Leadership and Human Resource Practices in Organization

Question :

You are the Senior Regional Head of your company department and have identified a need to set up a new functional branch office.

The learner must critically analyse the key purpose and functions of the chosen organization’s current HR activities by evaluating and showing evidence of whether the HR objectives have been fulfilled or not.

Answer :

As it has been discussed that human resource of an organization plays a key role in making an organization successful in the market; thus, the organization should focus on human resource management extensively so that it can achieve success in the organization. There are several human resource activities that could be adopted by the organization to manage its human resource effectively and efficiently (Kmecova, 2018). It is vital to take into account that HR practices keep on changing over a time period due to the change in business situations of the organization, needs and demands of the employees, changes or modifications in the organizational goals and objectives, etc. The organization should focus on modifying its human resource practices with the changes in the above-mentioned factors in order to make its human resource practices efficient and efficient. 

According to Gupta and Bhaskar (2016), SHRM is a connection between HR of the firm and its strategies, goals, as well as objectives. Strategic human resource practices focus on assisting the organization to advance flexibility, competitive advantages, innovation, improve performance and productivity of the organization, as well as build an effective culture (Gupta & Bhaskar, 2016). HRM should act as a key driver and as a strategic partner in order to make strategic human resource management practices effective if organizational policies are developed and implemented within the organization. There are different activities through which strategic human resource practices can be demonstrated such as staffing, training, as well as compensating employees.  

According to Mukhtar and Akbar (2019), it is important for an organization to ensure strategic human resource practices within the organization to achieve organizational goals. SHRM practices involve identifying ways with the support of which staffs of the firm can make great impact on the growth and development of the firm. Human resource personnel need inclination towards strategic approach to develop as well as retain employee to meet futuristic plans of the firm (Mukhtar & Akbar, 2019). Retaining valuable employees of the organization is one of the most significant tasks of the HR personnel because it significantly affects the overall growth of the organization. Moreover, HR personnel is also needed to manage HR-related issues to improve and maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of the firm. HR issue is one of the most difficult barriers for many organizations. HR issues significantly affect the effectiveness of the firm as a strong contender in the market. With reduction in the effectiveness of the firm, the performance and productivity of the organization also reduce (Oelberger, et al., 2017). It can also affect the decision-making ability of management. Hence, the management can make an ineffective decision that can significantly slow down the operation for the employees as well as the business of the organization. Therefore, it is very important to manage HR issues within the organization. 

According to Aust et al. (2017), there are different models of HRM that can be implemented to manage the human resource of the firm while implementing a change within the organization. Patterson Model is an important HRM model that can significantly assist the organization manage human resources and improve effectiveness. Patterson Model has been designed form improvement of the performance of the organization (Aust, et al., 2017). The model significantly focuses on three elements that are necessary for performance improvement of the organization along with the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization.

The model focuses on increasing staffs’ skills and abilities. Increased skills and abilities of staffs are necessary for the organization because a skilled employee is more productive, efficient, as well as effective than an unskilled employee. The outcome of a skilled employee is also more than an unskilled employee. Therefore, it is important to focus on improving the skills and abilities of employees. The model also focuses on promoting positive attitudes and increasing motivation (Surujlal, 2016). A positive attitude is needed to complete the assigned task within the given deadline, reducing team or organization conflict, establishing a healthy organizational culture within the organization, etc. Motivation is also necessary because motivation leads to a higher level of job engagement that further ensures higher performance and productivity of the employee as well as the organization. Patterson model also advocates providing employees with extended responsibilities in order to make them able to full use of their skills and abilities. It increases the level of motivation and morale and hence employees feel highly engaged in their jobs.

According to Agnihotri and Agnihotri (2018), HRM practices are vital to change management. A change within the organization is driven by the human resource of the organization. So, if the staffs of the firm are not guided, managed, and controlled in the right way, the organization cannot achieve its intended goals and objectives (Agnihotri & Agnihotri, 2018). The guest model of HRM is very effective in managing human resources and achieve the intended goals of the organization. This model advocates that HRM differs from personnel management. The model involves various elements such as HRM practices, strategies, and various outcome like behavioral, financial, and performance. Thus, with the help of this model, an organization can also evaluate the effectiveness of the HRM strategies as well as HRM practices (Viloria, 2019). The organization can compare the actual behavior outcome, performance outcome, and financial outcome with the desired behavior, performance, and financial outcomes. Based on the result, the organization can modify the HRM strategies and practices in order to meet or achieve the desired outcomes. The model asserts that if HR managers employ particular strategies in order to begin with, then it will result in outcomes. According to this model, the financial growth of a firm results from the performance of the employees, which comes action-oriented focus of employees. Thus, it is very important to manage and control the behavior of human resources.

According to Mangori (2020), the HR manager has various ways to manage the workforce of the organization. However, the result or outcomes of every method of managing human resources may vary significantly. The business environment is very dynamic and keeps on changing every day. Thus, implementing a fixed or rigid method to manage human resources is not a wise decision. Therefore, the organization can consider the best fit model. It is also called contingency model to manage staffs. This model claims that there is no universal way of doing things and hence there are no universally acceptable as well as effective HR practices (Mangori, 2020). Therefore, the organization should design HR practices based on the current situation. The model also argues that the organization should focus on aligning the business strategies to the HR practices of the organization. It increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. Apart from this, the vertical integration of business strategies, organizational processes, and HR practices is also essential for the organization. In this way, all practices of the organization will move in a common direction that will help in achieving the aims of the firm. 

References

Collings, D., Wood, G. & Szamosi, L., 2018. Human resource management: A critical approach. 1 ed. New York: Routledge.

Collyer, S., 2016. Culture, communication, and leadership for projects in dynamic environments. Project Management Journal, 47(6), pp. 111-125.

Denhardt, R., Denhardt, J., Aristigueta, M. & Rawlings, K., 2018. Managing human behavior in public and nonprofit organizations. 1 ed. Washington: CQ Press.

Denning, S., 2019. How Amazon practices the three laws of Agile management. Strategy & Leadership, 47(5), pp. 36-41.