Research Topics: Human Resource Development Case Study

Human Resource Development and Change at FumeGo Ltd Case Study

HRD and change at FumeGo Ltd FumeGo Ltd manufactures bespoke fume-cupboards that are used in research and development processes within laboratories. FumeGo’s main customers are the pharmaceutical industries and universities. The cupboards allow experiments to be conducted in a safe environment. They require fume extraction units, plumbing and electrical systems to be designed and fitted. The configuration of the systems fitted depends on the client’s needs. Individual specifications have to be incorporated into each job. Each cupboard is therefore potentially unique, which requires flexibility and an attention to detail within the manufacturing process. Although FumeGo designs, builds and delivers the finished product, the firm is not involved in the installation of the cupboards. The company consists of 220 personnel, 175 of whom work on manufacturing processes. The remainder work in the sales department, design department and the support function, which includes payroll, accounts, FIRM, and administration. The manufacturing process is divided into several sections. These include the sheet metal cutting and folding for thie cupboards, protective coating application, initial assembly, plumbing, and electrical sections. Most people in the supervisory, sales and design roles in the organisation have been there for some time, but labour turnover on the shop floor is quite high. A new managing director has been appointed after a period that has seen the company decline. Although FumeGo has orders for the next six months, the previous year’s financial return was £1.2 million in the red, and there has been a noticeable fall in the number of re-orders from past clients. In addition, the reputation of the company has suffered due to late deliveries, poor quality and a lack of flexibility in meeting customers’ needs. The new MD has been appointed with a view to turning the failing organisation around, winning new orders, and encouraging old customers to return. On an initial assessment of the company, he has noted that orders are sent to customers despite errors of the manufacturing process that have been logged on final inspection, in order to meet delivery dates. This involves the company in having to rectify problems once the cupboard has been either delivered or installed, and attracts additional unnecessary costs that are borne by FumeGo. He has also noted that the designers liaise with both the customers and the manufacturing supervisors, but that manufacturing is not involved in the specification of the design. He has further noted that there is not a specific quality function in the factory, and that there is a general apathy about the quality of the product produced throughout the factory. Apathy is also evident in the untidy workplaces. The production process does not seem to be efficient and has not been reviewed for several years. The only quality checking that is done is the check of the final product against the original specification, and he is not convinced that the standard of skills within the firm can meet the high level of product specification required. He has also noted that some expensive design features are included in products for aesthetic purposes, but this is not necessarily at the request of the customer. These increase the cost of the product, but do not necessarily increase quality. The design section seems to be most interested in providing the best possible solution, rather than with providing practical solutions and value engineering. Finally, in general, the company seems more interested in manufacturing than customer care, and responsiveness to customers seems to be concentrated in the design department. He has noted a general lack of initiative and poor morale among employees.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Human Resource Development and Change at FumeGo Ltd Case Study

HRD and change at FumeGo Ltd FumeGo Ltd manufactures bespoke fume-cupboards that are used in research and development processes within la...

Impact of Information Technology to Human Resource

Impact of Information Technology to Human Resource Introduction             Globalization and technology are considered as two of the most important aspects that affected the overall aspects of company, particularly its communication process and information flow.             As of now, organizations within the industrialized societies are experiencing a prolific growth in the development as well as deployment of information and communications technologies. In the entire sector of the economy, in both the public and private, within as well as between the organizational boundaries, computer-based information systems appear to be pervasive ( & 2000,). However, there are still different questions and debates that pertain to the impact and relationship of IT to the human resource. Problem Statement             The main purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the different impacts of the application of IT to the overall management of human resource, in terms of individual and overall organizational performance. Literature Review             The adoption of the IT helps to transform the way business is being conducted. This varies from the application and use of computers in preparing invoices, issuing checks, keeping track of the movement and flow of stock, as well as storing personnel and payroll records. In addition, the use of word processing and personal computers helps to change the patterns of the office works, thus affecting the efficiency and competitiveness of business, the structure of the work force, as well as the overall growth of the economic output. In general, the said transformation has a contribution in the revolution of the economic consequences, as large as those have been brought about by the industrial revolution (cited in 1994).             Computer technology has already progressed at an incredibly rapid pace since the widespread of reliance of large, slow, difficult-to-use mainframes 10 to 15 years ago. As of now, the environment of the client-server networks, LANs and WANs, and the Internet’s World Wide Web are evolving and developing at speedy pace. Technology has a great promise for the further development of the human resource function as the partner of the business. On the other hand, most of the companies are still using outdated hardware and software, thus use HRIS or Human Resource Information System for only those most routine and used HR tasks (1996,).              HRIS is used in the enterprise-wide decision-support system that can help to achieve both strategic and operations objectives and goals a specific company. Furthermore, the use and application of the fully integrated systems can help to facilitate the more seamless operation of a company across its functions and departments ( 1996).             As of now, there are different organizations that are utilizing their automated systems that have been reengineered process by applying interactive employee information kiosks or the Internet-based Web applications. One of this is the Levi Strauss that uses the system called the  and systems that have been utilized by the by , in order to collect the data from the employees that uses the computer in order to answer their own questions, test the implications of a given decisions, as well as to change their enrollment in benefits. By the process of reengineering the benefits of the information, it can help organization to reduce the staff needs to answer the question, but also help to create a new and more direct relationship with the employees (Kovach & 1999). Methodology             The research will use qualitative research in order to know the different impact of IT to the human resource. This will be done by conducting a research to over 50 questions to the senior HR executives in 160 major companies in the country, that will help to represents the full variety of the industries as well as sizes. The questions will target the different human resource activities of the companies as well as the applications and software that are used in connection to the human resource process of the company, such as: what is the main reason for the application of IT to human resource? Who are the key players? What were the results? What were the major consequences and difficulties? What were the key learning’s? Conclusion             Based on the information that have been gathered from the primary and secondary resources, it had been showed the IT has a great impact and influence over the management and process of human resource. It has a great impact on the process of controlling and managing the data and information that are related to human resource that can impact the entire performance of a specific company, in terms of production.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Impact of Information Technology to Human Resource

Impact of Information Technology to Human Resource Introduction Globalization and technology are considered as two of the m...

