HR Professionals - Case Study Example

Human Resources Introduction The success of business development and expansion is closely connected with human resources and their performance. Successful campaigning by HR professionals and a new focus on economic justification of business activities have led to the awareness that the recruitment and selection of effective performers should be seen as a strategy for achieving organizational growth and success rather than as a fixed cost of doing business (Beaver & Stewart 2004). J. & S Air Conditioning is a small organization with limited human resources and HR programs. In order to expend its activities and meet organizational changes, there is a need to develop and introduce Human Resource Programs. However, along with the improved status of HR activities comes the demand that HR demonstrate the value-added nature of its role. Human Resource Department The primary need for J. & S Air Conditioning is to create a HR department. This department will help to provide a more dynamic picture of the actual nature of strategic management and stresses the need for HRM to be present at all levels of decision-making. Likewise, one which operates only at the administrative level will be seen to provide an incomplete service for the strategic business needs of the company. Although the model is developed from a national base, it is considered useful as a tool for analyzing the role of HRM in providing value-added in an international context (Reed, 2001). Assessing where the various HR functions are positioned on this model within an international organization will allow for a more realistic appraisal of the contributions of each unit. Following Reed (2001) the role and task of HR department is to focus on specialist services such as staffing, rewarding, planning, training and labor relations. Ulrich (1997) stresses that these multiple HR roles are not the responsibility of the department alone. "HR professionals have the responsibility and accountability to ensure that the deliverables of each role are fulfilled" (Ulrich 1997, p. 7). Nevertheless, accomplishing the goals and designing the process for achieving them are different issues. HR professionals do not have to fulfill all four roles themselves. Depending on the processes designed to reach the goal, the work may be shared by line managers, outside consultants, employees, technology, or other delivery mechanisms for HR activities. The tasks of the department will be to develop HR programs, implement thee programs, measure their success and introduce necessary changes in HRM (Lynch, 1997; Bohlander et al 2004). J. & S Air Conditioning can use traditional techniques of HR development but it should take into account strategic goals and tasks of the management. Recruitment and Selection Programs Recruitment and selection programs will help J. & S Air Conditioning to ensure adequate supply of staff and their performance. Effective recruitment and selection of employees for the core workforce that provides the organization with stability and continuity has become essential for organizational survival and presents another set of challenges. There is already intense competition for workers who are talented enough to be a part of the core, and this is predicted to become even fiercer. Following Bohlander et al (2004) each member of the core is expected to perform multiple "jobs" and handle multiple responsibilities, as well as to maintain long-term loyalty to the organization. Thus, organizations need to attract and select workers who won't jump ship but who can swim from ship to shore (or ship to ship) as needed, and who can keep their bearings when pushed (Bohlander et al 2004). Online recruitment Online recruitment is one of the innovative solutions to effective and fast recruitment. One of the critical differences among Internet recruiters is the method by which their service matches candidates with jobs. So called bulletin boards, such as Monster Board and Career Mosaic have served primarily as on-line job posting and resume listing services whose main objective is to speed the dissemination and exchange of information between job seekers and organizations with jobs to fill, and to provide an efficient and cost-effective means of reaching a wide audience. "Bulletin boards allow employers to search using key words they choose but do not participate actively in making matches" (Beaver & Stewart 2004, p. 54). Other types of services take advantage of computer technology to varying degrees in the method they use to match candidate characteristics with the requirements of open jobs. The sophistication and validity of different systems and services vary greatly. The simplest approaches involve the use of key words like 'benefits specialist' and 'metropolitan area' to generate a list of appropriate open positions or suitable job seekers. Variations on this theme are word matching strategies that attempt to match applicant characteristics to a list of criteria specified by the prospective employer. Unfortunately, the most commonly used criteria, education or years of experience, are the least valid (Beaver & Stewart, 2004). Electronically capturing items of low predictive validity does little to improve hiring and could lead to the relegation of on-line recruiting to the bin of discarded HR fads. This program will help J & S Air Conditioning to save time on advertising and recruitment and allow to find the best professionals. Selection Programs and Techniques Selection process will be based on the interview method and assessment of professional skills and knowledge of candidates. A current trend in applicant screening is the paperless application. The paperless application process usually involves a combination of Touch-Tone and interactive voice technology with artificial intelligence software. Applicants