Introductions
The contemporary business environment has pushed firms to adapt and innovate to keep abreast with the competition and at the same time meet the requirements of the industry. Traditionally the managerial roles were rigid and squarely defined for the managers to follow.
This however presented major challenges in as far as flexibility is concerned (Beardwell and Claydon 2007). The consequences have been realized in a new modernist approach to management and managerial roles. There are numerous managerial roles that vary with the industry and business specialty.
Human resource function and role
The human resource function operates within a hostile and competitive environment that has changed the approach of the function to an employer need driven course that seeks to ensure that the business has a competitive advantage in the market place (Bach 2005). The human resource function also seeks to establish a distinctive approach to the management of people with a single strong strategic course.
It takes a long term strategic perspective in ensuring that the organization adopts a unitary frame of reference for the management and organization of people (Crowther and Green 2004).
Human resource management as a role of management manages employees individually as opposed to a group approach. It employs the services of human resource professionals along with line managers who are responsible for learning and development.
Learning and development function and role
Learning and development on the other hand is a management function that furthers the organizations productivity. The function acts as a professional advisor for the organization working as a business partner in or for the organization with the objective of formulating and achieving value adding solutions that satisfy the client’s needs.
The function assists the organization to prepare for change and facilitate strategic alliances that carry these changes. It acts as the knowledge architect of the organization by providing strategic advice on training and learning processes. (Torrington 2009)
The function makes available a knowledge creation environment that allows for sharing transfer as well as creation of value. The function plays the role of brand management by shaping and maintaining a consistent outlook of the brand for all learning and development activities that ensure that the staff engages in motivational activities.
The function maintains a commercial lead by creating a sustainable revenue stream generated from the organizations processes and products creating a market within and outside the organization. It is also a learning specialist in matters of design evaluation as well as delivery of learning events and cycles (Marchington and Wilkinson 2008).
Conclusion and recommendations
These two roles are motivated by legal provisions that provide entitlements the employees to a virtual majority of these rights. They operate together through regular communication between them in meetings and discussions where their objectives collide. An organization that collaborates these two functions generates knowledge on viable alternatives and solutions for problems in an organization.
In as much as the organizations objective is to ensure that the objects of the firm are fulfilled, it needs to keep track of the rights and obligations that come alongside employment. It is therefore important for the organization conduct and engages learning and development expertise who equip the organization with the necessary knowledge on their roles obligations and duties.
It will allow the organization to embrace better communication procedure (Child 2005). It also ensures that the organization complies with the legal requirements that accrue to it.
References
Bach, S. (Ed). (2005) Managing Human Resources: Personnel Management In Transition. Oxford: Blackwell.
Beardwell, J. And Claydon, T. (Eds) (2007) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach. 5th Ed. Harlow: Ft/Prentice Hall.
Child, J. (2005) Organization: Contemporary Principles And Practice. Oxford: Blackwell.
Crowther, D. And Green, M. (2004) Organisational Theory. London: Chartered Institute Of Personnel And Development
Marchington, M. And Wilkinson, A. (2008) Human Resource Management Work: People Management And Development. 4th Ed. London: Cipd.
Torrington, D., Hall, L., Taylor, S. And Atkinson, C. (2009) Fundamentals Of Human Resource Management: Managing People At Work. Harlow: Pearson Education.