Introduction
The guard incorporated in armed forces human resources structure is a project plan that is employed in business change Agency’s as a defense systems acquirement executive in the U S department of defense. It is the largest project resource planning program that has ever been employed for human resources.
The DIMHRS is a project which is expected to enhance quality, Speed, Dependability and Flexibility in costs in the U.S Army. The project is expected to convey all payrolls as well as personnel roles for the Army into one included web-based scheme. It is expected to roll out the U.S Air force, the U.S Navy and the Marines after implementing the Army (Brad, 2005).
DIMHRS project was implemented as the best strategy that would support military personnel and pay functions. According to (Wong et al, 2005, p. 614) there were significant functional shortcomings and excessive development and maintenance costs that were caused by the Department of Defense’s, multiple Service-unique military personnel and pay systems. The department of defense would be was to be implemented as a single department with all its service and components.
The personnel and the pay system would be fully integrated with common software. DIMHRS system is a feasible answer that is likely convenes military objectives by means of enhancing improvement through the support of a reorganized program achievement.
The services that are provided by the DIMHRS system
Wong et al, (2005, p. 615) advocates that, DIMHRS arrangement is anticipated to offer the military in the company of more perfect as well as timely pay. The system resolve to convey revolutionize in personnel that are estimated to repeatedly keep posted the pay information in a solitary incorporated system.
The changes in personnel will generate a sequence of routine payroll changes based on the rules of each Service rather than having two separate systems that are performing different functions. DIMHRS will also develop the value of services in the logic that it anticipate to present an extra self-service features that could be used to observe and manage the Service member’s own human resource information. It will be easier for the service members to update information, record direct deposit choices.
They will as well be able to demand other personnel in addition to pay actions in a straight line online throughout the Internet reasonably compared to lining up the personnel office on their local base.
DIMHRS system will ensure that quality, speed, dependability and flexibility in costs since it will bring new features to the military human resource management. The features are one record service, an integrated system, self service and joint system that can help joint commands. After fully increasing the DIMHRS arrangement every Service member in the Army, Air Force, Navy as well as Marine Corps resolve to be providing by way of one proof in DIMHRS (Brad, 2005).
This one record service will follow them wherever they are and record any changes that might have been made by the military in their service throughout their career. The service is also expected to make it easier in the progress of one service to another and making a seamless change for set aside personnel in addition to National Guard members to serve enthusiastically in their tasks. The military had these services merely offered to the Marine Corps during the make use of of MCTFS.
The DIMHRS system will have an incorporated structure that will amalgamate the personnel data plus payroll data immediately a service is stirred to lively responsibility. This enhances a status change that enables the member to get the benefits and pay that they should have. This service was initially available to the Marine Corps through the MCTFS and now it’s being distributed to the other areas of military.
The DIMHRS is characterized by the self service functionality that will enhance the capability of a Service member in viewing and updating his or her record of service. Members will be able to view and update personally their designated personal information without the help from personnel or pay specialist (Wong et al, 2005, p. 617).
The self-service items that will be accessible via DIMHRS will be classified as being either personnel or pay related. There will also be a joint system that will help in joint command to enable the leaders to get information in time. This will enable the leaders to track groups in spite of location or Service branch. The department of defense will have more capabilities in deploying resources where they are needed most since they will be operating with real time information.
Job design and implementation of the DIMHRS
DIMHRS will enable the transformation of the Department of Defense by radically changing the management of the military personnel and pay. In order to keep with the modern war fighter it is important to streamline the military personnel systems for moiré efficiency. Brad, (2005) argues that the DIMHRS is expected to provide better service to military personnel and their families.
This will be enhanced by the provision of timely and accurate records of service and the delivery of compensation, benefits and entitlements. It will ensure that there is an efficient use of human resources when conducting the military mission as well as supporting the war fighter. The military personnel will be more accountable and visibility will be ensured to the authorized users. They will be provided with timely and accurate human resources information.
The system will also enhance the ability of putting the right person in the right place as quickly as possible. The new system will assist in organizational transformation by integrating systems as well as enabling human interaction to support the key elements of the military personnel transformation.
The human resource strategy is to maintain a culture of caring for people in the totality of both their lives and work. Employees will be empowered through the provision of higher wages than the industry average. There will be stock options for some employees where employees will be treated like customers.
The human resource advocates for the understanding of other people’s problems. The human resource strategy is set to manage labor and design jobs so as to ensure effective and efficient utilization of people. These will ensure that people efficiently used within constraints so as to provide quality of work life.
The human resource will ensure that labor planning is based on stable policies that will exactly follow demand and hold employment constant. This will ensure that direct labor costs are kept tied closely to production. This will reduce the costs that could be incurred on hiring and firing, unemployment insurance and labor wage premium.
In order to hold employment constant, the human resource shall maintain a trained workforce that will ensure quality work in their departments. The trained workforce is able to reduce the costs incurred during idle time when demand is low as well as meeting demand when demand is high (Briscoe, 1999).
There will be use of standard work schedules for five- eight hour days where the flexibility of time will be assured for employees. This will enable employees to work within the prescribed limits and determine their own schedules. The schedule for working Four- Ten hour days will also provide flexibility for the employees.
