Strategic Human Resources Management and Leadership - Assignment Example

Strategic Human Resources Management and Leadership Name: Institution: 6303 Strategic Human Resources Management and Leadership 1. How does strategic Human Resource (HR) Management differ from operational Human Resource Management? Strategic HR management involves itself with envisaging outcomes as well as making sure that the company has adequate skilled human capital to realize the organizational goals, while operational HR is concerned with the everyday operations crucial to meeting the employees’ needs. Strategic HR management needs that all professionals in human resource take into account the overall picture of the business’s growth, executing means that directly contribute to the long-term goals of the organization (Durai, 2006, p.58). Therefore, strategic HR management is vital to the organization’s future planning since it associates with the workforce. On the other hand, in operational HR management the tasks accomplished are always highly noticeable to the workforce since they concentrate on the day-to-day work issues caused by the unending needs of the work team. The tasks include staffing, interviewing and risk management, and hiring. Strategic HR management focuses on increasing the productivity of the workers as well as the return on investment, with a view to progress while operational HR management involves managing employees’ health benefits, compensation issues, as well as compensation reviews. 2. What are the core strategic HR activities? Strategic HR activities are utilized to develop workers so as to support the company’s business needs, which include aiding communication, facilitating teamwork and promoting participation, improving quality, and developing the needed talent. In this case, strategic HR activities include human capital measurement and management, alternative dispute resolution, change management, as well as workplace innovation. Human capital management can be described as set of activities associated with HR management, which concentrate on the organizational need to offer certain competencies. Change management can be defined as a systematic approach in handling change at an individual and organizational level. Alternative dispute resolution is a strategic method of cooperatively solving issues in the organization. Finally, Workplace innovation is a spontaneous strategic process, intended for improving employees working conditions and motivation, in so doing improving organizational performance, labor productivity, and innovation competence. 3. What is the relationship between corporate strategy and HR strategy? Corporate strategy can be defined as the corporation direction or overall scope as well the manner through which its various business operations pool resources to realize certain goals. It precisely directs focus on how the business can add value to the various business processes in the portfolio. On the other hand, HR strategy is a coordinated set of processes intended for integrating the employees, the organization, and the corporate culture so as to achieve the business goals. For corporations with strong HR strategies such as the software companies, mergers and acquisitions are the new HR challenges and are attributed by corporate strategy. These days, human resources strategy involves top management discussing with HR experts to develop harmonizing goals for the overall business as well as for human resources. 4. What is the different strategic HR management axis? There are two axes through which strategic HR management can be achieved: the vertical axis point out a focus on either the daily role of the organization activities or the future while on the other hand, the horizontal axis concentrate either on practices or people. This as a result, leads to four strategic roles: strategic partner, change agent, administrative expert, and employee champion (Truss et al., 2012, p.70). These different axes are frequently utilized to connote the various means though which human resources can be deployed. 5. What are the latest trends in Strategic HR management? The past hierarchical command as well as control structures have turn out to be unproductive for global workforce management, especially for managing Generation Y employees. Many countries are entirely overhauling their immigration laws, which as a result are impacting transfer of knowledge; thus, affecting businesses. Countries are decreeing more restrictions on the authorization process of employment, which in turn, is creating obstacles for business. As globalization continues, the necessity for skilled and experienced global HR practitioners who have a global mindset, show multicultural savvy, and exhibit the skills for intercultural communication needed to manage both virtual and brick-and-mortar operations has tremendously increased. Online recruitment and state-of-art technology for recruitment and change in styles of communication introduce novel challenges in strategic HR management. These days, HR professionals have to align the management of benefits and compensation with the strategic objectives of the company by improving or establishing systems for performance management with a global context. 6. What are the HR professionals’ key competences? The key competences that should be possessed by HR professionals include: strategic positioner, whereby they comprehend the global business context such as the economic, political, social and technological trends that have effect on the business and taking part in developing business strategies that focus on customers. Another competency is capability builder, since an effective HR professional should be able to generate and orchestrate a strong and effective organization by facilitating the building of organizational capabilities. Besides that, an HR professional should be a change champion, whereby they should be able to develop the capacity of their organization for change and afterwards transform that capacity into operational change structures and processes. Other notable competencies include: innovator and integrator, technology protagonist, risk taker, and courageous. 7. Why is it important to make regular Human Resource audits? Making regular HR audits is imperative because it helps to measure the usefulness of employees’ practices and programs and gives the appropriate solution so solve the existing issues. Besides that, HR audits are needed for controlling costs as well as maximizing the use of workforce to realize the goals and objectives of the organization. It offers the needed feedback that is essential in an organization that is decentralized and diversified.  HR auditing is essential for protecting the worker’s interest, for motivation, to overcome the trade unions’ challenges, and for improving and enhancing the performance of organization’s workers. 8. What are the elements of a job profile? The crucial elements for a job profile includes compensation, (salary range and benefits should be listed). Task responsibilities and functions; all job responsibilities and functions should be clearly defined as they associate with the performance of the workers duties. Performance standards; the quality and productivity standards needed for the person to be fruitful in his/her new role must be shown. Management expectations: results cannot be achieved not until the expectations are spelled out. Qualifications: the needed education and experience, in addition to any accreditations should be described. Other crucial elements include; limits and scope of authority, job-related skills, job title, job summary, and the needed competencies. 