Process Analysis on The Paperwork Approach versus HR Functions Automation - Essay Example

Quantitive Methods Essay Introduction The HR department is a vital departmental function in any organization development and competency development among its workforce. As such, a majority of the organisations, both the multinational and emerging corporations have recognized the role of this department, and thus employed qualified staff to execute its management as well as elevating its status to the executive management level (Ferner, Quintanilla and Varul 109). This essay develops an analytical evaluation on the need and role of IT application in HR department function within my organization that applies the paperwork management approach in the HR function. In addition, the organization adopts the null hypothesis that, it is policies rather than approaches which determine organizations productivity. As such, the essay develops a critical analysis through which to evaluate the individual theory against the organizational null hypothesis. The Paperwork Approach Null Hypothesis Analysis Currently, the organization applies the null hypothesis that there exists no productivity impact based on the management approach used. Therefore, the hypothesis is established on the assumption that an organization’s policy influences its productivity and future market success. The global market system is changing with increasing global competitions from both local and international organisations. There is the need to develop systems and practices to increase global market presence and competitiveness. To this end, the organization argued that one of the strategic approaches through which to achieve increased competition was through the reduction of the overall costs of production in the organization. Also, the organization adopted the need to reduce infrastructure development and installation costs required in the development and adoption of modern technology. As Heneman and Greenberger (85) stated, although this approach reduces organizational management costs in the short run period, this hypothesis can be disapproved in the future. For instance, the application of an automated HR system would reduce the overall errors and mistakes encountered when calculating and evaluating restive employee rewards and financial amounts owed by the venture. Thus, this reduces the error costs incurred by organizations in the industry. On one hand, the application and use of paper work reduces an organisations strategic competitive through reduced response time. In this case, such management reduces the ability for organizations share management information and data between functions as well as diverse organizational branches and subsidiaries. In this regard, application and use of paper work lead to a rigid management structure where decision-making practices and speed is reduced. Consequently, such a management approach leads to a declining decision-making process quality where managers form decisions form a low information base, thus leading to formulation of poor and inappropriate decisions across the organization HR function. In addition, the adoption of paperwork management approach, although reducing the cost of management as there are minimal skills required. However, this increases the rate of faults and inefficiencies in management. In this regard, a key emerging issue is the accuracy and security of the acquired and stored information. With the application and use of paperwork HR management approach, managers have to file and have loads of paperwork files in their offices as points of reference. As such, this exposes such documents to the risk of theft and destruction. Cases such as fire, pose a major threat to important company information store under the paperwork management approach (Heneman and Greenberger 95). Therefore, based on the analysis, this analysis essay establishes that the existing organizational null hypothesis that the adopted management approach, the paperwork management approach, is misinformed and its application leads to the ultimate loss of the organisations competitiveness as well as efficiency and production reduction. IT Application Theory Analysis and Correlation Based on the evaluation of the current organizational situation and HR management approach, I develop the theory argument that the current organizational challenges can be overcome and productivity improved through process automation in the department. One of the strategic approaches through which automation would increase organizational performance is through employee appraisal. With IT application, the organizational HR function would facilitate the development of an employee appraisal system. In this case, the process would involve the development and establishment of a reporting system through which employee performances would be recorded over a given period. The existence of an employee appraisal system would increase the overall organizational employee productivity and employee motivation. Under the automated HR function system, the organizational HR managers have the ability to evaluate tones of employee performance appraisal reviews with a few clicks and limited time allowing for speedy promotion and reward decisions, for as short as a single day, thus allowing the managers enough time for other productive activities. This is possible in that it on one hand allows for employee reward for the performing employees as well as an employee improvement system through the identification of employee weaknesses through an IT automation process which registers employee daily performances and consequently develops monthly and annual analysis which serve as performance enhancement tools. In addition, as Ferner, Quintanilla and Varul (143) argued, the application and use of automated HR systems in the organization would increase efficiency. In this regard, the application of an automated record keeping system, the organization would ensure that the employee records are properly stored and filed. In this regard, this would in turn increase the overall organizational employee value proposition. In this context, such employee data such as on experience, qualifications among others, would enhance the development of efficient cross functional teams as well as facilitate employee promotion decisions. Unlike under paperwork management system, the HR managers have the opportunity to pool form a large