Extended Learning in HR Function - Research Paper Example

 Extended Learning in HR Function Defining the HR function Lessons learned during the course of the class teachings identified some of the foundational theories which surround the HR function in business. Various models were identified as well as the overall value in HR for improving motivational levels in workers to provide superior job performance. Extended reading referred to Lemmergaard (2008) who offers that empirical research identified that in order to gain the support of workers, it becomes necessary to clearly outline the importance and scope of the HR function to these workers. Demonstrating the value of the HR function is identified as clarifying roles in the organisation and how the HR process will be performed (Lemmergaard). Why was this mentioned? It is suggested by module materials that extended reading be conducted based on certain theories or principles discussed in the class. It would seem that before creating an effective model of HR, in anticipation of it working for an organisation, leaders in this organisation should clearly identify the scope of HR so that it has additional value to employees. Ample literature on benefits, training and development sessions to introduce HR managers, or other foundational efforts would seem to be necessary in order to gain worker support for HR when they can relate it to themselves, personally. This would also seem to gain a connection between those who support the different HR functions and the general organisational support staff member as a means of introducing an interpersonal relationship with human resources. This might to make it appear less like a business function but as an extension of corporate social responsibility. According to one HR theorist, “Human beings come to understand themselves as inhabited by a deep interior psychological space, to evaluate themselves and act upon themselves and others in this belief” (Rose, 2008, p.446). This represents a complicated, self-motivated person which would require a variety of different HR models to motivate and improve the self-concept of employees to make the organisation more inclusive. If this is a behavioural norm for most workers or organisational staff members, then it strongly reinforces the importance of HR and defining its intentions to service staffs’ emotional needs. This is supported by Joensson (2008) who offers that the level to which an employee will participate is largely related to their status and inclusion within the organisation. Because there is a system of socialisation occurring, as well as workers attempting to build self-concept, approaches to HR which might benefit an organisation are motivational strategies, socialisation strategies, and needs fulfillment as part of an effective HR model. In a real-life organisation, many models are available which identify social needs and inclusion, such as the Harvard Model. Motivation and retention There appears to be a sizeable linkage between HR and motivation. As extended reading during this period, I identified the importance of having a formalised retention strategy. Retaining employees involves acknowledging employee’s achievements and through trust-building (Grant, 2007). Many of the HR models discussed during this period in the course had to do with attempting to inspire others in the organisation to become part of a unified vision or mission. Equally important, creating some form of performance management system which rewards for superior achievement and effort seemed to be on the organisational HR agenda. As extended reading, I thought about external issues or pressures which put strain on how an organisation can develop an effective model of HR. Harvey (2009) offers a study on the airline industry which identified the impact of economic conditions and strategic management which impacted the HR focus and design. Without getting into specifics of the study, it vividly showed that some industries will have HR strategies which are more aligned with strategic intentions and the worker viewed as human capital. Other industries would seem to require more person-focused HR efforts to build support and motivation with a softer focus on people management and needs fulfillment. In a real-world environment, this would seem to have to do a great deal with the organisational culture which exists at the company or organisation as a determination to whether the human capital view or soft view is taken. Lappanen, Hopsu, Klemola and Kuosma (2008) offer an additional research study which involved workers in the food service industry. This study researched the training and development of these workers, measuring the long-term kitchen process knowledge they retained after formalised training sessions. Training and development would seem to be on the forefront of the HR agenda as it seems to provide both motivation to excel and improves retention of knowledge at the same time. This particular study was identified only because it illustrates the broad groupings of totally unrelated industries which need different HR models to make their workers and environments more efficient and productive. In a real-world foods service environment, beyond process knowledge and training, if there were motivational problems with kitchen workers, it would become necessary to perform research to identify what was causing this internal conflict and attempt to improve the situation through effective HR practices. The discriminatory environment Motivating and retaining older workers also seems to be an important topic in HR today. Some of the legislation and its impact on workers pointed toward more extended reading on the topic to discover whether older workers were impacted at the emotional