IBM Human Resource Practices - Essay Example

IBM Human Resource Practices IBM Human Resource Practices Human resource provides a competitive advantage to an organization because it is one of the greatest assets of an organization. Competitive advantage in terms of the human resource is achieved through the ability of a firm to attract and retain quality individuals (Hall et al., 2005). The realization of the importance of human resource to an organization has resulted in the development of human resource practices that allow for the recruitment, selection, and development of the best human resource to allow the organization have a competitive advantage. Recruitment is the process in which an organization attracts individuals who are best qualified to make applications for a given job (Hall et al., 2005). Human resource practices form a part of the human resource strategy of an organization and are customary systems of doing business in an organization. Recruitment and selection practices in an organization develop the strategies and ways through which an organization attracts and retains the best talent to generate competitive advantage. The study critical analyzes the recruiting and selection strategy and practices at IBM, if it is a sustainable long-term strategy, comparison with best practices, and provides recommendations for changes in the strategy for augmented effectiveness. 1.0 Introduction Aims IBM aims at achieving different milestones in the business including collaboration with different parties to build smarter cities, transportation, power grids, water, telecommunications, and healthcare globally. IBM aims at the provision of real-time customer service, collaborate with global suppliers and partners in an instant, reach new markets, and exceed client expectations in achieving competitive edge. Presenting clients with a remarkable experience and being essential to partners, suppliers, and customers. Values IBM has a set of shared values that holds the organization together and allows the organization to achieve global dominance and profitability (IBM, 2014). One of the primary values at IBM is dedicating activities for each client’s success through building strong relationships with customers, focusing on results, and personal dedication to clients, and having a role in the success of customers. The other value evident at IBM is coming up with innovation that matter to the world and the company through having employees as forward thinkers, love for challenges and improvements on daily basis, striving to be the best, and taking informed risks. Another value of IBM is having trust and personal responsibility for all relationships with all constituencies of IBM, building trust, relying on colleagues to do right, and preserving trust with the constituencies (IBM, 2014). Strategy IBM’s aims entail making a new future for its customers, industry, and the company through a strategy involving creation of new markets using data to transform professions and industries. The other strategy is enabling engagement systems in enterprises and remaking the IT enterprise to use cloud (IBM, 2014). Concisely, IBM’s strategy involves leveraging its core competencies to create new models of business, develop innovation, and transforming businesses for sustainable profitability and growth. Using the values at IBM as a platform, IBM’s strategy combines the social, environmental, and commercial capabilities to make the company a success (IBM, 2014). 2.0 Overview and discussion of the current recruitment and selection practices To achieve its aims, IBM realizes the need for an effective human resource and the need to augment its competitive advantage through attracting the best-qualified personnel and retaining the talent in the organization. The realization necessitated the development of recruitment and selection practices aimed at amassing the best talent and retaining them. IBM uses a systematic approach in the recruitment and selection practices (CIPD, 2009). The reasons for the systematic approach at IBM include reduction of errors and bias and the influence of external factors including labor laws, legal obligations, and competitor actions. The selection and recruitment practices at IBM are aimed at testing abilities and skills referred to the company as competencies of the applicants including adaptability, communication, and client focus (In Ehnert, 2014). Other competencies tested in the recruitment and selection process include drive, passion for IBM, teamwork, and taking responsibility. The first recruitment and selection practice involves providing the applicants a chance to IBM provides equal opportunity for all the candidates through advertising in varied avenues and on the availability of job opportunity and the skills required of the applicants. The systematic approach used at IBM consists of a number of selection and recruitment procedures including an online aptitude and English tests that has to be taken by the applicants to check their English proficiency and other competencies. The aptitude tests allows IBM to check on the ability of the applicant to work under pressure and is one of the pillars of the recruitment process to ensure the organization gets competent employees to meet its demand for best personnel (In Ehnert, 2014). After an aptitude test is done, selected applicants are chosen to participate in the English test with the participants having to write a summary of two or three English passages in Email format. The English reading test aims at checking spelling, sentence format, formal writing, and check for disuse use of the short form of words. At this stage of the IBM selection and recruitment procedure, other participants who do not meet the competency needs of the company are dropped, and competent applicants selected. This part of the selection and recruitment process disadvantages applicants from non-English speaking countries because of the need to comply with native English requirements showing one of the shortcomings