Various Models of Human Resource Management - Essay Example

Various Models of Human Resource Management HR models are considered very useful because they have provided us a base of HRM. For example, Michigan Model of HRM has identified the interrelatedness of HR activities, which provide very useful information when making HR decisions. Harvard model gives a good insight to the factors that may affect the long-term consequences of the organisation. In this way, each HR model provides useful information to HR managers to perform HR activities. What are the similarities and differences between the models? There are many similarities and difference among between HR models. For example, Michigan Model emphasises the harder resource side of HR whereas, the Harvard Model emphasis the soft side of HRM. Guest Model is very similar to Harvard model because both advocate that superior individual and organisational performance is possible only through the integration of core activities of HR. Do they reflect HR in other countries, such as Africa, India and China? HRM practices are at infancy in the developing economic like China, India etc. Therefore, according to HR professionals, the national factors may influence the HR practices in different countries, thereby, creating distortions in HR models. The four major factors, which are important in this regard, include national culture, dynamic business environment, industrial sector and national institutions.1 Q2. How might HR strategy be formulated? The process of formulating HR strategy consists of a few steps. In the first step, it is decided that who is involved in a process and how. In the second step, a business strategy is defined. In the third step, the business strategy is set in an HR context. In the fourth step, a SWOT analysis is done to analyse the problems in the business strategy in HR context. In the next step, after identifying the priority changes the action plan implemented and outcomes are measured.2 This HR strategy process has been designed for furniture industry and they are very similar to the bookish HR strategy formulation steps. How should/could HR contribute to corporate strategy formulation? For the formulation of corporate strategy, the participation of all departments of the organisation is very important because the corporate strategy is very interactive with functional strategy. An organization cannot develop its corporate strategy unless it knows the functional strategies such as HR strategy and capabilities of its departments. Therefore, when developing corporate strategy, the developers should get the feedback of HR people and their considerations should be focused very seriously. In 1997, Essar Steel Ltd realized the importance of HR strategy to develop business strategy therefore, Essar Steel developed their HR function based on their corporate strategy.3 What are the advantages and disadvantages of a dual HR strategy? And for whom? Think of the various different types of human ‘resources’! HR strategy is always a challenge for an organisation that has different types of human resources. In 1985, Atkinson referred the organisations as “flexible firms” who adopted dual HR strategy.4 An organisation is benefited from dual HR strategy because handling of different types of human resources become easier for it. Secondly, the conflicts among the employees, which can be caused because of benefit of single HR strategy to one group, are also reduced. On the other hand, organisation may also face some disadvantages because of dual HR strategy. For example, sometimes dual-HR strategy may increase the conflicts among the employees because of discrimination. Moreover, organisation may also see an increased employees’ commitment after introducing dual HR strategy. The employees may get the benefit from dual HR strategy because they get a feeling of being an important part of the organisation. However, if the dual HR strategy creates discrimination between different types of human resources then conflicts can rise. Q3. What are the relationships between the four key areas of HR? Is it helpful to think of HR as four key areas/components? The four major key areas of HR include development of policies, Recruitment and retention, Human resource development and Performance appraisal and reward system. All these areas of HR are associated with each other. For example, the area of recruitment and retention is linked with HRD because HRD informs about the skills sets, which are not available to the organisation, and based on HRD evaluation, recruitment and selection can be done. Based on the policies defined the other three areas of HR work. What other ‘people management’ activities might be included within the functions of an HR department? The HR department is the people department therefore; this function should deal with all people’s related things. The HR function covers from recruitment and selection to career development activities and I believe that there is no any area, which HR might be included. What influences how HR operates? There are various factors, which may influence HR operations and they can be classified as external and internal factors. The external environmental factors include government laws and regulations, the union, economic conditions, work sector of organisation, competitiveness, composition and diversity of labour force and geographical location of the organization. The Internal factors that may influence HR operations include strategies, goals, organizational culture, nature of the task, work group, leader’s style and experience and technology. 5 Bibliography Budhwar, S., Pawan & Yaw A. Debrah, 2001, Human resource management in developing countries, Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=IUzm1-hdmVMC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=HR+models%2Bcountries&source=bl&ots=gKnnWL92GD&sig=4DbwYxKGrDCCylw56aaEwAPyyFI&hl=en&ei=x7TxSqKnD8qSkQX40YiYBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=HR%20models%20countries&f=false [Accessed 4 November 2009]. European Social Fund, (n.d.). Furniture Industry In Restructuring : Systems & Tools. [Online] Available at: http://www.ueanet.com/first/guidelines/first_hr.pdf. [Accessed 4 November 2009]. Ivancevich, 2004, Human Resource Management 10E. [Online] Tata McGraw-Hill. Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=6TkUWQGiROoC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=What+influences+how+HR+operates%3F&source=bl&ots=VzgTun0RYu&sig=i8dSW1ZFZdJp9JdawQeYQLwaTQg&hl=en&ei=bazxSsXDDc2SkQX4nf2YBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=What%20influences%20how%20HR%20operates%3F&f=false. [Accessed 4 November 2009] North, Michael, 2000, Kommunikation, Handel, Geld und Banken in der frühen Neuzeit. [Online] Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=QaF5dI3PMmwC&pg=RA1-PA1941&dq=dual+HR+strategy#v=onepage&q=dual%20HR%20strategy&f=false. [Accessed 4 November 2009] Pattanayak, Biswajeet, Year, Human Resource Management 3Rd Ed. [Online] PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.. Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=dF7G0yZ51GgC&pg=PA369&lpg=PA369&dq=role+of+HR+in+corporate+strategy+formulation&source=bl&ots=pZYXSmsCN-&sig=sqX0o1g5F489TM1qC0MA2r4xM4g&hl=en&ei=8KDxSp7NO5yDkAXKxfWOBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=role%20of%20HR%20in%20corporate%20strategy%20formulation&f=false. [Accessed 4 November 2009]. Read More