Every Decision Involves the Human Element - Essay Example

Human Resource Management 0 Introduction Every enterprise depends upon human beings. Sooner or later every relationship, every problem and every decision involves the human element. Human resource Management is vital for the successful running of an organization. It ensures perfect utilization of human resources by deriving the best results. Human resource management leads to efficient performance and higher productivity in an organization (Ahuja 2005). Human Resource Management is vital for every organization to make productive use of human physical and financial resources or the achievement of the well defined organizational goals. It helps in determination of objectives. No organization can succeed in its mission unless its objectives an identified and well denied. Management helps in achieving these objectives by the efficient use of resources. "Management is the art of getting things done through other people. Management is the dynamic, life-giving element in every business. Without it the resources of production remain resources and never become production." (Sharma, 2004) 2.0 Human Resource Planning The people working in an organization are a valuable resource whose talents have to be developed and utilized in the best manner possible for the achievements of organizational objectives (Sherlekar, 1999). Meaningful personnel policy is based on the implied understanding that human resource constitutes the essential capital and assets of any business. Without this no business can prosper nor can it survive. The growth and success of the enterprise and the rate of human investment have positive and high correlation. If human investment is adequate and time, money and energy spent in planning, obtaining and developing the human resource are considered as integral part of overall corporate plan and policy, there is no reason why economic investment should not be fruitful (David et al, 2004) [Source: Taken from, Ahuja K. (2005) Human Resource Management. Fig 9.1 p 570] 3.0 Aspects of Management Firstly, management is a social process. Management is a social process, because the activities involved in the achievement of goals are concerned mainly with relations between people. Basically, all tasks are carried out when employees interact with one another. Management is concerned with making such an interaction productive and useful for achieving organizational goals. It is the pervasiveness of the human element that gives management its special character as a social process. Secondly, management is an integrating process. Management is regarded as a process integrating human and other resources to achieve predetermined goals. Managers apply their knowledge and skills to achieve the desired result. For this purpose, it is necessary to create unity of effort or teamwork in the organization. In order to develop team spirit, managers has to synchronies different activities, relate means to ends, and strike an appropriate balance between organizational and individual goals. Thus management is regarded as an integrating process. Thirdly, management is a continuous process Management is an ongoing continuous process. It involves continuous handling of problems and issues. Management constantly identifies the problems and tries to solve them (Sherlekar, 1999). 4.0 Staffing Staffing may be defined as the process involved in identifying, assessing, planning, evaluating and developing individuals at work. The managerial function of staffing involves manning the organizational structure through the proper and effective selection, appraisal and development of personnel to fill the roles designed into the structure. 4.1 Phases in Staffing Process 4.1.1 Manpower Planning Manpower planning may be regarded, as a process of determining quantitative and qualitative needs in relation to manpower in an organization. It may be expressed as a process by which the management ensures the right number of people and right kind of people, at the right place, at the right time and doing the right things for which they are suited for the achievement of the organizational goals. The process of manpower planning can be divided into two parts. One is an analysis for determining the quantitative needs of the organization (David et al, 2004). The other part is the qualitative analysis to determine what qualities and characteristics are required for performing a job. The selected candidate he is placed on his new job has accepted once the job offer. Placement refers to placing the right person on the right job. 4.1.2 Recruitment Recruitment aims at stimulating and attracting job applicants for positions in the organization. Sources of recruitment are classified into two categories - internal and external. It enables managers to select suitable and competent employees for the organization. 4.1.3 Selection Selection consists of making choice among applicants. To choose those most suited to the job requirements keeping in view the job analysis information. Selection processes to the purposeful must begin by precisely identifying the task to be performed and also drawing a line between successful and unsuccessful performance. Thereafter the process of selection tries to find out how far a job applicant fulfills those characteristics or traits needed to successfully perform the job. 4.1.4 Training It is more accurately considered as a process of skill formation and behavioral change. 4.1.5 Induction Induction is concerned with introducing a new employee to the organization, its procedures, rules and regulations and the people with whom he will interact in doing his job. 5.0 Personnel Management Personnel management may he defined as the planning , organizing , directing, and controlling of the procurement, development , compensation, integration and maintenance and separation of human resources to the end that individual, organizational and societal objectives are accomplished (Prasad, 2006). Important features of personnel management are as follows; Personnel management is the branch of management concerned with the human resources of an organization It aims at establishing harmonious relationship within the organization. It aims to develop relations on the basis of mutual trust and confidence. It motivates and encourages employees to offer their services and contribution to the enterprise. 