Training Program for the Taxicab Drivers to Implement Human Resource Development Programs - Assignment Example

Human Resource Management Human Resource Management Importance of Human Resource Development Organizations are made ofpeople whose skills, experiences and abilities to deliver on their independent roles influences the ability of the same organization to meet its objectives. Human resource development is one approach that organizations can adopt in the process of preparing its people to deliver on the key missions and objectives of an organization. Human resource development is the process of increasing the knowledge base and capacities of the people within a firm to enable them effectively fulfill their roles. The adoption of human resource development within an organization is critical in the success of the business due to a number of benefits that it provides to the business1. Through human resource development, an organization develops a competent human labor with the ability, knowledge and skills to meet the expectations of the business in the face of the challenges that the organization faces. Through the adoption of different training programs, an organization increases the competency levels of its workforce and thus the possibility of meeting its objectives within the time set. Apart from the development of competency among the workforce, human resource development is a way of initiating career development and progression. This is due to the fact that it enables employees to grasp the fundamental areas of their training and enhance their ability to deliver. This is because career development is made of personal development efforts that seek to match the training needs with the skills of the employees2. Employees who are trained with the right competency levels have a high commitment towards their jobs and this increases the overall job output and motivation within the organization. As people who know what is expected of them and have the skills to deliver on the employers needs, such employees have higher chances of meeting the pressures within the organization and assisting in the speedy implementation of the policies developed. Commitment and motivation remains a great tool of any human resource process and the ability of human resource development to create it makes the process essential to any organization. Commitment and motivation among the employees come with high levels of job satisfaction as such employees have high orientation and development. Development inspires high performance among employees and this improves the satisfaction and determination to meet the needs of the organization3. Change remains an essential component of any organization as it introduces a new lease of life into the organization and enables it to adopt new ways of production and management. However, change cannot succeed without proper management due to the high possibility of change resistance among employees. With human resource development, the employees are prepared through training to adapt into the changing face of the organization and work in tandem with the new approach for the better of the organization4. Human resource development provides a means through which conflicts during change in an organization can be managed as the employees together with the organizational management are informed of the benefits, need and process of the change itself and will easily embrace process and implement it. With the changing dynamics of the workplace, human resource development remains the only way that an organization can ensure that its employees are well equipped to handle the challenges associated with their different roles. As a result, human resource development tools are essential to every organization that values the input of the employees and their personal satisfaction5. Training program for taxicab driver The development of an effective training program is essential for the success of any organizational training process as it produces the desired results and increases performance in the organization. All training programs developed has benefits to both employees and the employer alike and should therefore be given maximum attention and resources. Through training, an organization has a means to a specific end and must therefore use the means effectively to improve the chances of success and meeting the goals of the same organization. Taxicab drivers play a critical role in the transport of natives and visitors alike within and beyond the central business district of any city. However, the success of their position is affected by a number of factors and this influence the ability of the customer to grow loyalty towards the same taxicab driver and return for more services6. Human resource development approaches such as training can be used with taxicab drivers as a way of improving their service delivery approaches and improves the success of the business and the satisfaction of the employees. Just like in any other training process in any other organization, a training program must be developed for taxicab driver training process. This section of the paper will therefore provide a review of a training program for the taxicab drivers as a way of implementing human resource development programs. The first step in the program wills the definition of the weaknesses within the taxicab program in the organization that need training and human resource development. For example, the communication and interpersonal skills of the taxicab drivers, the city location, the negotiation process and the development of etiquette towards visitors can be the target for the training. After the identification of the weak areas within the organization that will be changed, the short term and long term goals of the company in line with these weaknesses and training goals must be identified. This stage assist the organization to highlight the goals that the training will seek to achieve like increase in productivity, customer service and the publicity of the organization as a whole. The identification of the long and short term goals of the training program is essential in assisting the training coordinators to ensure that the process is done in line with desire objectives7. After the identification of the long and short term goals of the training program, the training modules will be developed and this will be based on the goals and objectives highlighted. Due to the nature of the training, previously used training modules may be unavailable and this will force the organization to independently develop for the different needs of the program. Different drivers may also be subjected to different training modules based on their areas of weaknesses and needs according to the results of an independent employee assessment program8. In the next step, a spreadsheet will be created to record the names of the drivers and the training modules that they have been trained in. This will be helpful in monitoring the training process and progress and identifying the areas that need focus. The best training approach for taxicab drivers is the use of seminars, workshops or conferences and implementing the program based on the schedule of the employees. The working schedule of taxicab drivers may make the training time challenging thus making the use of seminars and online training resources the best option. The evaluation