Human Resource Management (HRM) is universal when it comes to policies, strategies and processes. One of the central challenges faced by human resource is developing and managing international/global setting particularly multinational enterprises (MNEs). Human Resource Management is both a business practice and academic theory that mainly address practice and theoretical techniques of workforce management.
The theoretical aspect of human resource is a universal process while practice is not a universal process (Cole 2004, p. 110). This paper provides an understanding of the relevant theories, best practices and origins involved in managing people in the workplace by establishing an understanding of the major elements of HRM which includes culture, structure and team working.
Structure
This part emphasizes on the practices that reflects how Human Resource Management is organized in a firm. The organization structure not only consist of its location or designations but also departments and employee organization and group change such as termination, resignation, promotion and transfer which are practices conducted by HRM. Other practices include employee empowerment and management (Oded 1997, p. 140).
In every organization, it is the workforce that collectively and individually contributes to the achievements of the set goals and objectives. HRM is majorly concerned with the regulation and nature of employment in the workplace and the society at large; they are the change agents in every organization.
Human resource management model in every workplace emphasize on managing and promoting change, treatment of workers as individuals not a collection and encourage the workers to consider the management as their partners and not opponents (Oded 1997, p. 142).
Culture
The theoretical and cultural discipline in human resource is based on the assumption that the employees in the organization are people with different needs and goals whom should not be thought of as being the basic resource for the business (Hofstede 1980, p.120).
It mainly views the workers in a positive way assuming that they are people who wish to positively contribute to the success of the enterprise and that their lack to produce good results is as a result of insufficient knowledge and training. It views workplace management in an innovative way which asserts that if human techniques are practiced in the right way, then the organizations goals will be achieved (Hofstede 1980, p.120).
This shows that the main goal of human resource management is to help the organization attain its strategic goals by maintaining and attracting employees and effectively managing them. The basic premise of theoretical and cultural discipline in human resource management is to express that workers are not machines and therefore should be treated well and handled well in the workplace.
Teamwork
Teamwork has been emphasized to be the key feature of a flexible organization. Teamwork should be set as a culture in every organization because in an environment with teamwork, people understand each other and they all have one belief that decision making, planning, actions and thinking can be done better if people collaborate (Oded 1997, p. 148).
This is why human resource is trying hard to promote teamwork by involving employees in the decision making process. Individual and team development mainly determines how an organization identifies employee needs such as education, skills, development and growth and how the needs will be met.
In conclusion, Human Resource Management is both a business practice and academic theory that mainly address practice and theoretical techniques of workforce management.
The workplace is rapidly changing and this also triggers change in the roles human resource management in an organization. The three elements of human resource which entails culture, structure and teamwork clearly describes best practices and origins involved in managing people in the workplace.
List of References
Cole, G, 2004, Personnel and Human Resource Management, London: Thompson Learning.
Hofstede, G, 1980, Cultural Consequences: International Difference in Work-Related Values, New York: Sage Publishers.
Oded, S, 1997, Human Resource Practices Development, Cambridge: MIT Press.