level by perceived age discrimination. Kooij, Lange, Jansen and Dikkers (2008) offer that some HRM practices which can enhance older worker motivation include ergonomic adjustments (physiological needs) and ongoing career development. Outside of ergonomic adjustments, such as changing chair height or similar internal design improvements, is the idea of career development. Does the older worker feel threatened by younger employees and feel at risk of exclusion and discrimination? It would seem so, according to Buyens, Dijk, Dewilde and DeVos (2009) who offer that perceived threats of stereotyping lead to the older worker identifying a form of self-fulfilling prophecy as part of the development of self-concept. It was established earlier in this reflective journal that self-concept seems to be an important social and psychological concept in the workplace or organisation. Especially for the older worker, it would seem that there needs to be special attention paid to this problem if, as the author suggests, “stereotype threat promises to be very important when it comes to career-ending measures for older workers” (Buyens et al, 2009, p.102). This could lead to problems with retention, as identified as important previously, which could impact company budgets or create staffing issues. In a real-world organisation, there are likely going to be older workers. If stereotypes exist and there is a need for developing positive self-concept in workers, there must be some method of understanding this groups’ unique needs. Ergonomic adjustments are not too expensive and they are sometimes mandated by legal representation. Using models which give new development opportunities and specific training would seem to be a way to handle older worker problems related to lack of motivation. Additionally, in a real-time environment, if perceptions exist that stereotyping is occurring, self-fulfilling prophecy seems to be a dangerous method of ensuring lack of productivity, lack of motivation to succeed, and ultimate business or organisational disruption in the process. The purpose of the reflective journal is to identify key learning from each of the concepts or extended readings from each session. Grouped over a period of several weeks, one of the main lessons learned from extended readings on discrimination is the tendency of older workers to develop negative self-concept in the face of perceived discriminatory environments. This would seem to deal with a broader social issue and no really effective model or principle of HR would seem to be effective in dealing with this until the very foundation of this majority social belief has been changed. This made me realise that it is quite important to have a research-focused portion of the HR function which looks at emotions, needs, and values when dealing with older workers. It doesn’t seem that motivating older workers needs to be a chess game with the proper research. Critical challenges of HR One organisation identifies five specific HR challenges for the future: Managing talent, managing demographics, becoming a learning organisation, managing work-life balance, and managing change and cultural transformation (BCG, 2008). This was mentioned as an extended reading during this class period which began to point toward the entire HR role as being a mix of different functions that suggests innovation, knowledge exchange, blending personal lives with business lives, and basic demographic diversity philosophies. Many of the teachings provide information about different trends in HR and the different motivational theories which give more solid support for different approaches to managing people, however they often do not provide a real-life view of the HR manager role or HR support role. If there are challenges for the future which have been identified to include how to best manage top talent and to become a learning organisation, there is a constant state of transformation, it would seem, in the HR function which means that organisations must be flexible and willing to implement rapid change. Why was this mentioned? There is currently more debate about what form HR will take in the future, which is highly important to a student who is going to be exploring the job market for HR-related positions. If there are trends which exist in HR, a student should be able to assess these trends and focus their extended, out-of-class learning in this direction. The debate which seems to be occurring is whether or not HR will take a more cost-efficiency view with HR as nothing but overhead or as a top strategic goal of an organisation (Theworkfoundation.com, 2008). It does not seem that there is a set HR guideline that will carry every type of organisation to success in productivity and worker satisfaction, therefore it seems important to research multiple areas if they are still posing challenges to today’s organisations. Further challenges to HR This segment of the class made me look at some of the more top challenges for the HR role in coming years, in order to familiarise myself with the types of problems which might be posed in real-world organisational environments. One reputable HR-focused organisation identifies a wide variety of challenges, including how to help employees develop diversity philosophies, controlling benefits costs, how best to tailor the workplace to meet needs, how to improve communications, and how best to build flexible work systems (SHRM, 2002). Again, this points to the role of the HR manager as a person who is much more than just the foundational practitioner of people-focused policy and literature, they are strategic allies and partners which must work with multiple levels of the organisation and perform many top activities in order to improve financial