The Challenges and Opportunity in HR in the Contemporary Period - Research Paper Example

 Human Resource Practices: Empowering Both Employee and Organisation Introduction The critical role of employees in ensuring the success of the organization and in creating the platform sustaining the niche of the organisation has been ascertained and recognised (Armstrong 2006; Ramirez et al 2007). The application of employees’ skill, knowledge, and talents in the performance of their functions are significant factors that provide advantages to the company thus creating a positive image for the organisation (Valle et al 2006). Nahrgang, Morgeson, and Hoffman (2011) assert a company that is known for empowering its employees develops a strategy that retains employees and at the same time attracts the best applicants. As such, essential in retaining and attracting best employees is recognising and creating the arena wherein employee empowerment is not a mere rhetoric, but a reality. In this context, the study will analyse some articles tackling recruitment and selection strategies in the context of technological development and international human resource management. This issue is selected not only because of its timeliness, but also because of the need to understand further the strategic role of human resource within the context of globalisation and technological development (Valle et al 2000). The need arises because both globalisation and technological development posit a challenge in the continued evolution in the field of human resource (Lingneck-Hall et al 2009). This is maintained on the premise that HR functions are no longer limited within its traditional administrative sphere, but it now also encompass the development of activities that will empower and harness employees skills and knowledge while ensuring that company goals are attained(Wood and De Meneses 2008). As this study delves on the issue of recruitment and selection, it does aim to clarify some ideas or concepts that confound the intricate connections among HR, recruitment, selection, technology, and globalisation. Globalisation and technological development have re-defined one of the traditional functions of HR – recruitment and selection. Through globalisation, HR’s field of recruitment is the entire globe and the World Wide Web serves as the stage in reaching the best possible candidate. In the same way, during the selection process HR has to ensure that, in the range of applicants, they have to place the best person for the job. In this regard, this study aids in attaining a clearer perspective in the intricate connection of globalisation and technological development with the traditional HR functions of recruitment and selection. This can help in establishing better HR policies that can assist in further levelling up recruitment and selection process. The Articles Three articles are going to be analysed to address the question raised in this study. Piotrowski and Armstrong (2006) deal with the issue of recruitment and selection practises of 750 companies found in the national business directories. With the recent development in online recruitment and selection, the article seeks to know what is the preferred mode of recruitment and selection of companies. The issue is significant as online recruitment and pre-selection offers an alternative that is cost effective and is capable of reaching more prospective applicants and as such, capable of placing the best possible person for the job opening. Krishnan and Singh (2006) focus on information system has effectively transformed HR functions from administrative towards strategic functions that ensure the satisfaction and empowerment of the employees while at the same time meeting the goals and objectives of the management. They argue that human resource information system (HRIS), which is considered as a development in HR as technology is incorporated in HR functions, has created the paradigm and opportunity wherein HR are no longer constricted in just fulfilling traditional HR functions. HR, through integration of technology and information system, is given more opportunity in developing activities, trainings, seminars, and other similar work related programmes that will help employees honed their skills, knowledge, and abilities as they perform their task. Furthermore, Krishnan and Singh (2006) caution that mere adaptation and implementation of HRIS in a company does not automatically guarantee better performance. Coordination, communication, collaboration, trust, and actual use of the technology should be made. Bataineh and Ahmad (2011) assert that HR functions, whether they use technology or select to employ the traditional approach in recruitment and selection, do not end in recruitment and selection. They maintain that the more vital task is ahead when recruitment and selection are done. Since, the challenge of keeping the employees in the midst of an intensely competitive labour market is something that HR has to deal constantly. At the same time, they have to ensure that the entire recruitment process contributes significantly to the high quality service given by the hospital. In other words, Bataineh and Ahmad (2011) are ascertaining that it is not just getting the best possible fit for the job that is asked from HR recruitment and selection but that they also have to ensure that other companies will not easily pirate the best possible person for the job while at the same time, keeping the high quality of service they render. These articles show not only the current dilemma of HR