Human Resource Development and Coaching - Essay Example

?HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT Human resource development is contained a wide-array of praxis on human resourcemanagement, development and empowerment that are fundamentally contributory to organizational growth and advancement (Karaszewska, 2010, p. 6). Essentially, it’s shaping an organization nurture internal accountability by managing performance through enculturation of service within a given system (Gibbs, 2007). This essay aims to design an HRD plan for SM company but focused on the significance of mentoring and coaching to enhance workers’ performance befitting to company’s need. It will further correlate the significance of coaching in improving corporate ethics and in enhancing critical learning processes pertaining to HRD. HRD and Coaching Human resource development technically deals with the relation between workers and employees. Most companies organized their human resource office to implement or enforce resource policies for employees that are substantially contextualized on national policies on labor. Aside from policies pertaining to workers’, the administration provides supervision, guidance, and performance measure to ascertain that human resource will maintain its commitment to the organization’s vision, mission and goals (Gibbs, 2007; Wilson, 2005). A significant part of shaping workers’ commitment to improve its performance and relation to the clientele is to do coaching or mentoring. Bax, Negrutiu and Calota (2011) described that most companies use coaching or mentoring as significant in making job at the right place, hence, this learning process needs effective interaction between the coach and the employee to permeate the former to unlock the potential of the worker in the process (p. 4-5). It is therefore significant that a coach must have in-depth knowledge pertaining to varied needs of an employee so that adequate information, systems and frameworks are transferred to the workers to meet the required standard of performance (Lynham & Cunningham, 2004; Harrison, 2005). Coaching, otherwise known as mentoring, is an executive function and privilege. Although the terms somewhat evoke similar meanings, but for clarity of meaning the words should be distinguished (Bax, et.al, 2001, p. 5). Mentors are teachers who can provide guidance to rediscover and tap the unutilized competences, strengths and values of a person using theories and empirical experiences as exemplars (Pettinger, 2002). The coach, on the other hand, provides behavioral feedbacks for a person to straighten on something to learn and grow. However, coaching is by far encompassing and inclusive in approach because it can include mentoring as part of the process which can be realized through training, seminars, and alternative form of education (Bax, et.al, 2001, p. 5). A coach has roles to play for employees. These are guiding, teaching, sponsoring, empowering and mentoring. The latter is already discussed in the preceding paragraph. Guiding refers to providing of proper direction and about giving supports without necessarily intervening in such fashion that could disturb the creativity and sense of autonomy of every worker to complete his tasks (Bax, et.al, 2001, p. 5). Teaching appeals to the cognitive capacities of employees since this entails undergoing serious learning process to acquire necessary knowledge and skills (Bax, et.al, 2001, p. 5). These are basic in nurturing strategies for in depth consideration and action (Bax, et.al, 2001, p. 5). Indeed, education is an impetus for the company to empower its workers to make them more conscious of organizational obligations while realizing their competences. Coaching for SM Company SM Prime Holding is a leading mall operator in the Philippines and claimed to provide world class integration of shopping, dining, entertainment section in one venue and in varied strategic location in urban centers (SM, 2012, p. 5). SM malls is engaged in retail industry. But aside from that, it has also diversified into property sales, banking and finance, hotels and convention business operation (SM, 2012, p. 5). In 2011, SM Prime has exceeded their targeted profit in about 15% and it has earned its 13% growth in revenue (Sy, 2011, p. 5). The company claimed that its development is built on goodwill established for its mall tenants and in dealing with for customer satisfaction (Sy, 2011, p. 5). It has claimed to have built good reputation due to their inventiveness and innovation to meet the needs of consumers of avenues for both shopping and leisure (Sy, 2011, p. 5). Currently, SM Prime’s 45 malls have a total of 5.6 million sq.m. gross floor area,; 12,763 tenants; 228 movie screens with 138, 304 seats; 408 food court tenants with 24,580 food court seats; 3.5 million average daily pedestrian count; 104 bowling lanes, 55,502 parking lots (SM, 2012). The company is still in the stage of expanding its business operation. Sy (2012) admitted that the company has budgetary allocation for expansion this year pegged at Php14 billion for Philippines