Shop Floor To The Executive Suite", Journal of Management, 23, pp 239 - 90 7. McConkey, D (1988) "Planning in a changing Environment", Business Horizons, September - October : 64 Read More