Human Resources, Research Paper Example

Introduction

In today’s increasingly competitive markets, pressure grows on Human Resources (HR) in ways not experienced in the past.  In former decades, HR was essentially responsible only for maintaining all the legal factors associated with employees, from payment protocols to emergency contact information.  Today, HR is more viewed as the potent force within an organization it can be, in terms of promoting employee satisfaction, mediating disputes of all kinds, and directly creating and operating systems to develop individual employee potentials.  On one level, this creates enormous challenges for HR, in that it now extends beyond organizational parameters to more directly interact with individual employees, and must do so in a way accommodating management concerns.  At the same time, however, this approach also allows for HR to truly fulfill its responsibilities and attend to the welfare of the workforce in an ethically sound, and commercially sensible, way.   In the following, it will be seen that HR development, as an active force in developing employee potentials, may prove itself to be an organization’s most valuable department.

Discussion

In modern thinking, there has been an increased distinction between HR management and HR development, and this is the most critical option to be understood for the organization seeking to develop employees through the work experience.   HR management typically represents the traditional views of employees as components which require control, if not as outright liabilities; HR development, conversely, accepts that encouraging worker development is likely to enhance all aspects of the organization.  This appears to be an organizational trend with increasing momentum, and one promoted by changing views within society regarding employee value and individuality.  Even HR development is under a certain amount of criticism today, in fact, which is itself ironic.  The term, “human resources,” was adopted to add stature to employees, and alter the perceived impersonal aspect of the old “personnel” department.  Today, however, both sociologists and ordinary workers are beginning to resist being identified as “resources,” in that the term associates them with office furniture or IT equipment (Deckop, 2006,  p. 95).  Consequently, organizational management should comprehend that any real employee development must commence from this understanding of the need to commit to it.

Another critical element in using the work experience to develop employee potential lies in HR’s and management’s comprehending of the “black box” of employee thought and feeling.  Employee perceptions, which very much dictate employee performance, are as individual and complex as human beings themselves, and are the result of each person’s unique experience, both within the organization and prior to their presence in it (Shields, 2007, p. 53).  While it is understand that the employment represents a clear contract between the worker and the organization, the reality is that development is actually removed from such a contract.  The contract is a fixed component; development is fluid, and inherently an evolving process.  This translates to the need for management to work closely with HR development, and in ways both consistent and designed to accommodate the inherently varied goals in place.  An example of such a strategy in play is the creation of the personal development plan.  It is established that individual progress on “learning paths” unique to themselves; consequently, group development is intrinsically limited at best.   With the personal plan in place and structured to address the individual’s circumstances, the employee is enabled to engage in new activities and duties based on a perceived likelihood of success (Vaiman, Vance, 2008,  p. 95).  The plan operational, mutual participation levels between the employee, management, and HR are then essential, as even the most likely results often vary in actuality.

In addition to this option, and related to it, is the individual learning project, in which the employee has the opportunity to reveal and develop aptitudes in a way removed from the actual work of the organization.  This may take a variety of forms, as in the employee attending classes outside of the business and partially or wholly funded by the business, or in observation periods occurring in a part of the organization removed from the employee’s usual duties (Vaiman, Vance, 2008,  p. 95).  As may be obvious, these options encompass a multitude of opportunities and approaches, as the key element of individual focus must be reiterated.  They share, however, the fundamental element of being in place to encourage growth in the employee, which is invariably beneficial to the organization as a whole.

A further option in using work experience to develop employee potential is on that has been in place for some time: the employee review.  This strategy, in fact, is an essential component within any development, simply because it is the only means of assessing progress, noting deficiencies or issues, and communicating all aspects of the development to all concerned parties.  In traditional models, the review is typically a formal and generally unhelpful presentation of information, wherein the employee is apprised of the organization’s degree of performance satisfaction.  It may, however, be an immensely valuable tool in developmental terms, particularly when the employee is required to provide a self-assessment as part of the process (Shields, 2007,  p. 209).   That self-assessment, in fact, is what transforms the review from a dry evaluation to an active and ongoing encouragement of development, as it incorporates the essential elements of how the individual perceives the workplace, their role in it, and the challenges before them.  Such information is critical in determining how and where the employee requires specific training, education, or behavioral development as appropriate within the organization.  If the classic employee review is an instrument traditionally seen as a formality, this need not be the case, as the option affords the employee and the organization their best possible opportunity for gaining insight into all matters relevant to development.