9. What options a company has for finding candidates for recruiting? To find candidates for recruiting, a company should first have a recruitment plan that details the job descriptions and offers a budget and timeline. Besides that, the company can find suitable candidates by participating in industry and recruiting events such as industry trade shows and career fairs. Undoubtedly, these events offer productive platform for the company to source as well as identify potential candidates. The company should also capitalize on social media considering that sites for social networking like Facebook, LinkedIn, as well as Twitter have millions of potential candidates. The company can as well Post job advertisements, both on the hiring websites and its company website, so as to ensure scores of potential candidates see the ads. Besides, a suitable candidate can be within the organization, so the company should consider promoting from the inside, by performing performance appraisal to establish the suitable candidate. 10. Why does organizational culture matter? Organization culture matters because it attracts talent, helps retain talented employees, engages people, and generates energy and momentum. Therefore, an organization culture aids in shaping the company’s soul; that is its attitudes, actions, beliefs, workflow, and repute. A company with a strong culture improves worker loyalty; increases productivity, promotes team work, as well as lessen the negative behavior. Moreover, it can promote creativity and, and help the company retain and attract talented individuals, which results in higher satisfaction, greater commitment, as well as improved customer relations. 11. What are the elements of organizational culture? The elements of organizational culture include: Organizational values, which reflect on what is crucial in the organization, and they include goals, philosophies and views shared in the organization. Organizational beliefs are beliefs about the suitable means to realize particular goals like increasing job motivation and productivity. Finally, Organizational norms reflect the accepted and typical behaviors within the organization. Norms include the tasks, standards, and rules of the organization 12. Why people are prone to resist change? It is hard for any business organizations to evade change, given that new ideas enable them and their employees to grow. Basically, changes can generate fresh opportunities, but time and again are met with disapproval from resisting people within the group. People always fear change and this is mainly attributed by lack of knowledge concerning the need for change, especially when they believe the present way of doing things is ideal. People can also fear change if they do not trust the management, particularly if the manager is new and is yet to be trusted by the employees. Some changes create the need for new skills, and so if the workers lack these skills they will feel insecure to make the transition. Resistance may also be attributed by lack of consultation, poor communication, fear of losing their job, and bad timing. 13. What are the key success factors in change management? Success factors in change management include: Urgency, where everyone involved in the change program must sense, see, and feel the need for change. Clear targets; the targets for change must be flawless, understandable and measurable as well as within reach. Communication: the organization communication must be open, consistent and reliable. Commitment: the top management must show dedication and willingness so as to be emulated by the employees (Fritzenschaft, 2013, p.48). Other success factors include effective leadership, transparency, and highly motivated team. 14. What types of innovations there are? Basically, numerous different innovation approaches can be taken by business, but this normally relies on the available time and money as well as the business strategy. So the main types of innovation include: incremental innovation, which concentrates on making improvements to the available products, processes, or services. Radical innovation involves generating a totally novel product or process in reaction to a market opportunity or need. Disruptive innovation helps in creating a novel market as well as value network, and ultimately disrupts the existing market. Besides that, types of innovation can be defined from the source of innovation: end-user innovation and manufacturer innovation. 15. How HR function can support building innovative teams? Even though scores of HR professionals believe that their job involves only establishing procedures, policies, as well as programs governing management of employees, they play a crucial role in building innovative teams. Managing productivity of the workers involves acknowledging the responsibility for enhancing the return on investment for labor expense. So by providing the appropriate information, continually updating and maintaining productivity, offering non-financial rewards, and offering effective rewards are some of HR functions that can support build innovative teams. Since these functions improve individual performance, promote collaboration, and removes barriers to improved productivity. 16. How to motivate people in their work? Workers can be motivated through aligning personal financial interests with the performance of the company, taking into account the future career path of the employee, and taking their work-life balance seriously. Other ways of motivating include; paying attention to employees ideas and suggestion, rewarding hard working individuals, improving communication, offering feedback, involving employees in every decision made, giving them control over their job roles, and appreciating their efforts. 17. What different leadership styles there are? The different types of leadership styles include: Laissez-Faire, which is suitable for an organization with highly trained and experienced employees needing little or no supervision. Autocratic; this style of leadership allows the leaders to make the organization’s decisions single-handedly and such leaders have complete authority. Participative/democratic; is suitable in boosting the morale of the workers and allow employees to contribute in the process of decision-making. Transformational: this style of leadership relies on high communication levels from management so as to meet the organizational goals. Finally, transactional style of leadership is used to reward or punish workers based on their performance result. 18. How to develop your leadership qualities? Leadership qualities can be developed by using initiatives so as to capitalize on opportunities, setting priorities and taking responsibilities for personal objectives, and displaying the ‘can do’ attitude by trying to solve the existing problems instead of bypassing them. The qualities can further be developed by going an extra mile in attempt to complete the tasks at hand and also showing enthusiasm. Other ways include: using common sense, learning new practices, developing practices innovatively, and introducing creative improvements. References Durai, D. P. (2006). Strategic Approach to Human Resource Management. Daryaganj, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Dist. Fritzenschaft, T. (2013). Critical Success Factors of Change Management: An Empirical Research in German Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. New York: Springer Science & Business Media. Truss, C., Mankin, D., & Kelliher, C. (2012). Strategic Human Resource Management. Oxford : Oxford University Press. Read More