The Significance of Understanding HRM from Diversity Perspective - Coursework Example

Critically Assess the Significance of Understanding HRM from Diversity Perspective Name: Course: Institution: Date: Critically Assess the Significance of Understanding HRM from Diversity Perspective Introduction At an operational level, human resource management (HRM) activities include training, recruitment, rewarding, and development and performance appraisal are considered as the means and logic through which human resources are managed while providing guidance on the choice of specific HRM practices and policies (Schuler et al 2001). At a strategic level, the activities that define the operation of HRM are associated with their ability to influence organizational strategy while at the same time adding value to the organization. This makes it possible to consider HRM as an effective platform for the promotion and management of diversity and ensure its integration into the strategies and activities of an organization. Through effective management of diversity, the operational activities of HRM facilitate the reduction of inequalities as a strategy of attracting, developing, retaining, and motivating diverse workforces. The main objective of this essay is to engage in the critical assessments of the significance of understating the role of HRM from a diversity perspective. HRM and management of diversity HRM is considered as a distinctive approach through which employment is managed with the objective of realizing some level of competitive advantage through strategic deployment of a highly committed and capable team of employees using an integrated array of personnel and cultural techniques (Shen et al 2009). In HRM, the strategic objective is often to ensure that policies and practices are chosen with the objective of supporting the implementation of strategic business plans. From a diversity perspective, HRM has the responsbility of introducing policies and practices that can be used in managing employee opportunities and assignments, gauging employee competencies, assessing employee behaviour and motivating employees according to their level of performance and organizational expectations (Ragins 2002). The process of realizing these objectives require the categorization of policies and practices into planning, recruitment, selection, training, development performance appraisal, rewarding, union relations, work-life balance and organizational change. The success of HRM objectives are often realized through employee commitment, improved competence, congruence, and cost effectiveness which are essential in the realization of organizational goals and objectives (Shen et al 2009). From a HRM perspective, diversity implies that employees differ in many ways but h the predominant diversity issues in each organization are different. Diversity can be in the form of age, cultural background, marital status, social status, sexual orientation, disability, personality, religion, and ethnicity among other variables (Richard 2000). A diverse workforce therefore comprises of multitudes of understandings, beliefs, values, and perspectives. The key to understanding diversity from HRM perspective is that it hinges on the ability of an organization to develop employee-centred policies considering that diversity management revolves around the interest of the employees while the function of HRM is to act as the custodian of the management process and strategies targeting the interests of the workforce (Kossek et al 2005). In organizations, the role of HRM has been to use diversity management as a tool that establishes a legally defensible position when faced with charges of discrimination. A firm that employs a diverse workforce has the ability to argue in any legal preceding that that are not guilty of discrimination considering that its workforce is representative of the demographics of the local community (Richard 2000). From this perspective, the incorporation of diversity as part of HRM function does not only engage in the recognition but also harnesses the differences within its workforce. These include individual attributes, religious beliefs, cultural orientations, and sexual orientation. The essence of this approach to management of employees is often aimed at ensuring that individual talents and capabilities within the organization are fully utilized with the objective of realizing organizational goals. Management of employees through the diversity approach also facilitates the ability of an organization to achieve some level of competitive advantage (Kossek et al 2005). Attracting and employees personnel from diverse backgrounds and with diverse attributes provide organization with the capacity of a creative, flexible, talented and experienced team of employees. Such a team is considered essential in enhancing the ability of an organization to ensure greater innovation and creativity and this enables the organization to outperform homogenous teams (Shen et al 2009). In addressing issues of discrimination and fairness, the role of HRM from diversity perspective is to ensure that policies targeting the welfare of employees are developed in a manner that enhances equality. From this approach, HRM has the ability of demonstrating some degree of diversity by increasing its numbers for purposes of organizational effectiveness (Clegg et al 2011). The process of ensuring equality within an organization requires HRM to ensure that policies targeting the welfare employees incorporate the interest of different personalities. This must however be developed in accordance with the existing standards of operation that define organizational management (Kouzes & Posner 2012). HRM and diversity management practices Recruitment and selection In an organizational context, employee and the management consider diversity as equal to the provision of equal opportunities for any individual to enter an organization. This explains why from most of the organization, the function of HRM is to develop techniques of ensuring that the process of recruitment and selection of employees considers diversity in term of gender, age, age, and academic qualifications (Richard 2000). There are other variable such as religious background, social status, and marital status, which are not considered essential in the recruitment and selection process (Shen et al 2009). For organizations developing strategies to ensure that the minority population is included as part of employees improves on their reputation in the public domain. In some instances policies that define recruitment and selection process improves on the competitive advantage of an organization with regard to attracting more customers (Kossek et al 2005). From a human resource perspective, customers consider organizations that embrace diversity as geared towards the delivery of quality products and services due to their ability to attract talents from diverse backgrounds (Carnevale & Stone 2010). Effective HRM from diversity perspective can be realized through the introduction of an array of measures, which are designed to ensure the creation of a supportive and inclusive working environment (Kossek et al 2005). Organizations realize this strategy by ensuring that employment and policies ensure the provision of development opportunities, career planning initiatives and an effective work-life balance policy aimed at mentoring those perceived as minority or disadvantaged (Singh & Point 2004). Through diversity management, it is possible for HRM in organizations to complement affirmative action strategies aimed at addressing failure of organizations to promote the minority population in