6.0 Managing Human Resource in an Organization The term Human Resource Management, as opposed to 'personnel', signifies the broader role the management of people now plays in organization, and is closer links with strategic planning. An induction program, which takes place as soon as a person has been hired, can reduce staff turnover and enable the new employee to become effective and reach expected performance levels more quickly. Induction programs are important in that they help shape the new employee's views of the organization. The fact that an organization's turnover rates are nearly always highest amongst new employees underlines the need for effective induction programs. (Yvonne, 108) 6.1 Training and Development 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, 110) Development usually refers to preparing employees for longer-term opportunities. It encompasses both personal and organizational needs and has a more general focus. Providing training and development usually follows four steps: Identifying employees training and development needs; Developing a training plan for each individual; Selecting or designing or conducting training activities; Evaluating the results. There are three main methods of identifying training needs in an organization: New employees - training is required immediately in order for the employees to perform the work satisfactorily. Performance appraisals - an employee's output may indicate that further training is required, or he or she may request training in a specific area. 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 role; changing the salary or wage structure; or introducing flexible working hours. Sometime 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. 6.2 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 of approaches have been developed to try to overcome this problem. (Yvonne, 115) 6.2.1 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. 6.2.2 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. 6.2.3 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 6.2.4 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 which can be used to reduce employee dissatisfaction with routine, repetitive jobs. Other approaches include flexible working hours and compressed working weeks. (Yvonne, 116) A basis for effective discipline in an organization is good communication, co-operation and morale within an organization. Employee self discipline is more effective than manger imposed discipline. Counseling or disciplinary interviews aim to correct inappropriate behavior and prevent its recurrence. Promotions, transfers and demotions refer to employees' changing jobs, upwards, sideways or downwards, in an organization. Promotions are made in recognition of superior performance, while transfers and demotions may occur or a member of reasons Separations may be caused by a variety of beacons and fall intone of the following categories: resignation, dismissal, retrenchment or retirement, Each category must be handled correctly, and with sensitivity, exit interviews are a useful means of collecting information on reasons for resignations. Counseling should take place or be available to employees facing dismissal, retrenchment or retirement. (Yvonne 119) 7.0 Leadership & Human Resource management Almost every aspect of work is influenced by, if not dependent on, leadership. The leader is the main communicator to the workmen outside the group as well as within the group. The leader's attitude and behavior affects the motivation of the employees. The leader is responsible for seeing that the objectives are clearly understood and are accomplished. The planning and control mechanisms in every organization are designed or modified by the leader. How the leader behaves influences employees' satisfaction and affects the quality and quantity of the productivity. Hence leadership is considered as a vital and dynamic function in the management of human resource in every organization. The quality and capacity of leadership is a vital factor in the accomplishment of the organization's objectives. It is generally recognized that certain types of leaders suit certain situations better than others. For example, some leaders perform better in a prosperous, or growth, period, others in an austere or contracting period. A successful leader is one who is keenly aware of those forces, which are more relevant to his behavior at any given time. As rightly quoted by Tannenbaum and A. Schmidt, "The successful manager of men can be primarily characterized neither as a strong leader nor as a permissive one. Rather he is one who maintains a high batting average in accurately assessing the forces that determine what his most appropriate behavior at any given time should be and in actually being able to behave accordingly. Being both insightful and flexible, he is less likely to see the problem of leadership as a dilemma."1 8.0 Conclusion Human Resource management plays a significant role in the success, efficiency and soundness of an organization. Successes of any enterprise are determined by the 'Team', its people, their attitude and their caliber to succeed and out perform. Human Resources are the only resource, which is capable of self-propulsion and value addition. Unlike any machinery that gets devalued or depreciated with time and age, the human resource i.e. people appreciates with age and experience. Hence they are very special but this is fruitful only if people are developed and kept satisfied. It is doubtful that any development can be made in terms of production, productivity, and quality or customer service until people are developed. Bibliography A Sherlekar (1999) "Essential of business Organisation Management" Himalaya Publishing House, New Delhi, India Ahuja K. (2005) Human Resource Management. Kalyani Publishers. Calcutta, Pp 525-883 David Buchanan & Andrzej Huczynski, Organizational Behaviour - An Introductory Text, Prentice Hall, 2004 David J. Hickson & Derek S. Pugh, Management Worldwide Distinctive Style Amid Globalization P.Hersey & K Blanchard, Management of Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 2002 R.Likert, New Patterns of Management, McGraw Hill, New York, 1967 Prasad LM, Organisational Behaviour, Educational publishers, Daryaganj, 2006, p 184-287 Robbert Tennenbam & Warren & Schmidt H, How to Choose a Leadership Pattern, Harvard Business Review: May-June, 1993, p 175-180 Sharma MC. (2004). Business Studies. S Chand & Company. New Delhi. Pp 87-173 Steven Silbiger. A Step By Step Guide to Mastering the Skills Taught in Top Business Schools. Piatkus Books. London. Pp 103-141 Yvonne Mc Laughhlin. Business Management: A Practical guide for Managers, Supervisors and Administrators. Business Information Books. Pp 5-257 Read More