The Evolving Role Of HR In The Contemporary Business World: An Essay.

Understand the key contemporary business issues and main external factors affecting different organisations and the impact on HR.Understand how organisational and HR strategies and practices are shaped and developed.Know how to identify and respond to changes in the business environment.

You have been asked by your CIPD Branch to lead a discussion at one of its events on ‘The evolving role of HR in the contemporary business world’. You have been asked to produce a paper for inclusion in the delegate pack. In your paper, you should include the following:

An analysis of some of the key forces which shape the HR agenda e.g. models of the HR function, HR strategies, insights and solutions to support business performance, business ethics and accountability.
Compare at least three different tools for analysing the business environment.

Assess at least four different factors which impact on an organisation’s business and its HR function. You should include examples of external and internal factors to illustrate the different types of impact.

Summarise the key stages in strategy formulation and implementation with reference to a model from the literature. You should also refer to the role of HR in each of the stages and in particular, highlight HR’s contribution to business ethics and accountability.

Give some examples of how business performance can be evaluated, making reference to at least three types of indicators. You should make particular reference to the role of HR in business planning and change management with some examples to illustrate HR’s key role.

Explain how at least four different sources of business and contextual data can be assessed and utilised for planning purposes. 

Key Forces Shaping the HR Agenda

The examples of the organizational objectives can be related with building organizational capability by maintaining the performance of individual in the workplace. In this it is the duty of the human resource to maintain the overall performance of the employees so that it is easy to attain goals and objectives. Without maintaining the activities of the employees it has been seen that it cannot be possible to achieve growth in the competitive market.The organizational capability can only be build when the performance of the employees is maintained.  The next organizational objective relates with organization and job design. It is necessary for the HR to focus on the company and also on the job design so that it can be possible to enhance the efficiency of the employees (Balakrishnan, and Srividhya, 2007). Job design should be done in such a manner that it boosts the morale of the employees towards the organizational activities. If employees are given job, not according to their interest then it can affect the overall level of working pattern of the employees. Staffing objectives is also the HR function which should be considered so that the activities of the contemporary organization can be managed in a proper manner. The process of staffing should be considered in a proper manner so that it can be easy to recruit talented employees in the workplace. It will also help in maintaining the working pattern of the workplace.  The HR of the contemporary organization should work with the objective of staffing process so that it can be easy to employ those employees who are dedicated and efficient towards their work.  Also, to focus on performance objective is considered as one of the important role of the HR (Hoch, and Dulebohn, 2013).  In the contemporary business world it is necessary for the HR to maintain the overall performance of the employees so that it can be easy to attain success and also profits can be enhanced in an effective manner.  If performance of the employees is not maintained then it can affect the overall level of profits of the company and can also impact the working pattern of the business. So, in the workplace it is the role of the HR to maintain the performance of the employees so that they can give their best towards the organizational activities.  The role of HR is to contribute towards the organization change.   When any changes are considered in the workplace it is important for the HR to motivate the employees so that they can accept the changes made by the higher authorities. If HR do not participate in organization change then it can be difficult for the people to accept the change or to work according to the change made by the higher authorities (Hoch, and Dulebohn, 2013).

Tools for Analyzing the Business Environment

The HR also has an important role in promoting good employment relations and employee engagement. It is the responsibility of the HR only to enhance the relation of the employees and also the employee engagement as it can help in maintaining the workplace environment. It has been examined that maintain the relation the HR should focus on strategic partnering so that the activities can be maintained in the workplace.

For example:  The strategy related to strategic partnering should be considered so that it can be simple to enhance the overall performance of the employees in the workplace.

The last objective that should be considered by the HR is related to developing careers and skills of the employees in the workplace. It is important for the HR to give training to the employees so that they can give their best towards the activities of the company. By giving proper training to the employees the impact can be seen on the overall productivity level of the employees in the workplace. Also it is important for the HR to be managed in professional and ethical manner as if they are not managing their activities in an ethical manner then it can affect the morale of the employees in the workplace. It is the duty of the HR to create professional and ethical environment in the workplace that can help in maintaining the overall objectives and goals in the workplace. So, these are the main organizational objectives for which the HR is responsible and it should be maintained so that success can be attained by the company (Balakrishnan, and Srividhya, 2007).

2.

The two ways or models in which the HR objectives can be delivered in the organization are related to the shared services and outsourcing.  In this it can be examined that HR services can be delivered in a proper manner if focus is given on these two models or ways. The first model is related to share services in which the HR should focus on sharing the services so that it can be easy for the company to achieve success in the competitive market. It is necessary for the company to focus on sharing the services with other companies so that it can be easy to manage the workplace activities. Also, with this it can be simple to accomplish goals and targets. It can be seen that by sharing the services it can be easy to reduce the workload of the employees and efficiency can be maintained in the workplace (Albrecht, et al. 2015). It is also considered as one of the best way for delivering HR services in the competitive market. It can be examined that if there is proper sharing of the activities then it can be easy to maintain the competitive advantage.  The next way on which focus should be given relates with outsourcing. The activities should be outsourced as it can help in maintaining the targets of the workplace. It can be stated that by outsourcing the services, one of the department of activities are transferred to the other department and with this it can be easy to maintain the efficiency in the workplace. Also, the difference between the shared service and outsourcing is that in share service it is not specified that which department of the activities would be given but in outsourcing it can be simple to identify which department of the activities will be outsourced. So, these two ways are the best, which can help in delivering the HR services in an effective manner.

