Human Resources

Human Resources

Introduction

Human resource (HR) can be defined as a set of systematic and planned activities by an organization to expand human capital and talented workforce to reach their highest potential. This framework provided opportunities to develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge and abilities to meet current and future job demands. (Stone 2005 )

Discussion

The role of HR is to facilitate organizations to make changes and plans for organizational development. Most organizations today are living in an “age of discontinuity”, management face a dynamic and changing environment. “Change or die” is the rallying cry among today's managers worldwide. (Robbins & Judge, 2007). When competitors launch new products or services, government agencies ratify news laws or important sources of supplies go out of business. This, in turn is essential for these organizations to adapt. Kun-Hee Lee who is Samsung's chairman challenged his staff to turn Samsung into strictly innovative company and applying cutting-edge technology by announcing their “New Management” in the year 1997. On year 2006, major competitors such as Fujitsu, Hitachi, Matsushita, Gateway and Ericson are losing money but Samsung continues to be profitable. This succeed in competitive markets is due to Lee's New Management which emphasis on HR with an ongoing commitment to change. (Robbins & Judge, 2007)

Dodds and Verest comment: “the rate of learning should be equal to or greater than the rate of change in an organization” (Simmonds & Pedersen, 2006). However, failure to integrate the practice of growth and change with HR involvement, may affect the change process as well as leading to unproductive planning for organizational development. Hence the absence of a proper HR plan directly affects the organizational development. One of the findings of individual and organizational behaviour is that organizations and their members resist change. This is also being a cause of functional conflict. With HR application in an organization can overcome resistance to change. By educating and communicating with employees to help them see the logic of a change is one of the HR methods of reduced resistance. Misinformation and poor communication will stimulate resistance. Cleared up the misunderstanding will subside the resistance. Beside that, HR programme to improve communication and education can be helpful in the interpretation of the needs of change. (Robbins & Judge, 2007)

Another important role of HR is evaluation their management practices and creates new and appropriate approaches to managing people suit to organizational planning. (Simmonds & Pedersen, 2006). The managing people approach has to involve from recruitment and selection activities to enhance retention of workers. The recruitment activities are important because it identifies, attract and choose the right people to achieve an organisation's human resource requirements. In the long run, employing the right employees has the potential to decrease organization cost by reducing turnover. Once the suitable candidate is selected, an effective manager should focus on personal awareness and diversity training. Short-term training will not change people's behaviour, hence organizations need to develop, apply, and maintain ongoing training. (Green, et al , ...