The Role of Human Resource Management - Coursework Example

Is HRM a specific role, or should it be left or can it be left to the line manager? To start with the discussion of the human resources management function, the managers work solely for the different functions within the various departments and it is up to these people as to how they execute their undertakings and measures on a regular basis. The basic purpose is to bring the whole list of activities and tasks of the organization on a common platform, a place from where the top management is better able to draft its policies and eventually execute the manner in which these policies are basically run after the decisions are made on those very aspects of consideration. In line with the proposition as to whether these managers discern ways of enacting responses from the relevant quarters when it comes to products, services and their related operations, we see that their role is immense and they have to bring about activities right from scratch. In other words, they are the actual fathers of different processes and activities which are going on within an organization and with which there are a lot of hopes and wishes attached. The whole idea of extracting the benefits and achieving the laid objectives rests on their shoulders and this is indeed a very significant proposition on their part, all said and done. Moving further ahead within the same domains of HRM, managers bring with them a whole list of different undertakings and steps, though accountable at many different levels yet open for judgment on the part of one and all. With this, they ensure that the different policies and steps are in line with the organization’s basic values, core mission and vision statements and more than anything else, in line with the ethical and moral grounds in which the particular business operates. Managers need to plan in a sound manner the different things, control these activities and tasks and make them plot against short term gains rather than having a long run perspective and integrate all these activities so that there is a complete mesh in the related ranks and the synchronization is pretty apparent at the end. Managers have the task of maximizing profits but not at the peril of losing the shareholders which are present in partnership with the organization. The different activities being planned, controlled and integrated in distinct fashions makes them look as a complete whole more than anything else. This means that these activities, tasks and processes are complete and they give a view of wholeness when we talk about the organization whilst looking at the products and/or services which are brought out for the general customers. For the induction of these new products and/or services in the market place we find that out that the synchronization process might just be a difficult process to undertake in the first place and it is because of the persistent efforts of the manager himself that the same becomes readily possible. It is a fact here to understand that the manager has to plan things accordingly and place priorities over processes either in s sequential manner or in the form of significance attached to the very same. When we talk about the activities in the whole related schema we find that the control aspect, as discussed before is pretty much significant and this has to be ensured even at the most feasible of times. The same is imperative since system breakdowns at any level can happen any time within the process and there could be urgencies attached with the whole ideology nonetheless. The integration of activities similarly is one significant aspect that has to be studied time and again because it brings together all the related processes, activities and tasks coming under the manager’s regime on a single platform and thus this forms as the point of focus and attention as far as the whole organization and its tilt is concerned. With respect to the new products and/or services that are being introduced under the organization’s umbrella, one has to ascertain as to the exact basis of their operating activities and then go along finding out the eventual patterns on which the change would be made in the realms of the very organization. It is up to the manager as to how best he meets the needs of the system that is already in place and which control and planning activities he brings forward every now and then. The end result is something that holds a lot of significance and value. On the same token, managing change within an organization is one of the most significant aspects that come under its sound functioning regime. Only the companies which are able to come to terms with the new norms and practices are the ones that succeed not only in the short term but also in the longer scheme of things. This means that the company has to devise certain ways and means through which it can manage change, measure it and effectively counter the problems that come in its way all this while. The learning process, meanwhile on the part of the organization is immense since it finds out the exact mechanisms and procedures through which change is going to affect the employees’ and stakeholders’ relationship with the company’s central essence, which is the top management, making all the decisions that would eventually benefit the company in the long run. Coming to the internal regimes within the organization and more specifically the HRM unit, we see that the employee motivation at work place works to the advantage of the firm and the people at the helm of it since they know for sure that their employees would give in their best no matter how trying or tough the circumstances are. This means that they are assured of their commitment levels and the intensity of the