Other employees can decide to work on part time basis for less than eight hours per day or on an irregular schedule. Jobs will be classified on the various work rules depending on the capability of employees, their availability and the condition of the work. According to Neumann et al, (1999, p. 376), the human resource need to specify the tasks that make up a job for an individual group.
The determination of tasks describes the jobs with their nature in task related behaviors. The job design will be based on job specialization, job expansion, psychological components, self directed teams, motivation and incentive systems as well as ergonomics and work methods.
Job specializations
In specialization of jobs, the human resource will be involved with breaking jobs into small component parts and assigning the specialized personnel to do each part. In job specialization there is a greater dexterity and faster learning for workers. The workers can save time that could be lost when changing jobs or tools since they make use of more specialized tools in their work (Annoinette et al, 1999). The use of specialized personnel will lead to paying for the needed skills only. Hence job specialization reduces cost in the military.
Job expansion
Bittel et al (1990) denotes that, in job design the human resource to consider job expansion where variety is added to jobs. Job specialization may lead to boredom of the workers and can be reduced by expanding the variety of available jobs. In order to expand the variety of jobs, the human resource can decide to employ the skills of job enlargement, job enrichment, and job rotation as well as employees empowerment. This ensures that more quality work is presented by the workers.
Psychological components of job design
Human resource should consider the psychological components of job design. They should realize that individuals have values, attitudes and emotions that affect their job results. Work is usually a social experience and affects personal needs. The human resource should know that an effective worker behavior always comes from within an individual. In Hawthorne studies demonstrated that individual behaviors in the organization are very important.
There is a social system in the workplace where individuals exist. Human resource should ensure that there are good working conditions for the workers in order to increase quality in performance of their duties. Workers should be given enough attention in their working conditions that would enable them to work well. The provision of good social amenities at workplace will yield to more quality work since the motivating factor is not money alone (Briscoe, 1999).
Self directed teams
There should be self directed teams with empowered individuals who work together for a common goal. Workers can be grouped and organized for short term or long term objective of the firm. Working in group results to efficiency where employees are empowered and provided with core job characteristics to meet their psychological needs. Self directed teams tend to be more reliable in contribution and encourages employees to accept responsibilities given. Core job characteristics include skill variety, job identity, job significance, autonomy and feedback.
Meeting workers needs
Motivation
The firm may face the challenges of higher capital cost to enable it to meet workers needs. In order to avoid this, the human resource should work towards identifying the preference for many individuals. Bittel et al (1990) argues that many individuals usually prefer simple jobs and where the employee utilizes a higher level of skill then he or she requires higher wages.
Worker performance always depends on motivation, ability and work environment. In an organization, motivation is the set of forces that compel behavior. Workers need to be motivated to increase the quality of work done in the organization. Money only serves as a psychological and a financial motivator.
According to Taylor on scientific management, workers are motivated mainly by money where human resource employs a piece rate system. This view is disapproved by Maslow’s theory of motivation where he describes that people are motivated by hierarchy of needs and money is part of these need.
According to Herzberg, money either dissatisfies or is neutral in its effect. Workers should be provided with monetary incentives to enhance performance. The system will employ a rewarding system where employees are rewarded depending on performance to enable reduction of costs. Workers can be paid on measured day work where pay is made based on standard time (Neumann et al, 1999, p. 383).
Conclusion
In conclusion, job design and implementation in the military will play a big role in the satisfaction of employees. This will enhance the quality of work done by the workers in their specific duties. Human resource should always consider the needs of the workers to ensure that speed in performance is maintained. Workers are expected to meet deadlines and they should be motivated for this purpose. Specialized people in particular jobs should be given the specific jobs. Job specialization in the military will ensure that costs are cut to minimum.
Job expansion increases the possibility of work quality work done since employees do not get bored because of only one job. Job design can be managed in the organization through employing job expansion, job enrichment, having self directed teams in the organization and ensuring that employee psychological needs are met.
This will ensure that the new system in the military achieves quality work from workers, speed in terms of feedback from the workers, dependability of the system since it will be maintain records and cost effective where the costs will be reduced by job specialization.
References
Anntoinette, L. D. & Lepsinger, R. (1999). The Art and Science of Competency Models, Pinpointing Critical Success Factors in Organizations, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.
Bittel, L.R. & Newstrom, J.W. (1990). What Every Supervisor Should Know: The Complete Guide to Supervisory Management. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Brad, L. (2005). Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Military Personnel Policy, Deputy Director of Policy, Officer and Enlisted Personnel Management, interview by Author, Pentagon: Washington, D.C.
Briscoe, J. P., & Hall, D. T. (1999). Grooming and Picking Leaders Using Competency Frameworks: Do They Work? An Alternative Approach and New Guidelines for Practice, Organizational Dynamics.
Wong, L., & Snider, D. M. (2005). Strategic Leadership of the Army Profession, in The Future of the Army Profession, Second Edition, New York; McGraw Hill Companies, Inc, pp. 612-618.
Neuman, G.A. & Wright, J. (1999). Team Effectiveness: Beyond Skills and Cognitive Ability. Journal of Applied Psychology 84 (3), pp. 376–389.