Strategic Human Resource Management - Essay Example

How well an organization thrives in its operations is greatly determined by its human capital which is in turn driven by strategic human resource management and planning. Efficient human resource management has been universally acknowledged for the capabilities it possesses towards shaping employee behavior in attaining the overall mission of an organization (King and Zeithaml, 2001). Obtaining a productive pool of employee skills is a process which commences from selection and proceeds to molding their behavior and work ethics in line with the overall organizational goals (Youndt and Snell, 2001).

Prior understanding of the requirements of various duties and processes in an organization may form the basis effective selection or recruitment of the most appropriate human labor. In shaping employee behavior, employee is visualized as cognitive and emotional being who possess free will to partake in various events (Baruch and Peiperl, 2000).Therefore, how efficiently employees are managed will greatly determine whether the work ethic behaviors they exhibit are in line with the business mission of the organization in question.

Unlike other forms of capital in a firm, organizations do not own human but rather it is owned by individuals. Competitiveness within firms is said to be only achieved if the collective behavior of the human capital is geared towards the benefits of the firm (Youndt and Snell, 2001). Cost effective utilization of labor within a firm can only be achieved through strategic human resource management. Human resource management is concerned with identification of the roles and duties of the individual components of the human capital; in so doing, the various firm’s operations are of critical importance to the human resource managers (Richard, 2001).

A combination of clear understanding of the organizational operations together with the pool of skills present in the human capital provides the basis for efficient and cost effective labor utilization (Youndt and Snell, 2001). Measures geared towards effective labor utilization often focus on maximizing the output from the human capital while at the same time minimizing the input spent on the same. These may be achieved through means such multiple allocation of duties on employees depending on the skills and outsourcing for various services with a firm (Baruch and Peiperl, 2000).

Strategic human resource management involves effective planning and assessment of environmental uncertainty and adaption. Planning is the day-to-day execution of the organization goals; it involves undertaking of measures that best accomplish the goals of an organization at minimal costs and uncertainties (Mello, 2011). Effective planning calls for constant reviewing of the efforts being made towards attainment of particular goals. This helps one to determine whether the efforts being directed towards certain goals are generating the anticipated results.

Constant reviewing minimizes the chances of being faced with unnecessary uncertainties. Assessment of environmental uncertainty and adoption is also important in strategic human resource management. Therefore, within an organization, key focus should be given to appropriate environmental biodiversity. Adaption mechanisms will involve regulatory measures that together aim at contributing to the achievement of organizational goals (Baruch and