Organizational Learning and Development

Organizational Learning and Development Introduction             The dawn of the twenty-first century has been characterized by a world that is in a constant state of change. No organization or business can escape the effects of operating in an ongoing, dynamic and evolving landscape. Indeed, the forces of change are so great that the very success and the survival of organizations rely on how these organizations respond to the continual changes around them and how they can stay ahead of change.             According to  (2002), it is widely accepted that change exerts continuous pressure on all organizations regardless of their size and type. These changes vary from forces such as globalization, inexorable technological developments and advances, exceptional competition, political upheaval and the opening of new markets. Consequently, these organizations are beginning to change their gears and respond to the evolving advancements in the world.             In addition, businesses have also adopted a more strategic human resource development in response to the changes in the business environment. This paper will be covering the topic of human resource development. The processes of learning and development will be closely examined as to the extent of their contributions to businesses which remain open to continuous self-organization in order to adapt and meet the challenges of the twenty-first century business environment. In addition, there will also be a discussion of the problematic issues that may arise in implementing the learning and development processes in the organization, as well as suggestions as to how these issues may be overcome by the organization. Human Resource Development             Human Resource Development is defined by  (1989) as “organized learning activities arranged within an organization in order to improve performance and/or personal growth for the purpose of improving the job, the individual and/or the organization” (p. 5). According to  (1996), it includes the areas of training and development, career development and organizational development. The Human Resource Development is actually associated to the Human Resource Management, a field that constitutes areas such as human resource research and information systems, union and labor relations, employee assistance, compensation and benefits, selection and staffing, performance management systems, human resource planning and organization or job design ( 1989).             As stated earlier, the world has indeed been characterizes by constant change. These changes are based on the global economy, on evolving technology, on the organization’s changing work force, on cultural and demographic changes, as well as on the changing nature of the work itself. It must be noted that these changes are permanent; they are here to stay which will likely affect our work and the way our lives our structured.             Consequently, organizations need to adapt to these changes. Organizations need to learn new skills and develop new abilities in response to these changes of the world. Nevertheless, organizations need to deal with these changes constructively by using change for the organization’s competitive advantage. The goal of the Human Resource Development is to enhance the performance of the organization by taking full advantage of the efficiency and performance of the organization’s members through developing their knowledge, skills, actions, motivation, attitudes, as well as the organization’s standards, incentives and work environment ( 1996).             Human Resource Development plays a very important role in organizations as it maximizes the main objectives of the organization which is f\dome through means that enable the organization with the emergent changes in business strategies (1995).  (1995) point out that the core of Human Resource Development is to provide the organization’s employees with up to date expertise. In addition, Human Resource Development and the employee expertise that is provides has taken a major step in combining other key determinants of business strategy. The recent successes of successful organizations now support the rising influence of the Human Resource Development.             Examples of companies that depend on employee expertise to capitalize on business opportunities are as follows. It must be noted that these companies use the Human Resource Development in achieving employee expertise.             The first company is L. M. Ericsson Corporation – a Swedish telecommunications equipment manufacturer that reconfigured its extensive international operations to reorganize its design and product development functions ( 1994). It may appear that the company is under a major company restructuring; however, it is actually a fundamental preconception of how work was achieved basing on expanding the breadth and depth of the expertise of their employees across prior unbreakable divisional and functional boundaries.             As employees of the company from diverse disciplines considered the value added at key points along the product development cycle, they also reconfigured their individual contributions to production into wider, cross-functional processes. Employees also redesigned principal business processes and generated a matrix system for sharing information and production technologies among the forty laboratories of this research-intensive company as the company draw on newly acquired expertise supported by the Human Resource Development in systems thinking, business process analysis and other key technical skills. It must be noted that the company has heavily depended on the multidisciplinary collaboration and these newly gained skills. Since the 1990s, employees of L. M. Ericsson Corporation have been able to design telecommunications equipment and set up manufacturing and service networks simultaneously.              (1995) point out that what used to be a company that performed like seven different companies and was slow in introducing new products to an innovation-conscious market is currently a leader in lightweight, digital mobile phones and asynchronous switching and even surpassed a billion annual sales.             The second company is Home Depot, which has become a dominant force in the home improvement industry in part by making a conscious effort in trying to learn every aspect of its business ( 1994). Is has continually strived to attain a phenomenal annual growth rate within the industry by devoting its human resources, policies and practices to enhance expertise and learning through every dimension of its business.             The company openly pursues objectives in order to make sure that the company obtains long-term competitive advantage through the processes supported by the firm’s Human Resource Development to shift experience systematically into learning opportunities as well as maintaining employee expertise at state-of-the-art levels. The company’s interactions and relationships with employees, customers, vendors, suppliers and competitors are continually examined to obtain value-added lessons from a diversity of business experiences as to whether they engage in a sales transaction, a delivery, a management meeting or an unhappy or dissatisfied customer or employee. On one hand, Home Depot invests in developing employees at all levels of the organization (1995). Their entry level employees undergo nearly four week training as well as participate in periodic conferences and training sessions at the store and company-wide levels. On the other hand, the company also values learning from customers in any way they can as it allows building contractors to utilize its makeshift classrooms in each store to share their needs and expertise with employees and other customers ( 1995). In addition, Home Depot has added contractor check-out areas and new products for first time buyers in response to the suggestions both from employees and customers as well. It must be very well noted that Home Depot illustrates a recent and convincing example of growth that can be accomplished as organizations make a conscious effort to learn and develop new expertise from every aspect of the business. In a similar way, companies such as Ford Motor Company and DuPont have also considerably made recent improvement in business performance as their managers have applied the systems thinking and process knowledge to the very heart of the business processes ( 1994). Obstacles for Learning and Development Practitioners              (2004) observes that human behavior and relations more often than not contribute to the construction of organizational processes that become hindrances to learning and development. Let us now examine one by one the obstacles that learning and development practitioners may face as they implement the learning and development processes in the Human Resource Development.             The first obstacle is lack of motivation. This may be in part of managers and or employees to take on new learning tasks or to engage actively in learning processes. In a research done by . (2002), it is not clear as to what might cause such a lack of motivation.  (2002) state that maybe managers and the employees of the company are still used to a different way of working and wouldn’t want to give up the conventional way. Another possible explanation could be the lack of faith in the concept of the learning organization or in training in general.             In a study done by (1989), they found out that managers in companies that used to have a fragmented method of training sometimes do not see the traditional courses as valuable and important learning experiences. Also, they do perceive training as a cost and not an investment for the future. Yes, it takes time to change a pattern of expectations once it exists, especially as managers and employees still unreservedly see “learning” and “training” to be similar.  (2002) state that employees and managers may still be waiting to see the positive results of this new approach. However, other factors like shortage of time on the manager’s part, the lack of rewards that employees receive or the little confidence when it comes to learning, could also play a role. Even though the cause of low motivation or low sense of responsibility is not yet known and might actually be different from company to company or even different managers and employees, it is quite apparent that if it occurs, it proves to be a hindrance or an obstacle in the implementation of the learning and development processes.             According to  (2002), low motivation of actively participating in learning and development processes may be associated to another possible problems that might occur which is the lack of clarity on the role of the human Resource Development or the lack of clarity on the need of learning. This may be due to the company’s Human Resource Development’s difficulty in establishing their own role very distinctly or it may be due to their difficulty in communicating this role in a clear and convincing manner to the managers and the employees of the company. It must also be noted that it is actually not impossible that managers and employees are sometimes not motivated to carry on their new roles because of the ambiguity of what is expected from them, the reasons as to why learning is important and what support Human Resource Development professional swill provide.             Another type of obstacle that learning and development practitioners may face is the lack of learning culture within the organization. Apparently, it is very difficult to generate a learning culture when a culture does not already exist, at least partially. As this issue was raised in organizations, organizations put the blame on insufficient learning culture in general whereas others narrow it down to inadequate knowledge sharing.  (2002) noted that this result implies that it is very difficult to motivate employees to share knowledge or engage in learning processes especially if they are not used to this or maybe even reveal a reluctance to do so.              Another problem encountered during the implementation of learning and development processes is the lack of time for learning on the employees’ part. Accordingly, work pressure for the employees is so high that they have a difficulty in finding time for learning. Naturally, this compounds to the problem of lack of motivation and lack of a learning culture. The very core of this problem is that is produces a closed cycle. This means that when people are incessantly working very hard to keep up with new developments and changes, but are too busy trying to learn and reflect on existing practices, this makes it difficult on their part to find and provide solutions which might decrease the work load.             