Management and Fresh Perspectives - Case Study Example

The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) is the busiest emergency ambulance service in the world and it provides healthcare that is free to patients at the point of delivery. The Trust currently has two principal functions which include the following: to provide an accident and emergency service (including urgent care) in response to 999 calls and a patient transport service which performs an important role by taking non- emergency patients to and from their hospital appointments. Noble as it is, it can be noted that there are different factors that affect its future direction particularly the human resource strategy of which the trust is mindful about them. Against this background, this essay seeks to critically evaluate the extent to which LAS upholds the strategic HR functions in its operations as reflected in its text HR strategy document. The analysis begins by explaining the basic tenets that constitute the main functions of HRM followed by an analysis of how the LAS strategy encompasses them in its operations. Basically, HRM is a system of philosophies, policies, and practices that affect the people who work in the organization and it includes activities related to staffing, training and development, performance review and evaluation as well as compensation,” (Jackson et al 2001:242). From this perspective, human resource management is an intervening process aimed at continuously establishing an optimal fit or match between the people and their employers. This philosophy is based on the notion that employee commitment to the organisation is dependent on his perception of the extent to which his personal needs are met. Thus, only HRM practice which is underscored by this belief of reciprocal dependence between the employee and the employer can hope to achieve an optimal fit between them by means of wide spectrum of typical HRM functions (Swanepoel 1998). Indeed, the human resources are viewed as the organisation’s most important and valued assets. One of the basic tenets of HRM is recruitment. Recruitment can be described as those activities in human resources management which are undertaken in order to attract sufficient job candidates who have the necessary potential traits to fill the job needs to assist the organisation to achieve its objectives (Kleynhans 2007). Thus, recruitment efforts seek to fulfil the needs of both the applicant as well as those of the organisation. In this regard, LAS is committed to recruit the best candidates that can respond appropriately to the diverse population of London and in addition, it seeks to be the employer of choice. Thus, LAS is committed to attract and employ high quality staff who share the values of the organisation and who have a willingness to adapt as the organisation continues to develop. For this reason, the recruitment of the human resources is a very critical HR function which seeks to ensure that the long term plans and goals of the organisation are achieved which also promotes growth of the company. This is complemented by the notion of resource based view (RBV). This is a strategic tool used at LAS to determine the organisation’s competitiveness in fulfilling its goals. The employees in particular are the most valuable assets to the organisation and it can be noted that they greatly contribute to its survival and viability. A company which is more concerned about its growth should treat the employee as a valuable asset since they are the ones who deliver performance on a day to day basis. In the case of LAS, it can be noted that it is committed to ensure that the staff will be well trained with the knowledge and skills to respond according to patient needs. Workers should be able to meet certain standards of performance so as to ensure that they achieve the organisational goals set. Measures such as training the workers to meet the expectations of the organisation’s operations ought to be put in place so as to ensure that the organisation maintains its competitiveness through the use of effective employees as is the case with LAS. Thus, by means of the recruitment process, the organisation aims to attract and retain the interest of suitable candidates to project a positive image of the organisation to the outsiders. Apart from the basic HR functions, the HR strategy for London NHS is based on the notion that “As high performing, knowledge and learning based organisations, NHS foundation trusts are expected to be model employers – maintaining and progressing high standards of employment practice and securing a culture which reflects their new organisation and delivers added value for the direct benefit of NHS patients.” Swanepoel (1998) has suggested that strategic HRM means those long term, top management decisions and actions regarding employment relations that are made and performed in a way that is fully integrated with the overall strategies of the organisations. One of the basic lessons in strategic management is that the performance of an organisation is dependent upon its ability to match or fit the variety in its environment which can be called best fit. It can be seen that NHS has tried to put all the measures in place that will ensure best fit. As noted already, one of the basic functions of HRM is recruitment. Having recruited the right candidates, it remains the duty of the HRM to ensure that the employees keep pace with the developments obtaining on the ground in order for the company to continue growing and this can be done through constant human resources development (HRD). Thus, HRD can be defined as learning experience organised mainly by the employer, usually within a specified period of time to bring about the possibility of performance improvement and or personal growth (Nadler & Nadler as cited in Swanepoel 1998). This is about choosing the skills that need to be developed in the employees so that they will develop their performance standards. Training and development are vital tools used in this process so as to ensure that the workers are able to face different challenges at work. In this regard, a long term workforce plan for LAS has been developed which recognises the change in knowledge and skill requirements to support the provision of a wider range of responses to patients and the introduction of a greater number of patient care pathways. Thus, the plan calls for a gradual move to a more highly skilled workforce and introduces a newly developed support worker role. Continuous training and development will characterise this workforce plan which will be reviewed regularly and will be responsive to future changes. As far as company growth is concerned, there is need to take a holistic approach so as to be able to keep pace with any changes that can be witnessed in the environment in which the organisation operates which is one of the functions of human resources management. LAS is concerned with upholding the principle of attracting and recruiting those people who demonstrate the values, attitudes and behaviours expected of a “world class” service. HRD is very important in this regard since it improves the effectiveness of the employees who in turn improve the effectiveness of the organisation. To achieve this, the workers can be upgraded to meet the challenges of the tasks brought about by strategic changes in the operations of an organisation. The main purpose of training and development is to overcome the weaknesses that may cause the workers to perform below capacity or the desired level while at the same time improving