in the face of technology, but it also shows how technology and globalisation have re-shaped contemporary HR and established the new demands to HRM. As Piotrowski and Armstrong (2006) look into preference of companies in recruitment and selection processes, in the midst of technological developments in the recruitment process, Krishnan and Singh (2006) assert that HR has to acclimatise to technology because it is the way forward for HR. The integration of technology in the recruitment process goes beyond the preference of HR, but it is ‘the way’ HR is going. Meanwhile, Bataineh and Ahmad (2011) caution that there is more to HR purpose than just recruitment. They are not downplaying the recruitment process, but they are reminding HR practitioners that recruitment and selection are just the beginning. They have to ensure that the ‘best people’ are kept in the firm. The Theoretical Framework All three articles are anchored on the theoretical presupposition that HR functions contribute both to the growth of individual employees and to the success of the company. This is the unmistakable basic theory underpinning all three articles. This is given prominence because it shows that the articles support the position that human capital is the best asset of the company and HR plays a key role in this aspect (Buren and Greenwood 2008; van Marrewijk and Timmers 2003). However, it has been observed that as the three articles agree on employee empowerment, they diverge in terms of the influence and role of technology in HR. In Piotrowski and Armstrong (2006), the use of technology in recruitment and selections process is approached with tentativeness. In their research, they have found out that companies continue to rely on traditional mode of recruitment. Issues pertinent to honesty, integrity and other measures of personality are raised against online testing by the companies. Many still prefer traditional the recruitment process. On the other hand, Krishnan and Singh (2006) espouse the vital role of technology in HR. They claim that technology is pivotal in the development of HR as strategic segment of the company. They maintain that implementation of technology in HR, to be successful, is not immediate. There are stages to be followed in order to guarantee its success. In addition, trust, communication, feedback, and collaboration from all the stakeholders of the technology should be secured. In addition, they claim that technology must be actually used for it to be successful. This view is supported by other scholars (Alleyne, Kakabadse, and Kakabadse 2007; Mohapatra 2009; Yusof, Ramayah, and Ibrahim 2010). They claim that technology on its own cannot sustain the growth that is envisioned in its implementation. There must be congruence between the users and technology for technology adaptation to deliver success to the company. In this regard, Krishnan and Singh (2006) highlight the fact that as the integration of technology in HR functions is the future of HR, the success of the integration of technology in HR requires actual use of the technology in the discharge of HR functions. Bataineh and Ahmad (2011) look into the strategic function of HR – securing the best fit to the postion and ensuring the sustainability of the high quality service that the hospital is rendering its stakeholders. They forward the supposition that recruitment should be strategic so that it adds value to the service they render, but it should also be considered only as the initial stage in the whole process. Looking for the best fit for the job is only one aspect of HR function, sustaining employees’ growth is the continuing challenge HR has to face. In this sense, the articles re-affirm the theoretical supposition pertaining to the crucial role that HR plays in securing employee empowerment. The integration of technology in HR and HR functions and the strategic aligning of HR functions, both the traditional functions and current functions, with goals and visions of the organisation are solid frames in which to understand the challenges HR faces in the context of technological development and globalisation. As such, the theoretical frameworks employed in their research serve as the guide of the research. It provided them the necessary direction in answering the question they raised in their study. However, it has been observed that theoretical underpinnings of their research were re-affirmed by the studies. There is nothing wrong with it. Nonetheless, instead of the theory explaining the circumstances of HR, recruitment process, technology, and other challenges, the articles acted as a support to the theories underpinning their studies. In other words, their research does not challenge the theories, but it supports the theories, thus, failing to provide an alternative explanation to the reality that they are trying to clarify further. The Methodology The findings of the articles are based on the evidences they have gathered via the research methodologies that they have adopted in their respective research. Piotrowski and Armstrong (2006) conducted a qualitative survey. They sent 750 questionnaires to 750 businesses listed in the national business directory. The questionnaire was sent via email. Of the 750, 151 were returned. This gave 20% response rate for their survey. On the other hand, Krishnan and Singh (2006) conducted a qualitative case study of nine companies that have adopted HRIS in their respective companies. A one-on one interview of HR managers was conducted. They used a questionnaire that served as a guide to the interview. The necessary information was gathered for the period of 2003 – 2004. Bataineh and Ahmad (2011) used quantitative research in collecting the necessary data. 145 questionnaires were randomly distributed to managers and employees of King Abdullah University Hospital. 