Human Resource Management: the Human Resource Issues of All Countries - Research Paper Example

Week 1 Q1. Consider the terms ‘personnel’ and ‘human resource management.’ Which term is used (most) in your organisation/country? Answer. In the region where I live, I find usage of the term of ‘human resource management’ to be more prevalent compared to that of personnel management. Even in the organization for which I used to work previously, we had a dedicated workforce for the purpose of human resource management. Therefore my experience suggests HRM to be more poplar than to personnel management. Which term do you think best describes the activities associated with employment management/the management of people? Why is this? Answer. I feel, human resource management describes best the activities associated with the management of people. The reason behind such belief is that the employees or the work force are also a set of resource for the organisation and the fact should be aptly vouched. The term personnel management gives a feeling that human capital is just another factor of production like that of land or machinery. Q2. From your own work experience, or from your reading, to what extent should people management be performed by HR specialists or line managers? Why do you think this? Answer. I would like to prefer HR specialists to perform management of people. In the changing world of today, managing people is one of the toughest jobs and it cannot be left to the line managers. I feel so because HR experts are technically and professionally trained for the job (Reiley & Williams, 2006). What are the implications of people management activities being performed by two professional bodies (HR & line managers) within an organisation? Answer. HR managers are expected to be trained to manage people as they have the professional educational expertise. On the flip side, line managers are those who have gained the knowledge through experience. There might arise conflict among the two different bodies if both are assigned the same job. Q3. HRM operates within the immediate local/organisational context and the wider/global context. What influences how HR operates? Think of external/environmental factors, internal/organisational factors and individual/personal factors. Answer. The job of human resource manager is very crucial for the organisation. It basically depends upon many factors like that of external factors (political, economical or legal happenings across the industry), organisational factors (the organisational goals and objectives, the internal culture and values) and personal factors (the individual traits of the individuals, the personal strengths and weaknesses and the personal choice of the employees). Week 2 Q1. How helpful are the various models of HRM? What are the similarities and differences between the models? Do they reflect HR in other countries, such as Africa, India and China? Answer. There are various models for strategic HRM all across the globe. The high commitment management model, the high performance management model and the high involvement management model are the various models that are prevalent in the industry of today (Armstrong, 2000). The various models named above depict the level of involvement of the employee force in the job. High performance management model discusses the intricacies of high performers, the high involvement management model talks about those who get highly involved with the job. The similarity of all the models is that all of them are aimed towards the better understanding of the team members and meeting the organisational objectives. The models definitely reflect the human resource issues of all countries across the globe including the likes of Africa, India and China. Q2. How might HR strategy be formulated? How should/could HR contribute to corporate strategy formulation? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a dual HR strategy? And for whom? Think of the various different types of human ‘resources’! Answer. HR strategy should be formulated on the basis of the organisational objectives. The human resource policies should be such that the employees are always kept motivated and there is no grievances whatsoever among the. The ideal HR strategy should consider the traits of the individual employees. Human resource manager deals with the most precious of the organisation i.e. human capital. The human resources have the emotional factors in place. Therefore, while formulation of the corporate strategy, it is prudent that the management of the company also considers the HR issues so that the traits of the employees can be duly acknowledged. Dual HR strategy has the benefit of managing work of more than one department with lesser workforce. The employee from one department is taken for another department in case of dual HR policy. It has the benefit of having lesser employee base. The disadvantage of the policy is that the employee might not have the competency for the work of the other departments. The policy is mutually benefitting as the company can get more work to be done by not recruiting additional workforce and the employee can also have higher pay (New York University, n.d.). Q3. What are the relationships between the four key areas of HR? Is it helpful to think of HR as four key areas/components? What other ‘people management’ activities might be included within the functions of an HR department? Answer. There is binding relationship between the four key areas of HR. At the outset, the right candidate for the right job has to be selected and recruited for the position. The