Impact of Internal and External Factors on Business and HR Function

Also, it can be stated that HR function varies between organizations in different sectors. According to the sector and size of the company the HR function is determined. It is important to maintain the function of the HR in the workplace as it can affect the overall working structure of the company.  So, HR function can vary between organization in different sectors and also with different sizes. It has been examined that different sectors and size of the organization have some set of activities which are different and to manage this function can vary of the HR in different organizations (Balakrishnan, and Srividhya, 2007).

For example:   The function of the HR in small and medium size enterprise is different as compared to multi-national companies. It has been investigated that in SME, the function of the HR to recruit the employees is less consuming as compared to the multinational companies.  It has been seen that for SME employee hiring is considered as the major time and cost for the small businesses. But for the multinational companies the funds are allocated for proper background check and also for the interviews. The function of the HR in SME is to give training to small group of people so it can be done in few hours but in multinational companies, it is the responsibility of the HR to give training to the employees and training can take place for long period of time (Cruickshank, 2013).

In SME the responsibilities are less with the HR. It has been seen that in SME the HR focuses on managing the pay roll and benefits of the administration but in multinational companies the HR focuses on managing the overall activities which takes place on the floor. Therefore, if focus is given on multinational companies it can be stated that responsibilities are more with the HR as compared to SME. So, these are the responsibilities which can be different of the HR if focus is given on different sector and sizes.  It is important for the companies to maintain the role of HR in the workplace as it can help in managing the work and can also enhance the overall efficiency of the employees in the workplace (Hoch, and Dulebohn, 2013).

Change management is considered as one of the aspect which is important to be maintained as it can impact the overall activities of the organization. It can be seen that if change in the workplace is not managed then it can impact the overall working pattern of the company. The change management theories are related to Lewin three phase models and Kotter eight stage models (Marie Ryan, and Derous, 2016).

Stages in Strategy Formulation and Implementation

The first theory is related to Lewin three phase models. This is considered as one of the popular theories related to change management. It has been seen that this theory was developed by Kurt Lewin and in this there are three steps which are considered. First is related to unfreezing, change and refreezing. Through this model it can be simple to represent proper understanding related to change. In this model the first stage is related with unfreezing stage which is considered as one of the important stage to consider the changes on the business platform. This stage is related to getting ready for the change. It take into consider proper understanding related to change which is important to be considered. In this stage the environment is created in which changes has to be made. The next step is related to change in which reactions are made related to change. In this the changes are made which is necessary for the workplace. This stage is considered as one of the difficult stage. In this people can face the issue related to adapting the change implemented by the higher authorities.  On this stage, the support is also given to the people in the form of training, coaching and accepting the mistakes which are done by them. The last stage of this model is related with freezing in which the stability is maintained related to change. The changes are accepted by considering the new norms and also new relations are maintained. This is the last stage of this model which focuses on implementing the change process in a proper manner (MINER, 2017).

The next model is related to Kotter eight stage model. This model is one of the change models which will elaborated briefly. This model is considered by the companies so that it can be easy to maintain the change. It has been examined that in this model there are 8 steps related to change. First step is related to “Creating urgency” (Thacker, 2012).  In this, focus is given on identifying the threats and also the opportunities are grabbed by considering effective interventions. This step is used to support the people of the industry related to the problem of change (Sparrow, 2007). 

The next step is related to forming powerful guiding coalitions. In this it has been seen that focus is given on identifying the change leaders and also the weak areas are considered which can influence the people (Torrington, 2017).  Third stage is related to developing a vision and a strategy in which the focus is given on considering the core values and also to define the ultimate vision and strategies. The fourth stage is related to communicating the vision in which the vision is linked with the factors related to performance review and also training. In this the issues of the people are resolved with honesty (Vigar, 2012). Fifth step is related with removing the obstacles in which it has been seen that organizational process and structure is considered in which the rewards are also given to the people to endorse the change and also to support the process related to change (Brooks, and Simkin, 2012).

Evaluating Business Performance

The sixth factor is related to create a short term wins in which the people can feel victory on the initial level of change. It also helps in creating the short term targets which can be attained and are not costly. In this the possibility of failure is also less.  The second last stage of the process is related to consolidating gains in which the focus is given on improvement by considering the success stories and also it helps in improving the experience of the individuals (Cecere, Corrocher, and Battaglia, 2015).

The last stage is related to anchoring the change in the corporate culture in which the success stories are related to the change initiatives which also helps to manage the change in the workplace.  It helps to ensure that leaders of the company support the process of the change in the company (Chen, and Ann, 2016).

