HRM Strategic Analysis of DEWA Company - Case Study Example

Higher Colleges of Technology Dubai Women’s College HRM – Assessment-3 Focus HR strategy - DEWA Contents Task 2 Job Title/Position Male or Female Company DEWA 1. In your opinion why do you think that HR is critical to firm performance? I have worked for DEWA Company for about 7 years and some months. I started as a support assistant in the company. Having gotten interest when doing my internship, I started follow up a career in Human Resource Management. I believe that it is one of the best departments I can use to ensure speedy growth of the company. The entire recruitment of the best stuff, motivation and reason to work daily are some of the roles of my department. Without super good and talented staff members, it will be tricky to for DEWA to achieve its growth. This department is therefore very critical in the growth of the company. 2. Do you believe that the HR department has offer the company required support to achieve growth Having been in DEWA for almost a period, have seen great growth and appreciation than any other competing company. I am currently part of management, something which appears as an imagination having started as an intern. I have gotten an opportunity to get trained on various international best HR practices. I have always shared the same information with our management team who ensures that the recommendation is implemented. Our HR colleagues are the best compared to other departments in the company. We are usually involved in the development of company strategy and therefore we provide the necessary support to the management. 3. Do you believe that the quality of the HR services in your company impacts the growth of the company? Yes, as discussed the growth of the company depends on the quality of employees who are recruited to provide the support. I believe that our support we offer is part of the great company’s reason for success. 4. What is unique about Human Resource Management? The highly qualified staff members who are dedicated to offer the best to the company is one of the reasons we stand out compared to other companies and departments within. We are able to identify and deal with our internal weakness. 5. Do your strategies make the company remain competitive amongst its peers in the industry? Definitely, our strategies are part of company’s growth. Our strategies are mainly based on human resource systems, culture, organization and people. Human resource system- Ensuring that the departments are granted the required support Culture – To build a culture within the department that ensures that services are delivered Organization-A strategy that ensures that all our activities are aligned with the organizations goals People- A strategy that is friendly to other staff members and our customers 6. Does the senior management support your HR strategies? Yes, we have a wonderful senior management team. Given that seat in the management team, it is easy for me to negotiate the strategies with the management and also help them understand the strategies formulated by the department. 7. How does the internal policies relate to the competitiveness of the company? The internal policy is a set on delivery through the expansion of the market share and enhancing our competitiveness. The policy therefore supports the initiative of the company to grow and remain compliance to international best practices 8. Do the adopted HR strategies help the company in achieving its goals? Delivery, efficiency and result oriented is part of the team in my office. The growth in our company is directly connected to the effectiveness of the human resource management. The team always ensures that all the required information is available in a timely manner. Yes, the strategies are linked to the overall corporate strategy. Our purpose is to have a culture that include quality service to our people and the entire service. By bringing quality staff on board, it is easier monitor their performance and links same to the strategy. 9. What is the organizations corporate strategy? The company’s strategy is to increase their market share through the obtaining of other companies. We are currently in negotiations with firms we are not willing to discover at this point. The intention is to improve our sales and presence. 10. What is the company’s business strategy? We apply cooperative strategy to ensure the provision of our global services. Through collaboration, we have been able to reach a number of customers and even meet their demands. 11. How does the HR strategy connect to the two strategies? The strategy is connected with cooperate strategy in that we intend to bring the best staff members through a well institutionalized culture. The highly trained staff is able to connect and push the company’s agenda. 12. Is the department involved in training of staff members on the strategies? Yes, we usually train our staff members on the strategies 13. Do you adopt reward system as part of HR strategy? Yes we do, actually is part of the organizations strategy 14. What is the rationale of the strategy? We recognize the people who work with us and we believe that there is a reason they should be part of the growth. 15. Do the economic conditions of the business affect the strategies adopted Definitely, we operate in changing economies in very unique environments and therefore we must be sensitive to the areas we operate in. 16. What is your level of participation in the company policies? Very high and we are always included in all the decisions that are taken by the company 17. How do you evaluate the performance of your department? Super, I have a wonderful staff that supports various works. There is a lot of team work in my department and coordination. The entire strategy was developed by the team and not me alone. 18. Do you consider the ability to formulate the strategies as part of the evaluation criteria of the personnel? Yes, apart from the HR strategy my staff is required to have their individual strategies which must align to HR strategies. We therefore regard this during our evaluations. 19. How does the organizational culture affect the formulation of the strategies? Organizations culture is part of the HR strategy and therefore impacts a lot 20. Does HR develop processes and various programs that links various HR strategies to ensure the accomplishment of the business strategy Yes we do. The individual strategies are linked to the overall programs 21. Do you believe that HR strategies can enhance the productivity in the company and effectiveness? As stated above, the performance of the company depends on the staff members who are recruited. My department is therefore part of the company’s performance. Highly trained and motivated staff is likely to be efficient when it comes to the formulation of various policies. 