Human Resources

We are witnessing and participating in an unprecedented dissolution of the boundaries of the field of organization development. In organizations around the world, the HRS function Is monopolizing the ODD function at an unprecedented pace, which is limiting our reach, blunting our effectiveness, and compromising our role. ” ODD and HRS Do We Want the Lady or the Tiger? By Matt Mailman Ding. Ding. Ding. K, time’s up. Time to decide. Will it be door number one, or door number two? The lady or the tiger? In Frank Stockpot’s allegory (1882), a prisoner is ordered to choose between two closed doors.

Behind one is a woman whom he must marry sight unseen and live with for the rest of his life; behind the other is the tiger which would surely eat him alive. Without knowing exactly what is behind which door, how Is one to choose? And, which does one really prefer? Like the mythical prisoner, the field of ODD has been standing In front of two doors for too long, putting off the choice between them. One door would leave the ODD function embedded within HRS; the other would get ODD out to stand independently on its own two feet in the organization.

The field of ODD has been putting off this decision for too long? nice its inception, in fact?and it is time for us to make the decision. Well into our mid-ass as a field, we can’t really blame all of this mess on our forebears, because frankly we’re dealing with these choices Just as badly as they did when the field was first founded. We’re still standing looking at the same two doors between which our ODD forebears could not decide. Long History, Deep Roots This question about whether ODD should be part of HRS or should stand on its own goes back to the founding of our field.

What became organization development had its roots in the training and placement function, where the T group was the primary Intervention. At a panel of the founders of ODD at the 2009 Academy of Management conference in Chicago, almost every one of them, to a man, said that they were trained as writers or sociologists or engineers, but attended an ANT Institute T group where their lives changed. (Several also lamented that they were all white men in the field at that time, and on that panel at MOM. Following their ANT experiences, they tried to bring these insights they had obtained Into their organizations via the training function. By the ate sass, Just a few years after the field was founded by about a dozen Internal training and development people at Ant’s summer home in Bethel, Maine, the theory was, “let’s transform the way managers think about themselves and the ways they relate to people and solve problems, and once we’ve done that, we can send them back home to transform their own organizations” (Operas & Bradford, 2004).

Evidently, there were some who said that the ODD function should stand on its own and be independent to other intelligence (Burke, 2 ). Others, however, were concerned t the field of ODD was too new and unknown and should reside in the personnel or raining function, as advocated by Shell Davis of TRW Systems, Sys Levy from Pillsbury, Herb Sheppard formerly of Sees, Dick Backyard, and others. Their belief was that “ODD at the time was too new, too ephemeral, and too suspect to survive on its own in the organization …

Early on, then, two models or scenarios ODD and HRS: Do We Want the Lady or the Tiger? 17 about the place of ODD within the organization were debated regarding the wisdom of such a placement” (Burke, 2004). Theory Versus Fact The vast majority of the central thinkers, writers, and scholars in our field today (Cummings & Worldly, 2005; Marshal, 2009; Ferrymen & Worldly, 2009; Retell, et al. , 2009) write as if ODD is a separate and distinct field of practice, but the facts on the ground tell a different story.

We are witnessing and participating in an unprecedented dissolution of the world, the HRS function is monopolizing the ODD function at an unprecedented pace, which is limiting our reach, blunting our effectiveness, and compromising our role. As a field, we are behaving as if there is nothing we can do about it; it is as if we are watching ourselves in an automobile crash in slow motion, worried and concerned at hat we see, and yet unable to find the brakes or grab the steering wheel to avert the collision and all of the collateral damage.

Maybe the founders of the field were right that ODD was too new and too fragile to stand on its own. But they didn’t count on what’s happening now in the field of HRS. The Ascendancy of HRS Over the past 15 years, we have seen better and better leadership of the HRS function, with several universities now offering Masters’ degrees in HARM and HARD and several MBA degrees with an HRS concentration. The result has been a generation of stronger, more tragic HRS managers who have achieved a seat at the table and are trusted advisors at the top of organizations.

Many managers at the top of the HRS function are getting better by the year about understanding the dynamics of the organizations in which they serve. Increasingly, they can speak the language of the board room, and are not afraid to undertake even major organization change projects. This new generation of HRS leaders clearly understands that people and money are the powers that run organizations; and when the system can provide enough of the latter, their Job is to get Just enough f it into the hands of the former to get the Job done. And then return the rest to stakeholders. And to keep the organization out of court.

In these regards, they are notably different from the generation of HRS managers and VSP that preceded them, when there was no professional training for HRS managers and when these posts often went to the UP who was due to retire next. The evolution of the training function also has had an impact. Ever increasing pressures to reduce costs nave torched the training diminution to get smart about impact evaluation. Kirkpatrick (1998) four levels have forced the training function to kook beyond end-of-session “smile sheets” to defend their budgets and make the case that training is a valuable investment.