and Php 7 billion for China. The company looked forward in constructing more infrastructures for hotels and commercial complex in Philippine’s key cities and in Chongqing of China while maintaining its business operation in their business centers at Xiamen and Jinjiang malls (Sy, 2012). However, in the Philippines, ecologists, and tourism advocates for eco-social justice opposed the development and cutting of trees done by SM company at Baguio city-- the summer capital of the Philippines (Dinglasan, 2012). They criticized that the expansion program of the company undermined the need to preserve the ecology as trees are removed from sites to pave the way for the construction of malls (Dinglasan, 2012). Due to this, other construction plans in other major tourism destination sites in the Philippines became a subject for closer scrutiny (Dinglasan, 2012). Amid this brewing issues, social workers and activists of the country started studying the employee-employer relations too. Social activists have openly discussed on reports the low salaried company workers despite the profit earmarked by the company in the last five years (Bulatlat, Legaspi & Leoncito, 2003) In fairness and albeit these grueling evidences, SM Prime has its own corporate governance with policies and programs that defined its administrative and operational system as well as the company’s code of ethics (SM, 2012, p. 23). This is significant to measure the company about how they deal and comply by these terms specially in responding to employees’ advancement within its prescribed or adopted principles. However, complaints from consumers in the Philippines, and which is popularized in some social networks like Facebook, expressed their sentiments to the wanton disregard of the company to environmental and human rights causes (Dinglasan, 2012). For instance, the company enforced rollballing of pine trees in Baguio city (in the Philippines). The action directly assaulted the ecological and tourism industry since most people would visit Baguio because of its cool weather. Everyone knows that trees are significant contributors in shaping the region’s climate other than external causes. Baguio, as destination for intimacy with nature especially during warm season, is threatened by infrastructural designs that erode the green environment of the capital. In Manila city, social activists likewise have showed photos of people who end in a violent clash with police forces who targeted to demolish informal settlers in the community at the behest of authority’s representing the SM Prime which wanted to construct another mall in the area (Radyo Inquirer, 2012). Pictures and reports were shown in media and social networks of people who got injuries during the demolition attempt. The Philippine laws on demolition have properly laid policies and procedures that will not harm people during the process. This was not considered by the company and its agents and partners before enforcing demolition action. In fact, there remains a need to get a court order prior to demolition. This simply proved the lack of company’s administrative staffs regard to human right and ecological protection because it has initiated actions that are contrary to laws. In this context, there is indeed a need for its corporate officials to mentor and coach its administrative staff, who are tasked to enforce plans, on some laws pertaining to ecology, social relations, demolition policies and human rights. On ecological aspect, coaches and mentors should help company’s administrative staff to redesign infrastructures that befits to ecology preservation and protection as well as to ascertain that sustainability in Baguio’s tourism industry. Coaching and Mentoring: Improved Community Relations Coaching and mentoring is a must for those who are holding supervisory and administrative functions in SM Prime Company. Through it, it will be possible to design optional features to effectively clarify these needs. At such context, SM Prime should hold series of trainings and seminars pertaining to the following topics to improve the company’s policy on social relation: a. Seminar and Training on Demolition, Human Rights and Law b. Seminar and Training on Ecology-sensitive Infrastructure Engineering c. Seminar and Training on Corporate Laws and Business Advancement d. Seminar and Training on Managing Customer and Corporate Social Responsibility The modules of this training must be developed by the company coach. External experts need to be hired to craft models that can be utilized as bases for consideration and adoption. Aside from improving knowledge and skills of SM’s employees, the training will also improve the level of accountability of the company especially on matters involving decision-makings that will affect the community and environment. It will likewise discuss concern on their roles, competence, enhanced innovations, and ability to communicate the company’s development plans with the community, especially those affected areas. Such meant, that coach and mentors will teach them not only of laws but also some cultural