Focusing on Strategic Human Resource and Management, and identifying Strategic Organisations - Coursework Example

Focusing on Strategic Human Resource and Management, and identifying Strategic Organisations Name Course Name and Code Instructor’s Name Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Strategic management 3 Motivation 5 Human resource management as facilitator of the strategic views of organization performance 6 Paauwe view 8 Theories of human resource management involved in improving the organizational performance as a way of strategic management 9 Human resource strategy models 10 Conclusion 12 Reference 13 Introduction Strategic human resource management is one of the most important practices in any given organization especially if the organization has to succeed in any way. Boselie, Dietz, and Boon (2005) say that for organizations to be strategic, the focus on strategic human resource and management must be very important. The process of management of human resource refers to coherent, recruitment as well as strategic management of all the employees that are working for an organization and collectively or even individually contribute to achievement of all the organization’s goals as well as objectives. The process entails the hiring, compensation, management of the employee’s performances, development of the organization, wellness of the employees, motivation of the employees, training, administration communication and the employees’ benefits among others. If in any organization the above factors are well taken care of, then it is very definite that the organization’s performance will improve. Organization’s performance refers to the status of the organization measured in terms of its output. It should be noted that this output is because of the employees work. The more the employees work the better their work performance while the lesser they work the less the performance in the organization (Chandler, 1962). Strategic management The increase as far as the trends in competition are concerned has greatly led to the need for all of the organization to improve their efforts in strategic management. According to Boselie, Dietz, and Boon (2005), the improvement in technology has also led to need for all of their organization irrespective their industry to improve their strategic management efforts. There are three perspectives associated with strategic management namely the traditional, resource-based and stakeholder perspective. Some of the component of strategic management includes analysis of the organization’s situation both externally and internally of the environment that contributes to the formulation of the strategies and mission in the organization (Finlay, 2000). There is also the aspect of analysis the organizational skills, resources, abilities as well as trying to acquire more superior skills, abilities and resources which will help it to stand up to any kind of competition. There is also the aspect of economic power, political influence as well as demands put by various stakeholders’ analysis. Human resource management as a way of strategic management in any organization is very important. It refers to the process of linking all the human resources to strategic objectives of that particular organization with the aim of improving the organization’s performance. This entails analysis of the resources in terms of the skills, the background, training of all of the employees as well as the managers and also the management of the organization structure. Managers in an organization should be encouraged to think strategically in all that they do through embracing the process of training (Peter, 2007). There are a number of companies in the United Kingdom as well as globally that gives their employees an opportunity to present their opinions and ideas to the top managers in the organization like the virgin airline and the Disney company. Also the organization can incorporate all the employees in the process of strategic planning in the sense that it encourages the process of strategic thinking hence a good relationship with the stakeholders. The practices and policies that are governing the management of the human resources are supposed to fit well with the strategy, the organization conditions faced by the organization as well as the competitiveness of the organization’s organization environment. Motivation One of the ways of human resource management is through motivation. Through motivation, there can be a great deal of improvement in performance (Corby et el, 1984). Motivation has been defined as the combination of one’s desires as well as energy, which are all directed in achieving a certain goal. In other words, it is what causes a certain action to be taken. In order to influence people’s motivation then it means to get them to do what you actually want them to do. It should be noted that not all people are motivated by the same things to perform. This is whereby the issue of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation comes in. some people are motivated from within themselves while other have to be externally motivated through rewards and other things. In most cases an employee knows perfectly well what it takes to gave an excellent performance but still chooses not to give the best for reasons known best to him However, it has been discovered that it is the personal inherent problems. Rather than the challenges in the work place that interferes with ones ability to work and give better results. Boselie, Dietz, and Boon (2005) say that these motivational personal problems ranges from the pressure in the family, lack of the understanding of the effects of behavior to other people and personal conflicts. This means that if there is a problem existing between the employer and the employees then thee employer must seek the problem and then come up with a solution for the same (Terence, 1984). By doing this, the leader is trying to get facts right. However, it should be noted that if he gets the facts wrong, then there shall never be a lasting solution. Therefore, the leader should start by finding out what the employees should be doing and is not doing, then to go ahead and record. This means that the employer can be forced even to watch the employees as they work and try to range their standards. There is also need to check the past records and procedure and see if there has been some appraisals going on. Once the problem has been discovered, then the employer must work with the employees to make things better.  