The result has been that training functions are now requiring training managers who have the skills to collect data, analyze it, and think systemically about what to do with it. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? If you needed The days of HRS staff being hired principally because they were people persons with DOD listening skills are gone. The trend toward activity based costing (BBC) is now showing the true cost of overhead functions such as HRS, and HRS is responding by asking itself more relevant to the business of the organization.

Many HRS staff are now called business partners, often reflecting an aspiration goal, but quite distant from the actual reality of their skills on the ground. With this smarter, more strategic generation of HRS managers comes the instinct and desire to have at hand one of the most powerful levers for organizational change and renewal, the ODD function. Thus the trend of ODD roles and functions being acquired by HRS. And, to be clear, in merger and acquisition terms, these are not mergers of equals; they are straight up acquisitions of the ODD function by HRS.

Another factor has been the pressure on HRS functions to be relevant to the business of the organization. The days of HRS staff being hired principally because they were people persons with good listening skills are gone. The trend toward activity based costing (BBC) is now showing the true cost of overhead functions such as HRS, and HRS is responding by making itself more relevant to the business of the organization. Many HRS staff are now called business partners, often reflecting an aspiration goal, but quite distant from the actual reality of their skills on the ground. Money to do that, wouldn’t you be looking for a DOD ODD person?

Often desperate to meet their utilization goals, the training function is very happy to let managers continue to believe that training is the answer to every problem, a kind of panacea for whatever ails. Leaders and employees alike seem to rely on training as the answer, believing perhaps that with the right education they can deliver what the business needs. That is certainly an easier solution to accept than facing ODD issues related to how people, teams, and departments relate and connect with one another, how business processes work, and how all connect with ND work toward the strategic direction of the organization.

So, it is no wonder that smart HRS leaders are looking to candidates trained and educated in ODD to take on these business partner and training leadership roles, resulting in even more blurring of the lines between ODD and HRS. 18 ODD PRACTITIONER Volvo. 42 NO. 4 2010 Differences Are Real, and Important By now, this author’s biases are probably clear: there are important differences between the ODD and HRS functions; and as these roles collapse and the differences disappear, the field of ODD is losing its unique position in the organization and its effectiveness overall.

We’re behaving as a field as if we uncoil be living in a both/and world around this, when the truth is exactly the opposite. Many in ODD struggle to find and hold boundaries that separate people and things. We spend our entire time helping our clients make better connections between each other at all levels?individuals and pairs, cross unit collaboration, organizations working toward better partnerships, etc. But when it comes to ODD and our HRS cousins, we should be sharpening and better defining our boundaries, not blurring them, because the differences in our functions are real and important.

The HRS function has a legally mandated, regulatory role: to provide people to fill Jobs, to reduce costs (for payroll, health care insurance, benefits, etc. ), and to keep the organization out of the courts and the press by ensuring compliance and avoiding claims of discrimination or harassment. People view HRS as the people you go to with a problem that you want to make official. People feel that going to HRS puts things in the record. They see HRS as the enforcers or policemen.

The ODD function has a developmental mandate; in fact, our Job is to increase the effectiveness of the organization and to maximize the potential of the human beings in the work force. We have theories, concepts, beliefs, and values through which we help our clients assure that there is alignment among strategy, structure, business process, and culture, while at the same time embedding human values such as honesty, respect, diversity, and voice.

One model (Marshal, 2006) outlines three domains of knowledge for ODD practitioners: understanding social systems, drawing on theories and ideas from the social sciences, including psychology, social psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, and others, consistent with ODD aloes; understanding the wows and whys of change, including the bodies of knowledge that help explain how all levels of the system?individual, group, organizational, community, and even societies change; and understanding the role of the third party change agent, especially aiding the person in charge as well as the system itself to bring about the desired changes, requiring an understanding of the issues, politics, psychological processes related to being a third party in a change process. That doesn’t sound much like the recruit, retain, train, and develop mandate of the HRS function, does it? It is hard to imagine even the highest functioning HRS departments being knowledgeable and skilled in all these areas. There are many in HRS who look at the list of ODD functions and say, “Oh, we can do that! ” And, on occasion, they may be right.

But the philosophies of the two disciplines are starkly different, as are the theory bases, the world views, the core skills sets, and their roles within the organization. There is a built-in conflict between the role of ODD consultant, coach or adviser with a developmental mandate working toward organizational effectiveness, versus the role to the R practitioner whose core mandate is regulatory and endorsement. Can a good HRS person advise on selected developmental matters, such as training strategies and needs assessments? Yes, as can a good ODD person. But the conflict of interest for the HRS staff shows up when the Action Research process of retreat planning and design requires them to interview staff about a manager’s effectiveness.

