Managing Human Resource Consultancy - Primus Corporation - Case Study Example

Manage Human Resource Consultancy: Case Study of Primus Corporation Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Introduction Management perspectives in various organizations vary depending on the approach or strategy taken by the organization’s HR. The HR practices are based on the fact that competitive advantage is achieved if a firm is in a position to develop human resources that foster speedy growth and enable the organization to apply its learning objectives more efficiently than its rivals in the market (Armstrong, 2000). Human resources per se encompass all the knowledge, experience, risk-taking propensity, judgment and wisdom of all individuals within an organization. In view of the organization’s resource based perspective, an organization is a bunch of both tangible and intangible resources and competencies that are vital for fostering product and market competition (Armstrong, 2000; Sims, 2007). Along the same line, human resources augment the creation of unique competencies that develop a distinction between services and products, which in turn increases an organization’s competitiveness. Further, idiosyncratic human resource practices mould the core competencies that are used as a benchmark for evaluating how firms various firms compete (Armstrong, 2000; Evers, Anderson & Voskuijl, 2005).The use of human resource management information systems (HRMIS) further augments this objective to increase an organization’s competitive advantage and achieve a high level of efficiency in production and other organizational activities (Sims, 2007). The application of HRMIS may have complications in that an organization’s staff may not be accustomed to the new management systems that have to be used under the HRMIS or may take too long to adjust to the system. In addition, although HRMIS packages improve an organizations performance, not all of them are effective in exceptional organizational settings (Sims, 2007). In this regard, most HRMIS strategies and applications are usually customized around the new processes that are forged in an organization. This means that HRMIS strategies must be formulated in relation to the results of evaluation of an organization’s status at any given time (Sims, 2007; Select HR Information Management System, undated). This paper will evaluate the strategies used by an organization dubbed Primus Corporation as part of its plan to improve competitiveness and organizational efficiency. The paper is arranged in various sections. The first section after the introduction will evaluate the mechanisms that Primus Corporation uses as part of its HRMIS such as the service level agreement (SLA). The second section will analyze the problems faced by the organization, as well as its needs and the options available to meet the needs. The third section will handle the strategies used by Primus Corporation for quality assurance including monitoring and reviewing the company’s operations. This shall be followed by a synopsis of the company’s operations. The other sections of the paper will also address workplace issues concerning the company by analyzing various issues affecting client-staff relations. In the whole paper, the essence of HRMIS strategies will be emphasized by evaluating the importance of using HRMIS and how effectively the phenomenon can be used to improve the performance of an organization such as Primus Corporation’s competitiveness. The discussion will incorporate an evaluation of criteria used to select HRMIS and the importance of the concept. PART A Background information Primus Corporation aspires to increase its performance by making its selection of HR practices a continuum. This has been based on the idea that taking a global approach to management may be outweighed by strategic benefits (Evers, Anderson & Voskuijl, 2005; Sims 2007). Thus the corporation has realized the need to have some local flexibility in order to meet the changing needs of recruitment processes and enable managers to have some form of authority over the changing practices in both personnel management and incorporation of HRMIS. Thus, in order to support its personnel and HRMIS, Primus Corporation uses a number if criteria as highlighted and discussed in the following sections. The first step undertaken by the corporation is to review various job details with reference to global scales. This area is reviewed to analyze the organization’s performance in the context of management as well as changes in technology as brought about by the integration of HRMIS in the various levels of management. Secondly, the corporation makes decisions about innovative ideas by using international standardization as a benchmark for management of its systems. This involves consideration of the strategic purpose of various systems that are in place and those that have to be introduced as well as how the different systems are likely to impact the various stakeholders of the company as noted by Evers, Anderson & Voskuijl (2005). Thirdly, the company has set various objectives to ensure that any new introductions in terms of innovations, new systems, and changes in personnel management bring positive changes- that is improved performance in a multidimensional context. The fourth consideration by Primus Corporation is evaluation of the methods used in implementation of various practices including the HRMIS. This involves carrying out pilot studies to critique the effectiveness of various projects by consulting experts in the relevant fields. Another important point put into consideration by Primus Corporation is the legality of the various technological and personnel systems used to enhance the company’s effectiveness. This is of significant importance given that the contemporary business world is filled with many legal systems ranging from local practices to international policies regulating international business and other issues such as use of the Internet as well as other computer software and applications (Rabin 1995; Sims, 2007). The other important point considered by Primus Corporation is implementation of various policies and systems as well as an understood strategy that allows the company to engage with various end users of the company and involving them in various pilot projects to facilitate their participation and instill a sense of ownership of the company among various players. Finally, Primus Corporation values monitoring and evaluation schemes. According to Sims (2007), monitoring and evaluation are critical in tracking the performance of various management systems as well as appraisal of job performance among various departments. Thus, Primus Corporation partakes in this by making periodic improvements to facilitate quick implementation of supporting mechanisms and avoidance of instances that might jeopardize advancement efforts as outlined by Evers, Anderson & Voskuijl (2005) and Sims (2007). Primus Corporation’s HRMIS criteria Primus Corporation