Contemporary issues in managing human resources Essay - 1

Contemporary issues in managing human resources - Essay Example As averred by Ferris, et al. (1999), â€Å"driven by a number of significant internal and external environmental forces, HRM has progressed from a largely maintenance function, with little if any bottom line impact, to what many scholars and practitioners today regard as the source of sustained competitive advantage for organizations operating in a global economy† (p. 385). Further, contemporary HRM issues include the more qualified term using strategic HRM as establishing the link towards monitoring the quality of employee performance. Another pervading concern of global organizations is the option for downsizing, specifically when external environmental pressures and competitive factors impinge on the decision-making process, to ensure survival and continued production and operation. In this regard, the current research aims to proffer issues in contemporary HRM, particularly focusing on downsizing. The objective is planned to be attained by initially defining relevant terms , such as HRM, strategic HRM, and downsizing. A concluding portion would highlight the significant issues discussed as supported by various authoritative sources from academic journals on the subject of HRM. Definition of Terms An examination of various definitions of HRM by authors, academicians, and management practitioners, shows more common elements than disparate concepts. After synthesizing these elements, the following definition is arrived at: HRM is the art and science of acquiring, motivating, maintaining, and developing people in their jobs in light of their personal, professional and technical knowledge, skills, potentials, needs and values and in synchronization with the achievement of individual, organization and society’s goals. HRM deals only with people so that they can manage the other resources within their domain of responsibilities more effectively. On the other hand, strategic human resources management (SHRM) is defined by Boxall and Purcell (2003) as à ¢â‚¬Å"concerned with explaining how HRM influences organisational performance. They also point out that strategy is not the same as strategic plans. Strategic planning is the formal process that takes place, usually in larger organisations, defining how things will be done. However strategy exists in all organisations even though it may not be written down and articulated. It defines the organisation’s behaviour and how it tries to cope with its environment.† Authors Boxall and Purcell examined the interrelationships and extent by which organizational goals are achieved and influenced by HRM. They differentiated HRM from SHRM by indicating that â€Å"HRM was defined as including â€Å"anything and everything associated with management of employment relations in the firm† (Boxall & Purcell, 2000, p. 184). The theoretical basis for the inclusion of the word strategic to HRM was detailed using a review of various literatures from scholars on the subject. Boxall and Purcell finally averred at this definition of SHRM as â€Å"concerned with the strategic choices associated with the use of labour in firms and with explaining why some firms manage them more effectively than others† (2000, p. 185). According to Miller (2001), â€Å"HRM could not be conceptualized as a stand-alone corporate issue† (p. 348). The inclusion of strategy was regarded as a necessary addition to incorporate marketing efforts to gain competitive advantage with effective use of the

Cluster Competencies and their Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cluster Competencies and their Behavior - Essay Example This, as the name suggests, is used to prioritize the work which was decided should be included in the above strategic orientation. This helps in further organizing the whole situation and focuses the attention of different subjects on the relevant topics so they can be compiled effectively and efficiently. This narrows down the task at hand even more. It basically looks at the results that wish to be achieved and then makes sure that the priorities have been set properly. This helps in maintaining a positive relationship with the task being designed and the overall result being achieved. This is the crux of cluster competency. It basically involves organization and maintaining a constant and positive flow of information in the form of updates on the project being performed with all the members involved in the job. This helps individuals adapt more easily to the situation and helps streamline all tasks so that more can be accomplished in less time. The work of a member acting as a leader is crucial. He is responsible for providing his team with direction and guidance so that they are not led astray and keep on track so that no energy is wasted in irrelevant work. This is vital to working as a group. ... Development Developing Self This competency in a person makes sure that he takes responsibility of himself and makes sure that he is responsible for his own self improvement. Developing Others This is vital to working as a group. Improving oneself while improving the performance of others while giving constructive criticism is going to help the group perform better and consequently improve performance. Developing Networks In the age of globalization, one task cannot be complete with just a normal group. This is why seeking and identifying any outside the group members within the organization will help in the fast processing of information like computer experts. Reasoning and management Critical Thinking This looks at the situation from a broader perspective to make sure that things are going according to plan. Problem solving A vital part in competencies is to manually identify by making a conscious effort and then find effective solutions for it. Decision making Once a problem has been identified, a decision should be made to effectively and efficiently solve it. This is vital to the whole situation otherwise there was no need for the other preceding parts. Communication Verbal Being clear in your conversations and eliminating any communication gaps is helpful before getting down to work. Written The need to make everything clear to others is vital because it doesn't matter how innovative someone is, if he cannot present his information in a proper and organized way in a report, he is useless for the team. Numerical Statistics need to be interpreted to make sure that the plan formed by the team is going to succeed or not. This can only be done by projecting numbers and interpreting information