candidate recruited should be aptly trained and made job fit as well as organisation fit. The third crucial step is about maintaining the employment relationship. The manager should oversee that there arise no grievances among the employees and they all are motivated to meet the organisational objective. Last but not the least; the performing employees should be rewarded so that their efforts are acknowledged. So, it can be understood that there lies close relationship among the different functions of the HRM. The other key activities that are involved with HR include that of keeping the employee force motivated and dedicated, communicating with the employees, resolving their grievances as a when they erupt, etc. Week 3 Q1. What factors are affecting the current labour market – whether local, national and/or global? How do these affect employment for women, graduates, older workers? Answer. In today’s changing world, the current labour market is affected by all the mentioned factors i.e. local, national or global. The pricing of the labour market depends upon the local availability of resources but in the era of information technology, the global sourcing is also an important concept and people with the right traits can be brought from other countries. If the right candidate is not available locally, the women or aged workers get an opportunity to work if they have the requisite skills, Again on the other hand, with the advent of information technology, the women, graduates or older work force gets easy international exposure and as they can work on the inter-net. Q2. SME Case study: Books4U Please complete the activities associated with this case study, located on Blackboard under Resources. i) Given the current business situation, assess the need for succession planning and management development of your Team Leaders ii) Construct an HR plan for the next 3 years iii) Identify the HR implications of recruiting more staff Answer. The case study implies that it is becoming increasingly troublesome for the owner-manager to meet all round requirements of his staffs. Two of the founder members are now team leaders but still the entire unit is facing strict deadlines and are under tremendous pressure. To cope with the challenge, it is prudent to have succession planning and management development for the team leaders. At the vey outset, the owner should recruit a Human Resource Manager so that he can take care of all relevant issues. The HR Manager should have the requirements from all the departments and should source new talents accordingly. There should be clear understanding and planning about the organisational goals and targets and the requirements of the team members should be planned accordingly. The backup should also be kept. Other stress busting methods should also be advocated like that of social gatherings or outings. If new staffs are recruited, there will be more issues as staffs are social beings and they have different emotional quotients. So it will indeed require a full time HR executive which will also call for extra cost. Q3. Recruitment and selection How do you identify and recruit talent? What are advantages and disadvantages of recruiting from the internal and external labour markets? Answer. The talent can be identified through various process of interview. It depends upon the type of job for which we are looking for the talent. The process might involve aptitude test, group discussion, group interview or simply personal interview. Recruiting from the internal labour market has the benefit of keeping the present workforce motivated and also they are already aware of the organisational culture. The major disadvantage is that it has limited options for the recruiter. Recruiting from the external labour market is costly and time consuming process. The advantage is that the recruiter is presented with huge pool of new talents from which they can choose. Q4. Equal opportunities and diversity Whose responsibility is it to ensure fair employment practices? Is it acceptable for managers to discriminate against certain employees? Have you have ever been discriminated against in the workplace? How did you feel? How was it resolved? Answer. It is the responsibility of the organisation to ensure fair employment practices. More specifically, it is the responsibility of the HR manager. No it is not at all acceptable for managers to discriminate against certain employees. No, in my short professional career I did not feel discriminated in my workplace. But if such happening would have erupted, it would have definitely felt hurt me. Such happenings should be resolved by strict means as early as possible. Week 4 Q1. To what extent does the shift from T&D to HRD parallel the move from personnel to HRM? How important (strategic) is learning and development for an organisation? What are the differences between learning, training, education and development? Whose responsibility is it to improve skills – the individual, the organisation, the government/state? Answer. Training and Development is complementary to the HRM. It is essential to have proper training and development initiatives so that the time to time need of the organisation is effectively met. Continuous learning is most crucial for the organisation to excel in the field of its expertise. Learning is basically the zeal of the employees or the individuals that they have to acquire additional knowledge. Training is the formal help on the part of the organisation provided to the employees to have the required expertise to do the job. Education is not too formal but is concerned