of the training process will involve the engagement of the taxicab drivers in an interactive session that seeks to determine their understanding of the content and the need for the training. Role of human resource managers in strategic planning Despite the critical position of human resource managers to an organization, other managers have the feeling that this essential department has a compliance position as opposed to active involvement in strategic management functions. As a result, it is common to see organizations engaging the services of human resource managers after key strategic decisions within the organization have been made and this reduces their role to implementation and people development. However, human resource managers should be engaged in strategic management functions due to a number of reasons associated with its critical position in an organization9. Human resource managers should be involved in the strategic planning process due to the need for them to understand the strategy development and the planning process. This is created by the position that HRM personnel play in the implementation of strategic planning decisions within an organization. One of the approaches available to meet this consideration is the improvement of capabilities and competencies of the employees, a role that is achieved through the help of the human resource department. Strategic planning processes must also be iterative and incorporate the internal and external capabilities of the organization, a role that is considered cross divisional. Due to the fact that it aligns the organization with the challenges within the external market, strategic planning can only succeed through the help of the human resource department. While the managers will be engaged in the process of developing the strategic plan, there will be need for the selection, recruitment and training of people with the right qualifications to implement the strategic decisions. No department within the organization is well placed to manage the process of employee recruitment and training as compared to the human resource department. These roles can only be achieved and affected if the department is engaged in the process of making the plans and thus understands the needs of the organization and the reason behind the strategic plan. With the engagement of the human resource managers during the process of strategic planning, an organization improves its chances of having employees with the ability to meet the goals of the organization as captured under the strategic plan. The strategic plan can only be successful with the input of the employees who must be prepared to address the different challenges and needs of the plans through the right skills and training. To achieve this, the human resource managers must be present during the conception of the idea all through to its implementation to understand the dynamics of the strategic plan. The involvement of the human resource managers during the process of strategic planning is beneficial to the organization as it improves the understandings of the employees and their chances to meet the needs of the organization. A strategic plan can therefore succeed and enable an organization meet its objectives and strategic plan within the right time10. Question 4 Recruitment of employees to fill top and middle management positions present challenges to organizations due to a number of factors including the lack of knowledge and skills to work in these positions. Middle managers must have the right qualification and skills to be able to fulfill their roles of immediately supervising the employees responsible for the production of goods and services at the base of the hierarchy. As a result, they are placed in a position of influence where their ability to make independent and right decision is determined through the results of such decisions. Organizations recruit from within the employees or bring in new people to fill in the management positions for different reasons and the choice made has different results on the ability of the organization to implement its mandate and strategic plans. In this situation, Power mat Inc. has been faced with the challenge of choosing the best recruitment approach after the two available options have all flopped and the company is facing an imminent management crisis after the retirement of the available managers. The decision to choose internal or external recruitment approach for middle managers must be influenced by the right structures which will enable the new recruits to fit into their position and blend with the strategic plan of the organization. It cannot be said that the two recruitment options available cannot work for the company, rather, the company has not developed structures to ensure that the new managers are capable to deliver on their new mandate11. To mitigate this challenge, Powermat Inc. should combine the two approaches in a way that will enable the new recruits to blend into the organization and work for its benefit. The departments may be semiautonomous and involved in production but their position in the company differs based on the complexity of the level of products that they handle. As a result, some levels of production will need experienced and seasoned managers to oversee and supervise in a manner that is likely to reduce confusion. Such department must recruit employees who have worked for the same but at different capacities and therefore have the right experience to meet the management challenge of the department. The company implemented a management trainee program that targeted new recruits but this failed as the new employees left the company after a short period of time. The same approach should be used with the internally recruited employees to improve their overall skills base and ensure that they have the abilities to meet the challenges of the organization. Once through with the management program, the management trainees picked from within the employees should be posted as associates of a seasoned manager who will oversee their orientation within their new roles and ensure that they are prepared to succeed in their new positions. Through this approach, the internally promoted departmental managers will be in a position to understand the dynamics of their new positions and work towards the success of the same despite the pressures. Apart from internal promotion, the implementation of the management trainee program should be given a new approach to ensure that the new recruits do not leave the company once the training is completed. Before the recruitment of the management trainees, the company should put in place structures to ensure that they blend into the culture and practice of the organization and increase their personal satisfaction and desire to increase being in the organization. The management trainees recruited externally should also be placed under an associate program once the training is over to ensure that they acquire the practical skills and experience of working within the different departments. Incentives and salaries should be attractive to ensure that the competitors do not wrongfully benefit from poaching the trainees by offering them better employment and engagement terms12. Question 5 On job training remains one of the most viable training approaches used today to increase the skills, understanding