Motivation, in this case comes in where, the employer gives a feedback to the employees. This is whereby he or she lets them know where they are doing right and where they are doing wrong (Francis & Keegan, 2006). Feedback in this case should not be an occasional thing but must be done very often. In addition, another way of motivating the employees especially them that are required to do a lot of things includes helping them to set priorities according to Boselie, Dietz, and Boon (2005). This will help them to be orderly and to be able to do what is required in the order of priorities. In other words, motivation whether intrinsic or extrinsic is the key to the improvement of performance. Things like positive reinforcement, fair treatment, effective discipline, employees needs satisfaction, and setting goals, job restructuring, rewards and satisfying the needs of the employees are all form of motivation for better performance. Human resource management as facilitator of the strategic views of organization performance There is a very strong relationship between the improvement in the human resource management and the management of the human resources in a given organization. Actually, it is very evident that the management of the human resource is a facilitator or rather an enabler and a very effective strategic option to achieving improvement in organizational management. Human resource management has also been termed as the perfect approach of personnel (Druker & White, 2009). Some of the outcomes that have proved that is a good form of human resource management include low absenteeism; cost effectiveness is high, dull to utilization of the human resource in full, increase performance in their jobs and good relationship with others. Boselie, Dietz, and Boon (2005) argues that performance in any organization is however not completely based on the human resource management, there are other things other are also involved like the performance relationship. These include the organizational behavior, economic and sociology organizational. The combination of all the range of factors is what determines the different kind of outcomes both at the organizational and individual level. It should be noted that there are very positive advantages that are yielded because of combining the following other additional variables as far as the performance of an organization is concerned. They include motivation, discretionary effort and employment skills (Hill & Jones, 2007). Employment skills for instance are very important in as far as the performance of any given organization is concerned. This is not only the advantage the organization gets to enjoy but also the fact that it gives it an advantage to compete with other organizations. An organization with better-trained human resource is in a better position to compete even at an international platform with other organizations. Therefore, it is very important for any particular person running an organization to treat the relationship between the human resource management and the organizations performance because they are greatly dependant on each other but still they also require other factors to bears positive fruits. One of the greatest fears that emerged as far as the issue of human resource management is concerned in the issue of unions being eradicated. This is because most of the unions for the employees are formed for the purposes of catering for the needs, rights and requirements of the employees (David, 2002). With proper human resource management then it means that the employees unions will not be necessary anymore. With this in mind, then many people went into research to find out the advantages of human research in the performance of the organization. However, the discovery was beyond expectation. This is whereby it was discover that apart from human resource management, other factors that are involved in the performance of the organization includes career possibility internally, development and training and  personal planning. Paauwe view Paauwe, discovered in his over thirty studies that there is a relationship between the human resource management and the indicators of organizational performance like better quality, better sales, customer satisfaction, market value and profitability (Paauwe, 2009). Paawe (2009) supports the ideas of Boselie, Dietz, and Boon (2005) by stating that there has also been a great link between the performance of the organization and the policies that are in existence. Many people have also criticized the relationship between organizational performance and the human resource management. This is because they argue that for them to have a relationship, and then should be some theories about human resource management. Paauwe meant that in actual sense, the performance of the organization is directly proportional to a number of variables of which goes beyond the human resource management. Some of these factors are what other researchers discover to be the policies that are governing the management of the organization, the better the policies, the better and the performance. This is further strengthened by the fact that human resource theories are very important. One of the theories that were then discovered was the motivational theory. There are many types of motivational theories, which are divided into the following broad groups; incentive theory, drive reduction theory, needs theories, broad theories and cognitive theories. In my own opinion, I think, all the factors or rather the variables that entail human resource management are very important in the improvement of any organizational performance (Paauwe, 2009). Theories of human resource management involved in improving the organizational performance as a way of strategic management The theories of human resource management are also very important in ensuring that the performance of the organization is improved. The following are some of the examples a. Incentive theories This is a kind of motivation that entails rewarding an individual with an aim of encouraging and recommending them for a work well done. This is usually associated with good behavior encouragement. Researches have shown that repeated actions of rewards enable good habit formation. b. Drive-reduction theory This has to do with some certain form of biological needs like hunger and thirst. As time goes by, the strength of the desire increases as long as it is not satisfied, However, it is immediately reduces on satisfaction. This is actually, what happens in the cases of thirst and hunger. This form of drive contains some folk or some intuitive validity. This shown by for example when preparing food, where by the drive is very much in line with the senses caused by the rising hunger due to the food preparation. However, this kind of theory has brought about some questions (Woodward, 1958). One of the issues is that this kind of theory does not explain the way in which the secondary reinforces like money reduces drive. This is because even with so much money in the bank the hunger or thirst will not be quenched. The second question is that a drive such a thirst is termed as the desire to drink water, hence making it just homuncular being which is