Human Resource Management as an Operational Activity - Literature review Example

Operation Management Operation Management Literature review Rising competition assists organizations and business companies to pursue innovative avenues of indulging in business, increase efficiency, effectiveness of their work, and productivity (Klett, 2010, p.279). Petroleum firms have interests in the development of their countries by improving the available resources to remain competitive in the global market. Facilitation of the situation occurred after the global financial predicament and instability of the oil prices. Agile systems need consideration as eminent in the management and production philosophies, which combine the available human resource, technology, organizational management strategies, and the production systems. Setting agility as competencies and capabilities enable petroleum firms to thrive in the unpredicted business environments and maintain competitiveness. The measurement of the level of agility in the petroleum companies remains unexplored. It is, therefore, wise to develop a conceptual model to propose a measure in the agility level concerning the petroleum firms based on their human resources and organizational management systems (Garbie, 2011, p.204). The Middle East countries depend heavily on the usage of expatriates to support their booming economies. Over-dependence on expatriates may result in long-term social, political, and economic consequences. Regarding this circumstance, several countries are introducing policies to influence the expatriate demand and supply, as well as the native workers. For example, Emiratisation is an interventionist approach taken to reduce the over-reliance on the expatriate labor while enhancing the workforce market participation among the nationals (Wlkins, 2001, p.8). Godwin (2006, p.8) affirms that Emiratization is an affirmative action aimed at ensuring UAE natives acquire employment opportunities in the private sector. (Rees, Mamman, and Bin Braik, 2007, p. 33) The governments of UAE utilize the National Human Resources Development & Employment Authority (Tanmia) in leading the efforts of Emiratisation (Government of Ras Al Khaimah, 2015, p. 1). The major focus of the Tanmia is to decrease the ratio of unemployment and enhance skills of the national workforces productivity. In addition, it creates of employment opportunities for UAE native and recommends policies that are relevant to the federal government. The IEA (International Energy Agency) is an autonomous agency that traces back into the 1790s. Its main concern is to promote the security of energy among its member states to minimize disruptions of the supply of oil. Moreover, it provides convincing research and analysis to certify reliability, affordability and clean energy to its members and the world at large. The agency grounds itself on visional goals and objectives to ensure a comprehensive program in the co-operation of energy among the member countries. The agency’s aim involves need to secure access of the members to reliable supplies of energy and to ensure sustainable policies regarding energy to spur the economic growth. In addition, it facilitates the collection and analysis of data for improvement of transparency in the international markets. Supporting global collaborations and finding clarifications to challenges that face the global energy is another target of the IEA (Jiang, 2011, p.4). Human Resource Management as an operational activity Management refers to the art of achieving goals and objectives with and through people. Management encompasses the processes of planning, directing, organizing, controlling, and co-ordination of the various activities within an organization (Wilkins, 2001, p. 5). It is pivotal to every business organization to streamline its management functions to ensure a secure and favorable business environment. On the contrary, Human Resource Management (HRM) is termed as a function within the organization meant to maximize employees performance in service delivery in conjunction with the strategic goals. It mainly focuses on systems and policies for the management of the workforce within the organizations. Garbie (2011, p207) asserts that petroleum firms are entirely dependent on the knowledge workers. The efficient operations of an integral production system build itself on artificial reasoning to initiate human reasoning and supply the experts role in the actualized domain (Dima, Gabrara, Modrak, Piotr, and Popescu, 2010, p.307). Uncertainty and change dictate the business environment today. Therefore, management is applicable to aid in maintaining high performance and productivity of the company. The main concern of management concerning the oil companies is to organize activities between the workforces, determine new oilfields, and apply new technologies in the drilling activities. Besides, it develops the organizational structure and the procedures needed to control the levels of organizational management (Garbie, 2011, p207). Effective management through codification and manipulation of the human resource is an authoritative asset that can benefit an organization. Human capital is a vital resource for innovations and competition improvement. Exploring its potentials and enhancing its values to organizations comprise systematic processes that determine the competencies needed to achieve improved job performance (Klett, 2010). HRM Implications on Operational Objectives and Performance Outcomes Performance management comprises of holistic processes that unify all processes, which enlighten and effectively support the organizational goals, distinguish employees credibly, and evaluate their respective performance. Performance management concerns instituting a culture that gives space to individuals to advance the business practices and their competencies; this enhances overall productivity and overall self-confidence of the employees. The circumstances set forth can assure quality process and lead to competitive benefits (Klett, 2010, p.282). It is evident that valued and motivated workforce is crucial to any organization. The major objectives outlined in the human resource competence management include competency management, assessment, and quality as well as learning. Competency management These are the methods applied to analyze gaps in learning, detect redundancy, consider the current competencies, and to point out the gaps between the description of jobs and the relevant competencies. It also helps to determine vital aspects of developing plans that achieve the future competencies needed for particular tasks. Additionally, it achieves awareness for the available competencies in preparation for tasks and projects. In tracking the human development, organizations need to define a model that agrees with the HRM program for example, recruitment, career development strategies, self-assessment, and skill gap analysis. The major focus in this context is in the judgment on and measurement of employees competencies to determine better career development outlines in line with the strategic objectives (Klett, 2005). Learning Learning is a continuous process to equip the human resources with the most current issues that affect the organizations processes, tools, and mode of operation. Integrating learning with improved technologies gives a great opportunity for the professionals to reach out to the most current procedures for running the organization. For example, ICT seems to have a great potential in individualizing learning independent of location and time hence improving its efficiency and quality. Quality management and assessment Quality management analyzes the training and educational part of the organization and the purpose is to align evaluation to the impacts. The need for the management of quality is rapidly increasing due to the heterogeneity of institutions that offer training. These institutions have evolved in terms of goals, interests, as well as in