their skills, knowledge and attitudes so that they can perform their duties according to the set standards which is the mission of LAS in its long term strategy as far as human resources are concerned. HRD is thus linked to many other human resource sub functions in an organisation. Thus, projected workforce needs as is the case with LAS enable the HRM to plan the training of both current and newly recruited employees. Training is essentially meant to bridge the gap between the required standard of the job and the performance of the incumbent. Thus LAS is now beginning to move towards a new model of delivery for education and training, working with Higher Education partners and incorporating work-based practice learning that allows theory and practice to sit as equal partners, using the expertise of experienced practitioners to assist staff in developing their practice. Once the training needs have been determined and behavioural objectives stated, a training programme can be developed to achieve the stated objectives. The necessity of understanding how people learn in order to design an effective training programme cannot be overemphasised. Thus, the growth of an organisation can also be achieved through learning. Jackson and Schuler (2000), describe learning as the process where the employees gain knowledge from others through interaction and this helps the organisation to remain viable. Creativity and innovation are the basic tenets of learning where the aim is to create a positive change about the operations of the organisation. Creativity and innovation ought to occur in a free and open climate which encourages common understanding, sharing of information and promote freedom to express ideas. There is need to develop a free organisational climate that encourages creativity and innovation where the leaders will need to lead by example and be accommodative to other people’s views. Thus, organizations, like individuals, can learn as well given that many basics of learning are the same for individuals and organizations. In the process, different perspectives, values and information are passed along through the organization’s own communication channels. This is where leadership comes in. Basically, leadership is loosely refers to the ability by someone to influence other people to do something. Thus, the leaders in an organization have a responsibility to help the employees to learn, whilst encouraging behaviours that are consistent with the changing culture. This can be attributed to the contingency theory. This approach assumes that effective leadership depends on the particular situation and involves a fit between personality, task, power attitudes and perceptions. Thus, McGregor’s theory X and Y formulation is more popular as far as contingency theories are concerned. NHS uses the soft approach to HRM or theory Y which suggests that people are not lazy but are intrinsically motivated and seek self actualisation (Swanepoel 1998). This also enhances knowledge transfer where the systems enable employees to learn from others. In order for knowledge transfer to take place, people within an organisation should know about each others’ experiences either positive or negative so as to facilitate meaningful transfer and sharing of knowledge. The leaders are responsible for designing the way an organisation can facilitate learning and failure to put proper operational plans in place would be very costly to them. If the members of an organisation are given the autonomy to make decisions as is the case with LAS, then the chances of them being productive are high since they will be motivated. Therefore, it is very important for the leaders to create an environment that is characterised by mutual understanding. Democratic, participatory leadership style can enhance positive performance of the employees since they would also be part of the learning process as well as decision making process in the organisation and this would help to create a sense of belonging among them. It can be noted that to a greater extent, LAS is concerned with moulding its organisation as a preferred workplace of choice through leaders who facilitate good relationship within the organisation. As part of the HR function, leaders ought to be effective communicators where they encourage their subordinates to find solutions to problems they may encounter during their operations. The leaders must also give their juniors the much needed support in their duties. This in turn would increase productivity of the organisation which leads to its growth. Another important aspect about HRM which is concerned with the growth of the company is the need to motivate the employees to put more effort in their performance. Basically, motivation is loosely defined as the incentive or motivator given to employees to improve their performance as a way of encouraging productivity and ultimately growth of the company (Jackson et al 2000). LAS have new arrangements introduced that provide an opportunity for all staff groups to contribute to service development and delivery. The consultative arrangements will be aligned with management structures to ensure a forum for meaningful debate which is aimed at motivating the employees to develop a sense of belonging to the organisation. These arrangements will provide, in turn, a formal forum for staff involvement in regular review of working arrangements and practices to better support the requirements of “Taking Healthcare to the Patient: Transforming NHS Ambulance Services”. Thus, there is need to persuade and inspire the employee to do the job since he would know that he is part of the decision making process in the organisation which will create a sense of belonging. Thus motivation in an organisation is mainly influenced by various factors which include rewards, recognition for excellent performance as well as being given the autonomy to make decisions in the organisation as a way of creating a sense of belonging. Having fulfilled the HR functions discussed above, it becomes the duty of the organisation to ensure that the valuable employees who determine its success are retained for long term benefits. In most cases, valuable assets to the organisation often lead to continual growth and sustenance of the company. Each employee would fully know what is expected of him and would put maximum performance since there would be a guarantee of benefitting from the hard work. These would be loyal to the organisation and would continue serving it for a long period which would contribute to its effectiveness. Over and above, it can be noted that several HRM theories can be linked to the operations of LAS as illustrated in the discussion above. The HR function continues to provide the highest level of support in these key areas through the development and implementation of sound, up to date HR policies and practice. The operations of NHS LAS are mainly derived from the strong background of HRM as they have a strong belief that the human resource is a valuable asset who deserves better treatment to the overall improvement of the organisation as a whole. References Armstrong M.(1999), Human Resources Management Practice, 7th Edition, Kogan Page Limited, USA. Kleynhans R. et al (2007), Management: fresh perspectives, Pearson Education, SA Jackson et al (2001), Management, Oxford University Press Jackson S.E. & Schuler R. (2000), Managing Human Resources: A Partnership Perspective, South Western College Publishing. Swanepoel B.J (Ed) (1998). Human resources management: Theory and practice. Juta. Read More