Organisation Into A Strategic Human Resource Management example essay topic

INTRODUCTION Today in the 21st century, we can see many organizations all around us. Organisation exists for many different reasons. Some organization exists to provide products and some to provide services. Some are in for the profit but some are not. In order to achieve their objectives organizations rely heavily on the resources they have. Regardless on the resources organizations require to achieve their objectives, the human resource is always the most important essence to the success of any organisation (Nankervis, Compton and McCarthy, 1999).

To start our discussion, first we must understand the concept of human resource management. The simple meaning of HRM is managing people within the employer and employee relationship, this means that it involves the productive use of people in achieving the organizations strategic business objectives and to reach the point of satisfaction for employee needs (Stone, 1998). Next we must also understand the concept of strategic management, according to Thompson and Strickland (1998), strategic management can be defined as the process whereby managers establish an organization's long-term direction, set specific performance objectives as well as to develop strategies to achieve the objectives. Putting both this concepts together, we will be able to discuss further on the roles and responsibilities of the organisation personnel in order to achieve strategic management of the organization's human resource. Five of the personnel that we are going to discuss include the Chief Executive Officer, Human Resource Manager, Training Manager, Team Supervisor and Department Manager. With each of the personnel, the discussion will outline each role and functions, the responsibilities as well as the evaluation measures to ensure that it will lead the organisation to achieve its goals.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) An organisation basically means that it is a systematic arrangement of people to accomplish specific purpose (Robbins & Mukerji, 1994). There are many levels of management, from the top management levels to the lower management. All of these positions play an important role in determining the success of the organisation. The CEO is the most important person in the organisation. The title CEO carries a heavy responsibility in the organisation.

The CEO carries with it the mantles of chief direction setter, objective setter, vision setter, mission setter, strategy maker and strategy implementer of the whole organisation (Thompson &Strickland, 1998). The CEO have to adopt the role as a figurehead and leader in the whole organisation they act as a symbolic head of the firm and are to perform a number of routine duties of a legal or social nature (Robbins & Mukerji, 1994). The CEO also acts in the decisional roles as an entrepreneur that search for organisation opportunities to initiate improvement to the organisation. They are also responsible for to lead the organisation away from disturbances for external factors. (Robbins & Mukerji, 1994). Therefore, as a CEO, they are responsible to plan and organise effectively and efficiently as well as to make the correct decision to lead the whole organisation into an effective organisation.

Some other small roles that CEO is responsible for are that they are to be present to every Board meetings as well as Annual meetings. They would also have to work interdependently and to keep the organisation focus and pro-active. They must also work closely with other top management executives. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER According to Stone (1998), there are four key roles for a human resource manager is to be 1) a strategic partner, this allows the HR manager to be a part of the business team. They need to know the business of the organisation thoroughly. 2) an administrative expert, they have to be the organisation's behavioural science experts in areas as staffing, development, appraisal, rewards, training, communication and design.

3) an employee champion, they must be able to relate with the employees and 4) a change agent, here they must be able to serve as a catalyst for change within the organisation. It is clear that as a HR manager, he or she must be able to reach all different levels in the organisation HR Manager needs to operate at three distinct levels; 1) at the strategic level, HR managers are involved in the corporate and human resource planing, 2) at the operational level they are responsible to develop action plans to meet present labour needs, and 3) at the functional level, they are to carry out as many activities to ensure that employees needs are meet, at this level they would play the role as an employee champion (Nankervis, Compton and McCarthy, 1999). Other activities that a HR Manager are responsible to look into are recruitment, career planning and development, employee motivation, compensation and benefits, industrial relations and learn to manage diversity in culture (Stone, 1998). ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TRAINING MANAGER As job demands, employee skills have to be change to make the performance better. The training manager is therefore responsible for deciding when the employees are in need of training and what form of training should take part (Robbins & Mukerji, 1994).

The responsibility of the training manager also extend to part that they would have to plan and carry out the training as well as to get feedback and to evaluate the program. If the training is not done by the organisation then it will be carried out by a third party, and this is when they training manager have to create a liaison with them. (Nankervis, Compton and McCarthy, 1999). ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A DEPARTMENT MANAGER The department manager sits in the middle management level; they are equally important compare to top-level management as well as the lower level management. As a department manager, their responsibility is to overlook on the whole department.

