The Importance of Human Resource Management - Coursework Example

Human Resource Management Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Name and Code: Institution: Date of Submission: Human Resource Management Introduction The role of the Human Resource Manager in the contemporary world has become increasingly diversified and it can therefore be hypothesized that the HRM should be involved in matters of sustainability. Subsequent studies indicate that the HRM function is continually being linked to sustainability due to the importance placed on human capital in enhancing sustainable competitive advantage. Furthermore, the role of HRM is considered a managerial role and the HRM is therefore expected to participate in ensuring that sustainability within the organization is achieved. Having established that the HRM should be concerned with sustainability, this paper will also seek to develop recommendations on how HRM can achieve higher awareness of sustainability issues at the corporate and human resource level. Discussion Why HRM should be concerned with sustainability As the function that controls the human capital resource in the company, HRM is considered to be best placed in enhancing productivity in the organization and thus promoting sustainability in the organization (Tsai, Edwards & Sengupta 2010, p. 7-8). Furthermore, the HRM is best placed to identify and address the challenges that employees face during the process of implementing the organizations strategic goals. The ability of the HRM to align employee targets and incentives to strategic goals is considered one of the most significant ways in which the HRM participates in sustainability. According to Strandberg (2009, p. 6), the HRM needs to be aware of what the firm intends to achieve and then ensure that the employee targets and incentives are aligned with these objectives. The fact that the HRM helps in developing employee targets that are consistent with the organization’s objectives; it is a clear indication that the HRM is concerned with sustainability. Enhancing sustainability is highly dependent on knowledge and skills within the organization (Malhotra 2001, p. 61). A highly qualified human capital is expected to enhance competitive advantage through innovation and sustainable strategies (Malhotra 2001, p. 67-68). As the function responsible for the recruitment of employees within the organization therefore, HRM has a direct influence on the level of knowledge and skills within the organization and consequently the sustainability of the organization in terms of competitive advantage (University of Cambridge 2011, p. 17). The HRM is expected to ensure that the employees hired into the organization are highly qualified and also ensure that existing employees continually develop their skills and knowledge through training and development. This way, the HRM is said to be concerned with sustainability through ensuring that the organization has the right human capital to steer development in the organization. How the HRM can achieve a higher awareness of sustainability issues at corporate and human resource level The Human Resource Manager is under increasing pressure to contribute to organizational development through participating at the corporate level (Schuler & Jackson 2007, p. 17). The first recommendation for increasing awareness of sustainability is creating awareness of the importance of the human resource capital within the organization and why this should form the basis for competitive advantage. The HRM should be involved in decision making at the corporate level and while doing so emphasize the relevance of the human resource capital in achieving strategic competitiveness (Schuler & Jackson 2007, p. 347). The HRM for example should be able to convince the management that increased involvement of employees in the decision making process could lead to increased sustainability. According to Gennard and Judge (2005, p. 6), it can be established that the HRM is expected to have a significant level of knowledge on how the organization can achieve optimal strategic performance through utilizing skills and knowledge possessed by employees. This indicates that the HRM is capable of identifying how well a particular strategy is expected to work depending on the competencies of the employees in the organization (Catano 2009, p. 156). In the event that the manpower available to the organization is not adequate, it is only the Human Resource manager who is in a position to dictate the way forward through indicating the kind of talent that will be required to ensure the effectiveness of the set strategy. The ability of the HRM to raise awareness on the human resource capital issue in sustainability is therefore highly important in ensuring the success of any organization; hence the reason why the HRM should be concerned with sustainability. Secondly, the HRM can raise the awareness of sustainability issues through participating in strategic planning endeavors within the organization. In essence, it is imperative for the HRM to be actively involved in decision making within the organization as a representative of the employees in order to sensitize the management on the best approach to so as to enhance increased employee engagement (Gennard & Judge 2005, p. 11). It is notable that the employees are literally responsible for running the organization and that alignment of their needs to the objectives of the company is highly important in promoting performance (Hubbard 2001, p. 83-84). This insinuates that during the formulation of strategy, it is highly important for the management to consider that the actual implementation of the strategy will be done by the employees and that the management