What staff member in her right mind would say something critical of their manager to someone from HRS, who is likely also to be involved in decisions about that manager’s promotion, pay, and even succession planning? Or their own? HRS has its hands on too many of the organizational levers and has too many mandates centering around enforcement and control to ever be effective at drawing out of managers the truth about their insecurities, anxieties, and the shadow sides, that is so necessary to doing good work and being effective in doing ODD. Troubling Examples These concerns aren’t Just theoretical, either. Quick conversations with a handful of colleagues, both ODD and HRS, turn up some troubling examples.

In a large multinational organization, The Different Functions Organization Development Ђ Improve the effectiveness of the organization Maximize the potential of human beings and their contributions to the organization Align strategy, structure, business processes, and behavior into an effective corporate culture Model and foster humanistic values into the workplace Human Resources Manage employee attraction, retention, development, and performance management Develop and manage programs for employee relations, staff wellbeing, workforce planning, and workload management Ensure equity and diversity Reduce labor costs Avoid litigation Enforce corporate policies 9 the ODD staff and external consultants were forced to follow the rules that govern the rest of the HRS function around meeting with VSP and senior managers. The HRS UP insisted that he attend every meeting that the HRS?and ODD! ?staff had with other VSP in the organization. Not Just marketing or contracting meetings, but actual project meetings as well. He was unwilling to make an exception for the ODD staff lest the HRS staff get upset.

Within weeks, his it was in Corporate Strategy along with the strategy and budget functions, where it had free reign of the organization and was in constant contact with the top dervish on strategy, structure, and corporate culture. It was later merged into the HRS function. The results: the best organization design people in town left (with all of their embedded knowledge) rather than be reassigned to deliver management training programs. Then a succession to HRS managers grade- practitioner is, then anybody can hang out a shingle claiming he or she is an ODD consultant. In fact, some years ago, there was an informal study of the members of the ODD Network that found that almost one third of them had taken on the label or the role of ODD consultant, with no previous education or training in the field.

Not All Bad News To be clear, the field has shifted largely positively, over the past few decades, responding to some of the “red flags” that Larry Greener (1972) identified for ODD, including: Putting individual behavior ahead of strategy, structure, process, and controls; Overemphasized the informal at the expense of the formal organization, driving more for openness and trust to change the culture, often at the expense of efficiency, hierarchy, and accountability;  Driving open and trusting relationships as a normative model for change, without questioning the context or applicability in a even situation, and assuming that team building was always the preferred intervention; Putting process before task, enamored with the human dynamics of working together over getting the work done; and  Treating the manager as Just another stakeholder, relatively uninvolved in the planning and conduct of consultant programs rather than the key stakeholder. Historically, the field has addressed many, if not all, of these red flags among strong and well-grounded practitioners. However, many of them are still quite evident in HRS people who are trying to do ODD today.

The Right Answer Reflecting on the various options for organizing and structuring the ODD function and constructing its relationship with HRS, the optimum solution is to establish In a large financial institution, the ODD function thrived when it was part of the IT function where it designed and facilitated large business process simplification projects. It had its best years when it was in Corporate Strategy along with the strategy and budget functions, where it had free reign of the organization and was in constant contact with the top leadership on strategy, structure, and corporate culture. It was later merged into the HRS function. The results: the best organization design people in town left (with all of their embedded knowledge) rather than be reassigned to deliver management training programs. Schedule became a huge constraint on the work of the ODD function because consultants (internal and external) could not get into his calendar to meet with their clients. In a science-based organization the ODD function was fully financially self-sufficient, recovering the costs and a bit of an “upgrade” from its internal clients. Other HRS managers got resentful of this chargeable mechanism. They forced the manager of the ODD program to stop cupping her costs, which effectively killed the ODD function because it had no free- standing budget of its own. In a university, a very strong and capable ODD function has been merged and renamed Learning and ODD, resulting in the organization’s best ODD talent being diverted into managing the training program for the university.

In a large financial institution, the ODD function thrived when it was part of the IT function where it designed and facilitated large business process simplification projects. It had its best years when ally reduced the ODD function to delivering two day team alluding retreats, and a cadre of dozens of internal and external consultants has been whittled down to less than 10. In one knowledge -based organization we know, the ODD person is required to have the HRS person present during all contracting and data collection meetings. Clients are now creatively working around the requirement by calling the ODD staff directly on their cell phones after hours to discuss matters that they can’t or won’t say in front of the HRS people, who are not trusted in that system.

No Boundaries, No Standards What Bradford and Burke (2004) said about the jack of standards in the field of ODD applies equally well to the lack of boundaries with the HRS function. “When there is lack of clarity as to the boundaries of the field and corresponding confusion about what the appropriate role of an ODD 20 the ODD function independently. Ideally, it would have a blended mandate and funding, charging back for local unit-specific work, and centrally funded for organization-wide efforts. There are instances when ODD should be working in partnership with the HRS function, specialists on one discipline speaking with and working closely with specialists of the other discipline.