hard work that they will put in, even under the most strenuous of routines. But this raises an interesting proposition, a stance which needs to be discussed by all and sundry. Over work can reduce employee motivation as well as add to the stress on the part of the employees’ physical and mental domains. What needs to be done is to gauge the exact amount of work that they can handle within a period of time as well as give them enough incentives so that they remain loyal to the cause of the organization for which they work their heart out. Stress can be reduced at work when employees know that the task they are putting their best energies at, are worth the shot and in the end, the same will help them to grow exponentially. In fact they must be apprised of their hard work and the rewards that they get. This is indeed a nice gesture which means a lot on the part of the hard working and committed employees and workers. On the same lines, a number of organizations around the world have time and again changed and altered their strategies so that they can reap the benefits of both the short term as well as the long one. This, they do in order to guarantee that the stakeholders remain satisfied with the workings of the organization as well as to ensure that its products and/or services are in the recall set of the target audience. However much more than this is needed to keep the organizations on track as well as serve in the best interest possible for all concerned. This would mean that organizations have to invest in not only a change in strategy over a period of time but also carry out related activities like proper methods of hiring, removing inefficient employees, investing a little more on the units which are ready to default as well as strengthen the cash cow strategic unit of the company, all the same. Thus a culture of managing change and indeed accepting it in the truest sense is imperative not only on the part of the managers but also the organization’s employees who should know that the new culture would only benefit for their own selves and would provide more room for their growth in the immediate future. The basis of all strategies and structural changes that usually happen from time to time is on the shoulders of the top management where they have to decide whether or not the adopted strategy be the source of light in the coming quarters or years for that matter. It is only upon their insistence to have the same within their ranks that the new strategic planning is done in the first place. If the top management is not ready, it is very difficult for the knowledge organization, which really is the middle management of present times, to do even an iota of struggle. The multinationals for that matter depend a lot on the parental concerns, which at times, might be located off shores and there is no easy access to them as well. But then again it is all about finding out what the goals of the real organization are in essence. Furthermore, the goal of a manager must be to ascertain the amount of complexities he will face when he thinks of satisfying the needs of the shareholders and the customers alike. Then he has to discern the exact requirements under which he can work through towards achieving the goal that he has been bestowed with, on the job. This means that he needs to understand for his own self what barriers and problems might arise if he tries to step in the zone that is full of risks and related problems. Profit must indeed be a goal for him but the manager has to understand that it is not the be-all, end-all for him and his organization. Building a solid rapport with the shareholders is much more significant than anything else. Objectives could only be achieved when there is a solid basis of understanding each other’s concerns and when there is genuine interest amongst the managers when it comes to finding out the issues that the shareholders and the customers might have, say at some point in time in the near future. In the ranks of the human resources management function, managers must categorically aim to set the goals which are easily achievable however the focus must not rest only on the profits and the returns that are extracted over a period of time. These could even go off towards the satisfaction in terms of profits that will be given to the shareholders from time to time or in a lump sum format. The same is devised with the facilitation of the different departments working under the auspices of the organization. Profits thus are not the ultimate objective for this organization and manager must think from the strategic perspective than being a bridge between profits and the firm itself. The work culture within the domains of a manager must suit the interests of the organization in the best form possible. For this to happen, it is necessary to understand that technology has got an immense role to play in the manager’s repertoire. Also there should be a comprehension that managers work in a global world where technology has of late been instrumental at dramatically changing the way we perceive the events that govern our lives. The accession of technology to managers around the globe means that the same has resulted in the amalgamation of technological expertise and the like for a wide number of business processes and activities. Seen in the related scheme of things, a manager has been a product of his own environment and thus in the proper frame of the idea, the technological basis has on the other hand customized the total environment in which the managers do their jobs in the best manner possible. The basic dogma on which the dot com companies work is to reach out to the greatest amount of people and make those people as their clients within a short duration of time. This would