concerns that must be advanced in developing diplomatic relations with affected people. The company must realize that these affected people are its targeted customers too. These proposed trainings and seminars is consistent to the company’s guidelines to improve the performance of their employees as well as their duties and responsibilities, in dealing with their clientele, investors, creditors, customers, contractors, suppliers, regulators and the public (SM, 2011, p. 25). This likewise affirmed the significance of maintaining the integrity and relations with the people and its partners. It should be noted too t hat such trainings is important in cultivating the corporate governance and culture of the company (SM, 2011, p. 25). It also complement to the needs of the companies for innovation as there are engineering models nowadays that are sensitive to ecological contours and need not destroy the natural system in sites where construction is targeted to be undertaken (SM, 2011, p. 25). If the company put the principle of sustainability and risk management at the locus of its operation and expansion, it must also be considerate to policies pertaining to ecological preservation and human rights. Conclusion In conclusion, mentoring and coaching are indeed crucial for human resource advancement (HRD). With emerging complex issues at hand, coach should be knowledgeable on the process of transferring knowledge and in managing the company’s inter-department heads (Styhre & Josephson, 2007). The coach and mentor here should exercise all professional skills to go beyond learning styles and to come up with blueprint of actions that will thwart the sad problems confronting the company (Bax et al. 2011, pp. 2-9; Salman, Arnesson, & Shukur, 2009). The coach and mentors here must be also able to articulate not only the voices of the SM Prime management but also the cries of affected communities so that those involved in the training will be able to consider the impacts of their actions with the public and its consumers (Bax et al. 2011, pp. 2-9). As such, the coach and mentor should be able listen well, search questions, influence with integrity, balance feedback without offense, share empathy, confidence, compassionate and is able to facilitate with end goal in mind (Bax et al. 2011, pp. 2-9). Moreover, the process must encourage rediscovery, role modeling, objectivity with humor, diversity, tact, diplomacy, sense of confidentiality, draw self-esteem and maintain criticality in evaluating the effectiveness of company’s actions (Bax et al. 2011, pp. 2-9). Experts posit that in coaching, goals must be clear and can be articulated with an aim at improving the company and at the same time the behaviors of its workers in the performance of its roles and functions (Bax et al. 2011, pp. 2-9). Often, the context and circumstance should not be sidetracked with false assumption and must be able to explore all possible options to resolve a problem or an issue (Bax et al. 2011, pp. 2-9; Iosif, 2010). The outcome of these process will further booster the performance management in Human Resource Development. It will improve too the productivity and effectiveness of human resources by optimizing the individual performance and potential (Treur, Sluis, & Lidewey, 2005; Hungerova, 2007). Through coaching and mentoring, workers will be able to improve individual and collective performance; able to communicate management's expectations to supervisors and staff; better the communication level between senior management, supervisors and staff; help staff to enhance their prospects by recognizing and rewarding effective performance; resolve cases of underperformance; as well as provide significant links to other Human Resource Management functions (McGuffin & Obonyo, 2010). It will likewise encourage employees to deliberate their concerns pertaining to their salaries, their roles and their relation with the management. All of them should have knowledge too about the possible impacts of these pressing problems to their works and the companies’ operation. Such should be discussed too amid call of consumers to boycott SM company following alleged aggression and ecological destruction complained against the company management. This will involve them likewise in the process of restoring the image and integrity of the company as they are constantly dealing with consumers which may have some strong ideological inclination to ecological protection and about the primacy of human rights. Employee and employer relation therefore is not limited to salary negotiation but also about taking pro-active part in change management while undertaking continuing study in improving team-building, about enhancing role competency models, and about upgrading skills in negotiation and conflict management. All these contribute to improving opportunities and social relations. Thus, improve company’s capacity to interrelate with agencies, civil society and the public for better social acceptability. References Bax, J., Negrutu, M., & Calota, T. (2011). 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