There are instances when the HRS function would be the ODD function’s client; and there are instances when the ODD and HRS functions ought not to be working together at all, such as when there are conflicts of interest or large scale organization strategy or design projects not ready for implementation. There are disadvantages to being freestanding and independent within the organization. The ODD function may become vulnerable to exposure, scrutiny, and politics. Some ODD people can’t play in the C-suite (Burke, 2004). The function would have to earn its stripes and compete for money and mandate with there functions in strategic planning, financial management, budget, and yes, even HRS.

But the upsides of organizational independence are quite significant, and are evident now where strong ODD departments are standing on their own. The ODD function becomes central to the business of the organization, influencing strategy, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, restructuring, etc. It works upstream, providing early input on the development of plans and processes, able to bring a systemic perspective and ODD values to actions that previously had been made primarily on financial grounds alone. It is present and able to influence the setting of the agenda, not Just the implementation of it. But How to Get There? It is no longer enough Just to be good at process.

To be able to stand independently in organizations, free of the cover and support of the HRS function, ODD practitioners need to: Know the major environmental, regulatory, and financial drivers of the organization; Know, be known by, and trusted by the top leadership to the organization; Know what’s involved in evaluating, deciding, and implementing mergers and acquisitions, especially around blending corporate cultures and business processes; Be effective n working across cultures, in global environments, and especially today, virtually; and Be attuned to the organizational politics within the organization and within its governance structures. (Greener ; Cummings, 2004) Integrating sustainability and globalization into the world of ODD brings another set of challenges.

To play effectively as a free standing function, free of support from HRS, ODD practitioners need: New and better ideas for progress, guided by diversity, development, and sustainability; To understand and be effective at intervening in economic systems, balancing productivity with innovation, sustainability, and perversity; socially constructed and negotiated (Bushes ; Marshal, 2008). As the boundaries of the field have expanded over the past 15 years to include more systemic perspectives, there are new challenges for how to educate new ODD professionals (Minoan ; Farther, 2008). That’s a tall order for a field that has prided itself historically on being apolitical, focusing on the individual, following the lead of the client, ambivalent about asserting ourselves in leadership roles within our client systems, and seeing ourselves as a bit subversive in being countercultures. There is some good news here, however.

Exhibits: Use of professionally prepared exhibits (such as charts and tables) may be necessary, not only to comply with the length requirement, but also to enhance the succinct presentation of your team’s response. An exhibit must be “labeled” and briefly explained in the body of your team’s response – what is its relevance? An exhibit is typically one (1) page. 3. References: Your team must include four (4) credible references (not including the textbook) err assignment to add validity to your answers. Your textbook does not count as a reference.

You should avoid Internet sources, except certain government or association sites (e. G. , OSHA). Use the Troy library online to conduct your research. Identify references based on PAP Style. Endnotes and Web sites are included in your textbook. Supplementary Readings are posted in the Assignments area of Blackboard. Attachment 2: Preparation of TAB (continued) 4. Evaluation: TAB assignments will be evaluated based on the following criteria. Content (65%): Integration of appropriate, relevant course concepts; quality of analysis; focusing on specifics, not generalities; and thoroughness (pertains to scope and depth of coverage).

Organization (20%): Use of these guidelines, applicable section headings, and relevant exhibits; inclusion of relevant research; and flow. Professionalism (1 5%): Demonstrated evidence of the 3 AS: Adequate preparation, pride of workmanship, and proficiency in the use of good communication skills – writing style and comprehensibility (grammar and punctuation). Reposes must be concise, incisive, and literate. Rubric: A Rubric, based on the above criteria, will be utilized to grade the TAB assignments. Attach

Group-4 Technology as a replacement of human resources Muhammad bilal khan Uob # 11029363 Year ‘’0’’ 2 Contents: 1. 2. 3. Complete essay on “technology as a replacement of human recourses” (from page 3 to page5) Reference list on (page 6) Bibliography list on (page 6) 3 Technology as a replacement of human recourses Yes. Technology replaces human resources in every field of life. Before going into the details let’s understand ourselves that what is technology? And what are human recourses?

According to the Wikipedia, Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures (1). That explains the term technology comprehensively. If we look at the human resources then Wikipedia again define these as, Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations.

Human resources is also the name of the function within an organization charged with the overall responsibility for implementing strategies and policies relating to the management of individuals (2). so this is the all story as for as terms are concerned. Now it’s better to go into the details. That how the technology is going to replace human resources. There are many fields under the huge influence of technology including mining, astronomy, military, robotics, shipping, agriculture, medical diagnosis, computer industry, education, transportation and many other fields.