Some of the other more problems that learning and development practitioners may face concerns their own role; they have scarce resources, too little time to develop new Human Resource Development initiatives, inadequate time to update materials or, in general, insufficient Human Resource Development professionals. Indeed, the lack of time is more often than not linked with the scarcity of resources. If more financial resources, i.e. money was, was available, extra human resources could be hired.             Interestingly enough, there seems to be no clear relationship between the organizations that mention a lack of Human Resource Development professionals or the lack of time and the size of the Human Resource Development departments. Some of the organizations that have mentioned this specific problem employ only two Human Resource Development professionals; however, it must be noted that their Human Resource Development department actually has a staff of seventy people.             Thus, it seems as if the cause of this problem can be attributed more to the fact that recognizing the new role of the Human Resource Development is very time consuming because at the outset, it means more tasks for the Human Resource Development professionals. Possibly, more room will be created only when managers and employees have actually taken over some of the tasks of the Human Resource Development.             With regards to the realistic problems that practitioners of learning and development may face in their implementation of the learning processes, it is interesting to reflect on a possible relationship with the outsourcing policy that many companies adopted during the advent of the 1990s.  (2002) noted that it is not yet positive as to whether these problems may apply to many organizations; however, the last few years have been characterized by companies who have cut back on their training budgets and have opted to buy or hire the training rather than develop it within the company itself. In addition, Horst et al. (2002) proposes that it may be that some of the companies who are currently experiencing the lack of specialist practitioners have been through such an outsourcing process.     The Case of Hyder plc             In Hyder plc, there were several organizational barriers to strategic learning and development which provided some clues to the methods the establishment was created and sustained within the company (2004). They are outlined as follows ( 2004): ·        The individual orientation in Hyder’s Human Resource Development strategy and the expectations on individuals to put learning into actual practice; ·        Limited and self-limited concepts of reflection; ·        Fears about involving with the relationship between politics and emotion in the organization, especially conflicts between subsystems and the effects of this on authority and leadership in practice. It is assumed in Hyder’s Human Resource Development strategy that individual learning will improve personal performance and supply to the development of new ideas and forms of practice, in addition to their implementation (2004). Hyder had a highly competent and developed level of learning and development processes which were available to individuals, gathered under the general notion of a “learning journey” which included personal opportunities for formal and informal training and development associated to individual evaluation and supported though mentoring (1998). New skills, knowledge and perceptions were acquired through this process and individuals were enthusiastic as a result of their learning. However, (2004) notes that the individual learning actually had very little impact on the processes of organizing, strategic decision-making, existing power relations or entrenched political positions. As a matter of fact, regardless of the enthusiasm that their employees felt on personal learning, there was a universal feeling amongst the staff that the learning initiatives had little effect on the organization as a whole. Furthermore, there were also difficulties in the reflection and development process in Hyder that were experienced by individuals as well as in association to collective attempts at participation and involvement. Managers of the company have experienced constant pressure to carry on and develop logical performance. In addition, because of this pressure of their tasks, they were “happy to accept the first logical explanation that comes into an individual’s mind” ( 2004). Reflection was understood by the company as an individual responsibility, something that one does when one actually has the time to do it. The limited practice of reflection in the company means that reflection served very little purpose, contributing little to an understanding of how establishment was being created and sustained. In addition, there were powerful emotions associated to organizational politics fundamental to both an individual perspective on learning and a restrictive practice of reflection. Organizational members actually felt fear and anxiety in involving in conflicts or differences across hierarchical lines of accountability or across the political intricacies gathered together by competition, envy or ambivalence between the various organizational subsystems. The members of the organization would likely ignore or avoid such conflicts. The effects of this decision (which is significantly unconscious) had considerable impact on the practice in the field of leadership and authority in the company. This competition between different subsystems reduced partnership and understanding across organizational boundaries, in addition to discouragement of risk. It must be noted that an environment which lacks risks actually has a greater tendency towards control. Concerns on issues of either losing or retaining control contributed to restrained managers who are afraid of change, failure and conflict. Through these organizing processes, a culture of leadership was created at Hyder that, in spite of being consensual or collegial in intention, was in practice cautious, controlling and reactive ( 2004). These comments on the relationship of learning and organizing in the case of Hyder plc actually mean that despite significant investments of time and money in the learning and development processes for individual managers, efforts towards learning seems to have made very little impact on established ways of organizing. As the organizational processes are added together, Hyder can be understood as a firm with very little orientation towards strategic learning and development despite its very creative and learning and development processes. Hence, as  (2004) points out, this raises questions as to what can be done in organizations like Hyder to facilitate the development of strategic associations between learning and organizing, as well as a broader issue in terms of organizational learning. “The fact is – we don’t know a lot about organizational learning. Sure we know how to improve the learning of an individual or a small team, but we don’t know how to systematically intervene in the culture to create transformational learning across the organization … One of the greatest business challenges is to find some models for how a whole organization can learn” (2002). Suggestions/Recommendations             When one comes to think more about the problems associated with the implementation of learning and development, it must be noted that majority of the problems seems to be linked with communication. Therefore, suggestions as to how these problems may be overcome will involve a number of recommendations on how to improve the organization’s communication strategies, as well as other strategies that will be feasible to the given problem as understanding and information seems to be a very relevant aspect for managers and employees to be motivated in order for learning and development practitioners be able to implement the changes and to bring a fruitful partnership between Human Resource Development professionals, managers and employees.             The following section will provide a list of strategies to overcome the issues concerning the implementation of learning and development processes.             The researcher recommends that communication must be directed at changing the perceptions on the need for learning. In example, according to  (2002), in French organizations, they specifically value sharing knowledge and improving communication to let employees know why certain changes must occur, why learning plays an essential role in the change process of the organization and that learning occurs not only by following courses but by also learning from each other. As this communication strategy changes the employees’ and the managers’ attitudes towards learning, they might also serve to raise motivation for learning, as well as enhance creation of the learning culture and promote knowledge sharing.             Second, the researcher also recommends that there must be initiatives taken that will increase communication as well as cooperation with the employees and the managers that will be able to direct the initiatives of the Human Resource Development more closely to their needs. In example, . (2002) observes that the Italian software company, Data logic, has adopted a direct horizontal communication with line management as one of its strategies for addressing issues of the learning and development processes. The Human Resource Development must adopt a very flexible approach and a listening attitude that lead to teamwork between the managers and the professionals of the Human Resource Development field. (2002) noted that this may overcome the traditional distinction between line management and staff, as well as create goodwill and motivation. In addition,  (2002) also observed that the Dutch building company KIBC realized that improving communication and information flows are both very functional and practical in resistance and increasing motivation for learning.             Also, companies must provide information on the position, roles, and responsibilities of the department of the Human Resource Development, as well as learning needs, and learning possibilities. This may provide a solution to the problem of lack of information and may also lead to the increasing motivation for learning and for participating actively in the Human Resource Development function.             Next, it is also recommended that there must also be initiatives as to the lessening of the workload of Human Resource Development professionals and hence. Tackle the issue of the lack of resource by recruiting new Human Resource Development professionals, entrusting responsibilities to line managers and offering training programs to the line managers and increasing effectiveness of Human Resource Development work methods in order to have a more clear definition of the roles of the Human Resource Development and their tasks as well.             Furthermore, the company must also develop initiatives to emphasize the professional approach of their Human Resource Development professionals, and to ensure that the organization has the positive approach to the Human Resource and Development function. This might actually increase the motivation of the company’s employees and managers to adopt new Human Resource Development practices. This can be done though showing an added value to the department of the human Resource Development, carefully planning the activities and policies of the Human Resource Development and critically evaluating the effects of the Human Resource Development             In addition, the researcher would also like to recommend that the company must have specific efforts as to make sure that the lack of learning possibilities will not hinder the change process through continuously updating the supply of Human Resource Development measures or increasing the possibilities for knowledge sharing and informal learning.             Moreover, the company must also develop strategies that are meant to increase motivation for learning in the work force through introducing new staff and ensuring that they are motivated for learning, as well as applying new selection criteria in recruitment and redeploying some of their employees.             Finally, the researcher recommends that the company must have activities that will serve to offer the professional of the Human Resource Development with a “sounding board” and with new ideas for learning and development plans such as networking with other firms that are implementing the learning organization concept as well.      Conclusion             Indeed, the aspect of Human Resource Development has facilitated organizations to adapt and meet the challenges of the twenty-first century business environment, specifically the processes of learning and development within the Human Resource Development. This paper has covered the concerns that may arise from the implementation of the learning and development processes. These problems are one by one tackled in the earlier sections of this paper, as well as proposed some initiatives as to how these problems may be overcome.       Bibliography Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Organizational Learning and Development