budgets and change social mindsets within the organisation. This challenged some of my preconceptions which I had about the HR role prior to taking part in this class. HR had always appeared to be just a function within a business where certain performance rewards were handed out on an annual basis as part of a performance review process. Beyond just administration of policy and procedure, my thought of HR was one of just basic efforts to build trust. This class and the extended readings painted a completely different picture of what is involved in the HR role as a person who will work with senior-level leaders, external business leaders, colleagues and other peer professionals in the field, and even governmental or auditing agencies which are invited into the organisation through legal obligations. On top of these challenges, there seems to also be a demand in changing social attitudes, such as developing diversity-based policies or literature in order to improve the interpersonal or team-based culture within a business. These are much more difficult aspects which were not originally considered to part of the HR function. The course teachings so far have radically changed my view of HR which also reinforces why extended reading is suggested by the course because there are so many roles and efforts for human resources that they could not be covered in just one class duration. In a real-world organisation, as an HR professional, I can envision being pulled in multiple directions by different support and senior-level staff to fulfill different expectations. At the same time, these conversations will likely include problems with disciplinary issues or budget needs which will require an HR leader who can balance many projects at once. The most important lesson learned during this segment of the class was that both a soft view of HR should be taken as well as a harder approach which recognises cost and job role obligation. Strategy and HR This segment provided motivation to read more on how strategic needs are aligned with the HR role. One recent study conducted by Maxwell and Farquharson (2008) identified that at most organisations, there is a high-level of support for the HR role at the senior level, with senior managers referring to HR as both a positive contribution to business successes and should be integrated with business strategy. This segment of the class reinforced how closely the HR function is tied with strategic goals and mission of the organisation, sometimes more important than dealing with just the subordinate worker. This seems to point toward a trend where HR professionals can rely on senior-level help and assistance when a new HR initiative creates value for the organisation or is perceived to be valuable by senior administration. In a real-world organisation, if there is generally senior-level support, it would seem that HR managers, or students like myself, will find positive opportunities to be both creative and innovative in the job role, which will likely motivate the HR worker as well, by having senior level approval for carrying out new HR models or theories in order to improve productivity. I would be willing to say, after having perceived such a strong link between strategy and HR, that this trend in senior-level support probably makes the HR role more diverse. In an organisation which embraces change and flexibility, this can probably involve using new motivational theories, group projects, extra development and coaching, or any number of efforts without being blocked by internal politics. In a real-life situation, such as a student who is learning the domain of HR, the trends in current business and organisational activities is quite important. Bibliography BCG. (2008). The Future of HR in Europe: Key Challenges through 2015. The Boston Consulting Group. http://www.bcg.com/publications/files/ES_Future_HR_Europe.pdf (accessed April 1, 2009). Buyens, D., Dijk, H., Dewilde, T. and DeVos, A. (2009). The aging workforce: Perceptions of career ending. Journal of Managerial Psychology, Bradford. 24(2), p.102. Grant, David. (2007). World at Work: Handbook of Compensation, Benefits & Total Rewards: A Comprehensive Guide for HR Professionals. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Harvey, Geraint. (2009). Employment relations in liberal market economy airlines. Employee Relations, Bradford. 31(2), p.168. Joensson, Thomas. (2008). A multidimensional approach to employee participation and the association with social identification in organizations. Employee Relations, Bradford. 30(6), p.594. Kooij, D., Lange, A., Jansen, P. and Dikkers, J. (2008). Older workers’ motivation to continue to work: five meanings of age; A conceptual review. Journal of Managerial Psychology, Bradford. 23(4), p.364. Lemmergaard, Jeanette. (2009). From administrative expert to strategic partner. Employee Relations, Bradford. 31(2), p.182. Leppanen, A., Hopsu, L., Klemola, S. and Kuosma, E. (2008). Does multi-level intervention enhance work process knowledge? Journal of Workplace Learning, Bradford. 20(6), p.416. Maxwell, Gillian and Farquahrson, Lois. (2008). Senior managers’ perceptions of the practice of human resource management. Employee Relations, Bradford. 30(3), p.304. Rose, Nikolas. (2008). Psychology as a Social Science. Subjectivity, London. 25(1), pp.446-458. SHRM. (2002). The Future of the HR Profession: Eight leading consulting firms share their Visions for the future of human resources. The Society of Human Resource Management. http://www.shrm.org/about/pressroom/Documents/future_of_hr.pdf (accessed March 25, 2009). Theworkfoundation.com. (2008). The future of HR programme. http://www.theworkfoundation.com/research/thefutureofhr.aspx (accessed March 30, 2009). Read More