HRM at No Name Aircraft - Case Study Example

NO NAME AIRCRAFT HR PRACTICES CASE ANALYSIS Student’s Name Course Name Professor’s Name Date Institution 1.0 Introduction The success of any given organisation lies in its ability to link different areas of human resource management into its day-to-day business operations. Just like any other company, No Name Aircraft needs to understand that the success of its business activities greatly relies on how the management and the junior staff can fairly integrate their skills, knowledge and experiences into production of quality products. As at now, the organisation is facing a myriad number of challenges that includes; a failure to impact a distinct organisational culture; a lack of sustainable and reliable training and development initiative for its employees situated across the different areas of production; a failed initiative to ensure effective performance management that covers its overall activities across the different subsidiaries in China; Vietnam and Singapore; and poor diversity management structure that should focus on protecting existing and potential employees from possible exploitations. The focus of this paper is on examining the challenges faced by No Name Aircraft in relation to such important HRM aspects as culture; diversity management; training and development; and international performance management and possible suggestions that can be put in place to ensure that No Name Aircraft is able to sustain qualitative productivity in the long run. 2.0 Diversity Management & Culture Organisational is critical HRM concept that has been defined in a great number of ways by different scholars and researchers. The most stand-out definition of the term however; attributes it to being a fundamental set of values; beliefs and people behavioural pattern that can be associated distinctively with particular organisations and can effectively be adopted for purpose of equalising the behaviours of existing employees. According to Mosley (2007, p.126-128), the concept can be effectively used to provide an efficient guideline that would ensure to predetermine the way staffing personnel can tackle possible challenges as they arise. This can be vehemently perceived by the ability of the concept to provide a reliable platform for which elements related to norms and values can be imposed on different set of scenarios. Certainly, it portrays a prevailing set of values as well as formulate possible assumptions that would tend to explain on such a statement as’ this is how we conduct activities around here’(Mosley, 2007). Different research ideologies have been successful in linking the concept of organisational culture to overall economic performance. In fact, it has been safely ascertained that any given organisation that put much emphasis on a wider stakeholder’s interest and especially in relation to their employees and management always result to be better performance as opposed to those entities that lack the aspect of culture in the policies. Milne (2007,p.29-33) notes that organisations that have taken a lead into formulating and sustaining a positive culture would certainly enjoy a significant level of benefits for its immediate operations and while at this, ensure to maintain a prolonged competitive edge over its immediate competitors. It thus goes without saying that organisations that are characterised by negative culture would definitely suffer from enjoying high-level of economic performance given that they are hindered from attaining properly set strategic and tactical goals. To effectively ensure that a company is always at par with its culture, then it is required that the dominant values and norms of its culture be well-integrated within its underlying vision and mission statement. Martins and Coetzee (2007, p.25-27) note that organisation culture influences the existing personnel to be better citizens and to go along with the activities and expectations of the organisation at hand. The rationale behind this postulation is based on the perception that a strong set of culture avails a platform for sharing of values within the organisation, which ensures that each and every personnel is aligned within a similar track. It is further noted that culture promotes organisation commitment and thereby improves on consistency of overall employee behaviours that later translates to successful business performance. Currently, No Name Aircraft is exposed to a culture that does not encourage both lateral and horizontal level of communication channels since it has been established that the current staff is always complaining about failure to receive proper instructions on time. It should be noted that an organisation culture that supports and promotes elements of open and transparent communication related to trust will certainly result to a positive influence on improving underlying levels of creativity and innovation. An organisational culture should be able to teach the employees that there might be possible disagreement, which is acceptable, given that it provides a channel for exposing possible paradoxes, conflicts and dilemmas, which will then trigger openness in communication. An open-door communication policy that involves individuals; teams and departments within No Name Aircraft should be allowed for purposes of gaining different level of perspectives. Yang and Konrad (2011, p.8) defines diversity management as a distinctive set of formalised practices that have been formulated and implemented by organisations for purposes of ensuring that they can manage diversity in a more effective manner. Kearney and Gebert (2009,p.78-83) indicate that the best practices for managing diversity within the workplace rests on selecting for diversity purposes; eliminating workplace discrimination as much as possible as well as engage in full time generation of financial