Organizational Learning and Development Introduction The dawn of the twenty-first century has been characterized by a world...

Strategic Human Resource Management

Strategic Management of Human Resources   Section A – Case Study: The Powers of Strengths-Based HR Approaches   Question 1.1 Critically evaluate how you would interpret the ‘strengths based’ approach in SHRM terms and models. Assess what it might say about change in organizational strategy at BAE.   Introduction             The fast-paced advancement and development of today’s generation has provided the necessary changes in all aspects of organizations, thus, needing new approaches and strategies in order to compensate and be able to cope with such changes. In this sense, many approaches and concepts have already been developed and modified in order to suit the continuous development and advancement of organizations, being brought about by the increasing use of the World Wide Web and the simultaneous progress of telecommunications and computer technology. As such, to be able to cope with such advancements, the strengths based approach for Human Resource Management is now said to be a relevant strategy in dealing with changes in an organization.   Analysis SHRM is defined as the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals  In addition, it places a great emphasis on the capacity and the possibility of organizational learning, which involves the learning of a specific organization regarding its environment, performance, objectives, capability, and capacity to learn from the change. The capability being pointed out here is not simply its capability to achieve a given strategy, but it is the capability to develop and redevelop strategy in the first place, and design and oversee the necessary systemic change . Thus, in simple understanding, SHRM involves patterns and ways that would enhance the capacity and capability of organisations for learning, in order to develop strategies that would lead to the change in its system. This gives emphasis on three relevant and related terms, namely, learning, development, and change, which are terms relevant in discussing the strengths based approach. This is because in the said approach, strength is being emphasized to be an individual’s unique capacity for behaving, thinking, and feeling that enables him or her to maximize his or her functioning, development, and performance . Strength then is needed in order for one to participate in the recognition and implementation of strategies in a particular organization, as this would allow one to use his or her full potentials and competencies in making sound decisions and actions in terms of change. In addition, the literature pointed out five ways on how to achieve strengths based organization, which includes a deep and mature understanding of strengths, building a leadership-based culture, understanding options, recognizing parameters, and becoming patient (The Powers that BAE). Based on these, it can be perceived that such ways can be deemed as relevant strategies in the larger concept of SHRM. This is because such ways can be used in the aim and desire of a particular organization to achieve its objectives in terms of learning, development, and change. Understanding strengths would mean that individuals and the organization in itself would recognize advantages that could be used for their edge as a group. This would then be substantial in maintaining and sustaining a leadership-based culture in the organization, which would involve a number of skills that would be strong points for the firm. Understanding the options and the limitations of the organization would also be relevant, being able to know the extent of the influence and power it has. Most importantly, patience would make the efforts and opportunities of the organization and its employees worthwhile, as they wait for the right time, place, and chance to implement changes in the organization. From this, it can be understood that the strengths based approach is a good organizational strategy, which would allow the entire organization and its employees to recognize the need for changes.              Recommendations & Suggestions             It has been reported that the key terms for the larger concept of SHRM include strategic focus, the need for human resource policies and practices to be consistent with overall business strategy, and the need for individual components of a human resource management package to reinforce each other. Such individual components should specifically emphasize teamwork, flexibility, employee involvement, and organizational commitment . Thus, in this sense, the recommendations for BAE would not only include ways on how to recognize and build on the strengths of individual employees, but to build on the overall strengths of the entire organization as well.             Aside from recommending the continued use, implementation, and utilization of the strengths based approach in the BAE, continued individual employee training and development programmes must also be suggested. Such programmes should be used to ensure and to maintain an appropriate balance between the needs of the organization and the needs of the employees, to maintain and sustain the knowledge and skills that the organization demands of its employees, and to build up an attractive personality portfolio of capability, which will be valued both inside the current organization and by other potential employers . In terms of individual employee learning, development, and change, BAE must therefore assess and evaluate the competent performance of its employee, thus, entailing gathering relevant data and sources regarding their current competencies, skills, and needs. Once their strengths and competencies were already determined, further individual learning and development can be facilitated through coaching, demonstrations, instructions, and group discussions and activities. Another suggestion for BAE is to implement interdepartmental communication and cooperation programmes, which would allow individual members in each department or team know the strengths and weaknesses of other employees, for easy decision-making and task delegation. Lastly, in terms of continuous individual development, BAE can come up with programmes that would establish an effective and efficient organisational culture and values system, which would help support and sustain the motivation employees.             Building individual strengths and competencies would then lead to building up organizational strengths. A relevant recommendation for BAE is to continually employ the strengths based approach in all aspects of the organization in order to maximize and utilize it effectively and efficiently. In relation to the overall use of the strengths based approach, BAE can determine the highest in terms of productivity in the organization and sustain its performance. Afterwards, BAE can do the same in their low-performing departments to ensure the overall improvement of the organization. By determining and sustaining the performance of the organization, it can now be able to target its expansion, which can be a good strategy for obtaining profit and establishment of the reputation of the entire organization in its respective industry. Another useful suggestion is to implement and develop its own Information Technology in order to maintain effective communication within and outside the organization. Thus, this would lead to a much more effective and efficient customer base, which BAE can use for expansion and improvement of products and services. Improvement and development of BAE’s customer base would enable the organization function effectively in terms of its business ventures, as the increase in the number of its customers would allow it to sustain its productivity and operations. This is because the company’s customers serve as the drive for it to remain in its own industry.   Conclusion             It can be perceived that BAE made the right choice in using and implementing the strengths based approach in the company. However, because the company just tried to implement it, they are still reviewing if the approach would be fully integrated in the company. From the discussion, it can be deduced that the strengths based approach implemented in the BAE can be a good addition under the larger concept of Strategic Human Resource Management. This is because similar to the focus of the larger concept, the strengths based approach also aims for the learning, development, and change to happen in any organization. In addition, the strengths based approach can also serve as a tool or means for identifying and recognizing the success and failure of a company’s marketing and business strategy. Thus, similar to other SHRM strategies, the use of the strengths based approach must be carefully analyzed, to be able to know its suitability and appropriateness in the organization.             It had been clearly pointed out that the use and implementation of the strengths based approach aims for visible changes in the organizational strategy of BAE. This had been evident in the case study, as stated, thus, from the perspective of the concepts of SHRM, the strengths based approach had been successful in the implementation of changes in BAE. In addition, similar to the concept of SHRM, the use and implementation of the strengths based approach generates learning, development, and changes in BAE.                  Question 1.2 From a Human Resource Development perspective, assess the value of this approach from what you know about learning, development, and change.               