Coaching is also an option increasingly used by organizations in developing personnel on all levels.  Moreover, options within this sphere are virtually limitless, as companies avail themselves of practices based on theories of adult learning, psychodynamics, goal-setting, and social cognition.  Not unexpectedly, many organizations also turn to sports psychology for commercial coaching (Shields, 2007, p. 220).  The process is as basic as the name implies, in that strengths and weaknesses are identified in the individual, and efforts going to them are tailored to that individual’s levels of them.  This, as do all options discussed, clearly requires commitment from management and HR, and structure in place allowing for seasoned employees to coach, or mentor, others in this way.  Additionally, organizations may choose to employ outsourced coaching talent, in the form of consultants.

Lastly, HR should have an active sense of the many ways prior work experience affects the current workforce, both in regard to the individual employee and the group dynamic.  It is ordinary to assume that the work experience the employee brings to the new job is nothing more than that, and is merely a history which indicates skill levels and performance capabilities up to that point.  Such a view ignores the very real fact that work environments are usually social arenas.  Work experience essentially translates to life experience, and employees then accumulate behaviors developed from these past environments.  These are behaviors less central to the new position, but still important to consider in terms of the team, department, or the new organization as a whole (Werner, DeSimone, 2011, p. 37).  Equally important is that HR understand that these conditioned behaviors from work histories may be detrimental to the company, or employed as advantages.  For example, an employee whose past work has taken place in a very casual organization may seem out of place in the new one that operates more formally.  Good management would, in fact, address this issue before hiring the new person, if only to responsibly make it clear what expectations are.  Organizations comprehend that a uniform atmosphere contributes to the well-being of the workforce, so there would likely be an effort made to encourage the new employee to adapt behavior to suit the new circumstances.

That same casual element, however, may be an advantage the organization has never properly assessed.  The organization wants its structure to remain basically the same, provided it is productive and the workforce is content with it, but it may be that easing formalities in place will enhance performance of those long established, and generate positive changes for the organization.  As may be obvious, an HR strategy on this order is both complex and dependent on individual circumstances; an outrageously extroverted employee, for example, could not function in a formal organization without causing great disruption.  Most behaviors, however, are less overt, and HR may gain significantly in considering options in such a scenario.  Provided the essential rules and policies of the organization remain in effect and employees understand that certain performance standards must be met, the introduction of a more relaxed atmosphere, which is attached to the new employee by means of their experience, may have a positive effect on the development of all employees.

Conclusion

As the world becomes more globalized in terms of business, and consequently more competitive, the days when an HR department could occupy itself only with documenting legalities sand attending to payroll concerns are over.  It has become accepted that no entity is more crucial to an organization’s success than the people working within it, as it is understood that people perform better when they are encouraged to develop their potentials.  To that end, options exist of which HR should most definitely take advantage.  Firstly, the organization must accept that HR development is necessary in today’s environments, which is in fact hardly an option at all.  This understood, HR must also commit to the processes, which are invariably complex and demanding, and which are represented in the individual learning plan approach.  Further options are the individual learning project, employee review taken to expansive levels, coaching, and utilizing prior work experience in ways beneficial to the current organization.  Some or all of these options exercised, HR development is then an active force in promoting employee potential, and may prove itself to be any organization’s most valuable department.

References

Deckop, J. R.  (2006).  Human Resource Management Ethics.  Charlotte: Information Age Publishing.

Shields, J.  (2007).  Managing Employee Performance and Reward: Concepts, Practices, Strategies.  New York: Cambridge University Press.

Vaiman, V., & Vance, C.  (2008).  Smart Talent Management: Building Knowledge Assets for Competitive Advantage.  Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.

Werner, J.M., & DeSimone, R. L.  (2011).  Human Resources Development.  Belmont: Cengage Learning.