learning and teaching contents. Because of growing economic competition and employability, there is a need for audit, maintenance, and implementation of quality education and training criteria. How to Improve Management Operations For an agency to manage its operations effectively, it should seek to involve employees and their respective representative in the design of performance management. Mutual interests need identification to promote acceptance and credibility of the systems. In the verge of developing an actual performance management system, goal planning, setting, and communication procedures should relate unswervingly to the aims of the strategic plan. There is a need for the development of measurements of client service and outcomes of team performance to aid in the distribution of rewards based on performance improvement. Further, measuring, planning, and rewarding client services for staff operations and administration need maximum attention. It is also of profound importance to developing collateral procedures to establish performance objectives, monitor performance, and integrate them into the formalized appraisal reward systems. Also, provide continuous monitoring of performance and feedback to and from clients, individuals, and group performance. The use of 360-degree assessment needs implementation to ensure that the people with knowledge of the effectiveness and quality the employee performance provide feedback either for performance appraisal or development purposes. The standards and elements of employee plans on performance should capture the accomplishments and results rather than repeat procedures and tasks every year. Finally, the distinctions made in the levels of performance should be credible to both external and internal shareholders (Stahl, Gunter, Björkman, & Morris, 2012, 243). Models and Techniques of Human Resource Management Achievement of Team-Related Performance Agencies are moving towards team-based operations that emphasize on continuous improvements as well as assessing the performance outcomes. The traditional performance evaluation techniques are undergoing examination, and organizational management systems are entirely moving away from individual appraisals. Many organizations are adopting team-based payment-for-performance systems and gain sharing, this situation is yielding more good to the organizations than focusing mainly on s individual productions. The model encourages sharing savings from high productivity or reduction of errors and waste of useful resources. Although team objectives and goals are prominent, team members often work as individuals collaborating among themselves to bring about the team goals. Sole members have fixed roles independently completed while contributing to team objectives. The team members have an awareness of personal responsibilities towards their work and decide the measurements that set the performance standards. Team-related benefits are common when team members conduct self-assessments based on their achievement levels and recognize the relationship of performance and the success of the team (Stahl, Gunter, Björkman, & Morris, 2012, p.242). In this model, setting of individual goals comes to the overall goals of the team. The situation directly aligns the employees goals with what the team is set to accomplish. There is a need for regular scheduling of team meetings to discuss the objectives of the team and realize the progress made towards achieving them. Scheduled regular meetings identify and remove barriers that exist and ensure that personal actions are not interfering with a teams productivity. Task achievement is vital to groups as well as general competencies. Competencies, for example, volunteering, effective communication, initiative demonstration, and timely response to requests are critical to the success of teams (Stahl, Gunter, Björkman, & Morris, 2012, p.242). Clear team objectives are necessary for the performance of team-based systems. All team members need to understand their roles to eliminate confusion, and it is vital to document agreed resolutions to steer follow-up and ensure that team members are committed to the team objectives. Gain sharing In this context, gain sharing is an incentive to the group members where the distribution of gains occurs from improved performance to the workforce in an organization or department. Management participation and teamwork develop standards and performance techniques that regulate costs of output. Further, all team members, department, and the organization benefit from the improved cost savings. Lawler and Boudreau (2009, 14) defines gain sharing as an organizational development technology, management style, and an enticement system. Goal sharing Goal-sharing plans are much more of gain sharing plans since they pay bonuses because of increased performance. While goal-sharing plans leverage the organizations strategy of operation by determining performance on basic strategic goals, they can reward non-immediate direct-dollar payoff activities bringing detriments to cost savings. Additionally, at the end of a financial year, new standards can be set or establishing strategies to renew the operating plan. The use of plans is essential when external environments are rapidly changing, and an organization is set to achieve a particular performance in a limited span of time (Stahl, Gunter, Björkman, & Morris, 2012, p.242). Tools of Human Resource Management Competencies Objective Matrix The tool is a hierarchical concept subsuming that the participants need to master each level before moving to the preceding ones. Klett & Scholz (2008) indicate that the employee must master or visit the previous level before moving to the preceding levels of the pyramid. The competencies pyramid is common a tool for the HRM to construct the objectives of training and learning programs and set training outcome criteria, the process is essential in the evaluation process. The stages of the competency pyramid model illustrate a view of a learning experience. Content Objective Matrix The model involves the development of content, identification of the instructors qualifications, delivery of the learning objectives and recognition of the education outcomes. Conclusion From the discussion, it remains evident that for an organization to change to a quality improvement environment. In so doing, the culture will have to undergo great modifications of many human resource management policies that are part of the organization. In particular, organizations should analyze the selection process, training of personnel, compensation, development, evaluation of various systems to ascertain that the values reify for the efforts of quality improvement. Therefore, organizations that implement performance management and learning, track, identify skills and process competencies achieve high transparency in employees and managers. Effective implementation of good communication in several places benefit due to the adoption of consistent systems in organizations. It is, therefore, important to acknowledge that, implementation of learning technologies and performance standards foster a great base of shared resources in institutions providing efficiencies in human resource programs. Bibliography Dima, I. C., Gabrara, J., Modrak, V., Piotr, P., and Popescu, C. 2010. Proceedings of the WSEAS international conferences. S. l: World Scientific and Engineering Academy and Society= WSEAS. P.307 Garbie, I. H. 2011. "Implementation of Agility Concept into Oil Industry."Journal of Service Science Management.4. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman: SciRes. Godwin, S. 2006, Globalization, Education and Emiratisation: "A study of the United Arab Emirates"The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing countries, vol. 27, no.1, pp. 1-14 Government of Ras Al Khaimah. 2015. The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (TANMIA). Web. April 2, 2015. 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