management positions (Ragins 2002). In the process of proving equal opportunities during the recruitment and selection process, HRM has the responsbility of maintaining high-level integrity and discipline throughout the process. This is by ensuring that only those qualified in terms of their academic qualification and other organizational requirements are recruited into the organization (Clegg et al 2011). Training and development One of the major functions of HRM is to develop policies and strategies that provide high quality diversity awareness training to employees drawn from diverse backgrounds. Awareness training is considered essential in the promotion of the concept of diversity in an organizational context (Horwitz & Budhwar 2015). This is because it facilitates the development of a common understanding on the essence of diversity, helps in the development social cohesion within an organization to ensure an improvement on the level of individual and organizational outcomes (Ted 2005). The essence of diversity training in an organizational context is that it enhances the development of positive attitudes among employees with regard to embracing individuals from diverse backgrounds (Shen et al 2009). The role of HRM in training and development also provides employees with a platform of not only raising diversity awareness but also developing multicultural skills. Through these skills, it becomes possible for employees within an organization to understand and respect cultural differences that exist within an organization (Kouzes & Posner 2012). For HRM this approach to diversity management enhances the process of elimination stereotypical connotations. The success of diversity training is however dependent on the ability of HRM to ensure that they are tailored in accordance with the needs of the organization (Ted 2005). Operation in accordance with the diversity perspective requires HRM to ensure that its policies towards professional development and career planning are directed towards the eradication of discrimination (Wilson & Iles 2010). This is based on the realization that organizations have the responsbility of reflecting diversity and minimize the possibility that minority employees will develop negative perceptions on the ability of the organization to ensure transparency in the delivery of organizational incentives. Through effective diversity management policies, HRM ensures the provision of equal opportunities in promoting and developing employees (Wilson & Iles 2010). To ensure that the minority are included in professional development and career planning initiatives, organizations have the responsbility of providing them with training opportunities to improve of their capacity and ability to selected and promoted into senior positions within an organization (Shen et al 2009). The role of HRM in ensuring the incorporation of diversity as an essential element in organizational management is by not only recruiting highly qualified employees but also preparing them into taking on demanding organizational assignments (Alvesson 2013). This can be realized through mentorship, training, and delegation of responsibilities where minority employees are paired with senior members of the organization as a technique of enabling underprivileged demographic groups to move through the barriers of individual developments and advance their careers (Alvesson 2013). Appraisal The role of HRM is to ensure that effective performance management practices are developed to enhance objectivity and improved individual performance relative to the job description (Wentling & Palma‐Riva 2000). Through this approach to the management of a diverse workforce, HRM ensures that performance appraisal practices offer no special treatments and that they are fair to all employees. HRM has the responsbility of developing guidelines that ensure that the language of appraisal focusses on individual performance but not on personality, racial background, religious background, ethnicity, or sexual orientation (Shen et al 2009). This means that in the process of conducting appraisals, HRM must always ensure that the process is as culturally neutral as possible. Performance appraisal is considered as an essential tool in employee management because it enables the management to understand the ability of an individual employee to facilitate the realization of organizational objectives (Carnevale & Stone 2010). The appraisal can be used in assessing the employees that can be promoted into senior employment positions. When perceived with regard to embracing and promoting diversity, this approach enhances objectivity and transparency (Horwitz & Budhwar 2015). Pay The development of a balance between the amount of salaries and wages employees are paid in relation to organizational performance is an essential role of HRM. In organizational context diversity, management or employee pay requires the development of remuneration policies that are in agreement with the principle performance based pay system and equal pay (Alvesson 2013). The process of designing compensation schemes in an organization requires the consideration of individuals with regard to their abilities, skills, and knowledge. The effectives of any remuneration system in an organization require the involvement and understanding of the employees. This explains why it is the responsbility of HRM to educate employees into understanding diversity principles and accepting their responsibilities (Shen et al 2009). For employees in an organization remuneration does not only involve wages but also the ability to f the organization to develop an effective work-life balance. This is because at the operational level, there are often issues of HRM and employee conflict when balancing family and work related activities (Wentling & Palma‐Riva 2000). A diverse workforce often has varied needs to be addressed outside the work environment. This means that in the process of developing diversity management policies, the HRM has to ensure the introduction of employment flexibility, which provides employees with the freedom of choosing their working schedule based on personal capacity. This means that in the process of managing diverse group of employees, HRM must provide support services that help in the mitigation of issues associated with work-life balance. These support services help in building a culture of value diversity in an organization (Carnevale & Stone 2010). Conclusion HRM acts an effective platform for the promotion and management of diversity and ensures the integration of diversity strategies and activities of an organization. In HRM, policies and practices are chosen with the objective of supporting the implementation of strategic business plans. From a diversity perspective, HRM has the responsbility of introducing policies and practices that can be used in managing employee opportunities and assignments, gauging employee competencies, assessing employee behaviour and motivating employees according to their level of performance and organizational expectations. The process of realizing these objectives requires categorizing strategies into planning, recruitment and selection, training, development performance appraisal, and pay. References Alvesson, M 2013, Understanding organizational culture. Los Angeles: Sage. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1099442. Carnevale, AP & Stone, SC 2010, “Diversity Beyond the Golden Rule,” Training and Development, 48, 10, 22–39. Clegg, SR, Kornberger, M & Pitsis, TS 2011, Managing and Organizations: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. 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