Human Resource Management Questions - Assignment Example

1. Attitude can be defined as a mental of readiness, organised through experience to behave in a characteristic way towards the object of the attitude. (Rollinson et al, 1998). Attitudes are learned throughout life and they are linked to values and beliefs and they influence individual’s response to people, objects and situations (Amos et al 2008). From this definition, it can be noted that attitudes constantly change since they are learned on a daily basis. There are various factors which can be attributed to attitude change in society. Each society is comprised of people who often share the same beliefs and values but these also change depending on the situation obtaining on the ground. However, these values often define the way people behave and develop attitudes towards something in their everyday life. Normally, we develop feelings towards something and these feelings can be affected by various things. In every country, people are governed by a certain political system which is led by a particular political party. This party is elected into office by the electorate and in most cases, people have to develop a positive attitude to a party which will eventually win the election by a majority vote. The manifesto of a given political party plays a great role in appealing to the feelings of the people. A political party that promises peace and stability that is characterised by economic growth is the one that is likely to get the majority of the votes. Having been elected into office, the ruling party ought to live to its expectations by fulfilling its promises to the electorate of which failure to do so will change the attitude of the very same people who would have elected that party into office. It can be noted that something that something that is negative does not appeal to many people and is likely to change their attitude. If people develop a negative feeling over something, they will tend to despise that particular thing. People learn different aspects of their life through the environment surrounding them. Of notable concern is that the environment is constantly changing and will not forever remain static. These changes in the environment make the people’s feelings to change as well. For instance, the advent of the internet brought about dramatic changes in the communication landscape. It can be seen that during the contemporary people’s attitude towards postal services as a way of communication where mails are sent has dramatically changed. The internet is now the most preferred medium of communication due to its fastness. Attitude change in this case does not amount to hatred of the postal service but is just something that is a matter of preference. People do have different feelings towards something and they change over time. The media play a very important role in influencing our attitude towards something. What we consume from various media is responsible for influencing our attitude. In most cases, messages disseminated through the media are designed to change the attitude of people positively. An advert depicting a person enjoying Coca Cola drink is meant to appeal to the feelings of the people to have a positive attitude towards that product. It starts with the feelings then these shape the attitude held by different people. Feelings in human beings always change depending on what they encounter in their everyday life. The media play a very important role in influencing the attitude of the people and the way they perceive different situations in their life. In an organisation, people have different attitudes towards the way they conduct themselves. When the employees are given the autonomy to make decisions at their workplace, they will develop a positive attitude towards their work. They will have a sense of belonging to the organisation hence they will be grateful to work for the organisation. The Human Resources Management (HRM) in any given organisation has a great role to play in positively influencing the attitude of the workers to improve their performance towards the attainment of the organisational goals. If the HRM is not considerate of the people’s interests, they are likely to develop a negative attitude. The understanding of issues related to management is very important particularly during the contemporary period where it can be noted that the business environment is dynamic whereby it is constantly changing hence the need for management to keep pace with these changes. This also affects the attitude of the people in any given society. 2. A team is a group of people that has been formed to work together in common, cooperative action towards the achievement of an outcome for the benefit of the group. The goal of the team should be synergy, in other words, the sum of the individual efforts in the team is greater than the sum of the individual inputs (Robbins 2001: 258). The team based organisation may organise itself around functional areas or around departments as core working units. According to Robbins et al (2001), teamwork is where individuals participating collectively, work together towards the attainment of certain goals as well as objectives within a given organisation. Real learning which forms the basis of teamwork takes place in teams where team members learn from each other, learn from their achievements and mistakes, and continuously learn to maximise their efforts and contribution towards the achievement of organisational goals. It can be noted that the notion of teamwork is based on the principle that the success of teamwork is sharing of ideas and the willingness to learn from other team members among the team. Motivation is one very important aspect of team work where the team members ought to have pride in their work which increases productivity. HRM is concerned with the growth of the organisation and there is need to motivate the employees to put more effort in their performance. Basically, motivation is loosely defined as the incentive or motivator given to employees to improve their performance as a way of encouraging productivity and ultimately growth of the company (Jackson et al 2000). In a team, members are ought to be motivated to meaningfully contribute the growth of the organisation. Motivation is influenced by needs, goals and expectations and these play different roles in motivation of the employees working in different teams in an organisation. There is need to persuade and inspire the members of a given team in an