We will go into the details one by one extracting their background into the envelope of future prospective by considering the ground situation of the day as well. Mining is a field where now technology replacing human recourses pretty well. In past mining was carried out by human recourses only and the process contain much danger and require huge amount of money with a lot of time. But now with invention of different machines the scenario is completely changed. Mining is now a game of least danger. More profitable and time saving process. That indicates how technologies replace human recourses in mining.

Astronomy is another field where technology dominates over human resources. By definition Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, nebulae, star clusters and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth (such as the cosmic background radiation). It is concerned with the evolution, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestial objects, as well as the universe. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences (3). In past people have no idea that what’s coming on next.

Now by the invention of latest telescopes predictions are possible that benefits people a lot. e. g weather forecast prediction etc. In military prospective technology replace human recourses wonderfully. Now winning of a war is a second’s game with least damage. Modern weapons are introduced with 4 greater orientation of results. Invention of atomic bomb even changes the whole psychic of the war. Now the side with latest technology dominates over a side with numberless human recourses. The area where saying “technology as a replacement of human recourses” is fit perfectly is robotics.

Robotics leading almost every branch of our life. Now you don’t care of anything if you have your own personal robot. It can do anything for you. Shipping and transportation are very commonly known fields. People use different ways of Transportation to move from one place to another. And shipping is also use to transfer things or masses across the globe. In old times people had no more options in this respect but now they have. Actually all this is due to technology that replace human recourses on continuous basis. Agriculture is an area that holds greatest human resources.

But right now with the invention of modern technologies and in fact machineries like tractors, harvester, Beet harvester, harvester Carrot bin, Combine Conveyor and Corn Cotton pin (4-a) this field completely revolutionized. Now farmers getting benefitted by using modern machineries saving their time, investment and getting more profit. That put positive impact on their lifestyle as well. Another sub area of our lives is health. In past people suffering from different diseases had least options of their survival because of poor arrangements.

But now with the arrival of modern techniques and instruments, technology not only replaces but in fact revolutionized the field of health sciences. By using latest techniques and instruments doctors understand the situation of the patients accurately. Here technology enhanced the expertise of human recourses. As everyone knows computers are all about the technology. From a microchip to a macro level hardware all is technology. With the arrival of computers, things changed in a fantastic way. Calculations, which were take hours and hours, now contracted in an interval of nano second.

Computer software industry, also contributed in this respect. Software creates much ease for human beings. And their online availability makes them more attractive. People use e–mails for formal and informal contact. Instead of using letter with boring wait Finally the Education. Technology has a wide scope in education. Now a days almost every student aware of technology as a replacement of human recourses. We have a smart example in this respect where human recourses replaced by technology. According to an educational informational sit news. com. au, “Almost 30 robots have started teaching English to youngsters in a South Korean city” (5). This is a great development towards replacing human recourses by technology. Finally I have to say that technology in spite of its minor side effects yet it never disappoints us as a replacement of human resources. Let’s hope for the best. So many things are being invented in all the fields of our daily life and the journey is still going on……………………………………………………… 6 References and bibliography list list These are some of the web links which are used as reference in the essay (in the form of material) (1)_ http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/Technology#Definition_and_usage (2)_ http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Human_resources (3)_ http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Astronomy (4)_http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/List_of_agricultural_machinery (4-a)_lesson# 109 “simple and complex machines used in agriculture” Authors: Tonja Cargill Pamela Emery (5)_ http://www. news. com. au/technology/english-teachers-replaced-by-robots-in-koreainstitute-of-science-of-technology-project/story-e6frfrnr-1225977348809 ?————————————————————————————————-?

At KFC the customer is the boss. Hence all the strategies that the comes up with are formulated with the long term vision of achieving customer satisfaction. This is accomplished via effective KFC Human Resources strategies for the employees at work.

Strategic Plans

KFC seeks opportunities for investment where others do not look and examines these opportunities with open-mindedness, thoroughness and hard-headed practicality. It aims to create value through change, challenging existing paradigms by applying vision, innovation and skilled execution. The company has always accentuated corporate social responsibility. Its fast food chains focus on consistently providing a pleasant dining experience, with fast friendly service, in a clean and convenient location (Beamish, 2000).

KFC has long term plans to build an organization dedicated to excellence and consistently deliver superior quality, and value in its products and services. It wishes to maintain a commitment to innovation for continuous improvement and growth, striving always to be the leader in the market place. The idea is to generate consistently superior financial returns and benefit its owners and employees.

KFC organizational structure

Behind the KFC restaurants is an organized management. The KFC organizational structure is flat and horizontal rather than vertical. This saves a lot of trouble in the communication network at KFC. It reduces the time and money spent in communicating. The head office of KFC has departments and departmental heads. It is like an inverted pyramid because at the end of the day, it is the bottom line workers who have to deal with the customers.