with acquiring of knowledge from any and all sources. Development concentrates on all round upliftment of the employee. In the ideal case, the responsibility to improve the skill set of the employees should be shared among the individual, organisation and the state. The institutional bodies should provide the individuals the opportunities and the individuals should have the zeal of learning. Q2. Employee development What forms of employee development exist in your organisation/organisations generally? Who is responsible for/involved in these? Are these activities effective? Why? Answer. The various forms of employee development that generally exist in organisations are that of monetary incentives, promotions, rewards and awards and other recognitions (Bruce & Pepitone, 1999). The various means of employee development that basically is present in the organisations are that of training, social gathering, cultural mix and etc. The concerned HR is responsible for such activities. These activities are quite effective as there has been improvement in the overall performance of the employees in our organisation with such methods. Q3. Management development What is the purpose of MD in your organisation/organisations generally? Who has management development? To what extent are the following effective for management development? Action learning Coaching and mentoring Projects and secondments Outdoor management development Answer. The Management development initiatives basically involve developing the behaviour of the managers. Management development aims at improving the skills of the managers so that they can influence their subordinates and can improve the overall organisational performance. The management development leads to the sustainable development of the workforce and the organisation. Also, it invariably increases the managerial competence (Global Virtual University, n.d.). Action learning involves the process where the apprentice learns while working. It is most beneficial as the person get the mix of theory and practice at once. Coaching and mentoring some external entity that would assist the incumbent to learn. It is also effective model. In the model of projects and secondments, the trainee is provided with external projects so that he can get a lair of the requisite skill. Outdoor management development is more of an off the job development process. Q 4. E-learning What is the purpose of e-learning? To what extent is it used in your organisation/organisations generally? Why? What are the factors influencing e-learning? What are the benefits and drawbacks? Answer. The purpose of e-learning is to minimise the geographical barrier between the trainer and the trainee. It is still in the nascent stage of development but the positive side is that it is being increasingly adopted by the organisations all across the globe. The factors influencing e-learning (i.e. the benefits) are that the two parties should not necessarily be present at the same venue. It is fact and reliable. Through video chat, the involved parties can see each other and therefore can understand the emotions of each other. The major disadvantage of this type of learning is that it is costly and is totally based upon technology. Week 5 Q1. The employment relationship Explain the following dimensions of the employment relationship: • Economic – The economic factors include the overall condition of the economy and the existing industry standard for the individuals working in the similar profile of other companies. • Political – It is primarily concerned with the political stability where the company is operating. • Legal – This factor deals with all the legalities between the organisation and its employee force. • Psychological – The psychological factor is comparatively new in the list of external factors. It measures the magnitude of attachment of the employees with the organisation. • Social - The approval of the society in favour of the organisation. It is the social status that the employee enjoys as they work with the company. • Ethical/moral – The morality and ethics prevalent among the employee and the organisation towards each other. What are the differences between the formal employment contract and the ‘psychological’ contract? Answer. The formal employment contract is the contract between the employer and the employee in the black and white. On the other hand, the psychological contract is more of the emotional attachment among the employer and the employee. Q 2. Conflict Identify some sources of conflict in organisations? Is conflict a good thing? Why/why not? Answer. Conflict might arise because of many reasons with in the organisation. There might be conflict between inter and intra department objectives. The chances of personal conflict also exist among the employees. The other reasons of conflict are the likes of ego clashes or personal agenda among the workforce especially among seniors. There are certain positives in case of conflict if it arises for the best interest of the organisation like that of conflict for departmental objectives. But if the conflict is because of the ego or certain other personal reasons, it is never desirable. Q3. Grievance and discipline What are the differences between grievance and discipline? What is the line manager’s role in grievance and discipline? What is HR’s role? Have you ever been involved in a grievance or disciplinary? How was this resolved? Answer. Grievance is the resentment among the employee force because of certain professional reasons generally against the management. Discipline is the set of decorum that the