information base from which the managers develop informed decisions. In this case, an automation system would increase employee-manager communication and correspondence through an approach in which the managers can remotely communicate with employee without the need for employee physical movements’ thus increasing understanding as well as employee productivity in the market. Moreover, through increased HR records automation, the possibility to share employee information across the departments, there is increased decision-making flexibility based on which important HR decisions are made, to increase organizational overall productivity and management efficiency. Further, this theory on automation role in increasing HR productivity can be analyzed based on the concept of employee and external stakeholder’s perception and brand development. On one hand, Blay-Fornarino (81) demonstrated that automation of employee information allows the third parties such as interest groups, as well as regulators such as the government among others, increased transparency on such records. In this regard, through increased HR functions automation, the venture acquires the ability to reduce human errors such as mistyping and miscalculations that would expose the organization to controversies’ with the market third parties. Consequently, with increased transparency and records accessibility, the organization as a whole will increase its brand reputation and perception in the market. This move is imperative in increasing the overall organizations management effectiveness for the executive arm, where strategic policies and strategies are developed to develop and sustain a competitive human resource base, as the future for organizational sustainable market competitive edges. Causative and Controlling Factors According to the analysis, it is clear that the null hypothesis of the need to reduce production costs through the retention of paperwork approach in the organizational HR function are misleading with the increasing inefficiencies as the causative factors for the management approach paradigm shift need. Therefore, this analytical essay establishes that there is a correlation between HR program’s automation and increasing productivity through allowing both employee increased working time, increased communication and allowing the managers enough management time. Therefore, to ensure the accomplishment of the discussed issues as well as reduce the application and strategy adoption costs, this essay recommends that a cost benefit analysis of the programs should be developed as the corrective approach perspective. In this case, the cost analysis should be developed based on an evaluation of the actual cost of hiring and IT experts to install and launch the program. In this case, in order to counter and reduce this overall installation cost, the organization should consider contracting a third party IT consulting organization to install and provide such required services instead of acquiring individual infrastructure (Blay-Fornarino 127). As such, aspects such as data storage should be provided based on a crowd computing and storage system, where such service provider would store such data and ensure on its security against hacking and unauthorized access through the use of firewalls and medium access control systems respectively. In addition, the organization should develop an employee training program. In this regard, the training program should ensure that the existing employees in the HR function acquire the required skills and expertise to handle efficiently and implement the proposed management approach change. In evaluating such cases, the organization should evaluate issues such as the cost and alternatives of acquiring an internal training or external training approach, and consequently adopt the lowest and best value alternative. Consequently, the business should develop a milestone and a benchmark process through which to achieve and apply the system and automation process gained benefits. In this case, a blue ocean strategy would establish an internal benchmark process with which the organization can adopt a continuous improvement process in IT application. Kim and Mauborgne (24) stated that through the application and adoption of the blue ocean strategy, organisations are bale to compare their internal systems against their own expectations and in turn facilitating the development of efficient processes thus promoting overall organizational productivity. Finally, as an approach to ensure that the organization gains for all the listed benefits of HR function automation, is the development of an efficient employee training and IT skills improvement program. As such, besides developing a recruitment regulation for IT skills, it should seek to improve regularly employee IT skills. Conclusion In summary, this analysis essay develops a critical evaluation against the organisations null hypothesis on retaining paperwork management approach as a cost reduction approach in the HR function, and the developed theory that HR functions automation would increase productivity and management efficiency. In this case, the analysis establishes that, contrary to the null hypothesis, the process increases costs through management inefficiencies. On the other hand, the essay establishes that with IT application, the HR function would increase employee productivity through motivation and appraisals, as well as facilitate management efficiency through proper and ready data availability when making decisions. Consequently, the analysis based on the establishment of a correlation between IT application and productivity recommends the installation and infrastructure outsourcing, employee training as well as IT skills requirement in the recruitment process. Works Cited Blay-Fornarino, Mireille. Cooperative Systems Design: A Challenge of the Mobility Age. Amsterdam: IOS Press, 2002. Print. Ferner, Anthony, Javier Quintanilla, and Matthias Z. Varul. "Country-of-origin effects, host-country effects, and the management of HR in multinationals: German companies in Britain and Spain." Journal of World Business 36.2 (2001): 107-127. Heneman, Robert L, and David B. Greenberger. Human Resource Management in Virtual Organizations. Greenwich, Conn: Information Age Pub, 2002. Print. Kim, W C, and Renée Mauborgne. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press, 2005. Print. Read More