Each departmental head has a senior manager reporting to him. Senior manager supervises three to four junior managers. Junior managers work with the executives on different projects and assignments. This shows that the management of KFC has a relatively wide p of control. The approach to departmentalization at KFC is a combination of functional and divisional.

Organizational Values

The values of KFC include focusing all its resources to its restaurant operations because that is where it serves its customer. The customer is the boss. The KFC HR department believes in rewarding and respecting the contributions of each individual at KFC. It continuously expands and updates training. Training is expensive but the cost of not training is even higher. Training at KFC is on-the-job as well as outside the office premises. Either way, it involves a lot of time and money.

Amongst the core values of the management of KFC is the value to be honest, open and direct in its dealings with others. It wishes to commit itself to the highest standards of personal and professional integrity at all times. The managers of KFC encourage new and innovative ideas as these are the key to competitive growth. They reward results and not simple efforts, and promote team work.

The management of KFC has high consistency in its espoused values and employee behavior. For example, espoused value is that customer is the boss, and this is reflected in the employee dedication to deliver high quality to the customers. This consistency assures the accomplishment of corporate goals.

It is the job of the human resource department, along with the support of top management, to ensure that a comfortable and friendly culture prevails in the organization, not just at the KFC outlets, but at the head offices as well. Hence, a constructive culture exists at KFC where employees are free to interact with others and to choose their assignments in ways that help them grow and develop. Constructive culture includes emphasis on achievement, self-actualization, humanistic-encouraging and affiliative.

To feel a sense of achievement, the human resource management at KFC plans activities in a way that enable employees take pride in their work and have a passion for excellence. For self-actualization, KFC believes in its employees, trusts positive intentions and encourages ideas from everyone and actively develops a workforce that is diverse in style and background. To be humanistic-encouraging, KFC employees coach and support each other. They find reasons to celebrate the achievement of others and have fun doing it. Finally for affiliation KFC employees execute with positive energy and intensity. They practice team together, team apart.

Communication flow

Communication at KFC is done through both formal and informal channels.

Formal Communication – Upward and Downward Communication

In the formal channels there is two way communication between the managers and the subordinates: downward and upward communication. In downward communication, the CEO frequently walks around the office to see how people are doing. He talks to employees and discusses their progress at work. Managers impart instructions to team members at the restaurants and sometimes hold meetings to communicate important information or changes in management policy.

The team members at the restaurant outlets do not have access to the internet. Therefore all the communication that takes place between the head office and the restaurants is either done on the phone or through meetings. It is the job of the human resource department to ensure effective communication while protecting the rights of the employees. Moreover, the employees are free to give their suggestions or launch any complaints to the human resource managers.

In the upward communication network, since the business of KFC is mainly concerned with the final consumers, it is very important to get information on all changing trends in customer behavior. This information is provided by the bottom line workers as they are the ones who deal with the customers. Hence the managers communicate with them on a regular basis to get updates (McNamara, N.D.).

There is also an “Open door” policy. Employees at the head office are free to give in their suggestions. They can put these in the suggestion box which is placed at the reception so all the employees can easily access it. The best suggestion of the month is awarded. The restaurants have a CEO suggestion box through which the team members can express their problems or opinions. Only the CEO can access these.

There is also lateral communication at KFC. Managers of all departments communicate regularly with each other in order to coordinate activities concerning finance, design, quality control, operations and KFC human resources . The aim is to achieve synergy and a strategic fit of organizational resources. Also learn Dell human resources management

Informal Communication

As part of the informal channels of communication, the CEO has a hotline which is a private e-mail account which only he can access and employees can convey their comments, complaints and grievances as anonymous. The grapevine is an important part of the communication network. They meet up during lunch and they can even take breaks whenever they want. This time is used to discuss personal and work related issues. The location of the head office gives employees the opportunity to relax together after work. This builds strong interpersonal relationships between employees and enhances the informal exchange of information (McNamara, N.D.).

“A shift on thinking in Strategic Management about the location of sources of competitive advantage has put the spot light on human resources as the strategic resources in a firm. ” (Dr. Martin Wielemaker and Dr. Doug flint 2005) Initially attempts were made to search the availability of the sources of competitive advantages outside the environment of the firm. Later on it was found that the efficient sources of competitive strength were to be looked for only inside the organizations themselves, which have the distinct advantage of non-imitable nature.

