Introduction
Human resource management is based on certain principles and skills which can be developed and improved with the help of activities trained in the classroom or during the work. From this point, to determine knowledge and skills necessary for training effective human resource managers, it is significant to focus on management principles and characteristics of perfect managers.
Different professional behaviors developed by human resource managers often depend on using the ‘principle of learning’ theory during the study process (Baker & Doran, 2002).
The focus on a human resource development program can be discussed as the effective technique to provide managers with the possibilities to concentrate on their current skills and abilities and improve or develop definite attributes to become effective in career.
Thus, the task is to determine key management principles and associated skills to become a professional, to assess the current skills and experience according to the main attributes, and to work out an effective human resource development program to become prepared for the work.
As a result, such basic terms as ‘principles of learning’, ‘management principles’, ‘classroom-based’ and ‘job-based’ activities are necessary for discussing the topic. Specific training programs are significant to orient managers to developing their professional skills and active approach to work.
The Specifics of Human Resource Manager’s Work
Human resource management is the sphere in which effective managers contact with employees directly, and they can be discussed as responsible for organizing the work effectively from the start because human resource managers’ duties include selection of candidates and recruitment, the organization of the employees’ work according to the company’s goals, the control of performance, the investigation of the work results and outcomes, motivational activities, and performance appraisal.
To speak about the competence of a human resource manager, it is necessary to concentrate on the manager’s approach to performing this basic list of responsibilities (Jakupec & Garrick, 2002).
Human resource managers regularly face the challenge of planning and organizing the work of employees in order to achieve the company’s strategic goals. According to the human resource theories, the focus on the goal is the first stage to develop the plan for the employees’ training related to their personal and professional needs.
Then, initiatives and associated activities are worked out to cope with the employees’ weaknesses and to enforce the development of strengths. The work of a manager is based on using the motivation or human resource performance theories to organize the team work and cooperation as well as to stimulate individuals to do their best in order to respond to the company’s goals and requirements.
Human resource managers are also good leaders to regulate the successful work of teams, cooperation, and efforts of individuals according to the clear corporate goals and determined priorities with the concentration on the decision-making human resource theory (DeSimone, Werner, & Harris, 2002).
To create the working atmosphere, managers stimulate employees’ professional development with references to the theory and career development activities.
Knowledge and Skills Needed for Human Resource Managers
Human resource managers’ main duty is to use the employees of the company effectively, thus, to use the human resources, depending on their abilities, professionalism, and potential. That is why, main skills and attributes associated with the work of the effective human resource manager are closely connected with communication, organization, and leadership abilities.
To become a professional human resource manager, a person should acquire and develop three above-mentioned categories of specific managerial skills and attributes. Effective human resource managers
- focus on communication with employees in order to provide the necessary support and to guide persons while demonstrating empathy and understanding;
- use communication as the effective tool to stimulate cooperation and motivation of employees while providing the necessary appraisal and rewards.
Furthermore, the direct work with employees means for human resource managers to focus on such abilities as the regulation of conflicts, problem-solving skills, and mediation skills (Baker & Doran, 2002). Effective human resource managers are
- flexible;
- objective;
- rational;
- independent in making decisions;
- developing divergent thinking;
- able to prevent, manage, and resolve conflict situations.
However, the effective realization of these skills is possible only when human resource managers
- work to complete the company’s goals;
- organize the employees’ work according to the company’s goals, objectives, and perspectives;
- contribute to employees’ good performance;
- focus on stimulating the employees’ work in relation to planning and time management (Latif, 2002, p. 378-380).
Thus, human resource managers should develop skills which help them not only select and recruit employees effectively but also to manage their work during the career, contributing to the professional growth with the help of training and regulating activities.
Current HR Skills and Abilities: Personal Assessment
Skills and ‘Principles of Learning’ Theory
The effectiveness of a human resource manager can be evaluated with references to assessing the current skills and abilities.
Such personal skills as abilities to plan and organize the work, to interview people and communicate with the successfully, to demonstrate empathy, and be flexible while interacting can be improved during the process of learning with the help of definite exercises because these abilities and attributes depend on the person’s character, temper, and used behavioral models.
However, leadership skills necessary for the work of a human resource manager should be developed according to the special training program which responds to the ‘principle of learning’ theory. Persons learn effectively while relying on active and multi-sense learning, repeated actions, important materials, necessary feedback and associated rewards, and primacy and recency as the key principles.
The human resource development program worked out to train managers is effective when the principle of readiness to learning is met, learning is based on the practical component, the orientation to requirements and effects is observed (Smith, 2002).
The personal experience supports the idea that the real positive effects can be achieved as well as requirements can be met completely when leadership qualities are developed along with communication and organization skills.
Skills to Be Improved and Training Objectives
If communication skills depend significantly on the aspects of personality, organization and leadership abilities should be improved intentionally in order to respond to the job requirements typical for the sphere of human resource management.
Such skills as the ability to prevent and manage the conflict, to resolve the problem situation, to organize the team work and cooperation, to motivate employees to meet the changes in the company positively are strongly connected with the leadership sphere.
The basic training objectives for the human resource development program are to focus on improving the organization abilities, work in team, group management, and to develop leadership abilities associated with managing conflicts and problem solution.