and experience of new recruits within the company to work in tandem with others. Organizations have different on job training schedule but each seek to acquire the same results by engaging their new employees in the process of increasing their ability to handle the pressures associated with their different roles. Accounting and auditing requires high level of hands on experience, commitment and skills due to the rigors of the profession13. As a result, auditing firms have continued to use the on job training approaches to improve the ability of their employees to meet the challenges of the organization and be able to work without any supervision. However, the on job training approach that has been adopted here does not seem to work as some employees have left, citing lack of professional development and improvement in experience within the program14. The program as it currently is places the young employees at a position where they handle a majority of the work under the control of the senior employees. Though positive due to the skills and experiences that the young employees gain, it is obvious that the approach has been more of exploitative, tending to utilize their skills at the benefit of the senior employees. As opposed to working in teams and handling complex auditing reports under the supervision of senior employees, the company should adopt a two tier system in which a junior and a senior employee are placed to work together15. By creating dual teams, the employees will be best placed to interact on a personal basis with the seniors and learn more from their experience as compared to working in a large team under the supervision of one. Though this approach may face logistical and human resource challenges, the process of recruitment should be done continuously until the right number of junior employees is attained and the best knowledge and skills provided to them. The model of the current in job training program cannot work due to the nature of engagement of the new employees which focuses on their involvement in different job assignment as opposed to improving their skills16. Based on the current approach, the junior employees are already working under different job assignments with the supervision of a senior employee, a process that does not fully reflect the on job training process. While most of the employees expect to be treated as new recruits who need to be provided with the necessary skills to meet their obligation, the management of the organization has adopted an approach that seeks to utilize their knowledge to reduce the current workload in the guise of on job training. As a result, most of the junior employees are failing to benefit from the training process and are instead filling like they are already engaged in the auditing jobs of the company17. Question 6 The performance of employees can only be improved if the organization invests in their satisfaction through the adoption of proper incentive plan that enables the compensation to be fair and considerate. In this case, the three categories of employees must be motivated to improve their performance and commitment to the organization, more so the sales people and the support employees. Lack of proper incentives and motivation can force the sales people to work towards achieving the target and not working beyond this. Once their pay is secured through the number of sales they have made, it is normal for them to slack off and lose focus on the goals of the organization. As a result, the development of an incentive program will be processes towards the motivation of the employees which will enable them to perform their duties effectively and enable the organization achieve its goals18. An incentive plan will be developed for the three category of employees based on their independent positions in the company and the benefits of their role. First, a profit sharing plan will be developed that will provide the employees with a chance to share on the profits and benefits of their inputs. Based on the profit levels, the organization will develop a formula for sharing the profits and the spoils and the percentage will also be influenced by the position and input of the employees. As a result, a link will be created in the business performance, employee motivation and commitment and the overall profits and growth registered by the organization19. To increase productivity, the company will also develop gain sharing plan as an incentive to increase employee involvement in the operational process of the business. By sharing gains, the organization focus will be improved and the employees will feel part and parcel of the organizational growth and development. The most effective aspect of the incentive plan will be the individual based incentives that will reward motivation, commitment and output among the employees. This incentive will target the sales people whose efforts, commitment and outputs differ depending on the motivation and focus on the business. As a result, a stipend-retainer based approach will be developed to ensure that payment is based on the output and the level of sales made by an individual20. By setting target sales for each employee, the level of commitment and focus on the goals will be increased and this will reflected on their personal performance. The same approach can also be applied to the support employees whose commitment and output cannot be considered uniformly based on their results. As a result, the two categories of employees must feel part of the benefits of the organization and the same should be applied during the challenging moments. Bibliography Ameeq-ul-Ameeq and Furqan Hanif. "Impact of Training on Employees Development and Performance in Hotel Industry of Lahore, Pakistan." Journal of Business Studies Quarterly 4, no. 4 (June 2013): 68-82. Anca-Ioana, Munteanu. "New approaches of the concepts of human resources, human resource management and strategic human resource management." Annals of the University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series 22, and no. 1 (July 2013): 1520-1525. DeVaro, Jed, and Hodaka Morita. "Internal Promotion and External Recruitment: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis." Journal of Labour Economics 31, no. 2 (April 2013): 227-269. McGuire, David, and Kenneth Mølbjerg Jørgensen. Human Resource Development: Theory and Practice. London: SAGE, 2011. Mohammed, Jan, et al. "Importance of Human Resource Investment for Organizations and Economy: A Critical Analysis." Journal of Managerial Sciences 7, no. 1 (January 2013): 127-133. Neirotti, Paolo. "How do human resource development strategies influence performance? A contingency perspective." Journal of General Management 39, no. 2 (2014 2013): 3-34. Neirotti, Paolo. "How do human resource development strategies influence performance? A contingency perspective." Journal of General Management 39, no. 2 (2014 2013): 3-34. Payne, Marja-Liisa, A Comparative Study of HR Managers Competencies in Strategic Roles, International Management Review, 6, 2, (2010) pp. 5-12. Salehi, Azam. "Strategic Human Resource Management." Advances in Environmental Biology 7, no. 8 (August 2013): 1782-1787. Sawitri, Dyah, and Mahlia Muis. "Human resource management: a strategic theoretical perspective." International Journal of Organizational Innovation 6, no. 3 (Winter2014 2014): 6-20. Read More