22. In your understanding, Should the company monitor the HR environment and imitate some of the international best practices Definitely; HR is at the core of companies operations and they require the best support and training. The company should always monitor the environment and ensure that the best practices are adopted. 23. Please some of the challenges faced by your HR team in an attempt to implement the strategy The main challenge is the limitation of the funds allocated to departments. We are not able to send our staff to some important international seminars. We are currently involved in various discussions with the management to see how this can addressed. Task 3 Introduction Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is a governmental organization in the United Arab Emirates offering water and sanitation services to its clients in different parts of Dubai (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, 2014). However the company was established on 1 January, 1992, by a announcement issued by the late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, DEWA is a motivating success story known for its competence and reliability in every facet of its processes, in a fact today DEWA have a very good standers of workface it over than 9000 employees. In addition, the company also focuses on providing for their clients with basic services such as electricity for 600,000 customers and provides water for 500,000 customers. , which is important towards promoting success achievement with regard to economic development. The company has experienced important growth margins within the last few years, as it has been able to include the usage of technological devices in trying to promote consumer satisfaction. Based on our interview questions we find that HR department is supporting the company growth by give the employee opportunity to get trained on various international; however HR department they believe in quality service by recruiting a good employee and its impact company growth and its support offer of create a great company’s reason for success. Our point of view HR department they are much unique experience by selection their employee with highly qualified staff members who are dedicated and can deal and analysis our company internal weakness. In addition DEWA HR department their strategies are part of company’s growth and they have two strategies is corporate strategy is depending on increase their market share, and company’s business strategy to ensure the provision of our global services. There strategies based on: human resource systems culture Organization and employee DEWA they have specific rules and process concern internal policies to delivery through the expansion of the market share and enhancing our competitiveness. Moreover human resource management they put their strategies to achieve their goals and focused in environmental culture that includes quality service. According to the company website, the company has a mission of promoting the country’s vision set for the future by ensuring that its citizens are able to access electricity and water (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, 2014). The company tries towards ensuring that the quality of services offered would reflect the needs and expectations of the consumers with the aim of projecting an increase in terms of its profit margins. The company has tried towards easing the process of accessing information including bills for the consumers, which is an important aspect of defining the company ability to achieve success in the future. Secondly over the years, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) have focused its attention towards creating a stage where it is able to achieve its set goals and objective with regard to significant increment in its profit margins. The management for DEWA has placed significant attention to the human resource department, as the employees work as the company’s strength towards future success (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, 2014). According to published information, the company’s main human resource goal is to promote employee engagement, which is an aspect that may help towards improving the employees’ motivation towards success achievement. It is important to note that lack of motivation among employees is one of the key factors that may lead to disappointment within any given organization. In that view, the company has created different ‘Employee Happiness Programs’ aimed at promoting the motivational levels for these employees. Most activities within these programs focus on the idea that employees play a key role in defining success levels that a company may achieve (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, 2014). In addition, the programs also create a stage where employees are able to give their suggestion with regard to specific aspects of the company towards improving service delivery. When making important decisions that may have an important within the company, the management for DEWA focuses on the suggestions provided by its employees, as this is a key element towards promoting employee engagement (Ratcliffe, 2012). In most cases, employees tend to have an in-depth understanding of specific measures that the company may implement towards improving overall service delivery to its clients. The ‘happiness programs’ also focus on recognizing highly-performing employees within the company, which also works towards providing them with motivation for success achievement. When undertaking their specific roles and responsibilities, it is important for companies to recognize the specific contributions that employees provide, as this would help towards creating an avenue for effective engagement (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, 2014). Thirdly the management for DEWA also focuses on providing discounts and competitive offers for its employees with regard to electricity and water services. The provision of such discounts prompts these employees towards improving their performance levels significantly. The human resource goal for the company supports with the business goal, as it reflects the need to create an avenue for increased profit margins through an increase in consumer satisfaction. DEWA structures chart. Task 4 When trying to establish the competitive advantage for DEWA, it is important to focus on using the VRIO framework, which will help towards outlining some of the measures aspects within the company that may project success in the future. In addition, the VRIO framework may also work towards understanding some of the measures that the company management may implement towards promoting success achievement. Resource Valuable? Rare? Difficult to Imitate? Supported by Organization Competitive Implications Performance Employee engagement Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable Advantage Above Normal Technological advancement capacity Yes No No Yes Competitive Parity Below Normal Employee satisfaction capacity Yes No No Yes Competitive Parity Below Normal Excellence awards & recognition program Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable Advantage Above Normal TAKAFUL fund for employees Yes No No Yes Temporary Advantage Normal Waffer program Yes No Yes Yes Sustainable Advantage Above Normal TAWASOL suggestion scheme Yes No No Yes Temporary Advantage Normal Child care center for employees Yes No No Yes Temporary Advantage Normal Employee organization capability for the company Yes Yes Yes Yes Sustainable Advantage Above Normal Table 1: VRIO Framework Analysis for DEWA From the table presented above, DEWA has a major task in trying to improve its competitive advantage over some of its major competitors when dealing with the human resource department. The analysis presented above focuses on specific elements within the company that has played a key role in driving success through its employees based on the idea that the employee are the major aspects of strength for the company. According to the management, the company focuses on providing its employees with a favorable workplace environment that would help towards increasing their satisfaction levels (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, 2014). The analysis indicates that the employees’ satisfaction levels has not been valuable for the company but has also ensured sustainable advantage over its major competitors. In that view, the company has worked towards ensuring that its employees remain with such levels of satisfaction that would work towards motivating them to perform according to expectations. A review of the resources indicated for the company shows that they play a key role in defining the ability for its employees to perform according to expectations. However, some of the resources may need specific adjustments and modifications towards ensuring that they conform to the needs and expectations of the employees. Another key element to consider within the analysis provided is the aspect of employee engagement within which the company has been able to achieve a high level of sustainable advantage over its major competitors. The management of DEWA motivates its employees and has implemented a program aimed at enhanced and effective engagement. When facing any issue or challenge, the employees are expected to forward such information to the management with the aim of ensuring the management implements effective changes (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, 2014). The analysis indicates that the company faces a major challenge in trying to improve some of the aspects of human resource management with the aim of creating an advantage over its major competitors. Some of these aspects include its technological advancement capacity and all the ‘Employee Happiness Programs’ indicated in the table. It is important for the management to ensure that the programs that it implements are rare and difficult to imitate, which is a lacking aspect in most of the programs. The implementation of programs that are easy to imitate may create an avenue where its major competitors may be in a position to implement the same programs as a counter measure thereby reducing the competitive advantage for the company. Recommendations From the analysis provided, it is important for the company to implement specific recommendations that would help towards ensuring effective attainment of sustainable HR competitive advantage. Firstly, the company must focus on conducting a survey among employees with regard to the technological advancements that they would expect with the aim of improving their individual performances. Technology plays a key role in defining success achievement within different companies and organizations, as it ensures that employees are able to offer their services according to consumer and organizational expectations (Roscoe, 2014). In this case, understanding the employees’ needs would help towards promoting the idea of success in trying to establish a platform for effective service delivery to its consumers. Secondly, the company may also focus on shifting some of the elements within the ‘Employee Happiness Programs’ with the aim of ensuring that they reflect on the aspects of satisfaction among its employees. One of the key factors to consider when dealing with employees within any given organization is the aspect of satisfaction that ensures employees are able to undertake their specific roles and responsibilities accordingly. In this case, the company management may shift these elements including the TAKAFUL and TAWASOL suggestion scheme towards ensuring that employees may feel comfortable with their environments. Task 5 Third generation of balanced scorecard has been implemented by DEWA recently, this consist of perception of having the champion these as well as the strategy map. The four perspectives are includes in DEWA’s balanced scorecard along with its objectives, business strategy and the key performance indicators. The Financial Perspective Dubai Electricity and Water Authority state its financial objectives based on three objectives financial sustainability enhancement, cost and revenue optimization and project investments improvements. The Customer Perspective DEWA ensures to maintain its potential customers satisfied through focusing on its needs and wants. This initiative provides DEWA a forward step towards the work efficiency through the excellent services provided, suitable payment channels and quick responses to customers’ requirements by best manner possible. DEWA states some objectives to enhance the relationship between the company and its customers. Internal Process: DEWA encourages the continual improvement in its process and services by improving the relationship between its potential suppliers and customers. However, maintaining the excellent brand image that the company has assure the sustainability of world class corporate performance through providing value added services to its customers; DEWA will remain the best role model for any business fields. Support learning and growth: This perspective is very important to DEWA in order to accomplish the preferred output from the employees. DEWA’s management makes sure to provide the necessary training and development courses to its employees to enhance both capabilities individual and company. DEWA ensures that the hired employees are educated well and have enough experience and knowledge to the required job. In addition; developing the work environment leads to increase the work productivity. Accordingly, DEWA will assure the high level of quality assurance and continually growth in its business among the competitors as well as the providing as effective services that support its business core. Balanced scorecard implementation; helps DEWA’s management to identify the relationship between these perspectives through cause and effect. The organization needs to deploy the KPI system in its business in order to set fundamental indicators that benefit the organization performance. On the other hand; DEWA took this initiative to know how they can measure and handle the performance of the business strategy, objectives and the success of the key indicators performance that the company desired to achieve. Critical Success Factors To make sure that the organization has implemented its strategy in efficiency way; it should ensures that the following elements are well determined: 1. The company strategy is formative according to the business objectives and concepts. 