Human Resource Development Program
Management Principles and Job Requirements
In addition to developing certain important skills and abilities which help work with employees regarding the selection, cooperation, and motivation processes, human resource managers should also follow specific management principles which effective to regulate the process of work organization and stimulation.
Employees perform their tasks effectively and work for increasing the company’s profits and completing the goals, if the human resource manager follows strictly the principles of discipline and control, provide the detailed plan and appropriate organization of work based on proper instructions and detailed assignments.
Human resource managers should also create the positive atmosphere of cooperation regarding the knowledge of all the company’s employees. This principle guarantees the completion of the corporate goals because of motivating and appraising employees effectively. The next principles are the focus on preventing and correcting mistakes as well as on reporting activities (Jakupec & Garrick, 2002).
The Classroom-Based Exercises and Activities
Training is necessary in order to help persons become effective human resource managers. The classroom-based exercises and activities are useful because they are directed toward developing all the persons’ abilities in relation to communication, organization, and leadership as the basics of management.
The skills which are useful for managers should be developed with references to practice, responding to the principle of using exercises in learning (Delahaye, 2005). Interactive exercises are important to train the future managers to build strong cooperative relations, set clear goals, and manage the employees’ efforts. Furthermore, interactive exercises are connected with the principles of active and multi-sense learning.
To improve definite skills, it is necessary to determine the level of their development with the help of role plays which allow solving problems and challenges and changing behaviours according to the scenarios.
The future managers can assess their abilities in effective communication, problem solving, and conflict handling in such exercises as “Dealing with the unpredictable” and “Drawing the line” which focus on persons’ abilities to deal with certain unpredictable situations, cooperate, negotiate, balance communication, make decisions, establish positive relations, work in teams and groups (Kamp, 1993).
These exercises respond to such principles of learning as active and multi-sense learning and possibilities to receive the immediate feedback from the instructor.
Case studies are also important to train persons in developing their analytical skills, while providing the possible variants to decide the problematic questions. The focus on case studies can help the future managers develop their readiness to the work with references to the principle of using the meaningful material.
During the next stage of developing and improving the managerial skills, persons train the received knowledge with more role plays oriented to develop leadership abilities, organization skills, stress management, and conflict handling (Tovey & Lawlor, 2004). Thus, the principles of active learning and repeated practice are realized.
The mentioned learning activities and exercises can have positive results, if persons know how to reflect on their achievements and successes. Reflections on results are as important as instructors’ feedbacks on assignments and provide the information on people’s readiness to apply their knowledge to real the situations within the job environment.
The Job-Based Exercises and Activities
In spite of the level of competence, human resource managers should also improve their skills during their work. The learning process based on the workplace environment refers to action learning when managers train their abilities as a result of workshops and seminars.
Thus, such approaches as job rotation, understudy activities, and self-assessments are also discussed as effective means to contribute to the manager’s professional growth.
- During seminars, managers receive the opportunity to discuss presentations and demonstrate their analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Workshops are significant to adapt the exercises and role plays used earlier in order to discuss the real-life situations and various case studies associated with the work of the company.
- The focus on outcomes is also stimulated with the help of group discussions, analysis of the previous results, and reporting. The principle of feedback is realized in this case.
- Job rotation guarantees human resource managers’ development of leadership qualities and self-regulation.
- These effects are also produced by understudy programs for managers which can work outside or inside the company (Jakupec & Garrick, 2002). Understudy programs respond to the principles of reward, primacy, and recency because of providing selected employees with more opportunities to improve their knowledge.
To respond to the needs of the effective manager, the job-based training should be regular and depend on possible changes in job performance of employees or managers as professionals because persons require the possibilities for satisfying their career needs and interests.
Although working human resource managers acquire definite competence, it should be improved with references to the principles of adult learning realized in the context of effective training programs.
Conclusion
Definite skills, attributes, and qualities are often associated with the image of an effective human resource manager. These skills are traditionally influenced by the management principles and job requirements.
Although these skills and qualities are divided into three categories of communication, organization, and leadership abilities, all of them can be successfully developed and improved during the classroom-based learning activities or with the help of training programs’ principles which are realized at the workplace as the part of the career development activities.
Thus, role plays and action learning are the necessary elements of the training programs. Managers can improve their skills in performing such typical duties as recruitment, selection, motivational and appraisal activities, organization of cooperative work and team work, focus on individuals’ efforts, regulation, and management to complete the company’s goals.
References
Baker, J. R., & Doran, M. S. (2002). Human resource management: In-basket exercises for school administrators. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press.
Delahaye, B. (2005). Human resource development: Adult learning and knowledge management. Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
DeSimone, R. L., Werner, J. M., & Harris, D. M. (2002). Human resource development. Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers.
Jakupec, V., & Garrick, J. (2002). Flexible learning, human resource and organisational development: Putting theory to work. London: Routledge.
Kamp, D. (1993). 25 role plays for developing management skills. USA: Human Resource Development.
Latif, D. A. (2002). Model for teaching the management skills component of managerial effectiveness to pharmacy students. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 66(1), 377-380.
Smith, A. (2002). Training and development in Australia. Sydney: Butterworths.
Tovey, M. D., & Lawlor, D. (2004). Training in Australia: Design, delivery, evaluation, management. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education, Prentice-Hall.