uses a number of criteria in its management practices. These include the functional fit, the infrastructure fit, price and suitability in line with the four main criteria as mentioned by Rabin (1995) and Armstrong (2000).The four criteria are described in the following section. i) Functional fit With reference to functional fit, the company looks at how everything in the context of human resource management works. This involves identification of the various human resource practices one after the other and finding out the nature of technological transactions required. This is by making a comparison between what the company is in involved in today vis-à-vis the future. In essence, the company believes that there is no need to engage in expensive innovations in the implementation of HRMIS if the technologies involved will not result in any positive change to the company. In order to align its needs with the future, Primus Corporation has developed a document to help in requesting for information. This document is usually circulated to vendors for the purpose of aligning the company’s products. The company has designed a survey form to help in assessment of its cultural competence as shown below. Organizational Cultural Competence Survey Form Primus Corporation is undertaking an endeavor to perk up it its strengths and requirements for further training and development in order to become a more proficient organization. As a member of the program, your input to in this survey and assessment is vital for improvement of the company in terms of cultural competence. Your response will be held confidential. The results of the survey will be used in a summary and aggregate form only. For any arising questions please do not hesitate to contact …………………………………. When you have responded to the survey, place the form at………………………… Thank you for your participation and assistance in this important company activity. Please tick below the category that BEST illustrates your MAJOR role in the company. Please check only one Administration Support Services Research Clinical services Student/Trainee Education/training Technical assistance/Consultant Advisory Board Community/continuing education Other Please specify:…………………………………………….. Please specify the duration of contribution in this organization: Less than one year  One to five years  Over five years Please select ONE answer that BEST explain your opinion about the following statements A. Organization YES NO Don’t Know Cultural competence is incorporated in the policies, mission statement, and procedures. A task force or program area tackles issues of cultural competence. Partnerships with local community representatives improve organizational planning. Primus Corporation supports use of resources to promote cultural competence. B. Administration Almost Always Often Sometimes Almost Never Don’t Know Personnel enrollment, hiring, and retention activities show ethnic diversity and cultural competency. Resources are available to all staff in their duties. Post descriptions and staff performance procedures include skills correlated to cultural competence. Participants in all consultative committees are well trained to ensure that the company achieves high performance. Personnel are appreciated and well supported to achieve their objectives Fiscal resources are accessible to aid in language efficiency services. C. Research and Program Evaluation: Almost Always Often Sometimes Almost Never Don’t Know Input on research considerations is sought from a wide range of consumers. Research projects target diverse cultures Researchers are drawn from diverse ethnic groups and are well trained and suited for their job. Consumers and families largely influence the training and development projects in the company. D. Education/Training Almost Always Often Sometimes Almost Never Don’t Know Trainees are taken from diverse cultures. Trainees from diverse cultures are equally mentored. Different groups are well represented during training. Training curriculum incorporates development and cultural competence. The training and curriculum materials are frequently reviewed to reflect cultural competence. Respondent Details Please indicate the area(s) you need more training in: 1. …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. ………………………………………………………………………………………………….... 3…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Personal Information Please check appropriately in response to the details required below: Gender: Female Male Age bracket: 18 to 35 36 to 49 50 to 65 Over 65 Do you have any disability? Yes No Is any member of your family disabled? Yes No End of survey. Thank you!! ii) Infrastructure fit Consideration for infrastructure fit at Primus Corporation is based on evaluation of the company’s existing network and hardware capabilities. The rule of the thumb within the company is that it will not purchase an item or product that simply cannot fit within the existing systems or may need a lot of more other expenditures that may not have long-term benefits to the company. Before the company purchases any product or products to enhance its HRMIS, it first evaluates the product vendor’s viability with reference to the vendor’s capacity to sustain the product, the vendor’s financial ability as well as the period for which the vendor is expected to support the new products. This is because some vendors are likely to withdraw from the market even before the impact of their products is felt, a situation that may put the purchasing company’s (in this case Primus Corporation) efforts to increase its competitiveness in jeopardy. The evaluation process also involves looking at various reference websites in order to ascertain the products that are in store and those which the vendor anticipates to have. Primus Corporation also evaluates the competencies of various vendors by talking to various users of similar products in order to ascertain their magnitude of satisfaction from use of particular products. iii) Price and suitability While purchasing products for its HRMIS, Primus Corporation looks at every detail of the product including the license fee for products such as computer software. Further, the company evaluates the maintenance costs which are usually charged annually and whose value could range between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of the products’ buying price. Other details investigated include whether the maintenance costs are paid for at the start of a financial year or at the end of the same period. Further, Primus Corporation looks at the time for which various computer packages are covered and any other hidden costs that come as a result of dealing in license fees. This includes the costs involved in maintaining various databases and the amounts of cash charged by various systems maintenance firms to oversee the HRMIS installation and functioning process. Further suitability analyses are based on appraisal of other expenses that may be incurred as a result of working with other business partners