Human Resource Development Methods - Case Study Example

ORGANIZATION LEARNING HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (Author Name) Name of Student (Degree for which this dissertation is being submitted) Submitted in part fulfillment of the Date of Submission 1. Executive summary This paper focuses on the implications of managers assuming key responsibility for HR in Pack and Safe food store. It attempts to advice how HR to line managers has potential implications for the feasibility of establishment-wide HR strategy and consistency in the handling of day-to-day people issues. The paper focuses on how to foster employee learning at and through work by managers and successfully implementation of HR responsibilities. 2. Organization learning in an organization Organization learning refers to the process of bringing together physical, financial and human resources and establishing productive relations among them for the achievement of specific goals, It is concerned with building up a stable framework or structure of various interrelated parts of an enterprise, each part having its own function and being centrally regulated. Organization learning focuses on the way people make sense of their experiences at work. The aim of organizing is to enable people to relate other and to work together for a common purpose. The organized group of people in a collective sense is known as organization. (Yvonne 129) “Organization learning is the process of identifying and grouping work to be performed, defining and delegating responsibility relationships for the purpose of enabling people to work more effectively together in accomplishing objectives.” (Yvonne 149) -Louis Allen 3. Approaches to Foster employee learning at and through work 3.1 Job design & improving The Work Environment People whose work is highly specialized, repetitive and routine may become dissatisfied with their job. This dissatisfaction often shows itself by reduced output, increased absenteeism and high staff turnover. This very quickly reduces effectiveness of a work area, and influences the effectiveness of the whole organization. A number performance management approaches have been developed to try to overcome this problem. (Yvonne 115) 3.1.1 Job Enlargement Job enlargement increases the scope of the job. Employees are given more variety in order to increase job satisfaction. Usually various work functions from a horizontal slice of a work area are combined, giving employees more tasks to perform. Sometimes tasks are rearranged between several employees so that each employee gets a sense of the wholeness of a job. 3.1.2 Job Enrichment With this approach individual employees may be given responsibility for deciding the best way to perform a particular task, and for correcting their own errors. They may also be involved in making decisions, which affect their own work areas. 3.1.3 Job Rotation Job rotation is a system whereby employees move from one job to another. This rotation may occur over various time spans, from, say, every two hours, to every week or month. It gives employees increased variety, and helps to relieve the monotony of routine, repetitive work. It also gives employees the opportunity to develop different skills, and mix with different people 3.1.4 Semi-autonomous Work Groups Semi-autonomous work groups are groups of employees working together, who se largely self-sufficient in terms of managing the tasks and functions for which they are responsible. This approach gives employees a sense of identity with, and responsibility to, the group. Job enlargement, enrichment, rotation and the use of semi - autonomous work groups are all approaches to Organizational learning which can be used to reduce employee dissatisfaction with routine, repetitive jobs. Other approaches include flexible working hours and compressed working weeks (Yvonne, 1999, p. 116). Dynamic HRD Efforts Job satisfaction increases work efficiency and hence they are indispensable elements of work-life. Initially, the HRD aims to develop the knowledge and skills of the worker to keep pace. HRD attention on shop training activities and multi-skill development have positively shaped the attitudes and competencies of the workforce and improved the possibilities to optimize their utilization. Formulation, propagation and adherence to standard operating practices on specific work positions, imparting shop based training through unit training centers, multi-trade training and induction orientation for fresh recruits, identification of the skill needs of the existing employees in the revised job combinations and enrichment of their knowledge/competencies through on-the-job training these various activities prove rewarding in worm-like at the shop-floor (Bhatia & Batra, 1999, p 52). 4. Structured on-the-job training All organizations are facing the need for continuous learning on the job to keep pace with the current global environment. Training is a specific activity, which provides employees with knowledge, and activities, which provides employees with knowledge and skill to satisfy immediate job requirements. Development refers to more general activities, which prepare employees for longer-tem opportunities. Training plans are a useful tool for identifying and planning the training activities of a work area .On the job training is the most common approach, although off the job training is more appropriate in some circumstances. Training is usually taken to mean providing employees with knowledge or specific job skills to satisfy immediate job or organizational needs. This could range from assembly workers learning new techniques to enable them to increase output, to managers learning how to better manage their time. (Yvonne, 1999, p. 110) Providing Structured on-the-job training usually follows four steps: (a) Identifying employees training and development needs; (b) Developing a training plan for each individual; (c) Selecting or designing or conducting training activities; (d) Evaluating the results. There are three main methods of identifying training needs in an organization: i. New employees - training is required immediately in order for the employees to perform the work satisfactorily. ii. Performance appraisals - an employee's output may indicate that further training is required, or he or she may request training in a specific area. iii. Future needs - employees are trained in anticipation of future needs (often involving the use of technology). Care must be taken to ensure that training will solve a specific problem. Sometimes other options may be more effective, such as: changing the job, or some aspect of it; changing the supervisory s le; changing the salary or wage structure; or introducing flexible working hours Sometimes various types of training activity are used simply to motivate employees. Some organizations develop formal training plans for their employees. Such training plans tend to be more specific for people in the lower levels of the organization, and more general for people at higher levels. Sometimes such training is part of the career development for certain individuals. 4.1 Dynamic HRD Efforts Organizational learning philosophy strongly believes that the –workers involved in the process of work are the best qualified to bring about improvements in their area of work. Every worker has creative abilities, which can be tapped through managerial encouragement and support. From this angle the suggestion scheme has emerged as a dynamic HRD mechanism. While the attraction of awards for the suggestions is an offshoot of the scheme, the satisfaction potential inherent in the implementation of the worker's own ideas of improvement provide the drive and impetus to the improvement efforts in the shop-floor. 4.2 Benchmarking practices in Structured on-the-job training Because of the fast changing technological, cultural, diversities, there is a need to achieve optimum utilization of resources. HR managers are undergoing conceptual change and HRD can no longer remain silent spectators as regards to organization policies, achievement of organization mission, objectives and goals at all levels/function of the organization. HR managers are playing a leading role of change agent by way of introducing on-the-job training Structured on-the-job training refers to an integrated organization approach in satisfying customers (both external and internal) by meeting their expectations on a continuous basis; by involving all the employees or organization, working on continuous improvement in all products/processes, and adopting structured problem-solving methods. Total Employee Involvement (TEI), can be attained by company wide training and education in quality systems and practices. The introduction of small group activities, called quality circles, in Indian industries has also made employees participate in the quality improvement programme, resulting in an enhancement in quality. The implementation of TQM is an integrated approach, and for an organization in pursuit of excellence with a long-term perspective, its implementation as an integrated approach along with JIT, TPM and TEI can be more rewarding. Of course, this involves certain changes in the employees at all levels. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) ,is directed at improving equipment. TPM aims at maximizing equipment effectiveness with a total system of preventive maintenance covering at entire life of the equipment. Total Productive Maintenance involves everyone in all departments and at all levels. Just in Time (JIT) is the approach to material management and control. Just in Time is more than a new way of handling material management. Just in Time is a structural approach in a manufacturing organization focused on improving timeliness; quality, productivity and flexibility initializing various resources, as well as work simplification and waste reduction. Quality Circles (QC) is a small group activity to solve work-related problems, involving members performing the same task. The management should facilitate this small group activity to function more effectively. 5. Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal is the method of evaluating the behavior of employees in the work spot, normally including both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of job performance. It is a systematic and objective way of evaluating both work-related behavior and potential of employees. It is a process that involves determining and communicating to an employee how he is performing the job and ideally establishing a plan of improvement. The object of performance appraisal falls in two categories: Administrative; and Self- improvement 5.1 Administrative Promotion: This is perhaps the most important administrative use of performance appraisal. It is of common interest to both, management and employees, to promote employees to positions where they can most effectively utilize their abilities. A properly developed and administered performance appraisal system can aid in determining whether individuals should be considered for promotions (Ahuja, 2005, p.180). It is important that rater must rate the rate for the present job and his potentialities for higher jobs. Other Personnel Actions: In an organization, it may be necessary to consider various types of personnel actions such as transfers, lay-offs, demotions, and discharges. In some cases such actions are imperatives for unsatisfactory performance while in other cases it may be due to economic conditions over which the organization has no control or it may be because of changes in production process. Such actions can be justified if they are based on performance appraisal. Wage And Salary Administration: In certain organizations wage increases are based on the performance appraisal report. In some cases appraisals and seniority are used in combination. Training And Development:. An appropriate system of performance appraisal can be helpful in identifying the areas of skills or knowledge in which employees are not up to the mark or there exist a training deficiency which presumably should be corrected by additional training, interviews, discussions or counseling. These appraisals help in spotting the potential to train and develop them to create an inventory of executive skills. Personnel Research: Performance appraisal helps in the research, especially in the field of personnel management and human relations. Various theories in human relationship are the outcome of efforts to find out the cause and effect relationship between the personnel and their performance. 