2. Knowing the important components that could affect the company success. 3. Align the individual objectives with the business objectives. 4. Ensure that the company mission and vision are achieved. Key Performance Indicators DEWA implements the key performance indicators in order to enhance the performance of both business strategy and employee’s capabilities. KPI is used to control and maintain the strategy goals as well as indicate if the company is correctly following the direction of the formative strategy. Nevertheless, DEWA ensures to educate and involve its employees in the business strategy and encourage them to understand and take an initiative to share their ideas and participate in the continual improvement process. Recommendation 1. Ensure to maintain the continual improvement programs. 2. Empower the employees and involve them in the business decision making. 3. Reduce the production cost and apply more “ go green activities”. 4. Ensure to provide healthy workplace in order to assure the employees retention. 5. Seek for the customer’s feedback in order to provide the best services. 6. Implement the reward and compensation system. Task 6 Ethical implications: Ethical is the morals or the principles of morality that related to right in conduct by following the policies and procedures. So ethical implications of any activity are the results viewed with ethical considerations in mind. Leaders must understand the differences between moral values and ethical principles. Moral values our behavior, while ethical principles are the ways we act in the workplace. How to implicate ethics in the organization: The ethical should be detailed and well defined in the form of a manual and clear for all employees. The managers should train the entire staff how to handle them Creating business code ethics for guidance. They should have the ability to learn from mistakes and understand where negative ethical behavior in the workplace begins. There should be positive Workplace Behavior Ethics. The ethical implications of DEWA are Professionalism Always act professional no matter what your job title is. The point here is to treat others the way you want to be treated. Honesty Promoting honesty in the workplace will have an overall positive effect. Employees need to understand that they need to make the right choice. They need to own up to mistakes for the greater good. Admitting to mistakes will allow time to make corrections. Trust Employees and leaders need to be able to count on each other. There needs to be an understanding of "I have your back". One very effective way to establish this is to cross train everyone. This will allow leaders to cover sick days, vacations, or just to give some extra help were needed. Responsibility The employees have the responsibility of completing job descriptions correctly. Make sure they are following policies and making the right decisions. Leaders can control this ethical behavior in the workplace by holding everyone accountable. To resolve the unethical issues that the organization has firstly the leaders must understand what ethics is. The organization that follows the ethical policy will have better morale and will reduce the turnover and personnel issues among the employees. Having a general understanding of ethics in the workplace will point in the right direction. Leaders will benefit from understanding how their employees feel about ethics so the employee motivation will be easier and the ability to correct ethical issues will come in time moreover, implementing the ethics will add value which will help to organize the work and increase the financial performance of the organization The moral and ethical values represent the notion of employees as human beings with feelings, emotions, opinions, norms and values. Task7 Solutions and recommendations After an extensive interview with the HR focal point in Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, there are a number of recommendations and guidance that they believe can help in the performance of the company. Some of the recommendations that came up during the discussions include; The head of HR stated that the performance of a company is dependent on the quality of employees participating in various activities. HR forms an important part of the company and therefore they need the required support to ensure success. The HR strategies should be part of the corporate strategy. All the tenets should be directed towards to the success of the company. (Boxall, & Purcell, 2003) The Head of Human Resource Management’s main concern is the low funding to the department. A number of companies, part from DEWA have complained of low funding and attention by the management. With the kind of services that is offered by the department, it should get the required funding to ensure that they carry out they activities as required. Another recommendation is that the staff is fully trained of the existing corporate and departmental strategies. Apart from the HR strategy other departments have also their strategies that can support the performance of the company. Through working together, it will be easy to develop a close working relationship that will enhance the working togetherness of the organization. The management of DEWA should ensure that the staff is exposed to some of the international best practices. AQ strategy is only reasonable if it can be compared with other companies. Through training and continues support to the staff member, it is likely that the morale of the staff members will go high and therefore ensuring that the strategy is clearly followed to guide the [performance and success of DEWA. Reference Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and human resource management. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. (2014). DEWAs Vision, Mission, Motto and Values. Retrieved 13 May from http://www.dewa.gov.ae/aboutus/strategy/default.aspx Ratcliffe, V. (2012). Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA). MEED: Middle East Economic Digest, 56(30), 22-23. Read More