organisation. Motivated team members will be productive given that they will know that they will get some form of reward for the effort put. A demoralized person is unhappy and less productive since there are no rewards gained for the effort put. Motivation in an organisation is mainly influenced by various factors which include rewards in terms of financial gains as well as recognition for excellent performance such as being given the autonomy to make decisions in the organisation as a way of creating a sense of belonging which is one great motivator which can ensure the growth of the organisation. This can be enhanced on the nature of the structure of the team where the employees can be involved in the decision making process of the organisation. A team is built on the understanding that team members ought to operate in a cordial fashion where they learn through sharing of ideas. Their efforts of the team members are dedicated towards the attainment of the set goals. In essence, the members of the team should co-exist as one homogenous group and they must be given the opportunity to participate in the decision making process of the activities to be accomplished by the team. Action in a team is collective hence the need to give due consideration to the views and opinions of all the team members. Recognition should be given to all the members of the team on the basis of achievements made or accomplishment of a certain task. Rewards should be given to a group not on an individual basis since the final product will be a result of collective efforts of all the members of the team. If reward is given to individuals, there will be disgruntlement among the other members of the team which will ultimately affect productivity. Basically, team members should be treated as equal and they should be given equal opportunities as a way of motivating them. 3. Organisational structure can be defined as a system of formal working relationships that allow the managers to allocate work, coordinate tasks, delegate authority and responsibility in order to achieve organisational goals effectively (Jackson et al 2001). Organisational structure plays a very significant role in the effectiveness of the organisation. There are different types of organisational structure which include a decentralised as well as centralised structures. Organisations with centralised structures are different from those which have decentralized structures. This has an impact on the way the employees relate to each other in an organisation. Organisations with a central structure are a little bit restrictive since the employees cannot freely engage each other or just consult their superiors with regards to issues arising at work (Carrell et al 1995). Where everything is centralised, it is very difficult to learn given that the line of authority is a bit tough where the organisation will be characterised the top to down communication style. This type of organisational structure does not promote learning in an organisation since interaction would be limited by the barriers that exist. Orders are given from the top and the subordinates are the doers of the directions given to them. There are likely chances of decision makers to be subjective in passing their decisions since their authority would not be greatly challenged within such an organisational structure. They would have too much power vested in them which may affect the operations of the organisation. The chances of resistance are high if the other employees are not fairly treated or given the opportunity to learn. Effectiveness of an organisation is threatened when the employees do not feel to be part of it. In a decentralized organisation, every employee is involved in all the activities taking place within it. Action can be taken more quickly to solve problems and more people would provide input to decision making and the employees are likely to feel less alienated from those who make decisions that affect their daily operations at work. A decentralized structure is likely to be more effective in such a case where an organisation is changing the way it operates. In a decentralized organisation, action can be taken more quickly to solve problems and more people would provide input to decision making and the employees are likely to feel less distant from those who make decisions that affect their operations at work. If the employees are given the opportunity to contribute their ideas and participate in decision making, they will have a sense of belonging to the organisation hence they will put their maximum effort in their performance since they will share the same cause and purpose. Collective decision making is effective in that everyone in the organisation is aware of what has to be done. It becomes easy to manage and control the employees since they share the same understanding of the goals to be achieved. An organisation with a flat structure has the advantage where different tasks are decentralised and are performed by various departments. This is advantageous in that it helps reduce the burden of entrusting much responsibility in the hands of just a few people. Different groups of people in an organisation will duties to play where they are tasked to perform different activities which will greatly improve the effectiveness of that particular organisation. Interaction in an organisation is also improved where the chances of effective learning are promoted. It is relatively easier to learn through interaction in an organisation. Sharing of ideas is very effective in improving the performance of the employees and the ultimate effectiveness of the organisation as a whole. 