employees of the organisations are required to maintain to meet the organisational objectives. The line manager’s role is basically to oversee if the discipline id been maintained where as HR looks after the grievances. Ideally, grievances should be resolved through dialogue among all the concerned parties that are in dispute. It should be the option that is with the organisational objective. Q 4. Industrial democracy To what extent should employees be involved in an organisation’s decision-making? What is the role of trade unions in today’s organisations? Is there still a need for trade unions? Why/why not? Answer. Organisations across the globe consider employees as part and parcel of the decision making. Often the employees have a representative body that is consulted by the management before any vital decision is taken. The role of trade unions should be to secure the rights and privileges for the employees. It should be constructive in nature. But many times, it is found that they resort to methods like gheraos, strikes and boycotts to protest against management decisions. Trade unions also play a major role in collective bargaining with the management especially for family values (ILO, 2004). Even if it can be done away with trade unions, the need for a representative body for the employees is always prevalent. The voice of the employees must be heard to the management. Week 6 Q1. Performance What is performance? What is the relationship between job motivation and performance? What internal and external factors influence individual and organisational performance? Answer. Performance can be defined as the effort that the employees put up to meet the work order that has been provided with and meet the organisational objectives on sustained basis. Job motivation leads the employee to perform better on constant basis. Therefore, job motivation has binding relationship with performance (Armstrong, 2000). Internal factors involve those related with the individual employees and the organisation as a whole. It includes the rewards, the recognition, the pep talk that the employee values. The external factor includes the ambience available, the training and development opportunities and other broad heads. Q2. Performance management What is the role of appraisal? How does it help measure, monitor and improve performance? Have you ever been appraised? What was your experience? How could you measure the ‘performance’ of a professor, professional footballer, call centre operator and a manager? Answer. Appraisal plays a vital role in motivating the employee force and in enhancing the level of performance for the employees. With proper appraisal method in place, the employees remain attentive towards their performance. They have the understanding that their incentives or promotions would depend upon the level of effort that they put in. Performance management is the ongoing relationship in between the supervisor and the employee which helps the subordinate to know and learn about that their contributions that are being recognized and acknowledged (Berkeley University of California, 2008). The performance of a professor can be measured on the basis of his success in imbibing the concept among his pupils. The professional footballer can be appraised on the basis of the role played by him in the overall performance of the team. The call centre operator is basically analysed on the basis of the number of successful calls made by him where as the manager can be appraised on the successfully getting things done by his subordinates. Q3. Reward What motivates you to perform well at work? Do you think this is the same for everyone? Why/why not? What different ways can people be rewarded for their effort? What has motivated you do study for this Masters degree? Answer. The motivating factor for the employees depends from individual to individual. For many it is the incentives or the monetary benefits where as for others it is the recognition or status. For me, it is the mix up of both the two factors. People can be motivated by increase pay or increased incentives. The other way of motivating includes recognition among peers and increased responsibilities. The third way basically is the fine blend of the monetary benefits and recognition. The purpose of the study of this Masters Degree is to understand various concepts of human resource management so that I can utilise the same in the professional field in future. References Armstrong, M., 2000. Strategic human resource management: a guide to action. Kogan Publishers. Armstrong, M. 2000. Performance management: key strategies and practical guidelines. Kogan Page Publishers. Berkeley University of California, 2008. Performance Management. Guide to Managing Human Resources. [Online] Available at: http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/GUIDE/performance.htm [Accessed 31 October, 2009]. Bruce, A. & Pepitone, J. S., 1999. Motivating employees - Briefcase book. McGraw Hill Publications. Global Virtual University, No Date. Master's Degree in Development Management. Home. [Online] Available at: http://gvu.unu.edu/prog.cfm?pageid=1011&programid=101 [Accessed 31 October, 2009]. New York University, No Date. Dual Employment. Human Resources. [Online] Available at: http://www.nyu.edu/hr/policies/hrmcmp18.html [Accessed 23 October, 2009]. ILO, 2004. Work-family reconciliation: What trade unions are doing. Conditions of Work and Employment Programme. [Pdf]. Available at: http://ilo-mirror.library.cornell.edu/public/english/protection/condtrav/pdf/infosheets/wf-8.pdf [Accessed 31 October, 2009]. Read More