Labor Relation: Application of Innovation Research Paper

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion and Overview
Research Findings
Summary and Conclusion
References

Introduction

The key purpose of this paper is to discover the ways to enhance labor relations through the application of innovation in human resource management; as a result, the paper first attempts to identify and analyze the practices in the industries by creating an overview of the topic, assessing the existing literature in the field, and conducting the relevant discussion. Subsequently, the paper outlines the findings of the research in a precise way and briefly summarizes the main elements of the research outcomes.

Discussion and Overview

In the fast-growing business world, labor relation is something that should be carefully maintained throughout the industries by direct or indirect communication or motivational and leadership skills. This can be done by maintaining proper relationships with the relevant trade unions, or directly, by generously handling the labor issues and grievances individually within an organization. Whilst there are many ways to enhance labor relations in human resource management, not all of the methods are distinct enough to be convincingly applied in the contemporary world.

Present-day organizations require quickly adaptable and IT integrated labor relation policies as part of their human resource management strategies so that new types of issues and productivity disruptions can be promptly addressed. As a result, innovation is required to be brought in human resource management techniques to enhance labor relations all across the organizations. Strohmeier (2013) suggested that the idea of labor relationship management is a crucial wing of human resources management, and focusing on labor relations by creating personal and reciprocally worthy affiliations based on the adoption of IT infrastructures allow positive outcomes – however, it should be kept in mind that the technological elements of labor relationship management derives from customer relationship management.

Following the global financial crisis, for example, Volkswagen had been using innovative labor-management methods to cope up with the changing dynamics of the macroeconomy, such as job losses, taxation, etc. Finkin and Kochan (2014) identified that the main thing Volkswagen has focused on is the laws on labor-management, and this concept is innovative because there are not a lot of businesses that shape the labor strategies based on observance of the relevant laws; the key innovative factors of its policies are precisely tabulated below:

The innovative labor relations management policies of Volkswagen
Work councils or traditional trade unions	Work councils or trade unions are elected by the labors of a business, and is one of the most innovative aspects of the German labor relations management; notably, Volkswagen has adopted a strategy to work together with this councils at all levels of production to improve competence, flexibility, and collaboration
	The company supports the idea of work sharing to lessen laborers’ working hours rather than laying-off some of them; as a result, Volkswagen was able to recover very quickly after the global financial crisis
	Volkswagen maintains a deep relationship with the council; it became the representative body in running the company, and the managers of the company share wide-ranging and even confidential business information with them – as well as matters of serious concern
Denial to follow the outdated and autocratic policies	While operating in the US market, Volkswagen had denied following the outdated and adversarial policies in the US labor relations management practices; rather it adopted apt management and worker support system as part of a new model of collaboration and partnership
Integrating the good legal doctrines	While operating in the US market, Volkswagen tried to import the good legal doctrines relating to labor laws from Germany; in fact, the company is still committed to applying the German model of strong worker participation in the US
Integrating the good legal doctrines	This innovative experiment took the labor relations of the company in the US to a new level, and the US workers were happily engaged in it; as a result, Volkswagen shares an extremely strong relationship with its US workers
Partnership with workers	As part of Volkswagen’s next-generation labor-management policy, the company has entered into partnerships with its workers so that it can use worthy innovations from other nations as well

Table 1: Volkswagen’s labor relations management (Finkin & Kochan, 2014).

It is important to note that apart from the techniques used by the German automobile giant, there are other innovative methods as well to enhance labor relations through the application of innovation in human resource management. For instance, Taylor (2015) has pointed out that the integration of apt technology is another great strategy to improve labor relations through innovation; also, the author identified several technical factors that would assist the businesses to flourish with this idea; these factors are briefly analyzed in the table below:

Integration of apt technology to improve labor relations through innovation
The policy of precision in communication using technology	Exchanging information via emails and social networking sites for the workers can be a useful method of transmitting information amongst them; in fact, this is also a significant way to perk up the relation amongst the workers themselves because everyone knows what is being communicated
Delegation of leadership through technology	Because of technological integration, companies can delegate leadership to their workers so that productivity can increase and the workers can feel more friendly and more engaged in working with the company; moreover, technology can also be used to promote healthy competition at work as people can be encouraged to learn latest technologies or attain expertise in the technology already in use
Encouraging knowledge worker policy in the business	Propagation of information is the most imperative factor for today’s businesses, and technology plays an essential role in making all the workers knowledge-oriented workers; this would improve workers’ confidence and assist them to perform better in the field; moreover, it would help them to enhance relations amongst themselves due to increased enthusiasm and the knowledge of what is going around
Promoting creativity	Because of independence, the workers involved in using standardized technology are likely to ensure higher production and connection with other departments – there should be less stress on efficiency, as using a routine technology automatically leads to greater competency; besides, the employee-employer relationship would become highly congenial as there would not be any creative differences between the two
Non-repetitive and interesting tasks	Non-repetitive and interesting tasks due to the integration of technology ensure that workers do not have any fixed set of duties and they can easily communicate with their co-workers; as a result, there should not be any social isolation, and they would have more friends at work – lessening the stress levels and tensions associated with work
Overall positive impact on organizational structure	Business relations involve multiple layers of communication, and the enhancement of these communications due to the use of technology not only improves the productivity but also advances the structure of the organization; all these improvements ensure that workers are more satisfied at work and there are fewer grievances and complaints – this, in turn, reduces labor turnover and improves labor relations

Table 2: Integration of technology (Taylor, 2015).

Brovero (2017) noted that staff recruitment is becoming more automated, saving them time and labor of the businesses and employees, and enhancing the selection quality; also, the innovative branding practices through the use of social media (which are handled by the workers themselves), are allowing satisfactory outcomes; conversely, technology is enabling better handling of workplace-investigations and ensuring professional development.

Deogaonkar (2013) noted that newer technologies are adding value to labor relations in the telecommunications sector, where the workers must continuously remain available at service, especially in the customer service departments, integrated networks, and back-up systems; moreover, Patil (2015) argued that better information exchange is possible now because of online-logger mechanisms and cloud computing systems, where activities can be recorded.

Research Findings

Amid the various ways to improve the labor relations in human resource management through the application of innovation, the concept of the use of fresh and innovative technologies can bring the best outcomes; however, there are other ‘proven’ techniques as well, for example, affiliations with work councils or trade unions, denial to follow outdated policies, and integration of good legal doctrines. Notably, creating partnerships with workers, encouraging knowledge worker policy in the business, allowing non-repetitive and interesting tasks for the workforce, and promoting their creativity at all spheres of production can also boost labor relations within any business; nevertheless, adoption of IT infrastructures within the system can generate better results because of the following factors:

Factors	Explanation
Precision	Advancement of the policy of ‘precision in communication network’ through the allocation of technology
Process flow	Delegation of managerial tasks at lower levels of the organization through technological process flows
Well integration	Creation of more well-integrated business structure
Automation	Employment is becoming increasingly automated, removing the backlog of prospective candidates from the pipeline
Affiliations	Formation of worthy affiliations based on the adoption of IT infrastructures allows sturdy labor relations
Satisfaction	Assurance of several strong layers of communication ensures workers’ satisfaction and lessens grievances, lowering labor turnover

Table 3: Research findings (self-generated).

Summary and Conclusion

There are numerous ways to enhance labor relations through the application of innovation in human resource management, but the use of innovative technologies is the most prospective and promising idea to boost the relationship of the workers with the business and between the employees themselves. German automobile giant Volkswagen, on the other hand, promotes trade unions and maintains a deep relationship with them to enhance labor relations; also, the company denies following outdated policies that can hamper their relations, and rather attempts to work in partnership with its workforce.

When it comes to the use of innovative technologies to enhance labor relations, the impact can be largely positive, and labor relations can turn more apparent and system-based with the integration of the latest software systems; moreover, better cross-functional communication can boost employee satisfaction, while making workers more engaged with the organization – thus, technology has a great role to play here.

References

Brovero, A. (2017). Tech and employee relations: Changes to watch for in 2017. Web.

Deogaonkar, A. (2013). Emerging technologies and impact on employee relations. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 3(9), 1-2.

Finkin, M., & Kochan, T. (2014). The Volkswagen way to better labor-management relations. The Los Angeles Times. Web.

Patil, P. (2015). Innovative practices in employee relationship management. International Journal of Applied Research, 1(11), 46-51.

Strohmeier, S. (2013). Employee relationship management – realizing competitive advantage through information technology?Human Resource Management Review, 23(1), 93-104. Web.

Taylor, C. (2015). How did technology impact HR in 2015? Web.

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