a feature simply termed as moving the real problem behind the person and her desires. Therefore, this theory is not a complete behavior theory since a person who is so hungry cannot cook food and finish cooking before emptying the cooking pot on the fire. This is where by some things like restrain and self-control applies. Human resource strategy models These refers to all the practices as well as policies that the management of an organization uses to design the work as well as select develop and train, motivate, appraise and control the employees in the organization (Boselie, Dietz, and Boon, 2005). There are three models of namely the control based, resource based and then an intergraded model which basically combines the first two. Control based type of model involved in the strategic management of the human resource globally, entails the ways in which the management tries to control as well as monitor the role of the employees in the performance of the organization (Woodward, 1958). It is very important for any management to be able to control the behaviors of the employees in the organization because if they can not then it means the achievement of the organization’s goals and objectives may not be reached. This means that any organization must be in a position to transform its labour power into labour itself. According to Boselie, Dietz, and Boon (2005), they say that this will be done through ensuring that all the employees that are hired have the capacity to do the work. This will be done by organizing space, task, time, and movement within the operations of the workers. In addition, Burns (1961) says that it is very important for the management to understand that all of the workers have very different needs in term of space, time, rewards, job security and their capacity to work. It is the workers behavior that enables the management to be able to control the operations of the organization meaning that proper management of the human resource will enable them to understand the workers behaviors hence proper strategic management. Resource based model entails reward efforts through the process of managers viewing their employees as the organizations assets (Hannagan, 2005). Knowledge management in another very important way of Human resource strategic management in any organization because it is one of the ways through which any organization can attain organization excellence (Burns, 1961). There are number of factors that still lead to a slow knowledge sharing and management in the organizations. They include increase in the turbulence level, growth in the globalization, dispersion geographically and finally the localized movement. There is need for increase in the area of organization knowledge sharing. This means that there is need for involving the employees in the process of knowledge sharing through involving them in meeting sharing the objectives of the organization. Knowledge sharing at each level of the organization is the best tool to enable the organization work better (Bosel et el, 2005). Apart from the organizations focusing on competition with their rivals, it is also very important for it to think beyond the existence problems and try to improve the company’s ways of operations by ensuring that the employees are getting the knowledge they need especially on what is happening in the market at that particular point.  This is where the issue of knowledge management comes in. There are a number of advantages of sharing knowledge in an organization as a way of managing the human resource, which are as follows. It leads to improved level of creativity at a personal level hence leading to the creation of a room for innovation It leads the organization to a point of realizing economy of scale and so lowering the production costs. It ensures the company maintains consistency in terms of the quality of its services and products. It also enables the organization or the organization repeating the mistakes it had committed. Improves responsiveness in terms of competition Improves the organization’s process of decision making Conclusion There is a very great connection between the management of the human resource and the strategic management of an organization with reference to its performance. Therefore, different ways of human resource management are very instrumental in ensuring the performance of the organization is improved. Theses ways are however not sufficient, this is whereby the issue of other variables comes in. one of the most important is the strategy of the implementation in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. Researchers have also expressed their feeling of the need for providing an adaptable environment and flexibility for the workers to ensure that they can freely work and achieve their targets. Also it is very important to have good relationships in the organization to ensure there is a level of trustworthy that is reached in the organization.             Reference Boxall, P. and Purcell, J. 2003. Strategy and Human Resource Management. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.   Boselie, P., Dietz, G., and Boon, C. 2005. Commonalities and contradictions in HRM and performance research, Human Resource Management Journal, vol 15, no. 3, pp. 67-94. Burns, T. 1961. The Management of Innovation. London: Tavistock. Chandler , A. 1962. Management theory and practice. London: Thomson. Corby, S., Palmer, S. and Lindop, E. Terence, R., 1984. Motivation and performance. Chester: Pearson. Corby, S., White, G. and Stanworth, C. 2005. No news is good news? Evaluating new pay systems, Human Resource Management Journal, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 4-24. David, F.  2002. Strategic management: concepts (9th Ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.  Druker, J. and White, G. 2009. Introduction: the context of reward management, in G. White and J. Druker (Eds.) Reward Management: A Critical Text, 2nd ed., Routledge, London, pp. 1-23. Finlay, P. 2000. Strategic management: an introduction to business and corporate strategy. New York: Pearson Education. Francis, H. & Keegan, A. 2006. The changing face of HRM: in search of balance, Human Resource Management Journal, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 231-249. Hannagan, M. 2005. Management concepts and practice. England: Prentice hall. Hill, C. & Jones, G. 2007. Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach (8th Ed.). California: Cengage Learning. Paauwe, J. 2009. HRM and Performance: Achievements, Methodological Issues and Prospects, Journal of Management Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 129-142. Peter, F. 2007. The practice of management. New York: John Wiley & sons. Terence, R., 1984. Motivation and performance. Chester: Pearson. Woodward, J. 1958. Management and Technology. London: Her Majesty’s Stationary Office. Read More