must therefore ensure that the employees would actually be in a position to implement the strategy (Griffin & Moorhead 2009, p. 508). In this respect, it can be established that the Human Resource Manager is best placed to identify the needs of the employees and the incentives that should be taken to enhance their level of productivity. The HRM can effectively demonstrate the importance of the organizational workforce in promoting sustainability and thus help the management in coming up with effective strategy to fit the organization’s capabilities (Griffin & Moorhead 2009, p. 509-510). It is therefore highly important that the HRM is involved in structuring organizational strategy in order to enhance its overall success. The HRM is best placed in promoting sustainability awareness within the organization through sensitizing the employees on the need for them to ensure that they meet the organizational goals and objectives (Hubbard 2001, p. 81). At the human resource level, the HRM can raise higher awareness of the importance of sustainability through encouraging productivity in the workforce. Employees should continually be sensitized on the need to achieve the organization’s objectives and the strategies that should be taken in order to ensure that these objectives are achieved. This may be enhanced through introducing employee performance appraisal programs and improving employee morale, aimed at encouraging them to work towards enhancing the firm’s productivity. According to Strandberg (2009, p. 6), HR managers are developing incentive and appraisal systems reflecting sustainability and hiring employees who are motivated by these values. This in turn ensures that the objectives of the firm are met conveniently and that sustainability is enhanced. Performance appraisal programs have been known to work effectively in sensitizing employees on the need for sustainability through providing them with goals and objectives that they are required to attain during a specific period (Catano 2009, p. 156). Failure to meet the required objectives may lead to undesirable consequences for the employee and this encourages them to work towards achieving these objectives. Accordingly, employees who meet the given objectives are rewarded according to the provisions of the program (University of Cambridge 2011, p. 8-9). The use of employee appraisal is of great importance in enhancing the recognition of the need for sustainability in the organization and the role that employees are expected to fulfill to ensure that sustainability is achieved. The welfare of the employees plays an imperative role in enhancing sustainability in the organization. This denotes in order for employees to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization through implementing strategy, it is important for the HRM to ensure that their welfare is looked after. The welfare of employees is one of the sustainability issues that requires higher awareness and which the HRM should aim at promoting. According to Tsai, Edwards and Sengupta (2010, p. 3) employees are less likely to achieve optimal achievement if they are not satisfied with their working conditions or if their welfare is ignored. It is the role of the HRM to identify the best practices to enhance employee welfare and to ensure that they are satisfied with their work. This way, the HRM is able to present these recommendations to the management in order to ensure that as the management strategies are being formulated, the employee welfare is considered. This plays the role of enhancing sustainability in that it promotes the productivity of the employees through ensuring that they are satisfied with their working conditions. Conclusion This discussion establishes that the HRM function should be highly concerned with sustainability in the organization. This is because the HRM’s role in the organization has changed significantly and that the HR manager is expected to become increasingly involved in enhancing the organization’s success through supporting the workforce. It is established that the HRM can help in achieving higher awareness of sustainability issues. This can be done through increased involvement of the HRM in developing strategy and constantly making the management aware of the needs of the workforce. Further, the HRM should ensure that the employees are aware of the importance of enhancing sustainability within the organization. In order to ensure that sustainability issues at the human resource level are addressed, the HRM should ensure that the welfare of the employees is considered during the formulation of strategy. List of References Catano, VM 2009, Recruitment and Selection in Canada, Cengage Learning, London. Gennard, J & Judge, G 2005, Employee relations, CIPD Publishing, London, UK. Griffin, RW & Moorhead, G 2009, Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations, Cengage Learning, London. Hubbard, N 2001, Acquisition Strategy and Implementation, Purdue University Press, West Lafayette, Indiana, US. Malhotra, Y 2001, Knowledge management and business model innovation, Idea Group Inc (IGI), New York, NY. Schuler, RS, & Jackson, SE 2007, Strategic human resource management, Wiley-Blackwell, New York, NY. Strandberg, C 2009, The role of human resource management in corporate social responsibility, Strandberg Consulting, Burnaby, BC. Tsai, CJ, Edwards, P & Sengupta, S 2010, The Associations between Organizational Performance, Employee Attitudes, and Human Resource Management Practices: An Empirical Study of Small Businesses, Journal of general Management, Vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 1-20. University of Cambridge 2011, Human resources and sustainable development, Viewd May 23, 2011 Read More