press one key to answer 'Yes' and another to answer 'No' to a set of questions about education, experience, skills, and availability. "Those who meet the initial requirement are advanced to a second-level interview" (Bohlander et al 2004, p. 35). Within minutes of the completion of the interview, managers at the client organization can receive by fax, e-mail, or phone a report on the applicant's qualifications. This report is usually used by the client organization to determine which applicants should be invited to continue with the rest of the selection process. Automation of initial applicant screening has several advantages: it is ready whenever an applicant is, it proceeds more quickly and more objectively than traditional screening, and it reduces demands on both the HR staff and the hiring managers (Bohlander et al 2004). Assessing Commitment to High Performance Following Bohlander et al (2004) staffing experts would like to have job performance-related measures of a variety of personality characteristics that are hypothesized to contribute to success in the new workplace, particularly those associated with responsibility, self-management, adaptability to change, and ability to get along with others. However, despite psychologists' ability to obtain reliable, construct-valid measures of five major personality factors-extroversion, openness to experience, emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness- only conscientiousness has been consistently linked to job performance. Assessing the Ability to Work with Others and Function in a Team For J & S Air Conditioning, it will be crucial to test communication skills of candidates. The best available measures of interpersonal skills assess focused and job-specific competencies rather than general personal attributes. Measures of the Big Five personality characteristic of extroversion have been used successfully to predict job performance for managerial and sales occupations but not for others in which the interpersonal component is less dominant (Mabey & Salaman, 1998). As more types of jobs require significant interaction with others, the validity of extroversion for predicting job success may become higher, but its use as an across-the-board assessment of interpersonal skills cannot be recommended on the basis of the current evidence. I/O Psychologists The challenges that the workplace poses for professionals in recruitment and selection are serious. If they can be met successfully, I/O psychologists and HR managers can become important players in the strategic management process. Recruitment and selection jointly conducted by I/O psychologists and HR professionals results in better performing workers and increased organizational effectiveness than recruitment and selection otherwise conducted (Mabey & Salaman, 1998). Training Programs J & S Air Conditioning should assume that all members of the high-potential group should have the same or similar experiences, and so they design lockstep programs or rotational assignments for the pool (Schuler, 1998). Increased emphasis on the learner and on-the-job learning, has been assessment of high-potential ability or openness to learning. Career Opportunities Programs Closely linked with setting career goals, career strategies represent the actions an individual takes to improve the chances of achieving career goals. They are the conscious individual choices about which human capital investments to make and which to avoid. Career strategies can involve seeking greater competence in one's present jobs, more extensive work involvement, skill development, opportunity development, mentors and other supportive alliances; they may also involve image building and playing organizational politics (Schuler, 1998). Business-Centered Programs J & S Air Conditioning will develop programs which transformed it to learning organization. "Learning" organizations will possess knowledge and information that gives them a unique competitive advantage over other firms. Organizations must now become knowledge creators in order to improve their competitiveness. J & S Air Conditioning can support employee learning through three approaches. First, it can encourage them to join occupational associations that provide continuing education for their members. Second, it can makes a direct investment in their employees through training and development programs within or outside of the firm. A third approach to continuous learning is direct support for individual motivation, where the "individual is driven by a desire for greater learning or achievement" (DeFillippi & Arthur 1994, p. 313 cited Schuler 1998, p. 74) and the company encourages this initiative. On-job Training Programs On-job training focuses on individuals rather than on organizational issues. This design uses the group training experience to generate individual development plans, usually providing individual coaching during a follow-up period for carrying out the plan (Ulrich, 1997). Returning for a second training session, participants share their results with the training group. According to Storey (1989) the strengths of this approach include that the problems are relevant to the individual and that one-on-one coaching and feedback are provided. Its limitations spring from the same source: individuals may not choose the most important areas to work on, there may be little accountability for results, and even if individuals change, the unchanged context to which they return may not support that change over time. The more traditional form of action learning-based on contrived team challenges rather than on specific business problems- has evolved substantially over the last twenty years. These "outdoor" programs (which may not be specifically out of doors) use various kinds of mental and physical challenges as a vehicle for managers