Human Resource Management - Essay Example

Human Resource Management Introduction Human resource management is an important aspect of any organization. The HR teamis considered to be the think tank of the organisation and the employees as the working body. The work of the HR team is to recruit qualified candidates for the company or any organisation. “For the progress of the company the employees should have good relationships with each other” (Blyton P and Turnbull P, 2004, p. 83). They should work as team and there should be no place for jealousy and complacency. HRM would involve going beyond an agreement to add womens issues to the research agenda, to recognition of the gendered character of employment relations and of work itself. The formal institutions involved, namely, management, trade unions and the state, cannot be treated as gender neutral. Further, the very way industrial relations scholars define what is inside the industrial relations system and what is outside reflects masculine priorities and privilege. Globalisation is the new mantra of the present business trend. Because of the introduction of the new technologies the world became a global village. This resulted in more jobs worldwide and presents an uphill task for the HR team to recruit as fast as possible. HRM There has been considerable debate within the HRM literatures as to respective terms of hard and soft approaches. Hard HRM is a utilitarian and instrumental, requiring the close integration of an organisation’s HRM policies with its business strategy. Hard approaches have been associated predominantly with unitary understandings of organisations, in which managerial prerogative, HRM’ s role in achieving in bottom line success and its preparedness to take tough decisions are emphasised. In contrast, soft HRM stresses the active participation of employees, whereby their commitment, adaptability and skills contribute to the attainment of common organisational goals. Employees are seen as capable of development and worthy of trust and collaboration through participation in the management process. “The soft side of the organisation is hard to change and requires more than words alone” (Legge K, 2005, p. 135). For trade unions, the central problematic of globalization is the growing disparity between the mobility of capital and labour. The ability of capital to operate on a trans-national basis is widely perceived to have precipitated a process of cost cutting as international companies seek to cut workers remuneration and other conditions of employment. However, systematic empirical evidence on the impact of globalization on human resource management is hard to find, as is any assessment of the differential impact of globalization on different occupational groups or the response of trade unions to any deterioration in their members terms and conditions of employment. In management research and practice, as in any field of study and work, there exist diverse theoretical and philosophical approaches and these approaches condition the research questions asked and the recommendations subsequently made. A clear example of the impact of the approach taken is provided by the fall from grace of transactional leadership and its replacement in research activity and recommended practice by transformational leadership. A less clear, but nonetheless similar divergence of approach also exists in literature relating to high performance, for high performance is variously described with a predominant emphasis upon sociological and psychological outcomes or upon the technical and ‘bottom line’ financial outcomes. This predominant emphasis does not deny the likelihood of some effort being made to achieve other outcomes, but it does imply that organizational high performance will be assessed with greater reference to one particular set of variables, associated either with a humanistic framework or a with rational process framework. “ Organisational high performance may be assessed by comparing the achievement of several organisations in specific measurable areas, or by assessing the performance of the whole organisation against a pre-determined set of expectations” (Redman T and Wilkinson A, 2002, p. 81) or the principled organisation high performance will be attributed to organisations which value, trust and empower their people, work collaboratively, and connect effectively with the wider community through, for example, the involvement of stakeholders external to the organisation. While not denying the importance of financial and productivity returns, organisational effectiveness goals within the humanistic framework are likely to emphasise either the effectiveness of the organisation as a social system located within the wider community, or the reconciliation and effective use of competing values, leading to workplace harmony. “Organisational change strategists working within a humanistic framework are likely to perceive organisational culture as the key to organisational success or failure” (Collins, 1998, p. 177) and, therefore, work to achieve cultural change in order to facilitate change in other areas. In any case, change processes will probably involve a holistic, participative approach designed to enhance performance through increased competence, rather than through the implementation of structures and systems pre-determined as necessary. Change will be predicated upon the assumption that an organisation is composed of interdependent elements not readily manipulate through a sequential planned change approach. When high performance is assessed by researchers or practitioners working within a framework that may be loosely described as a rational process framework — exemplified by discussion of high performance organisations, visionary companies and excellent companies — high performance will be