It was also perceived that such resources, capabilities and competencies were located in the minds of the people and hence human resources are deemed imminent and worthy. This paradigm of change in the thinking towards strategic management has provided the human resources a lead role from that of a supportive role earlier it was occupying. The Supportive and Strategic role of Human Resources and the HRM functions is clearly exhibited by the following figure:

“Human resources may either support a firm’s processes or may constitute strategic resources that allow firm to achieve competitive advantage. Such a shift in the status of human resources is represented by arrow ‘2’ in the figure. Similarly the HRM function may either support a firm’s human resources by selecting, training, and retaining them or it can theoretically represent an HRM capability that gives the firm a competitive advantage over others. Such a shift in the HRM status is represented by arrow ‘3’ in the figure. ” (Dr. Martin Wielemaker and Dr. Doug flint 2005)

An early model of HRM developed by Fomburun et al (1984), introduced the concept of Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM) by which HRM polices are inextricably linked to the “formulation and implementation of strategic corporate and/or business objectives”. Comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the organization on the needs of its human resources will effectively help in selecting appropriate methods or human resource strategies. Although human resource policies, such as rewards system and communication system, are of great value, compensation package may directly or indirectly affect the workforces’ performance.

When it is true that reward system helps positively by increasing the morale of the employees, appropriate compensation package for employees may yield tremendous change in one’s performance and attitude towards work. HRM strategies cannot be standardized. There is no known universal strategy being used by organizations. This is mainly due to the fact that selection and implementation of specific HRM strategy is still based on the vision, priority and geography of an organization.

Culture and tradition usually dictates what specific strategy would an organization to adopt, hence standardization may take sometime before it can be realized. It is but too risky to adopt a strategy without proper considerations.  STRATEGIC HRM IN THE MIDDLE EAST ENVIRONMENT: Take for example the HRM strategies not only in our company but the general strategies commonly used in the Middle East – competitive compensation package, rewards system, annual performance appraisal, and utilization of the Internet etc.

These may be considered appropriate in our region but these strategies may or may not be used by other organizations in other regions or elsewhere in the world mainly due to the unavailability of resources, lack of initiative and empowerment of the organization to implement such policies and lack of proper training and continuous education to disseminate newer and more effective strategies in an organization. In a fast-paced and ever changing society, HRM in our region should keep up with changes and be flexible enough to discover innovative and enhanced HRM strategies through, training, formal education and technological developments.

The existence of a culture—shared norms, beliefs or values of the members of an organization also determines what HRM strategy is appropriate. As a rising organization in the Middle East, it has been helpful that our employee workgroup shares the same beliefs and tradition. Although there are minorities present in our company, a certain culture based on the majority’s belief still exists. Our organization culture fosters respect and high regards for the employees that encourages them to participate in decision-making thus creating autonomy and better work performance.

Our company does not tolerate harsh or uncaring treatment by the management to our most important resource—our human resources. In line with this, our company has long formulated and implemented various HR policies that serve as an important tool in increasing the morale and self-esteem of the employees. These policies are continuously enhanced and improved to better suit the needs of the employees.

HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT A TOOL OF HRM

Human Resource Development (HRD) coined by Len Nadler, 1970 provided an umbrella term that unified the three-fold concept: training, education and development.

The term provided a direction and a goal for the field while opening the possibility of future studies on this field. This three-fold concept is a noteworthy basis that can result to improved organizational performance if given extra attention. HRD also focuses on improving the work-related knowledge, skills and capability of the people. It sees employees working as individuals with the ability to work as teams for the organizations towards its vision and mission (Smith, 2004). The capacity of an organization to produce positive and improved outcomes depends upon the working attitude of its employee group—so to speak, the “human” resources.

The employee group can either resist or adapt to change. They can be a hindrance or a bridge to connect the present and the future of HRD (Smith, 1986). There is, however, an existing literature that argues that HRD is initially designed to improve organization performance through learning-based strategies. It recognizes that the HRD practice should be quantified through its contributions to organizations contrary to the concept of HRD benefiting the individual (Johnston, 2001).

TECHINOLOGY BASED HRD:

When speaking of development, one cannot deny its direct relationship to technology.Technological development plays a vital role for the future of HRD here and abroad. Technological development cannot be completely understood without extracting the real essence o f the term technology. Technology can be viewed as a process, as a product and as a mixture of both. Technology as a process is a systematic application of knowledge to practical tasks. However as a product, it refers to outcome of the applied knowledge. It is also a mixture of both in the sense that the two are actually interdependent.

“Information technology advancements would be a good example for this noting that the hardware is always connected to the software and vice-versa “(Streumer et al, 1999). Technological development will have a major impact on the future trends of HRD. The advent of Internet and information technology trends has automated HRD practices. It has helped reduce workload of HRD practitioners thereby giving them ample time to develop better strategies for the organization.

RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT-PHASES OF HRD:

Training and education are also main points of HRD. Along with development, these two also determines trends that prove beneficial. For example, in-house or in-service training for employee groups in will help in updating the skill, work attitude and key competencies of the workers that in turn will produce better outcomes for the organization. Likewise, formal trainings outside an organization are also beneficial in the sense that organizations can keep up with the changing society through the execution of the learned knowledge by the workers (Blalock, 2004).