5.2 Self improvement Merit rating brings out the deficiencies and shortcomings of the rates. A discussion between the rater and rate conducted in a spirit of co-operation and mutual understanding gives the chance to employee to have an insight on his performance or behavior in the general set up of the organization. The way these discussions are conducted give chance to the employees to take suitable steps to improve upon their performance or to correct their shortcomings. Merit rating helps to spot out a person’s ability to see an organizational problem, device ways of attacking it, translate his ideas into actions, incorporate new information as it arises and carry out is plans, through the results. (Ahuja, 2005, p.182) 6. Conclusion Human Resource Department goals are based on the super ordinate goals of the organization. For culture building the specific values of the organization are identified that need to be inculcated in the employees. Some of the values are openness, empowerment and delegation, ownership, commitment and accepting mistakes. HR managers can build a system of empowerment and ownership among the employees to develop a sense of commitment. Employees are constantly motivated to involve themselves to produce best developmental activities and the organization is sensitive to the employee’s feedback and shares with employees regularly the organizations future plans and programmes and other issues related to the management. It is believed that Organizational learning really should incorporate a broader set of HRM activities, which cover ‘job design, recruitment and selection, training and development, career planning and compensation and benefits, as well as performance appraisal (Ahuja, 2005, p.185). In essence, good Organizational learning outcome is the core purpose of all HRM functions. Recommendations for managers 1. Addressing Poor Performance The capacity for correct-evaluation enables a person to make a realistic and judicious choice of a career. It reveals one’s qualities as well as defects and deficiencies. One can then proceed to capitalize on his assets, make up for his defects. Each employee can be placed into one of three categories: High Performer Middle Performer Low Performer Addressing Poor Performance is essential for career programming as it pays rich dividends and eliminates disappointments and frustrations. It gives a sense of right direction and saves one from drift and dissipation of energy and waste of time. 2. Employee motivation (i) In An Organization, internal and external workforce could impact on the way performance management. Thus, in Organizational learning, employee motivation is the main activity for HRD thrust on quality of work life. (ii) Recognition of employee performance increases the morale of them and stimulates an urge to excel at the work place, spreading cheer to the families and enhancing the social status of the employee 3. Employee Facilities (i) Moving close with the workers and shop grievance enquiries reveal the problems of the workers not only at the workplace but also beyond the periphery of the Plant. (ii) Most of the employee services are designed with humanistic care and help for the retiring employees, who can reinforce the lifelong attachment of the company with the employee. Pre-retirement counseling and timely execution of official formalities to expedite payment of all his final dues is monitored and completed by a centralized Final settlement section. (iii) The post-retirement facilities will increase the morale of the serving employees who witness the goodwill of the company towards the departing employees. (iv) The welfare aspect of employee services has been the basic aim of HRD activities. In the shop floor, counseling facilities create a congenial atmosphere. This will reduce the number of habitual absentee employees. Home counseling is also undertaken to positively correlate the living habits with work attitudes 4. Generate team spirit To maximize enrichment of quality of work life, the management has to generate team spirit and a sense of involvement among the workers. HRD can make use of some methods like celebration of birthday on the anniversary of commissioning the department, has in real experience fetched great rewards 5. Improving Standard Of Living The employee's participation would improve when the company takes steps to maximize his joy of living at home and in the larger society. Following are the key areas where the company has to concentrate to improve the quality of work life (Bhatia & Batra, 1999, p 55). 1. Provision of housing facilities 2. Provision of entertainment facilities 3. Arranging family get-togethers 4. Developing the talents 5. Managerial involvement in family functions 6. Medical facilities 7. Sports and games facilities 8. Scholarship facilities to improve academic performance 9. Counseling centers 10. Company support in consumerism 11. Post-retirement benefits 12. Associating families in company functions 13. Protecting the employees' families during times of crisis. Educating the employees on family welfare, savings, civic sense, etc. *** References Ahuja K, (2005). Human Resource Management. Kalyani Publishers, Calcutta, Pp 119-280 Bhatia B S & Batra G S. Encyclopedia of Business Management. Human Resource Development. Deep & Deep Publications. Rajouri Garden. 1999, p.45-55 David C. McClelland: 'Achievement Motive can be Developed,' Harvard Business Review, Nov.-Dec., 1965, p. 22. Performance Management, [online] http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcsb/hrm/e-hrm-guide/pm.htm Yvonne Mc Laughlin, (1999). Business Management: A Practical guide for Managers, Supervisors and Administrators, Business Information Books, Pp 105-189 Read More