be on the expense of not being at concern related with the loss in the stock prices. The culture which was adopted by these managers was of getting bigger or going haywire in the whole frame of things. Only the technological basis makes the very same possible and a work culture of such magnitude under the manager’s auspices is necessary to put things into proper perspectives. There is the discussion of the role and working regimes of the effective managers within the workplace. Effective managers know how to make use of their team members and during this while contribute in their own capacity towards team building. Managerial effectiveness within an organization could be improved if there is a general understanding that the managers know their work well and also discern the exact basis for the workers who fall short on the knowledge curve. This would enable them to get the best out of these individuals and turn them into the strengths within the shortest possible time. What spiral of knowledge does is to increase the awareness level of the managers when it comes to their working methodologies and the ways and means through which they bring value to the different processes and activities of the organization. The knowledge organization makes best use of the knowledge that it has and it does not let go on the opportunities which come in its way every now and then. There is a definitive need to outline the salient points which a manager must know in order to get the work done from the knowledge base and indeed the whole of the knowledge organization and it is only when there is a mesh of knowledge activities and the management effectiveness. Now moving on towards the role of an example for a manager, we can quote the instance of Sam McCracken who manages Nike’s Native American business program. He began his Nike career in the year 1997 when he was employed as a warehouse worker at Nike’s distribution center. His main tasks include his steps which went in line with revitalizing Nike’s Native American Employee Network as he was asked by the human resources function to carry out the very same. He was asked by the HR unit to undertake this activity due to the reason that he had in him to make a difference – he understood people and got the best out of their strengths while foregoing the weaknesses and turning them into potential strengths, for the betterment of Nike itself. Thus Nike understood Sam’s desire to succeed and in keeping with the same practice they gave him a chance to make a name for not only himself but also the organization. This program was just a fractional part of the organization’s diversity undertakings and programs. It was in the year 2000 that Nike appointed him as the Native American business program manager keeping in line with his desire to bring success to the organization and his own quest to make a name for himself in the global market. Among his other managerial skills included his writing the business plan which brought the company and the Indian tribes in close association with each other while at the same time contributing to the global diabetes program – an undertaking of Nike. Sam McCracken was the man who helped develop the basis of Nike’s Native American Diabetes Program and with that he also formed close alliances with different health service institutions, which was nothing short of a unique relationship when one sees the same from Nike’s stance. The good part about Sam McCracken is that he is a true leader and he understands the finer aspects of managing whilst being under the auspices of Nike itself. He has advanced his reputation and that benefited the industry endlessly. Managers like Sam are a true symbol of the fact that managing is about handling people and not just events. Concluding with the debate, one finds that if the managerial leaders are true to their jobs and know what they expect from the workers working under them, then it is duty bound on the part of these employees to be truthful about their work and apprise the manager as to where they have been lacking and what plus points have thus been achieved. All said and done it is to the manager himself as to how best he can toe along the workers on those lines and till what extent he can drag them but in the name of a genuine organizational gain. Bibliography Fonseca, Jose. Complexity and Innovation in Organizations. Routledge, 2002 Thomas, Camaron J. Managers, Part of the Problem? Changing how the Public Sector works? Quorum Books, 1999 Whicker, Marcia Lynn. Public Sector Management. Praeger Publishers, 1990 Cooper, Cary L. Reinventing Human Resources Management: Challenges and New Directions. Routledge, 2004 Blackman, Anna. Graduating Students Responses to Recruitment Advertisements. The Journal of Business Communication, Vol. 43, 2006 Cappelli, Peter. Employment Practices and Business Strategy. Oxford University Press, 1999 Dipboye, Robert L. Discrimination at Work: The Psychological and Organizational Bases. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005 Sims, Ronald R. Organizational Success through Effective Human Resources Management. Quorum Books, 2002 Kofman, Eleonore. Human Geography of the UK: An Introduction. Routledge, 2001 Egan, Mary Lou. Workforce Diversity Training: From Anti-Discrimination Compliance to Organizational Development. Human Resource Planning, Vol. 24, 2001 Cronshaw, Steven F. Functional Job Analysis: A Foundation for Human Resources Management. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999 Lee, Monica. Human Resources, Care Giving, Career Progression, and Gender: A Gender Neutral Glass Ceiling. Routledge, 2004 Tomei, Manuela. Discrimination and Equality at Work: A Review of the Concepts. International Labour Review, Vol. 142, 2003 Word Count: 2,770 Read More