Human resources job description: Answer employees’ questions regarding benefits eligibility and procedures. Explain and interpret District insurance program and options for employee and dependents. Consult with SAP Consultant to develop or implement new rates as needed. Develop reports and analyze data using human resources information system (SAP). Review enrollment forms to determine coverage. Interpret various group insurance plans, laws, rules, and regulations. Develop, maintain and monitor eligibility for the District benefits program.

Prepare COBRA notices and process election forms. Create COBRA file to monitor and track all COBRA enrollees. Coordinate enrollment, tracking, and administration of flexible spending accounts (FSAs). Respond to inquiries regarding the qualifications and costs of extending coverage, and benefit plans. Correspond with carriers regarding eligibility, rates discrepancies, and contract interpretations. Research and resolve problems related to COBRA activities. Plan, organize, and coordinate the District Employee Health Fair.

Assist the Benefits Administrator in the new employee employment orientations. Prepare and submit Proof of Death Claims and the Long Term Disability Claims. Conduct open enrollment process or employee benefits orientation. Coordinate other benefits programs such as tuition reimbursement. Other duties as assigned. To write a good job description and advertisement for a human resource assistant, the first thing I did was check the local labor laws and the federal laws to know what the requirements will be for an HR employee. Maple Leaf case study

Then, I went to several online work websites including Monster and CareerJobs to attempt to find what types of things are usually discussed in an HR position. This job in particular focuses on the health are and health care benefits. It is a very focused area of human resources which is becoming more and more necessary. As employment law becomes more and more complicated, human resource professionals are required to me more specialist than the employment generalists of the past.

At Land Rover, The Human Resources department, makes Land Rover more competitive in the market, a vast majority of influences take place in making Land Rover competitive. The planning of manpower of Land Rover contributes to making them more efficient and operative. This is because, the manpower plan is a system which delivers where all staff members should be situated and what are there functions. It helps staff identify how to operate and also it shows how the process of colour production is made effective.

Moreover, The Human Resources department of Land Rover makes the organisation, competitive by placing a performance management system. Assessment of Land Rover employees is a situation. This process is welcomed by both managers and employees as long as it is done fairly and systematically. The process of assessing employees is called ‘Performance Appraisal’ and is normally carried out by the employee’s immediate superior. Herzberg suggested that ‘Satisfiers’ such as recognition and personal growth motivate employees to work to the best of their ability.

Land Rover agree with his theory and therefore use appraisals as a form of performance management to analyse which areas the employees need to be motivated on. The person carrying out the appraisal is called the appraiser and the person being appraised is the appraisee. Appraisal usually follows a standard format: First, the appraiser writes an appraisal report on the employee in question. This can be done in a number of ways: Performance management allows Land Rover to ensure that all of their workers are properly trained.

A properly trained employee will be more confident in their job and will be better motivated and will perform more efficiently. Customer satisfaction can be increased by providing the customer with quality products which have been made by the employees who are happy in their work. When a customer receives product, they will want to return to Land Rover again to purchase another car because of the quality control and quality assurance. This will effectively increase Land Rover sales and therefore, their long term competitiveness.

Motivation of workers in Land Rover is critical to the service provided by Land Rover -because unmotivated workers do not perform as well as motivated workers Another way which Land Rover’s Human Resources Department contribute in competitiveness is by having a training and development procedure. This is where the manager picks out the employees strengths and weaknesses from the appraisal system and, the manager advises them to go on a training and development course. This will try to improve the skills and qualities of the employees.

This is done by putting in procedures of mentoring, this is a form of counselling which builds relationships with the mentor. This type of training helps the candidate to be calm in demanding situations and further their careers. The mentor training system is regarded as a cost effective and less time consuming. Moreover, coaching methods of training could be used where, it is like mentoring, instead of improving the employee’s confidence to pursue their career it actually keeps track of the employees performance and achievements. This method provides managers with a method to assess employee’s suitability and performance.

Also, there is a training method which is called apprenticeship, where it provides inexperienced people to develop their skills and experience in a business where new candidates will be looked after for a period of time until they have gained essential experience for the vacancy. This method of training does not cost much, because the candidates are learning while they work. Change management in that training helps employees understand why change is necessary and how they will benefit. Gives them confidence to cope with new skills necessary for new working practices.

Overall, the influences of commitment is undergone through performance management and training and development procedures. The performance management motivates the staff to provide an outcome of effective working and efficiency across Land Rover. The training and development also motivates the employees in achieving success, this is undergone by self success. Where the employees want to achieve satisfaction and value from everyone. This will also make Land Rover more competitive in the long run as skills and qualities will be generated and this can be applied to the use of Land Rover and this will make Land Rover more efficient.