Abstract
The field of human resource management demands proper knowledge of labor laws, ethics, and operations management since most organizations are formal. These systems are critical in improving leadership skills, evaluation skills, promoting creativity, and rewarding outstanding achievement. Reflectively, companies are surrounded by several opportunities for growth of business.
However, when the human resource department is seriously underdeveloped, purely administrative, and focused on operations, the aspect of optimal productivity and accepted performance may only be a dream. This paper explores the significance of transforming human resource management into a strategic organization partner as opposed to being a purely administrative and operational department.
Background of Human Resource
Companies interested in quality performance should have a pipeline of talent to work towards achieving long-term objectives. This is achieved through organized and tailored development schemes designed to help its people fulfill their potential. According to Burke and Cooper (2008), training and development programs are both on-the-job and off-the job. These should be built around the core business values and is firmly aligned with the business strategy – developing skills that will support future growth of the business (Burke & Cooper, 2008).
Thus, adoption an inclusive career development plan is important in achieving sustainable labor and efficiency in performance through a strategic human resource function. HR officers should never work on assumptions that the labor force is fully developed and well trained since major restructuring that occurred in companies impacted on the development programs, holistic approach to integration within the organization culture, and proactive employee-employer relationships. This is due to the fact that the human resource management system may lack the aspect of innovation, skills, and motivation evaluation, when managed as purely an administrative or operational department.
There is need to transform human resource management from purely operational and administrative functions into a broad and holistic talent management to ensure that the labor function in an organization is sustainable. Naturally, human beings would wish for motivation through mutual consent and internalized empowerment and appreciation. Empowerment unleashes plenty of energy and motivation (Baack, 2009). Reflectively, the motivation and energy aspects of appreciation functions simultaneously at micro and macro levels to facilitate optimal functionality, especially when the management of human resources is modeled into a partnership between employees and a company (Flamholtz & Randle, 2011).
Empowering employees ensures a stable and sustainable win-win situation as employees will be motivated to work without much supervision from the management or their supervisors. When properly incorporated within and without different departmental segmentations, as an active component of the company goals and vision, the complete interaction between the management and other staff will contribute to value addition, good performance and healthy working environment (Baack, 2009).
Another significance of transforming human resource management into a partnership is complete employee and organization development unlike the administrative approach where there is imbalance between employee and corporate interests (Baack, 2009). Through strategic partnership, human resource management has the capability of empowering employees to participate more in the decision making process, creating a culture of independence in reasoning, and initiating consultative approach when handling all aspects of the labor function. In fact, the employees will appreciate the need for free consultation rather than doing the same as a condition imposed on them by their superiors.
In the process of carrying out consultative functionalism, the mind will be tuned to appreciate the need for flexibility in decision making science which is compatible with the goals and vision of the organization (Sylvia & Kowalczyk, 2008). In addition, the entire workforce operating under the consultative approach is likely to positively embrace change element that may be introduced in the organization aimed at ensuring optimal output by the employees. Optimal performance translates into sustainable business and promotes organization development (MacKay & McKiernan, 2004).
Across the globe, human resource management Endeavour to have a pipeline of talent to work towards achieving long-term objectives. Besides, through designing relevant development programs that suits different work environments, the human resource management can develop sustainable skills that enhance career development when the function is executed through the partnership approach.
Moreover, human resource management balances the dilemmas of “transparency versus autonomy, power of HR versus the power of academics, and equality versus homogeneity” (Baack, 2009, p. 57) to create a complete system. In the end, the entire workforce will feel encouraged and internalize the concept of proactive engagement through deactivating fear and inferiority complex when addressing issues of interest to the organization and at personal level.
Organization that has created the Strategic Partnership in HR Management
Orange PLC Company is one of the most profitable international companies in the global business arena. The company has its headqaurters in New York. The New York branch has 250 employees in the three departments of production, marketing, human resource management. In order to survive and control a sizable share of the global PC industry, Orange PLC Company has endeavored to remain competitive through its unique human resource management as a strategic patnership with the employees to create a dynamci organization culture.
Basically, organizational culture is a manner in which people in a company operate both unconsciously and consciously on their daily activities. Through understanding the organizational culture, the Orange PLC institution can understand the culture that prevails, drives, and supports essential programs within its workforce to accomplish the strategic objectives as part of the human resource function.
Characteristics of the Company’s Strategic Partnership in HR Management
Observable artifacts
The physical structures of the Orange PLC’s organization culture promotes positive relationship between favorable and effective job performance and work environment as attributes of motivation and congenial conditions. The structure encourages security, comfort and safety, and prevailing physical convenience (Baack, 2009). Measuring factors such as interpersonal relations, working conditions, support and trust, welfare provisions, and work environment has greatly contributed to the organizational effectiveness as well as employees’ behaviors at the Orange PLC.
Enacted values
The Orange PLC Company has identified that the key driver of productivity is employees’ morale. It is revealed that engaged and productive workers are more likely to be creative and interested in their work commitments. Satisfied workers are more eager to create positive results in their work. This element has been embedded in the company unity of purpose symbol designed to create the culture of efficiency and support among the employees. The employees are very proactive and approachable (Baack, 2009).
With the need to establish a proactive organization culture, the Orange PLC Company has developed a discursive approach in explaining and exploring shared and coordinated actions on roles and channels through which organizational framework functions. This is of great essence towards understanding its organizational communication. Employees are also allowed to contribute their viewpoints regarding the daily management and operation of the organization. In order for the productivity quotient to become an effective tool, the organization has ensured that workers and the management team both understand the collective perspective of the institution.
Espoused values
The company has three building blocks of learning such as a supportive learning environment, concrete learning processes, and practices leadership that reinforce innovation. The managers play a significant role in setting up the learning environment for their employees. This culture has created an ideal climate for innovation and communication among the employees. This culture is meant to create an ideal climate for innovation and communication among the employees (Flamholtz & Randle, 2011).
The company’s team work culture spells the rules of engagement, expected behavior, and repercussions for misconduct. These rules appreciate diversity and uphold integrity in judgment as enshrined in the company’s vision and mission statement. In the process, cases of prejudice are minimized as diversity develops into a positive aspect of the organization.
Conclusion
From the above reflection, it is apparent that complete human resource management as a strategic partnership unit is a prerequisite to holistic and proactive management of the labor function in an organization. Irrespective of the size of an organization, strategic partnership in human resource management has benefits such as sustainable balance between employee and organization interests, complete and structured organization and employee development, and complete stakeholder engagement in all aspects of labor management.
As a result of integrating the strategic partnership in its human resource management, the Orange PLC Company’s organization culture has become friendly, dynamic, and proactive to employees. As a result, the workers always strive to give their best towards the organization and uphold the existing culture with minimal struggle.
References
Baack, D. (2009). Organizational behavior (2nd ed.). Texas, TX: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Burke, L., & Cooper, T. (2008). Building more effective organizations: HR management and performance in practice. California. LA: Palgrave.
Flamholtz, E., & Randle, Y. (2011). Corporate culture: the ultimate strategic asset. Stanford, UK: Stanford business Books.
MacKay, B., & McKiernan, P. (2004). The role of hindsight in foresight: refining strategic reasoning. Futures, 36(2), 161-179.
Sylvia, F., & Kowalczyk, S. (2008). Creating competitive advantage through intangible assets: The direct and indirect effects of corporate culture and reputation. Advances in competitiveness research, 16(2), 34-38.