Learning and possessing a knowledge of something is one thing but applying the learning is yet another, thus, learning has limited value unless it is put into practice. Therefore, learning can be defined as a relatively permanent change of knowledge, attitude or behavior occurring as a result of formal education or training, or as a result of informal experiences . Development occurs when a gain in experience is effectively combined with the conceptual understanding that can illuminate it, given increased confidence both to act and to perceive how such action relates to its context. It can be seen from the definitions that development indicates movement to an improved situation that for the individual means advancing towards the physical and mental potential one possesses. In many aspects, development indicates growth and movement by the learner rather than learning itself  Development can also happen through experience or by learning from mistakes and successes   Change, in its simplest sense is the modification or shift from one situation or condition to another. It is usually justified by stability. It is unlikely to be sustained without a consideration of the various emotional, relational and political dynamics that underpin the organization of learning and change within specific organizational contexts . Based on the three terms, it can be perceived that in all three processes, acquiring and gaining knowledge and learning is involved, and these three terms can be clearly integrated in the wider scope of Human Resource Development or HRD. Human Resource Development is defined as the study and practice of increasing the learning capacity of individuals, groups, collectives, and organizations through the development and application of learning-based interventions for the purpose of optimizing human and organizational growth and effectiveness (Wilson 9). Given the definition, it can be understood that it is a process of increasing the learning capacity of employees in an organization, thus, leading to change and development of the entire organization.             Based on the case study, it has been pointed out that the strengths based approach is not only into focusing on the strengths of individuals and the whole organization, but it is also recognizing and addressing the weak areas in terms of performance. With its implementation with the BAE, the use of a strengths based approach aims to increase its business performance. In this sense, it can be distinguished that a strengths based approach would be an appropriate and relevant approach under Human Resource Development. Through using the strengths based approach, the organization and its employees would be able to learn and gather information and knowledge of how they can improve their skills and competencies in the firm, leading to individual and organizational change, and in the end, showing the way towards individual and organizational development and improvement.                  Question 1.3 Evaluate the type of skills and roles that and HR Department might need to develop to support such an approach to development.               Different skills and roles are needed by the members of the HR Department in order to support the strength-based approach of BAE. Skills of the HR Department must include a strong leadership skill, the ability to develop people, excellent communication skills, good interpersonal skills, the ability to handle stress effectively, problem-solving skills, and time management skills. In terms of role, the HR Department must also take on a variety of roles that would enable them to perform the different skills required of them. Such roles include becoming leaders, motivators, managers, good listeners, commanders, planners, organizers, and consultants.               Strong leadership ability or skill of the HR Department means that members of the department would have the ability to inspire and empower other employees in the organization. In this sense, having the role of leaders, members of the HR Department must exhibit a participative and consultative leadership style, thus, providing guidance and coaching to the members of the organization. In addition, each member of the HR Department must be armed with skills such as coordination, commitment, and competence. Being able to coordinate effectively to people through efficient communication, embodying the desire to achieve set goals and objectives as a form of commitment, and taking responsibility for the decisions and actions made as a competent and reliable leader are necessary for the job. The ability to develop people means that the members of the HR Department have the commitment in training and developing the rest of the members of the organization, thus, establishing an environment where people can learn from their own tasks and experiences. It has been reported that the ultimate purpose of training is to improve the overall performance of the organization, and may be driven by both the organization itself and its employees. On the other hand, development is a larger concept that encompasses training, which serves to be a component of development. Development then means a long-term and continuous process of regularly assessing and improving the performance of employees              They must also be good communicators, establishing effective and frequent communication for sharing information with the rest of the employees of the organization. Interpersonal skills must also be developed, involving good oral and written communication skills in order to establish clear expectations of members of the organization. Each member of the department must have a positive attitude, has ideas, and always sees a way out and will not give up easily. Thus, strength of character and will are the moral qualities that each HR Department member must have in order to control and motivate his or her functions and make the right choices.             The ability to handle stress is also important for the members of the HR Department, as they are given the role as buffers between the employees of the organization and its consumers or upper management. They must also be good problem solvers, critical on the problems that arise in the accomplishment of their goals and objectives. Lastly, time management skills are important for the members of the HR Department, involving self-discipline and willingness to delegate tasks and implement the strength-based approach.                                       Section B – Two Questions   Question 3: Prepare a briefing report to a group of general managers on designing and implementing change programmes through the OD (organizational development) framework. Pay particular attention to the advice on what makes for successful change programmes and what typically can act as a barrier to achieving the outcomes from a change programme. You should use case examples to illustrate your report discussion.               Because all individuals are part of an organization, the concepts of Organizational Development would come in handy. This is because change in an organization is inevitable, and is the only event permanent in an organization. Change is brought about by the face-paced happenings and updates in the environment, society, economy, politics, communication, knowledge, and even in human processes. As such, the concepts and processes involved in Organizational Development would be the coping mechanism of any organization, in order to adapt to changes.   Factors to Take Note Off in Designing and Implementing Strategies             Organizational Development (OD) can be defined as a long-range effort planned, systematic, organization-wide, and managed from the top, to increase organization effectiveness and health through planned interventions, including the usage of behavioral science knowledge to the adaptive development, improvement and reinforcement of such organizational features, such as the strategies, structures, processes, people, and cultures that lead to organizational effectiveness . Its goals include the improvement of organizational performance in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, and health, in assisting organizations in order to manage change, achieve its objectives, and implement its strategies. From the definition of Organizational Development or OD, it can be perceived that this process and all the concepts underlying it would enable a particular organization to meet their objectives and to implement their strategies through the systematic, organized, and planned interventions involved in the process.             A number of factors must be taken note off, placing particular attention to each, in order to ensure the efficacy and effectiveness of the strategies to be used. Factors to be taken note off in an organization include its core elements, such as its environment, resources, history, and strategy It has been emphasized that many of the demands made upon organizations come from outside or external from the organization itself, thus, it would be important if a particular organization comprehends and appreciates the demands needed to be satisfied. Therefore, it is essential for an organization to be able to determine both its micro and macro environments. Another major factor to be taken note off before designing and implementing changes is the organization’s resources, including tangible assets, such as human, technologies, and financial assets, and intangible assets, such as the organization’s reputation or image. Resources are also related to the reward system of an organization, which recognizes both the intrinsic and extrinsic needs of the employees. The third factor to be taken note of is the company’s or organization’s history, as it can be recognized that a certain organization as an entity in itself would have its own sense of history, including the traditions, culture, norms, policies, and its ways on solving crises. Typically, the history of an organization involves the structure, the people and the culture practiced. Lastly, the fourth major factor to be taken note of is the strategy employed by a particular organization, which describes the process of defining how the resources of an organization can be best positioned for optimal effectiveness of the firm. It also involves the recognition of opportunities in the environment and an awareness of the firm’s strengths and weaknesses In order to design and implement changes and make sound decisions and actions, in the process of Organizational Development, an organization must be able to use OD interventions and follow the OD Process . The OD Process involves six steps or phases, which can be followed and used for identifying and coping up with the changes in an organization. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="square"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Problem Identification Phase – The first phase, which involves the discovery of a problem or need within the organization that is affecting productivity, morale, attitudes, or combativeness.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Diagnostic Phase – This involves data acquisition, maybe verbal or numeric. Data gathering can be done through interviews, questionnaires, and observations, and/or through analysis of documents such as manuals, job descriptions, performance evaluations, and operating records. The process of data gathering must be based on the type of organization the firm is categorized in order to appropriately classify collected data.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Data Feedback and Confrontation Phase – In this phase, the diagnosis of the problem must be reported back to those from whom the data were obtained.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Solution Phase – This phase involves the analysis of the meaning of the data gathered and matches the appropriate solutions to be taken as a consequence.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Intervention Phase – This phase determines the strategy, approach, programmed, learning activity, or organized improvement designed to bring about a meaningful improvement in the organization and/or its resources.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Feedback and Evaluation Phase – The last phase of the OD process involves the evaluation of the results or performance of the used interventions or proposed solutions to the identified problem. If the proposed solution or use of intervention is not successful, the whole process should start again in order to determine the problem to be solved. On the contrary, if the proposed solution or use of intervention is successful, then monitoring and follow-up must be done in order to check the proper functioning and effectiveness of the intervention used.</li> </ul>   Designing and Implementing Changes for a Success             In making successful change programmers, particular advices can be made. Primarily, aside from following the OD Process from the first stage up to the last, to be able to design and implement successful changes in an organization, it must be able to generate and clarify its mission and vision statements or its goals. By setting goals, the organization would be able to translate them into functional strategies and objectives at the operational level to yield action and to provide concrete targets and milestones.             Another good advice in designing and implementing changes in an organization is the adoption of new management or leadership styles that would suit the operations of the company. Different and a variety of leadership and management styles are available for managers and supervisors, thus, a manager must be able to choose one or many that would suit the culture of the organization. Aside from recognizing the changes that have to be made in the management and the culture of the organization, another good advice to be given in designing and implementing changes in an organization is to consider the employees or the members. The employees of an organization serve to be the fuel and life to its operations, thus, the design and the implementation of the desired changes in the company must be able to suit and provide solutions to the problems of the employees. In this sense, this would help increase the motivation of the employees and the success of the implementation of changes. An example can be observed with how Richard Branson manages the Virgin Company, wherein he emphasizes that the interaction between his employees and managers is fundamental, and that motivational strategies extend to innovative ideas, for the key to encouraging innovation within the Virgin ranks is to listen to any ideas and to offer feedback. This also involves the rendering respect and building trust with one another, which will be helpful in maintaining effective and efficient communication and interaction among the employees of the Virgin Company.  believes that to develop a level of trust with his top managers, he must set the direction and then step back to let them navigate ( 2005). However, besides good advices, a number of barriers to achieving a successful design and a successful implementation of changes can be recognized. One of the barriers is that the design and implementation of changes and new strategies involves substantial and significant costs. Additional costs for the company would enable it to allocate larger amounts of money, thus, contributing to its additional problems. In this regard, significant allocation and budgeting must be adjusted in order to cope with additional or limited costs. Another barrier is employee retrenchment that may result from cost cutting and other resources adjustment, which affects the morale of employees. Due to cost cutting, an organization may have the option to retrench, relocate or even fire their employees to be able to cope with the needed changes being faced by the company. However, because of such actions, many employees would be threatened, not only in terms of their performance in the company, but in their individual skills and abilities as well. Another barrier to the successful design and implementation of changes is the company’s ability for lower realization. Lower realization means the inability of the company to think about the different problems and solutions that might be implemented. In this regard, low realization of the company entails inaction and passive approach in terms of problems and challenges. The next significant barrier involves the lack of leadership and management skills of managers. This may mean that the leadership and management style of the company’s manager may not fit the corporate culture of the company. Another problem or barrier that can be encountered is the lack of coordination, cooperation, and communication on the part of the employees and the top-management of the company. In this sense, the lack of cooperation and communication would hinder the employees of the company to determine the problems and provide appropriate solutions and answers to the needed changes in the company.                     Based on the facts stated above, it can be perceived that the major factors to take note of in an organization, including history, environment, resources, and strategy must be given importance in terms of making sound decisions in a specific organization. However, on the part of Tesco, the leading general merchandising retailer and international grocery in the United Kingdom (2007), it seems that it has made some decisions and actions that have violated the rights and welfare of the environment and its human resources. Tesco faces charges involving its participation in committing violations against the environment and local communities, due to unfair and unethical trading practices. Evidence from the Friends of the Earth shows that the voluntary codes meant to protect suppliers and workers are ineffective, as Tesco still gains in planning permission for new stores that wipe out smaller shops and high streets that are both detrimental to the local economy and its consumers. In addition, the company still generates huge quantities of packaging that ends up in landfill sites through the customers’ bins, thus, largely contributing to pollution (‘ 2004). In this regard, designing and implementing changes through the OD Process and concepts would be essential for Tesco, being able to produce solutions for the benefit of the organization.     Question 5: Human resource development (HRD) strategies are frequently seen as critical to linking successful SHRM and change. Discuss the main features of HRD strategies and evaluate how they can influence organizational change. You should include any relevant limitations of HRD thinking with respect to the question.               In answering this question, two important concepts must be emphasized, namely, Human Resource Development or HRD and Strategic Human Resource Management or SHRM. In definition, Human Resource Development or HRD refers to a set against a background of turbulence and change in organizational life, changes in business environments, work processes and organizational cultures, which drive a need for successful change management strategies. It has a wide range of focuses of interest, such as focuses on the individual, organization, present needs, future challenges, different functions and occupations, and different stakeholder interests (Joy-Matthews et al 5). Thus, in essence, it is practically empowering individuals and groups of individuals to make the most use of their potential and competencies, through formal and informal activities, such as giving them opportunities for utilizing their competencies given challenging situations and learning new skills and information for future applications . The concept of HRM is related to the other concept, SHRM, which is defined as the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals, where its value focuses on achieving a shared objective and a clear relationship with the demands of the respective industry of a specific organisation (qtd. in Brewster et al 6). In addition, SHRM can be distinguished by four main characteristics, namely, the focus on the business strategy of the organization, the responsibility of managers, learning through an employee-centered approach, and an emphasis on workplace learning (Grieves 8). From the definitions in themselves, it can be seen and observed that a strong relationship and bond exists between HRD and SHRM. Primarily, both concepts address changes in the internal environment of an organization, focusing on the welfare and improvement of the whole organization and its underlying elements. Second, both concepts help achieve and attain the objectives or goals of the organization, based on its mission and vision, and the desired changes. Third, both concepts focuses on the development and well-being of human or people resource of an organization, and lastly, both concepts underlie and emphasize the use of activities for human resources that involve the employees’ learning, empowerment, acquisition of new skills, insights, and knowledge, and the improvement of competencies.   