Human Resource Administration - Report Example

ManagingOrganisationsandHumanResources(MOHR AssignmentReportMarkingScheme Pleaseattachthis form tothefront of yourassignment First name: Hoi Yu Family name: Lee URN: 6259539 Programme: International Hospitality Management Workshop Lecturer: Yanjun Guan Yourreportwill bemarked usingthe followingcriteria: Theoreticaland critical understanding: 30 Useof empiricalexamplesandevidence: 25 Integration ofideas/quality of argument: 25 Personalreflections,presentationandstructure: 20 Total 100 OverallComment: Theoretical&criticalunderstanding Mark range Mark Exceptionalbreadthand depthof knowledgeof theory andhow it relatestootheraspectsofOB/HRM theory andinfluences organisationalpractice. 27-30 Excellent breadthand depthofthe chosentheory and how itrelates toOB or HRMtheory andinfluencesorganisational practice. 21-26 Verygoodbreadthand depthof theory andhow itrelatestoOBor HRMtheory orinfluences organisationalpractice. 18-20 Thetheory isidentified withsomereasonablediscussion; howeverit is notalways fully developed. 15-17 Incompleteunderstandingoftheory. 12-14 Littleornoawarenessof animportant theory inOBorHR 0-11 Use ofempiricalexamplesandevidence Mark range Mark Exceptionaluseandintegration ofempiricalevidencetojustify the choiceoftheory fromarangeofjournalarticles,news reports, professionaland/orgovernmentreports. 22-25 Excellent useof empiricalevidencetojustify thechoiceof theory fromarangeofjournalarticles,news reports,professionalreports. 18-21 Verygood useofexamples fromjournalarticlesandtradepress (e.g. TheHotel& Caterer,People Management,etc.) 14-17 Someusefulexamplesfromjournalarticlesand news reports 9-13 Incompleteunderstandingofwhat constitutesempiricalevidenceand poor choiceof news reportitems. 6-8 Littleornoawarenessofappropriatejournalarticles,evidence reported isnot referencedanddoesnotaddto thereports central argument. 0-5 Integrationofideas/qualityof argument Mark range Mark Exceptionalrangeofintegrated ideaswhicharearticulated witha convincingargument. 22-25 Excellent rangeof integrated ideaswhicharesupported by strengths andweaknessesofargument. 18-21 Thereisa clearattempttointegrateideas andusesimpleargument tosuggest thechosen theory works wellin someorganisationsand not others. 14-17 Ideas linktogetherwellandsimpleargumentsjustifythe choiceof modelfor theretail, hospitality ortourismindustry. 9-13 Ideas are muddledandargumentsweak. 6-8 Ideas aremuddledand toomany usesof ‘I believe’ typestatements. 0-5 Personalreflections,presentationand structure Mark range Mark Personalreflections areinformed bytheory &application.Thereport iswellstructured,islogicalandideasflow. Languageshows advanced scholarship.Referencingisconsistent andusestheHarvard Method. 18-20 Personalreflections recognisetheimportanceof theory & application.Thereportiswellstructured,islogicalandideas flow. Languageissophisticatedandarticulate.Referencingisconsistent andusesthe Harvard method. 15-17 Personalreflections areadequate.Thereisaclear underlying structureto thereportwhichmakesit easy toreadandunderstand. Referencingisconsistent andusestheHarvardmethod. 12-14 Personalreflections makeweak links with theory.The report hasa clearstructure.Languageissometimesmisinterpreted.Referencingis consistent 9-11 Littleevidenceof personalreflection.Thereportis toolist-like. Referencingisinconsistent. 6-8 Noevidenceof understandingtheimportanceofpersonalreflection. Nostructureisapparent.Grammaticalandspelling errorsdetractthe readerfromunderstandingkeyconcepts. Referencingisweak. 0-5 Executive Summary In the contexts of organizational management and human resource administration, deep comprehension of group psychology, diversity and human emotions is necessary. In this paper, a comparative analysis of past and present workplace settings was conducted. In addition, the nature and probable impacts of employees’ diversity in modern workplaces is sufficiently elaborated. Also, suggested improvement practices on team management are succinctly mentioned. Moreover, an evaluation on the role of human emotions, and suitable leadership strategies for emotional management was conducted. In the leadership and emotions section, effects of both the negative and positive emotions are discussed. Finally, a personal reflection on the workshop’s task is provided as an illustrative piece of personal comprehension. Diversity and Groups In the context of human resource management, effective administration of diversified workplaces is essential in the pursuit of an organization’s goals. According to Torrington (2014), the nature and magnitude of diversity within a workplace is determined by parameters which include but not limited to ethnic orientation, academic qualifications, gender, religion, age, and sexual orientation among others. In the past, workplaces had limited diversity. Nickson (2013) mentioned that patriarchic societies during the early 20th Century did not permit employment of women in industrial settings. Therefore, all workers belonged to the male gender. In addition, dark times of racism in Western nations like the United States did not permit the employment of perceptibly inferior races like the African Americans. Therefore, all workers within an organization belonged to a single ethnic group. Wilson (2014) agreed that today, racial and gender discrimination is a thing of the past. Employment practices adopted by most organizations permit the inclusion of workers from distinct social, economic, and political backgrounds. Therefore, workplaces are presently more diversified than ever. Practically, diversity in workplaces invariably necessitates the application of adaptive human resource management approaches. First, the influence and impact of diversity in large service organizations like the Whitbread Hospitality Company cannot be underestimated. Presently, Whitbread employ people from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds. At Whitbread’s business premises, it is common to find and interact with employees of all genders like male, female, and transgender; employees of distinct sexual orientations like heterosexual, gay, lesbian, and bisexual, and employees from different ethnic backgrounds; Chinese, African Americans, Japanese, Germans, and English among others. According to Baum (2006), employees belonging to these distinct genders, sexual orientations, and racial groups are expected to harmoniously and constructively work together in teams and groups. Gilmore &Williams (2013) mentioned that typically, human resource managers are expected to provide management approaches that not only seduce heightened diligence from individual workers, but also