effectiveness. To effectively ensure that an organisation manages positive diversity, then it should focus on improving the level of diversity of their immediate stakeholders groups like both employees and leaders (Kearney & Gebert, 2009). This way, it will be able to go past the notion of it being chained around the assumption of homogeneity and focusing employment on specific population for their qualifications in handling particular tasks within an organisation. Following this line of reasoning, management practices should be formulated in ways that triggers organisational diversity. This should involve the immediate elimination of possible restrictions related to employment of historically-marginalised groups and for that matter, include employment equity and affirmative action initiatives. Syed and Özbilgin ( 2009, p. 2437-39) emphasises that diversity is a concept that can be effectively realised within an international context for where there is the presence of multilevel structural and institutional support for purposes of inclusivity and participation of all individuals and teams within a given workplace setting. The current situation at No Name Aircraft posit that HR has not been at the forefront in ensuring that employees embrace people from different cultures; gender, age and physical appearances. In fact, it has been noted that the organisation does not employ people with disability and in essence, discriminate against them at the application stage. In this regards, diversity management should be upheld to ascertain that employees appreciate their immediate colleagues from other cultures and know people within both the headquarters and across the numerous subsidiaries. Managing diversity for this organisation is likely to develop and sustain a reliable and relevant competitive advantage and benefit different sections of the organisation. By adopting a structure that promotes diversity and conforms to the aspect related to institutional stipulations, organisations are expected to establish their conformity to social norms and hence secure legitimacy for their immediate operations (Yang &Konrad, 2011). Legitimacy, in this context, defines whether or not an organisational-based action is acceptable and approved by both the internal and external stakeholders at hand. It is crucial to note that legitimacy that is a result of diversity, is indeed a crucial component that postulates an organisation’s propriety in its underlying actions and integrity in its overall dealings- which are some of the factors that help promote organisations to benefit from accessing material resources from a significant number of stakeholders (Yang &Konrad, 2011). Institutional theory has been used to expound on the issue of diversity management practices. In consequence, it has been used to expound on the aspect related to antecedents of diversity management practices where different government bodies have been on the forefront formulating and implementing both rules and legislation that results to pressures that drive the immediate adoption of diversity management practices. Such aspects as government affirmative actions as well as employment equity initiatives have all resulted to the formulation of recruitment and screening practices aimed at diversifying the overall employment-base; setting provisions necessary for employing people with disabilities as well as; enhance formalisation process of staffing systems that seeks to eliminate or possibly reduce discrimination in compensation packages; promotions and career advancements (Yang &Konrad, 2011). In relation to employment aspect, recent research has been able to show a positive connection that lies between diversity management practices and employment of designated groups of people especially in regards to how it affects women and racioethnic minority groups; for this case, people from Vietnam; China and Singapore by those working in No Name Aircraft headquarters in Australia. 3.0 International Performance Management & Training and Development The current situation at No Name Aircraft indicates that there are no performance appraisals policies as most of the activity are only focused in Australia at the expense of the other subsidiaries placed across different international markets. In fact, it is ascertained that as a result of this mismatch, there lacks an element of consistency as a decision made in Australia can later prove to be ineffective and usefulness. Despite the fact that the company’s CEO; O’Meara calling for immediate adoption of performance measurement, minimal or no efforts have so far been made. Ferreira and Otley(2009, p.265-287) notes that performance management will always begin with the overall purpose and objectives of an organisation that are clearly laid-out as vision and mission statements. Research frameworks have successfully established that the basic postulation for control lies in the existence of objectives and goals that are mostly used for the purpose of evaluating overall performance (Meredith, 2011). Most organisations are required to meet multiple and for other cases; a great number of competing objectives set out by senior management team in order to accomplish fundamental stakeholder’s overall expectations (Moynihan & Pandey, 2010). Performance management is a human resource practice that seeks to foster decisions related to an organisation’s immediate performances; remuneration; promotions and career development. It is a concept that is adopted for the purpose of measuring progress accomplished in the course of realising an organisation’s immediate goals and objectives. It is argued that an effective performance management system should integrate performance appraisals and employee development efforts. In truth, the process of sustaining an effective performance management framework for organisations is indeed a complex task