to focus on team process and personal development goals in a safe environment, theoretically allowing them to experiment, make mistakes, and receive honest feedback without risking their careers (Storey, 1989). Coaching If J & S Air Conditioning wants to expend its business over the next five years, it should introduce effective coaching and executive coaching. Executive coaching is "a practical, goal-focused form of personal, one-to-one learning for busy executives. It may be used to improve performance, to improve or develop executive behaviors, to work through organizational issues, to enhance a career, or to prevent derailment" (Reed 2001, p. 41). Most organizations also expect that personal learning will pay off in better organizational performance. Like 360-degree feedback, coaching's rapid rise to the front ranks of leadership development methods reflects the new business realities (Neff, 2002). Self-career Management Programs Another reason J & S Air Conditioning is able to motivate its people and improve its quality is its employee educational process. Management spends a great deal of money and time on training and development. As already noted, training includes helping employees better understand the company perspective as well as the traditional training of showing them how to do their job better (Reed 2001). This training includes concentrating on their individual and problem-solving skills. Self-career management programs are designed primarily for those individuals who view themselves as relatively independent professionals. These are individuals who can and do make their own decisions about their careers, know their capabilities, and understand where they can find the types of work opportunities where they can "sell" themselves as a business or service. Self-career management is a different way of looking at oneself and one's work capabilities. According to Reed (2001) it is a mechanism for declaring oneself independent of an organizational control system but at the same time being willing to negotiate mutual terms of acceptability concerning work contributions to that system. Self-career management-thus defined as the giving up of relatively permanent organizational relationships in favor of more self-controlled career decision making-has become increasingly recommended to and by HRM professionals as a possible approach to dealing with challenges presented by the emerging world of work, a world still dominated in great degree by the use of downsizing as a management strategy despite continuing questions about its outcomes (Schuler, 1998). Programs for Appraisal Each team should identify a set of critical measures representing a combination of results and process-oriented outcomes. Focusing only on results (for example, return on sales, revenue growth, and so on) does not help inform the team about which behaviors should be adjusted. Process measures (time spent per call, Team members should receive feedback from multiple sources, not just a manager (Schuler, 1998). In small teams, each person can receive peer feedback, that is, feedback from all other team members and, where appropriate, feedback from customers. Customers may be external to the organization (for example, a person who purchases a product or service) or internal (a person downstream in the process who receives the work of the team). It is also critical that feedback be given on multiple levels. It should be provided on individual performance, individual contributions to the team, team performance, and the team's contribution to the organization as a whole. Especially for the latter, feedback from customers and about competitors is critical. Whenever possible, it is best for teams themselves to document their own performance. This documentation should be developed and then discussed regularly at team meetings. Good practices for rewarding team performance require good processes for defining what the performance should be and for measuring and evaluating the performance. Formal performance appraisal can be provided each years (12 months) and involve all employees of the organization (Mabey & Salaman 1998). Compensation Next, HR professionals can work to change the organizational compensation and reward practices. For example, team awards and team bonuses help team members focus on the performance of their own team. Profit sharing and gain sharing help team members focus on unitwide performance and orient employees to the larger performing unit by making it in everyone's interest to improve the performance of the enterprise as a whole. The most effective compensation systems incorporate an element of all three of these approaches (individual rewards, team rewards, and unit rewards) (Mabey & Salaman 1998). This combination ensures that performance at each level is recognized and encouraged, in turn ensuring that individual behavior is in the best interest of the team and that team behavior is in the best interest of the organization. Discussion Section The programs mentioned above can be seen as a powerful design option for organizations like J & S Air Conditioning that hope to meet the challenges of increased global competition, improve output quality, and address the social needs of the ever-changing global workforce. However, the success or failure of work teams in multinational organizations will depend largely on the HR professional. Effective implementation of teams requires that HR practitioners adapt key assumptions about motivation, structure, and accountability. Adapted assumptions must support lateral thinking, collaboration, interdependence, a focus on process, permeable boundaries, and mutual responsibility. This shift in perspective has led to greater awareness of the costs of inefficiencies and mistakes, including wasted recruitment dollars, productivity losses, high turnover, worker