noted in the selection and recruitment process at IBM. The next phase of the process entails grouping the applicants and providing them with a topic for discussion to be able to access their communication skills and knowledge on general matters affecting the development of knowledge of related to the job. The group stage also evidences a weakness in the IBM recruitment and selection process. The reason is the emphasis on participation in the group discussion without considering competent individuals from different background who could be shy and less on speaking, but more in action in terms of better job performance. This process disadvantages these individuals, but the process does well to ascertain communication skills and knowledge of the participants. Using the competencies provided as basis, a pool of the participants is selected to proceed to the final stage of the selection and recruitment process. Good listening skills and note taking are also looked upon in the group discussion phase of the IBM recruitment and selection process. The last stage of the IBM recruitment and selection process is interviews conducted by a panel of human resource personnel from IBM on each applicant. The outcome of the interview results in the selection of the applicants to fill the position of the applicants having to meet the competencies in the IBM skills and abilities requirement. The interview process aims at gauging the confidence, belief in one’s ability, ability to communicate coherently and without fear and knowledge of the values required of an IBM employee. The panel creates a conducive atmosphere for the applicants to express themselves, and the employees are provided the chance to explain their reasons for being the best candidate for the position. The interview process at IBM is one of the best practices because of the openness and clarity presented to the employees on the requirements of the job and their chances of being employed after the interview. The employees selected for the position are informed of the decision while those who attended the interviews but not selected, are also informed of the decision and the reasons behind their inability to make the cut. This is the best practice in human resource selection and recruitment allowing applicants at IBM to have an explicit ability to monitor their progress in the selection process and creates confidence in IBM. IBM offers secondary schools, mentors girls achieving the best grades in computer science, provides mentorship, and offers prizes for undergraduates to increase the chances of attracting employees. These measures at IBM are aimed at ensuring the disadvantaged members of the community especially women have a better chance of working at IBM and promoting their interest in working in the information technology field. This is a good measure by IBM to ensure equality and equal opportunity in their employment practice, which is one of the best human resource recruitment and selection practice. Current graduate recruitment and selection practices The Current graduate recruitment and selection practices at IBM include the use of internet recruitment to allow IBM access graduates, technical professionals, IT experts, and other employees through the website and advertising the information on recruitment on the internet (Tiwari & Karunesh, January 2012). The internet offers certain benefits including reaching many applicants, reduced paperwork, and providing the company with a positive brand image. Internet recruiting allows graduates to have flexibility in employment search for jobs matching their skills. The other benefit of internet recruiting to IBM is that it allows for easy and cost effective recruitment in varying countries, and allows pre-selection tests and tools. IBM graduate applicants are faced with two steps of the application process through the internet. The graduate applicants have to fill online application forms, a full application form, and a personal statement containing the skills and three favored roles at IBM. The graduate applicants are required to demonstrate their skills through relaying information on their experience in the form of volunteer work, internships, and university projects. A hundred and fifty-word statements by the applicant against each of the competencies at IBM is another requirement for graduate applicants in the recruitment and selection process. Models and examples of best practice for HR recruitment and selection of graduates According to Khatri (1999), human resource allows for adaptability and flexibility in an organization. Firms that have managed to have the best human resource practices have an edge over other companies owing to the time consuming and cumbersome characteristics of the acquisition and development of human resources (Wright et al., 1994). Wright and Snell (1991) define human resource practices as the actions in an organization directed at management of human resources and ensuring the employment of an organizations human resource towards achieving the organization’s goals. Despite the fact that there is varied human resource practices used in different organizations, the best human resource selection and recruitment practices are discussed in this part of the study (Khatri, 1999). Among the best human resource recruitment and selection practices is being an employer of choice that comes about from a business making a great impression to the prospective employees through corporate social responsibility, employment practices, and training and development (Hall et al., 2005). Some of the companies that have demonstrated employer of choice practice are Samsung and Google. The other best practices are considered having a streamlined selection and recruiting practice that is present at IBM and communication with prospective employees on selection outcome and process (Allen et al., March 2002). Providing the applicants a chance to track their progress is one of the other best recruitment and selection practices allowing