since it elicits elements of individualism hence posit a career-threatening process for junior employee staff. To effectively sustain a successful performance management system for its international subsidiaries, No Name Aircraft management should understand the need for adopting fundamental performance measures. It is safe to note that key performance measures can take the form of either financial or non-financial metrics that can be used at different degrees within the overall organisation for purposes of evaluating success. In most instances, reviews indicate that they are explicitly identified within the performance management system frameworks in order to ascertain the overall importance that is attached to performance measures in most modern-based organisations (Bhagwat & Sharma, 2007). Of great importance to note, efficient international performance management should adopt target setting framework that can be used for evaluating and rewarding performances of employees. Dowling (2008, p.23) notes that the areas related to performance evaluation portrays a crucial relationship in the control of operations. Managers tend to be extensively affected by the areas that senior management point-out as being crucial as success in such areas potentially mostly determining elements of status and progression within an organisation. In the course of performance management, research stipulates that managers that are evaluated on the mere basis of an organisation’s capacity to attain profits can comfortably achieve high levels of outcomes especially in cases when the process adheres to a team as opposed to individual-based orientation framework. In addition to this, there is sufficient research evidence that indicate cooperation and integration as being two forms of elements that enhance problem-solving capacities amongst executives especially in the event that performance evaluation is conducted on the basis of corporate profits as opposed to divisional-level of profits. Being a critical component of performance management, performance evaluation can either be objective or subjective in nature. A subjective performance evaluation process allows for definite and distinctive emphasis positioned against numerous degree of performances-that is in most cases unknown to the person conducted the evaluation while established subjectively. Career training and development is a defined as being a lifelong process of managing employee progress in learning and work (Claussen, et al, 2014). The overall quality of this process is deemed to be significantly determined by the underlying nature and quality of individual’s manner of lifestyles; the kind of people they expect to become; their sense of purpose in both life and work; as well as the level of income disposal they expect to accrue as a result of successfully engaging this development. It is important to understand that training and development is a human resource practice that is highly valued not only by the employee but also the employers as well. Commonly referred to as talent management, career training and development allows employees the ability to feel appreciated and valued in a business operation as one prioritised stakeholders (Claussen, et al, 2014). As for the case of No Name Aircraft, expatriates training for personnel leaving Australia to work in China, Singapore and Vietnam are restricted to only a half day. In fact, they are expected to conduct self-training within the online platforms while still there are minimal channels needed for availing feedback that is deemed necessary for effective training as a whole (Buller & McEvoy, 2012). Following this potential challenge, it is important to understand that conventional approach towards career development should solely be focused on progression up an ordered hierarchy within a given organisation or profession for that matter. Nowadays, however; research indicates that the concept has been fragmented as a result of intensive technological changes and advancements. In this regards, research indicates that career development should be customised to each and every employee and remain to be an unstandardized practice all along. Nouri and Parker (2013,p.146) ascertains that the process of career development should be conducted in particular hierarchical levels in order to foster immediate development of management and junior employee’s unique skills and expertise. 4.0 Conclusion & Recommendation To sum up the discussion above, it can be ascertained that No Name Aircraft faces a great number of challenges related to culture; training and development; diversity management and international performance management. To effectively curtail this issues, it is suggested that O’Meara seek to ensure that performance management is established in relation to target setting and formulation of efficient performance measurements and appraisals; both financial and non-financial in nature. It is recommended that diversity management should be sustained through adoption of government-based affirmative actions as well as adheres to legitimacy theory in executing its overall recruitment strategies. This way, the organisation’s activities will be perceived as being legit to both internal and external stakeholders as well. In relation to the concept of culture, it is suggested that management emphasise on developing an open and transparent communication platform where junior employees can receive feedback and instructions in real time hence prevent possible confusion and chaos. References List Bhagwat, R. & Sharma, M.K., 2007. Performance measurement of supply chain management: A balanced scorecard approach. Computers & Industrial Engineering, vol.53, no.1, pp.43-62 Buller, P. F., & McEvoy, G. M. 2012. Strategy, human resource management and performance: Sharpening line of sight. 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