in utilizing the installed HRMIS infrastructure. All the expenses involved are evaluated against a backdrop of the initial costs involved in implementing the various HRMIS processes. PART B Primus Corporation’s service level agreement (SLA) According to Armstrong (2000) an SLA is an agreement between a service provider and customers who use the service or services. It is a quantification tool used to determine the level of service required to meet an organization’s business needs. The fundamental point in drawing an SLA is thus to investigate precisely what customers want and the elements that are most important is this regard. The main objective is to set service targets which are stretching but attainable. An effective SLA thus sets forth three main standards. Foremost one is the kind of service provided by a given organization. This is important with regard to setting new measures aimed at improving the status quo. The second point is the nature of quality to be achieved in the provision of current and anticipated services. Along this line, there is no point of implementing new system if it is not expected to bring any change to the already existing system (Armstrong, 2000). With reference to the aforementioned terms, Primus Corporation has service level standards that are set with consideration of several factors as highlighted in the following points. Nature of response to various requests for help, such as training, change in information systems, change in recruitment programs and so on. Time taken to react to staff-related activities such as preparing job descriptions, filing vacancies or conducting jobs evaluation programs. Frequency of involvement of HR in settling work related disputes such as slow performance of staff. Primus Corporation’s Challenges and Opportunities i) Tangible benefits As a result of the implementation of HRMIS, Primus has realized many tangible benefits including process improvement, a reduction in throughput time required for various business activities such as the time required for filling vacancies and a significant decline in employees turnover. Additionally, employee retention has greatly improved with the HRMIS. ii) Intangible benefits The most noticeable tangible benefits that been realized due to implementation of HRMIS is an improvement in quality and precision of information. For instance, it is now possible to share reports immediately online using computers; unlike with the past systems when it would take three or four day to prepare reports using typewriters and have them scanned for forwarding. Additionally, the HRMIS enables quick exchange of ideas and data, which saves a lot of time within the organization. The possibility of having immediate feedback between departments increases overall company performance (Rabin, 1995). iii) Risk management With the implementation of the HRMIS, Primus has encountered a considerable level of risks. This has mainly been noted in departments in which staff were not well trained before the implementation of the new management systems. In some cases slow responses by staff have been noted due to slight complexities of the new information systems. Nevertheless, efforts have been made to ensure that the staff are familiar with the new technologies and that the level of technological risk is reduced by the familiarization activities. Delays due to poor or slow use of the new systems have been checked by ensuring that training programs are initiated to encourage everyone’s participation in use of the new technologies. Further, the company has ensured that the new technologies are implemented in phases to avoid sudden changes in performance that could have adverse effects on the company’s immediate and future performance. iv) Constraints Primus has experienced various constraints as result of implementations of the HRMIS. Most of the constraints have been evident in the context of imposing limitations or frontiers within which the company’s routine operations take place. The constraints are apparent in view of the time spent in installing new systems- which would otherwise have been used to perform developmental functions within the organization. In addition, the costs involved in implementation of the HRMIS has a significant impact on the financial status of the company. It will probably take a considerable amount of time to restore the former position and possibly surpass it if the new systems will deliver the anticipated results. Since all business operations are under government observation, there are legal implications of using certain facilities in business. Such include various legal and operational requirements in the laying of internet infrastructure as well as installation of devices such as modems and servers and have increased the overall expenses serviced by Primus. As matter of security, communications devices used as part the HRMIS are under scrutiny to ensure that they comply with the regulations governing use of such facilities. This is a constraint in a way given that there are limitations on use of the internet and email services. In addition, the new facilities require monitoring to ensure good use, which adds more cost. Addressing workplace issues According to Armstrong (2000), unique talents among employees such as superior performance, high productivity, flexibility, innovativeness, and capacity to deliver significant levels of customer satisfaction are the key ingredients of increasing an organization’s competitiveness. Primus has put this into consideration and has implemented the HRMIS to increase employees’ performance. To augment the HRMIS, employees are trained in order to further their skillfulness and increase their output, innovativeness, flexibility and willingness to achieve customer demands. Conclusion The implementation of HRMIS at Primus Corporation has had several impacts, both positive and negative. On the upside, there are many prospects of improvement in productivity given that the HRMIS is being embraced in a multiplicity of ways by employees. In addition, the HRMIS is likely to augment innovativeness and flexibility. On the downside, the implementation of the HRMIS has not only been expensive but also inconveniencing since many procedures had to be restructured, amounting to loss of the company’s time. But the HRMIS is important given the present and anticipated benefits it has to the company. References Armstrong, M. (2000). Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action. New York: Kogan Page Publishers. Evers, A., Anderson, N. & Voskuijl, (2005). The Blackwell handbook of personnel selection. Anew York: Wiley-Blackwell. Rabin, J. (1995). Handbook of public personnel administration. New York: CRC Press. Select HR Information Management System. Retrieved June 10 2009 from http://toolboxes.flexiblelearning.net.au/demosites/series5/506/lo/2002_329_036/documents/2002_329_036_reading.pdf Sims R.R. (2007). Human resource management: contemporary issues, challenges, and opportunities. New York: IAP. Read More