4. Organisational culture can be described as the myths, traditions, practices and rituals of a particular organisation these make up way an organisation operates (Bates et al 2005). Values in an organisation are learned and they are shaped and influenced by the members of the organisation. Organisational culture directly influences the operations of an organization. Since these values are learned and created, there is an aspect of management function where the management ought to implement the desired organisational culture which can be used as a manual in the operations of the organisation. Each organisation has got its own culture which is used to define the policies and support structures required in its operations. The operation of power within an organisation may vary depending on the organisational culture obtaining on the ground. Basically, power is the capacity of one person to influence the attitudes of and behaviour of another (Yukl, 2006 as quoted in Amos et al 2008). In most cases, organisational culture is used to design policies, codes of conduct, communication channels, and employee support structures. Of concern is that these policies and employee support structures are worth nothing unless they are implemented. Legitimate power comes into play the employees are made aware that the manager is endowed with the authority to make requests or issue commands that are expected to be followed. This kind of power is normally found in organisations which are accommodative to all its members. Managers in this case must be conscious and alert to the behaviour amongst employees and be sensitive to the needs of minority groups in that particular organisation. There is need for the managers to be skilful when they deal issues related to communication where they must be quick to solve conflicts as they may arise. This type of power is common in organisations with a decentralised structure which promote learning and a free flow of information among the employees. An organisational culture plays a very important role in determining how power is distributed in an organisation. Members in an organisation must be given the autonomy to find solutions to challenges they may encounter in their operations where they are encouraged to engage in collective learning that creates norms, shared assumptions and beliefs that become organisational culture. It can be noted that an organisational culture is created by the members who learn and gain experience of doing things from those around them in a given situation and this greatly influences the power structures in that particular organisation. To enhance an organisation’s effectiveness, it is imperative to create a culture that promotes innovative ways of identifying a problem and finding a solution (Brand 1998). Against this backdrop, it can be noted that innovative and supportive culture will encourage creativity. There is a tendency of power varying in the organisation depending on the culture obtaining on the ground. Where there is a centralised structure in the organisation, the power structure is likely to be coercive where the managers have to use their full force of authority in making things done. With this particular type of power in place, it can be noted that creativity discouraged hence the employees are less effective because the organisational culture does not integrate the individual’s values, perceptions and capabilities in the workplace. The disadvantage of this particular culture is that it gives rise to coercive power. Tasks not performed through interaction with different people as a result of the principles of the organisation enshrined in its culture of doing things. Where the culture is accommodative, it becomes easier for the employees to execute their duties if they have an open culture which gives them the autonomy to make decisions in their work. If the culture of an organisation does not promote inclusivity, the power structure is likely to be coercive which may be counterproductive. It can be seen that power structures within organisations vary according to organisational culture that exists in the organisation. 5. Change in an organisation is inevitable and is often necessitated by various internal and external factors and this process often affects the operations of the company in many ways. The organisational development (OD) approach suggests that businesses like people evolve through stages (Amos et al 2008). According to this model, businesses evolve through developmental stages and the managers need to nurture the requirements of the start-up stages. This model has some limitations on managing and sustaining organisational change since implementing change is not synonymous with establishing a new business from scratch. Implementing change may be done over a short period of time depending on the changes being put in place. With change, there is no need for complete overhaul of the company where all the structures would require rebuilding from the grassroots level but it is a transitional process. During the contemporary period, it can be noted that the business environment is dynamic, changing rapidly and is characterised by strong competition from various players and it seems that the most important goal of business nowadays is to develop and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. Some changes will be necessary to be made. Thus, implementing a new order in an organisation is concerned with change of the current ways of operating that are used in an organisation. However, sustaining change may be challenging if it is met with resistance by many employees as a result of many factors. The other notable limitation of this model is that in some instances, it is only one aspect of business that requires attention otherwise there would be no need for that particular aspect to go through different developmental stages as suggested by the model. Implementing change in an organisation is not often an easy task to do as it would be met with different reactions. It is different from establishing business from the early stage where all plans are in place. Change can be initiated over a short space of time which does not require the process to go through all the stages. Various constraints are likely to be encountered and in this case, one notable one is resistance to change that may result in sabotage in the event that there is lack of understanding among the employees. When establishing a new business, the main people involved are the owners or the majority shareholders while implementing change ought to involve the people in the organisation including the workers. If the employees are not happy with the new initiative, it can be difficult for them to support it. The major limitation of the OD model with regards to change strategy is that if it does not have the support of the people who are intended to play major roles in the operations of the organisation, it is likely to face challenges in its implementation which can result in poor performance contrary to what would be anticipated in the first place. The other limitation involved in the model is that the time spans of implementing change and establishing a new business enterprise are different which can make the model difficult to sustain in a change scenario. Bibliography Amos T. Et al (2008). Human Resource Management. CT. JUTA. 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