employers to avoid keeping employees in the dark on their hiring status and is evident at IBM, Google, and Apple. The other best recruitment and selection practice is planning for the selection and recruitment process. This is done by understanding the needs of the organization, developing the roles of the applicants in a particular job, and advertising for the position in varied avenues, and accepting applications for the post (Allen et al., March 2002). Another best recruitment and selection practice is the provision of equal opportunity for applicants regardless of their race, gender, religion, age, and nationality (Wright and Snell, 1991). Equal opportunity is enhanced by focusing on the applicant’s experience, qualification, and expertise in the decision-making process. This is evident at IBM that mentor and develop young girls to prepare them for IBM jobs and opportunities. Deloitte is the other example providing female outreach to young girls and graduates, ethnic minorities, transgender, and bisexuals to promote equal opportunity. Suzi Edwards, Thoughtworks, and Fujitsu Services are other organizations involved in the provision of equal opportunity in the recruitment and selection process. After the recruitment and selection practices in a firm, the employees are provided with retention practices to ensure they remain at the organization through increasing their commitment and motivation (Tiwari & Karunesh, January 2012). Retention practices include Employee compensation and benefits that have Apple and Oracle leading the way in providing best benefits and remuneration for its employees. Ceridian all provides a high budget for salaries and benefit to its employees with the best compensation practice being an understanding of the worth of the job undertaken by an employee and compensating him/he adequately. Another best HR practice after retention and selection is performance management done through the provision of performance standards, job description, and continuous feedback on employee performance. These provides the employees the drive to be the best and shows the commitment of the employer to support the employee be excellent. It is evident that IBM meets some of the best human resource selection and recruitment practices including provision of the applicants of tracking application progress, provision of equal opportunity for all, and as an employer of choice (Hall et al., 2005). IBM also has a streamlined selection process, retention, and performance practices meeting the best HR practices. However, use of English passage disadvantages non-English speaking applicants in the selection process acting as one of the setbacks for IBM to meeting the best practices in selection and recruitment. I believe IBM meets most of the criteria for recruitment and selection best practices and is successful in recruiting and selected competent personnel with adequate planning and competency framework for selection. The process allows applicants to have confidence in the IBM selection and recruitment process. 3.0 Improvements for the recruitment and selection of the future graduate market The future graduate market is expected to depend more on technology as evidenced by the increased use of the internet, development of new applications, and the use of social media in almost all facets of life. These are the main reasons that will propel the change in the recruitment and selection process to suit the needs of the future graduate market. One of the recommendations is for the use of social media effectively in the recruitment and selection process. This can be done by having advertisements on the social media pages of IBM including Facebook, Instagram, and twitter. The impact will be access to a large graduate population in social media and increased applications to participate in the IBM recruitment and selection process. Online selection processes will permit the global selection and recruitment process at IBM with applicants from different global locations having the chance to be selected as an IBM employee. Online selection allows increased access to more candidates allowing for an increased skills and proficiency in the workers recruited to IBM. Online selection process permits IBM to reduce dependency on the American market for talent and innovation and allows the corporation to have global reach in its selection and recruitment of employees. 4.0 Conclusion In conclusion, IBM has taken measures aimed at augmenting the recruitment and selection of the best personnel for all the different vacancies in the organization. The recommendations on improving the recruitment and selection process at IBM are feasible with the increased use of social media a possibility owing to high social media presence by students and graduates, and the trend is expected to increase. The other recommendation for use of online selection process is feasible and augmented by the greater use and presence of communication and technology in far flank countries on the planet. Applicants from both developed and developing countries will have access to participate in the IBM selection process allowing for increased talent acquisition and provision of equal opportunity for all by IBM. Best human resource practices are critical in any organization for they determine the ability of an organization to effectively develop competent human resource and guide their efforts for the achievement of the organization’s aims. IBM has instituted human resources practices in the recruitment and selection process aiding in the development of a competent human resource that has fueled the firm’s strategy to achieve global success. References Allen, D.,Shore, L., & Griffeth, R. (March 2002). The Role of Perceived Organizational Support and Supportive Human Resources Practices in the Turnover Process. Journal of Management, Vol. 29, No. 1, 99–118. Hall, L., Taylor, S., & Torrington, Derek. (2005). Human Resource Management. Pearson Education UK. 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