Main Features of HRD Strategies             It has been stressed that an HRD strategy or strategies must be able to provide for the extensive and continuous training and development of employees, with cost reduction as its key component. In this way, there would be minimal levels of employee training and development targeted to ensure that specialist expertise is maintained (Wilson 32). In addition, to be able to point out the main features of HRD strategies, three major HRD strategies can be identified, namely, Systematic Training Strategy, Business Orientation, and Continuous Development. These three HRD strategies are useful as they focus on the ways on how an organization would be able to achieve its major goals. In brief description, the Systematic Training Strategy involves HRD strategies that focus on overall training and development in an organization; the Business Orientation involves managerial and performance involvement; and Continuous Development involves individual or self-development and learning. In this sense, it can be understood that in order to achieve the set goals of an organization, different HRD strategies can be employed, depending on the needs and changes the organization need to undergo in order to function better in its respective industry. From this, the different main features of HRD strategies can be derived from. Human Resource Development strategies: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="square"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Recognize the human resource requirements of the organization – This involves recognition of all the needed resources, both tangible and intangible assets that would propel the operations of the organization. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Guarantee the strategic position of Human Resource Development within the organization – This means that through using HRD strategies, the organization would be able to address the needed changes, most especially in terms of the development of human resource, the achievement of organizational goals, and the involvement of learning and development activities.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Create and improve the culture and values of the organization – Improvement and creation of culture and values would mean facilitating effective and efficient communication among the employees of the organization, thus, establishing the culture and values they practice.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Facilitate the exchange of information to solve problems and make sound decisions – Through effective communication and internal culture, the employees in a specific organization would be able to come up with effective solutions and decisions in order to address different crises.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Contribute to the scheduling, monitoring and controlling of resources – This involves the proper and appropriate allocation of resources, such as time, labor, and budget to the operations of the organization. Through HRD strategies, the organization would be able to determine their current, needed, and outgoing resources, which play crucial roles in terms of its productivity.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Create a climate conducive to learning – Because training and development is the main goal of HRD strategies, the organization must be able to encourage a learning-conducive climate to employees and managers alike in order to appropriately support the learning and development programmes to be implemented.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Identify the needs of the organization for the training and development of employees – HRD strategies would recognize the underlying crises and changes that have to be made in the organization.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Recognize the particular contributions of training and development to the overall development and improvement of the organization – HRD strategies would in any sense recognise that corporate or organizational training and development would create a framework in which employees can acquire relevant knowledge and skills </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Find out the learning aims, needs and styles of individuals in the organisation – Identifying the needs, styles and aims of employees would help design and implement more personal and suitable training and development programmes.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Facilitate individual learning through coaching, demonstration, instruction, and group discussions and activities</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Help design, test, and modify learning programmes and sessions</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Devise Human Resource Development policies and implementation plans </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Establish performance management processes that would further enhance and improve the overall performance of the employees and the entire organization</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Help assess and evaluate competent performance</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Aid in establishing and managing effective relationships with colleagues and customers</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Assist in maintaining and improving service and product operations</li> </ul>   Evaluation of Main Features of HRD Strategies             From the above-discussed main features of HRD strategies, it can be perceived that the main focus of HRD strategies is for the training and development of employees and managers in the organization, thus, allowing each individual in the organization to improve and enhance his or her capacities, competencies, knowledge, and skills for the overall improvement of the entire company. Several important points from the main features of HRD strategies can be determined in order to summarize and evaluate its influence to organizational changes.             Primarily, the different features of HRD strategies influence organizational changes through communication. This is because in order to facilitate an effective HRD strategy for implementing changes, communication is the most important key. Communication does not only involve interrelationship among employees, but also involves external communication. This influences organizational changes, as new means or tools of communication are now being used in different organization. This is in response to the fast-changing technology and communication in this present generation, as in the use of the World Wide Web and more sophisticated electronic gadgets. Another major influence of the features of HRD strategies to organizational change involves the culture and values of employees. The changing times lead to the changing cultural perceptions of employees in terms of the nature of their job, job satisfaction, rewards, and motivation. In this sense, a specific organization must be able to make amends in coping with the changing culture, attitudes, and values of employees in order to appropriately and effectively satisfy their needs.             The third influence to organization change includes the resources of the organization, both tangible and intangible. Like in any other organization, the company’s resources are related to its capacity and ability to provide rewards to the employees. Because the employees of today’s generation typically know what they want and risk anything to get it, the resources of an organization must be ample enough to provide for them. Thus, in this regard, not only do the company’s resources dictate its position in its industry, but also consciously support the identity, integrity, and freedom of its employees (. In relation to this is the fourth influence to organizational change, which is the company’s goals and objectives it desires to achieve. Changing goals and objectives means changing strategies, changing resources, and changing direction as an organization. Fifth influence to organizational change is the training, development and learning of employees, which supports the change of goals and direction of the organization. Sixth influence is the changing needs of employees, which goes to be related to the resources of the organization. Lastly, the seventh influence to organizational changes includes the operational and the needs of the customers of the company. From such influences, it can be deduced that HRD strategies, along with other factors enable and influence a specific organization to recognize the need, evaluate, and implement changes, depending on its need.   Relevant Limitations of HRD Strategies             One of the limitations of HRD strategies is the diversity of strategic approaches particularly in diversified corporations (Wilson 33). Although diversity would allow managers and employees the chance to choose from available strategic approaches, this would somehow lead to confusion and dilemma. Another setback is the complexity of the strategy formulation process, which inhibits the flow into functional strategy (Wilson 33). This can be encountered if means and lines of communication are not organized and carefully utilized in order to convey the necessary message needed to be dissipated in the organization. Third setback is the evolutionary nature of business strategy, which does not suit the concept of planning, and therefore makes it difficult to target relevant HRM issues . This would also happen if the planning, assessing, and organizing of needed changes would not be thought out carefully and clearly. In this sense, the use of a particular HRD strategy must suit and effectively provide solution to the need of the organization. Last problem is that the absence of articulated business strategies, which hinders clarification of strategic issues  In this regard, the relationship between strategies and issues can be clearly observed, thus, emphasizing the fact that strategies serve to provide solutions or answers to issues.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Strategic Human Resource Management