attributed to organisations which exhibit characteristics such as the ability to interpret the business environment, the ability to foresee and act upon new business opportunities, the flexibility necessary to maintain ‘core values’ while adjusting output to meet new market demands or conditions, and the willingness to implement employee remuneration strategies such as stock ownership schemes which increase productivity and financial returns to the organisation. The assessment of high performance is actually dependent upon the measurement criteria selected and these are in turn derived from the underlying philosophy of management. “The extent to which effective leadership is context-dependent means that there is no one way to build a high performance organization and no one leadership style associated with high performance” (Collins, 1998, p. 101). High performance, therefore, irrespective of the approach to management adopted, necessarily depends upon the alignment of internal systems with the larger ecosystem within which the organisation is located. The shift from bureaucracy to ideologically charged organisations seems to be under way, with normative controls replacing controls based on material, extrinsic incentives and career progression. “While participative management is likely associated with high performance, especially in bureaucratic or service organisations where leaders typically have to achieve their end by the use of persuasion rather than power, participative management is not necessarily associated with high performance” (Leavy, B. & Wilson D, 1994, p. 63). “Contemporary leadership models portray leaders as visionary, charismatic forces that are able to guide people into the right direction” (Leavy, B. & Wilson, D, 1994, p. 57) by using cultural symbols, emotional intelligence and empowerment of individuals. “However, normative controls work via the intervention into the individual’s sense of the self and personality and the political and ethical consequences of this approach cannot be overstated” (Leavy, B. & Wilson, D, 1994, p. 89). “Spiritual subjectification and various discourses of subjectivity are loosely coupled, with spirituality driving the discursive rather than the other way around. Different discourses can justify the same practice while one discourse can accommodate different technologies of the self” (Collins D, 1998, p. 129). However, what we are starting to see is a new perspective on spirituality where constant monitoring of one’s action in order to align one with organisational goals is suspended in favour of a more intuitive openness to the world and an unconditional involvement with the immediacy of the here and now. These preoccupations with intuitiveness and immediacy seem to resonate with attempts to go beyond the rationalistic model of the self as a mind-body split that has dominated so much of the literature on the self and spirituality. While descriptive and normative contributions dominate the literature, some critical-evaluative work on spirituality has also been done. Evaluating the unintended consequences of using religious conversion ideas in management development programmes. Although their work is not directly focussed on the spirituality movement, it discusses an interesting practice of spirituality, namely self-development. Conclusion HRM is the advanced form of the HR. It is considered as the backbone of any organisation or firm. The relationship among the employees should be cordial and there should be a jovial environment. Gender equality is gaining importance in present market. Women are being considered as potential threat (competitors) to their male counterparts. With an able leader organisational goals can be achieved through proper planning. Corporate social responsibility also plays an important role in the development of an organisation. CSR agenda is to inspire, challenge and empower employees, to positively contribute to local communities and environment; to help create a substantial business future for all of us. CSR is viewed as part of the way in which business is done and an active approach brings tangible benefits to business. In recognising wider responsibilities to a broad range of stakeholders – including partners, employees, clients, suppliers, community groups and opinion formers – CSR aims to permeate many levels of business activity – affecting corporate governance, employee relations, client relationships, environmental management, community involvement as well as many business operations, including Graduate Recruitment, Diversity and Facilities. CSR takes a number of forms; committed to developing sustainable and mutually beneficial working relationships with community and voluntary organisations working in a variety of fields – including education, regeneration, employment, homelessness and environmental conservation. From above circumstances we can say that HRM is more than a simple reworking of the human resource school of management. Reference Bratton J and Gold J (2003). HRM: Theory and Practice. Houndsmills, Basinstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Redman T and Wilkinson A. (2001). Contemporary HRM: texts and cases. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Redman T and Wilkinson A. (2002). The informed student guide to HRM. London: Thomson Learning. Collins D. (1998). Organisational change: sociological perspectives, London: ? Blyton P and Turnbull P. (2004). The dynamics of employee relations. Houndsmills, Basinstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Legge K. (2005). HRM: rhetoric’s and realities. Houndsmills, Basinstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Beardwell I and Holdren L. (2001). HRM: a contemporary perspective. Harlow: FT Prentice-Hall. Leavy, B. & Wilson, D. (1994). Strategy and Leadership. London:? Read More