For example, a marketing department manager will be in charged of the whole marketing department. In this position, the department manager performs a number of tasks in the flow of direct supervision above and below. The department managers are responsible to collect feedback on the performance of their own department and report to the higher-level management. They are also responsible to formulate strategy for the department and evaluate the department's performance (Mintzberg, 1983). ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TEAM SUPERVISOR Team supervisors are first-line managers.

Basically they do not do much on planing, organising or even controlling. They are responsible in leading the rest of the team to work together (Robbins & Mukerji, 1994). Almost similar roles to the department manager, they lead a smaller group of employees. For example, a team supervisor in a production department in a car manufacturing plant may look after the team that spray paint the car. Again these team supervisors will report to the department manager regarding any issues. In short the team supervisors are like the communication tool between the operatives and the middle management (Mintzberg, 1983).

EVALUATION MEASURES In every position in an organisation be it the top level or the lower level, there has to be some form of performance evaluation. There are a few ways to evaluate performance. one might use the performance appraisal. Performance appraisal can be defined as the evaluation of an individuals work performance in order to arrive at objective personnel decisions (Robbins & Mukerji, 1994). A performance appraisal can be used in all levels of management regardless of which position a person hold.

It can be used to improve current performance, as a feedback, increase motivation, identify training needs, identify potential, solve underlying problems within the organisation (Torrington & Hall, 1995). There are a few performance appraisal methods; it can be in a written essay, whereby the evaluator outlines the description of an employee's strengths, weaknesses, past performance and potential and makes suggestions for improvement. Critical incidents can also be used as a technique to evaluate performance. In this method, the evaluator lists key behaviours that separate effective from ineffective job performance. The other method would be the graphic rating scale, where by an evaluator will rate a set of performance factors on a scale and then analyses it to provide feedback (Robbins & Mukerji, 1994).

Individuals no matter what position they hold in the organisation are appraised by a variety of people. Many appraisal is usually done by the immediate manager as they would be the best person that has the most knowledge of the tasks that the individual has been carrying out and how well that they have perform it (Torrington & Hall, 1995). In cases like evaluating the CEO, the HR department cannot use the appraisal done by immediate manager. For cases like this, usually the appraisal will evaluate by peers in the case of the CEO would be the Board of Directors. According to Latham and Wesley (1981), peer ratings are both acceptably reliable and valid and have the advantage that peers have a more comprehensive view of the appraisee' job. Peer appraisal can also be carried out through all level of management.

Apart from appraisals done within the organisation, in the service industry, customer appraisal in employees can be done. This information can be collected directly by the direct manager from internal customers. For example, the training manager may collect information from a department on the support given to them by their specified training officer. As for collecting information from an external customer can e done in a positive manner in terms of improving customer services (Torrington & Hall, 1995). Apart from measuring performance, by performance appraisal, the organisation can evaluate the organisation personnel by production data, personal data, and training proficiency. Production data can be evaluated by the results of work.

This comprises things that can be counted, seen, and compared from one employee to another. Such measures are usually base upon the specific nature of the job tasks (Gatewood & Field, 1990). For example, as a department manager, the profit that the department brings in to the organization can be a factor of measurement or it can also be the number of grievances filed by subordinates of the manager. The second type for production data that can be evaluated is the personal data.

In this section, absenteeism, turnover, accidents, and promotions can be seen as an evaluation of the employees (Gatewood & Field, 1990). The third type of evaluation is the training proficiency; this evaluation is usually carried out after a training program, as it is a measure of employees' performance immediately after completion of training (Gatewood & Field, 1990). After all the evaluation is completed, and feedback is returned, the HR department will then make sure that the performance can be improve in order to guide the organisation to become more effective and efficient than before. CONCLUSION In every organisation, it is essential that the organisation must become strategic in managing their human resource.

Be it the top level management or the middle management even the lower level management, they all play a role in the success of an organisation. This not only determined better performance in the future, but also allows the organisational personnel to be more focus on the roles and this will put a positive sign on their peers and subordinates. With the roles and responsibilities of each organisational personnel and the ways to evaluate performance is outline, it is clear that it will lead the organisation into a strategic human resource management..