So, this theory is considered to maintain the process of the change in the workplace and also helps in accomplishing the desired goals and objectives.  It is the best theory that should be considered by the companies so that it can be easy to achieve success in the competitive business world.  Success can only be achieved by the companies if the process of change is managed and implemented in a proper manner and it will help to focus on the set targets by the leaders (Aggarwal, and Arora, 2013).

4.

The HR function contribution can be analyzed by considering various methods. The best methods which can be used to analyze the HR functions are related to the different approaches like metrics, balance scorecard, bench marking and surveys. These are known as the best methods that should be considered to analyze the overall function of the HR.

In the first approach related to metrics it can be seen that it helps to add value to the organizations by offering the data which is required to make the decisions. It has been seen that with the help of proper metrics it can be simple to make measure and track the engagement of the HR. It helps to gather the data from the individuals by sending the regular pulse surveys. Through this the performance of the HR can be analyzed that they are working within the framework given by the management or not. It is the best approach considered by management and it also helps in giving feedback to the people which can again boost the overall motivation level of the people in the workplace (Brack, et al. 2015).

Sources of Business and Contextual Data for Planning

The next approach is related to balance scorecard in which it has been seen that it is the best tool that helps to analyze the overall effectiveness of the human resource management. It emphasizes on the overall resources of the organization and also with the outcome related to growth in the workplace.  This can also help in improving the internal functions of the organization and can result to the external outcome. It is considered so that proper feedback can be given to the people in relation to their performance (Brewster, and Hegewisch, 2017).

Bench marking is also considered as the approach that can help to discover the best performance which is attained in the company. In this the information is considered to analyze the gaps in the workplace and it helps to achieve competitive advantage. It is the tool that helps to compare the business process and the performance metrics to compete with the competitors in the competitive market. It also supports the process of selection and planning.

The last approach that should be considered is related to surveys in which the survey should be done so that it can be easy to gather the opinion of the other people in the workplace. It will also help to maintain the workplace environment in the competitive market (Ellington, Brannick, and Levine, 2015).  

5.

One of the articles which are selected for this is “Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage”.  In this it has been examined that the article relate with the overall practices of the HR with the organizational outcome (Frey, and Osborne, 2017). In this article it has been investigated that HRM practices focused on maintaining the organizational climate and also on the job demands and job resources. It has been seen that the practices related to training has given positive impact on the overall productivity level of the employees in the workplace. Through training it can be easy to maintain the performance of the employees in the workplace and it is the duty of the HR to offer proper training to the employees in the workplace.  In this article it has been stated that the HR practices related to selection has also boosted the overall performance of the organization. In this it has been seen that if HR is not able to select the right candidate for the right job then it can affect the overall growth of the company in the competitive market.  So, the organizational performance can only be maintained if focus is given if HR focuses on giving right job to the right candidate by considering the overall qualification of the employees.  It is necessary to give job according to the capability of the employees so that it can be easy for them to give their best towards the activities of the organization. Next practice is also related with socialization in which it has been seen that activities can be maintained by the HR with the perspective of socialization. It will help the organization to attain success in the competitive market and will boost the overall morale of the employees in the workplace (Laudon, and Laudon, 2016).

The next practice related to HR on which the discussion is made relates to the overall performance management of the employees in the workplace. It has been seen that the role of the HR is to maintain the performance of the employees by giving motivation to them. By giving motivation it can be easy to maintain the overall performance of the employees in the workplace. It will help the employees to give their best and through this the organization can easily attain positive outcome in the workplace. It will also help in maintaining the overall outcome of the workplace and maximize the entire profitability of the company (Oulton, et, al. 2016).

In this article it has been investigated that these practices of the HR has given boost in the overall engagement of the employees and also through this it can be simple for the organization to attain the positive outcome. The major findings which can be analyzed through this article are that through these practices of the HR it can be simple for the organization to maintain its culture and also it helps in enhancing the capability of the organization. By considering these HR practices it can be simple to maintain the overall organizational capabilities which will directly boost the performance of the employees in the workplace.

So, it can be stated that companies to focus on considering these basic HR practice so that it can be easy for the company to accomplish its goals and objectives in the competitive market. It will also help in enhancing the human capital perceptive by considering the overall performance of the organization. It is important for the HR to consider these practices as it can help to motivate the employees in the workplace and can also boost the morale of the employees in the workplace. This is considered as one of the best HR practices that can maintain the overall culture of the organization and it will also boost the capability of the employees towards the assigned activities of the company (Albrecht et al., 2015). So, by analyzing the paper it can be stated that HR practices are beneficial for the companies in maintaining the performance of the employees and also in boosting the overall profitability.

References

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Albrecht, S.L., Bakker, A.B., Gruman, J.A., Macey, W.H. and Saks, A.M., (2015). Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An integrated approach. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(1), pp.7-35.

Balakrishnan, L., and Srividhya, S. (2007). Human resource development. Mumbai: Himalaya Pub. House.

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