120 questionnaires were returned giving a high 83% response rate to the survey. For the analysis of the data, they applied simple linear regression to the collected data. Advantages and Limitations of the Methodologies It has been observed that the three articles used different research methodologies in their research. The advantage of the qualitative survey used by Piotrowski and Armstrong is that it enabled them to distinguish the various positions of the members of the same class. Since, their purpose was not merely to count off but to distinguish attitude of their participants regarding the issue (Janssen 2010). As such, qualitative survey was appropriate to their question. However, they had an unusually low response rate. With this, their results could not be generalised as representative position of HR departments of corporations in the US. The qualitative case study used by Krishnan and Singh gave them the opportunity to understand the issue of HRIS from the perspective of people who were actually using the system. This afforded them the chance to understand the issue and gather first-hand information from critical sources (Creswell 2007; Patton 2002). Likewise, through the case study, they were able to delve on the phenomenon as it unfolded within the context of the interviewees (Golafshani 2002; Patton 2002). However, their findings were limited by the fact that the results could not be used a generalised position of HR practitioners. The minimal number of cases analysed render it difficult to ascertain the impact of HRIS to HR functions in particular and HR in general. Alternatively, the quantitative research employed in Bataineh and Ahmad research provided the objectivity of numeric, which fortified the theory pertinent to the strategic alignment of HR functions to the performance of the organisation. Their methodology removed the subjective gradient, thus strengthening the objectivity of their results (Cherry 2000). However, with the objectivity of the numeric, the issue becomes abstracted from the reality of the managers and employees, which is what it is trying to explain (Patton 2002). In effect, the human factor in the issue has been relegated because of the significance attributed to the numerical representations of the results. Conclusion The three articles discuss the challenges and opportunity in HR in the contemporary period. The articles have established an arena wherein traditional HR functions of recruitment and selection have become an issue in the face of technological developments and globalisation. The articles manifested the tension between the traditional approach in recruitment vis- a-vis the new online approach. It raised justification for the integration of technology in HR by pointing to the strategic tasks of HR as the labour market becomes competitive in the global arena. In this context, the articles have shown the dynamic evolution that is happening to the field of HR as it responds to the changes and challenges brought about by globalisation and technology. This study has shown that scholars value technology, not because of itself, but due to the fact that it can take HR into a new level of service, both to employees and the company. The utilitarian approach of Krishnan and Singh (2011) to integration of technology to HR manifests three significant things. These are (1) technology in HR is a tool that is valuable as long as it can boost the HR in transforming itself into a strategic department. (2) Technology in HR contributes to the changing nature and challenges in HR. (3) Technology in HR is not the panacea for the concerns in HR , but it can help in transforming even the traditional functions of HR into strategic function. In this sense, the article of Bataineh and Ahmad (2011) advice recruitment and selection and all the other functions of HR should be geared towards sustaining high quality service that is rendered by the hospital. Thus, it emphasises the supposition that the strategic function of HR is demanded from all of the HR functions. As such, Piotrowski and Armstrong (2006) argue that as technology is a valuable tool in transforming HR into strategic HR, it should be used with caution as there are observable gaps in its application especially in the initial stages of recruitment and selection process. In effect, what this study contributes to the field is that technology in HR is a welcome development as it helps in the transformation of HR into strategic HR. However, it is not just the technology that is doing that, but the actual use of HR practitioners of the technology that enables this transformation to occur. At the same time, it also offers the notion, as technology is trusted because it adds value to HR function, it should also be used with caution as it is not the panacea to all the issues of HR. In the end, integration of technology in HR, in the condition of globalisation, is empowering employees, supporting management visions and goals, and transforming HR into a robust strategic segment of the company. References Alleyne, C, Kakabadse, A & Kakabadse, N 2007, ‘Using the HR Intranet: An exploratory analysis of its impact on managerial satisfaction with the HR function’, Personnel Review, vol. 36 iss 2, pp.295 – 310. 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