errors and accidents, damaged relationships with clients or customers, and lost business (Mabey & Salaman 1998). The important point is that every organization needs some vehicle for employees to learn about their corporation and the importance of their own jobs to the health of that business. Later, we will look at one company that uses open disclosure of financial numbers and then makes everyone from vice presidents to janitors accountable for those numbers. Following Lynch (1997): "everyone focuses on the organization's vision, mission, quality policy and operating principles. Employees at every level contribute to accomplishing company goals" (p. 67). There are other equally effective operational systems that can be used to teach employees about their own contribution and the importance of their jobs (Lynch, 1997). All the programs mentioned above are important because they ensure worker participation and motivation of staff crucial for business development. Commitment models of the effects of worker participation suggest that it increases employee support for organizational decisions. That is, employees are hypothesized to be more committed to decisions that they helped make than to decisions in which they had no input. Also, these programs will help to foresee and respond to coming changes. These programs will give employees the means as well as motivation to contribute through its training efforts. The important point, though, is not that it provides training but rather that this training gives employees a means of learning about their business (Hennestad 1998). In their training sessions managers also try to knock down walls. In line with this holistic view, they make sure trainees do not just look at what sales or data processing or accounting or even customer service does. Rather, they try to have everyone look at the total business operation. In this process, people learn about the business and its needs and the interdependence of each other. Such training prepares participants for advancement. Those people who work with the quality assurance staff learn the effect their performance has, not just on their customers but, most importantly, on their colleagues. Developing a greater understanding and appreciation of one's impact on others is another key to employee motivation and enhancement of relations within the entire organization. While just about every company is interested in recruiting, retaining, and improving employee relations, some manage these activities more easily than others do. They have a corporate culture that generates its own human resource success. J & S Air Conditioning should introduce a positive culture creating a positive human resource. Every culture has to have a central theme, something that makes the company distinctive. The center of the culture at J & S Air Conditioning is a focus on the employee (Beaver & Stewart 2004). If a significant rise in these more culturally diverse teams occurs-and we feel strongly that it will-then HR managers must familiarize themselves with the cultures in which their organization operates. For example, if peer evaluations are part of the performance appraisal process on a multicultural team, HR managers must identify the key cultural characteristics that may serve as stumbling blocks to these evaluations. If teams are used, it is likely that entirely different compensation systems will be needed depending on the dominant cultural values of the areas in which an organization has business. Finally, effective evaluation and compensation for teams requires a multilevel perspective and a balance between individual and team-based systems (Beaver & Stewart 2004). Conclusion Numerous impediments will challenge the effective business expansion, including the inherent time lag between implementation and results, the often tenuous relationships between teams and diverse employees that require adaptations in practices to fit the context. To address these potential impediments, J & S Air Conditioning can encourage sharing practices within and between organizations, observe and adapt to organizational environmental trends, and maintain awareness of cultural convergence. Using this set of programs, J & S Air Conditioning will be able to create a competitive culture through extensive formal and informal on-site performance. The goal of these strategies is to raise employee awareness of their corporate goals and techniques. They do this in part by reviewing customer service inquiries. In many case, part of ability to create a vital culture comes through its employee involvement activities. Bibliography 1. Beaver, G., Stewart, J. 2004, HRD in Small Organizations: Research and Practice. Routledge. 2. Bohlander, G. W., Snell, S. A., & Sherman, A. 2004, Managing human resources (13th ed.). Florence, KY: Thomson Learning Higher Education. 3. Hennestad B. W. 1998, Empowering by de-depowering: towards an HR strategy for realizing the power of empowerment. International Journal of Human Resource Management. vol. 9, iss. 5, pp. 934-953. 4. Lynch, R. 1997, Corporate Strategy. London: Pitman. 5. Mabey, C., Salaman, G. 1998, Strategic Human Resource Management, Blackwell Business, Oxford. 6. Neff, T.M. 2002, What Successful Companies Know That Law Firms Need to Know: The Importance of Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction to Increased Productivity and Stronger Client Relationships. Journal of Law and Health, vol. 17, iss. 2, p. 385. 7. Reed A. 2001, Innovation in Human Resource Management. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. 8. Schuler, R. 1998, Managing Human Resources. Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Publishing. 9. Storey, J. 1989, New perspectives on Human Management, Routledge, London. 10. Ulrich, D. 1997, Human Resource Champions. McGraw-Hill Book Company. Read More