Strategic Management of Human Resources Section A – Case Study: The Powers of Strengths-Based HR Approaches Question 1.1 Critical...

HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

I.                    One of the top characteristics that employers seek upon acquiring an employee to the organization is problem solving. It is a skill that displays not only the capability of an individual to deal with situational elements he/she encounters. ( 2002) Other studies claim that the problem solving skill is an indicator of the adaptability of the individual to particular situations. In a study presented by  (1993) they equated the problem solving skill as a tool for the survival of the individual, especially entry-level employees. This means it is a necessary faculty that each employee must have. It is the capability to think for himself/herself by using critical thinking. One could not blame employers in looking for such a skill among the new recruits. For an employee to have the necessary problem solving skills means that he/she could perform and carry out his/her tasks with less supervision. This is because with the problem solving skills that he/she possesses, he/she would be able to use the information available to him/her by processing it to complement an observable problem in the company. Not only does this show independence from the supervising authorities of the firm, it also shows that the employee has a high level of competence in the said field. Problem-solving is not what could be considered a process of trial and error; otherwise the firm will lose valuable resources. It is a systematic process where the situation is analyzed and eventually solved by a carefully designed scheme that will consequently be favorable to the company in general.         II.                  A good problem solver should have a set of characteristics that should complement the process of problem solving itself. The work of (2005) they took note of the IDEAL model of problem solving. To answer the question, the components of the IDEAL model will be used with reference to the qualities I have to be considered as a good problem solver. I see myself as an adaptive individual. This enables me to think critically and consider the individual factors that constitute a problem in line with the goals of the organization. Moreover, this characteristic allows me to be more alert to the specific changes in a situational level, which brings me to my other characteristic: responsive. This trait allows me make out the specific problems and possible opportunities that would allow the organization to deal with the problem. Another   trait that I have is that, in a notable manner, experienced in my line of work. This means that to some extent, I’ve encountered some of the problems and have formulated ways to deal with it. This helps me look at the possible strategies more effortlessly. Similarly, it also provides me the capability to foresee possible problems even before they take place as well as the possible outcomes of a particular course of action. A rather important element in this juncture is my retrospective trait in my professional career. This means that the experiences that I have encountered sticks with me in such a way that they are deemed as lessons learned. These helped considerably in my career to solve and even steer clear of any problems for the organization.   III.                Normally, the decision making in an organization is given to the top management. It is these decisions that have a considerable effect in several aspects of the organization, specifically in operations, business and even the human resource management of the entire company. (   1991) This only shows that the load in which decisions are made of is considerably intense and it is the managers that take almost all the load. Needless to say that when solving problems, finding the right solution and implementing it is vital. Otherwise, a considerable amount of company resources is subject to waste. And to some level, the possible effects of the undertaking a wrong decision may well branch out to other aspect of the organization. A wrong decision may reflect badly on the manager who made it. This will eventually reflect on the ascendancy he/she possesses over his subordinates. This may entail because the acquisition and implementation of a wrong decision equates to incompetence on the part of the manager. Though there is still the existing difference with regards to the stature in the organization, however it is inevitable that a considerable change in the context of mutual respect may be inescapable for the manager and the subordinates. Thus, the effect of choosing a wrong solution may include issues on wasted resources and personnel dynamics within the organization.       IV.               In the context of leadership, in order to effectively take on the challenge of leading a grouped people a leader must take on several traits. Such traits include compassion and humility. In the work of (1993) he noted that compassion and humility are imperative parts of the leadership process. In the context of humility, leaders are said to be based on the knowledge of the individuals seen as leaders of a group that their knowledge is actually more limited than what their followers realize. Though this is considerably different possible consequences as lowered goals for the entire organization, the trait is also imperative in such a way that the development of the organization is ensured. Development is guaranteed in this context because a leader with humility is free from greed, irrationality, and deception. Moreover, with such a trait, the needs of the organization as a whole is considered first before his/her own welfare. ( 2005) On the aspect of compassion, it is similarly needed for the leader in such a way that it would be a source of hope for the entire organization. In the work of  (1993) that failure is inevitable for any organization. It is the leader’s task to take on these failures with compassion in order to heal the rather shattered relationships resulted from it. And to a certain extent, the said trait is able to reassure the company with harmony, mutual respect, and emotional accessibility. ( , 2005)           V.                 Providing an environment where the company could compete and operate in a sustained manner should be every leader’s objective. This is what the study of  (1999) indicated. They noted that the importance of sustainable development in the context of business is a great way to ensure not only the survival of the company but also the sustained competitiveness of the organization. For the leaders of the company, they should view this as their way of leaving a legacy in the organization and their professional life. In this manner the development of the company is equated to what he/she has contributed even after he/she has severed ties with the organization. On the issue of egocentric leaders, these may be considered leaders without any leadership skill whatsoever. They could be classified as mere charismatic leaders. These are individuals who could perform miracles in their organization. They could orchestrate machinations that an ordinary manager may not be able to perform. (1998) They are able to inspire their subordinates and even put up their maximum performance level for the individual. And normally, that is the problem with companies with charismatic leaders, people work for the individual, not the organization. With such power and influence, these leaders are similarly characterized as “narcissistic” and take on “self-serving” and “grandiose” objectives. (1998) Consequently, when it is time to leave the organization, the workforce may have leadership problems and eventually lead to its downfall.          VI.               There are indeed pitfalls of humility and compassion. One basic issue in this context is that both traits are equated to the virtue of kindness. And, in a social structure, there are times that the presentation of kindness on the part of the leader may seem to be an indication of weakness. In the actual setting, this is indeed possible. Nonetheless, to discuss the traits separately, though their strengths are indeed compelling, these traits have possible disadvantages on their own right. In the context of compassion, it accepts the fact that the human nature is basically not pure, imperfect. (1993) He/she is able to anticipate any form of amoral actions that may be thrown to him/her. However, having this trait means that, though the leader is not barred to fight back, he/she is compelled to retaliate without the use of similarly amoral techniques. And in the real world, being such a big fan of morality and moral principles restricts the movement of a leader. On the part of humility, as said in the earlier parts, it is realization that the knowledge of the leader is considerably limited. ( 1993) In looking at this context, there may well be the possibility that the leader could stagnate the development of the organization as a whole. With a limited knowledge, this may also show signs of incompetence among the followers. Though this may not be important for a charismatic leadership, in the context of the present setting and in the cutthroat business framework, this consideration appears to be critical.      VII.             There are many courses of action that could help the company in its information flow. Nonetheless, a more recommended and frequently used technique is based on Knowledge management. Basically, this means the proper use of both tacit and explicit knowledge inherent in the organization. ( 2000) In looking at this context, this process is still the enhancement and maximization of the resources available for the development. Explicit knowledge includes those written in textbooks and policy manuals. ( 2000) This means that this kind of knowledge is identifiable and could be acquired easily since it has been recorded in formal systems. On the other hand tacit knowledge are those which are not easily quantifiable since these are the “seasoned intuition” of the persons in the organization. (2000) This means that it is basically dependent on the human element of the organization. Experience and personal know-how are among the basic elements of this kind of knowledge. These are the basic components in which knowledge is managed. Technology is a good enabler of such management. ( 2000) Improvements in areas such as storage and communication of information and knowledge not only give a company an edge with regards to competing with other players in the industry, but also help in the realization of its organizational goals. Goals are realized when the workforce carry out what is required of them in the same way that the workforce would be able to realize these goals if the company properly manages the resources inherent to them in such a way that the workforce could use it to its full advantage.         VIII.           A regular employee has other tasks to attend to aside from becoming the employee of the organization. This means that he/she spends his/her time not only with his/her professional life. An employee similarly has to tend to his/her social life and families, in the case of those already with familial responsibilities. And in some instances, other employees are still studying or even taking their post-graduate courses to develop their chances with regards to their professional mobility and advancement. Nevertheless, the imposition of a flexible scheme concerning the work time of the employees basically intends to reduce the level of absenteeism of the employees. With these non-career activities that these employees subject themselves into, it is inevitable that their time for work is similarly affected. ( 1990) In a study of  (2001), it showed that employers are constantly afraid that the employees will be abusing the flexible working hours. However, employers and supervisors could always make it a point to avoid this kind of action. The employers and supervisors could impose and constantly remind the employees that their use of flexible working hours is a privilege given by the company. And with since it is given by the company, the company could also take it away from them. This will make the employees value this opportunity given the benefit that they acquire from it.       IX.               Though it has provided a considerable assistance in the efficiency and competence with today’s working conditions, there are some problems in which technology pose. The free flow of information among the employees of an organization gives them access to information that may be considered classified. Some companies place confidentiality clauses on their employee contracts in order to protect themselves from leaking information from ex-employees. Thus, technology created the possibility of the employer being at risk of being harmed, probably in terms of reputation or any other factor that could damage the firm as a whole, the moment even a single employee gets hold of any information. In terms of business, a major concern of the investigation is the fact that the marketing information of the company might have been compromised. The list of the possible clients and existing customers including the individual agreements that they have gone into are among the basic information that could be considered confidential and at the same time damaging for the company. The moment this information is transferred to the hands of other competitors, then the said competitors acquires an unfair leverage against the company. Another issue is regarding the use of open source format of a considerable number of organizations. This means that after the product is completed, the work is accessible to everyone who uses the same application. ( 2002) This implies that after a project is done, then the project becomes public and free. Thus technology also brings in the threat of copyright and intellectual property infringements.   X.                 Memorandum Date: 26 July 2006 To: Supervisor From: Subject: Suggestions for Better Working Conditions   1.                  The company should acquire computers with higher IT capabilities in order to accommodate a more open distribution of information. 2.                  The company should install an intranet for easier access of documents and quicker communication among the employees. 3.                  Establish a flexible working time program and offer it to employees who want to avail it. 4.                  Create a set of rules regarding use of e-mail, mobile, and internet in the office. It should be limited to work-related activities.             XI.               References Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

I. One of the top characteristics that employers seek upon acquiring an employee to the organization is p...