increase collective productivity through teamwork. In diversified workplaces, collective productivity of teams can be enhanced through group initiation practices. According to Thomas (2004), group initiation rites are humiliating but strangely satisfying rituals used by teams in inclusive invitation of new members. For example, each new team member of a taxation department at Whitbread could be expected to loudly read contents from a sexually explicit section of a novel. Pfeffer (2005) agreed that despite such team initiation rituals being humiliating and sometimes discomforting in nature, they are known to promote cooperativeness and create lasting interpersonal bonds between team members. Leadership and Emotions Besides the influential attribute of workplace diversity, emotions also play a significant role in determining employees’ cooperativeness and productivity. Jackson & Schuler (1987) mentioned that undeniably, human beings are emotional in nature. Feelings of sadness, fear, love, contempt, guilt and happiness are integral in determining interpersonal relationships within an organization. Rousseau (1997) highlighted that contempt, fear and hatred directed by subordinate employees towards senior managers cause disrespect and disloyalty; emotions which are often expressed by workers in form of declined ethical conduct, low performance levels and other deviant behavioral changes. Contrarily, emotions of love and admiration stir up confidence and inspiration among members of the workforce. According to Madera, Dawson & Neal (2013), the role of effective leadership becomes essentially necessary in creating an environment favorable for prevalence of positive emotions, and discouraging occurrence of negative emotions within a workplace. Technically, leaders are responsible for motivation and inspiration of employees. Unlike managers who are tasked with professional planning and coordination of human resources, leaders are focused at the psychological and emotional efficacy of workers in their undertakings. First, leaders in large service organizations like Whitbread should create a sustainable atmosphere for intellectual stimulation and emotional resilience within a workplace. Urtz& Donovan (2000) mentioned that during meetings or team deliberations, some members may restrain or shy away from making contributory statements for fear of ridicule. In such contexts, transformational leaders would encourage random radicalization of ideas and controversial beliefs. For example, leaders should expressively praise each member’s contribution, regardless of the contribution’s level of singularity or nonconformity to mainstream beliefs and notions. According to Schmidt & Hunter (1998), transformational leaders should encourage unconcealed display of optimism and enthusiasm within a workplace. In this context, heightening emotional intelligence and resilience through practical techniques like reduction of stress factors, and impulse control will promote pleasant emotions and enthusiasm. Personal Reflection Technically, diversity is influential in determining the level of variability and precision of outcomes from a group project. With respect to workshop 1, it emerged that diversity of members leads to a corresponding diversity in deliberation responses. Actually, each member of a diverse group has a unique thinking style, and relevant technical experience. During deliberations for workshop 1, I learned that diversity in thinking styles and levels of experience are paramount in enhancing objectivity of group projects’ findings. In his work, Singal (2014) agreed that managing diverse workplaces is not only beneficial but also essential in maintain constructive teamwork within an organization. Based on the workshop 2 project, it emerged that managing emotions within a diverse team is undeniably effective in enhancing team productivity, but not as easy as theoretically portrayed. During discussions pertaining to the advantages and disadvantages of using different materials in protecting a dropped egg from breaking, negative attitudes emerged as being the most disruptive in the deliberations. In this context, I learned that dislike and contempt between team members can severely affect teamwork. With respect to workshop 3, close analysis of the TED talk reinforced my understanding of leadership qualities. After the workshop, it because reassured that inspirational leaders are not only passionate and knowledgeable, but also honest and friendly. Reference List BAUM, T. 2006.Human Resource Management for the Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Industries: An International Perspective. London: Thompson Learning. GILMORE, S. & WILLIAMS, S. 2013. Human Resource Management. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. JACKSON, S. E &. SCHULER, R. S. 1987. Linking competitive strategies with human resource management practices. The Academy of Management Executive 1, p.207-219. MADERA, J. M., DAWSON, M. & NEAL, J. A. 2013. Hotel managers perceived diversity climate and job satisfaction: The mediating effects of role ambiguity and conflict. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 35, p.28-34. NICKSON, D. 2013.Human Resource Management for the Hospitality and Tourism Industries. (2nded.) Oxon: Rutledge. PFEFFER, J. 2005. Producing sustainable competitive advantage through the effective management of people. Academy of Management Executive, 19 (95), p.106. PIETERSE, A. N., VAN KNIPPENBERG, D. & VAN DIERENDONCK, D. 2013. Cultural diversity and team performance: The role of team member goal orientation. Academy of Management Journal, 56, p.782-804. ROUSSEAU, D. M. 1997. Organizational behavior in the new organizational era. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, p.515-546. SCHMIDT, F. L. & HUNTER, J. E. 1998. The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124, p.262-274. SINGAL, M. 2014.The business case for diversity management in the hospitality industry.International Journal of Hospitality Management, 40, p.10-19. THOMAS, D. A. 2004.Diversity as strategy.Harvard Business Review, 82, p.98-108. TORRINGTON, D. et al. 2014. Human Resource Management.(9th ed.). Harlow: Financial Times. TSAI, C. W. 2009. The important effectof employees emotion management ability on his/her service behavior in the international tourist hotel.Service Industries Journal,29(10), p.1437-1449. URTZ, G. M. & DONOVAN, J. J. 2000. Personality and job performance: The Big Five revisited. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, p.869-879. WILSON, F. 2014.Organizational Behaviour and Work: A Critical Introduction. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More