Role of HRM

Human Resource management (HRM) is a series of activities which: first enables working people and the organisation which uses their skills to agree about the objectives and the nature of their working relationships, and secondly, ensures that the agreement is fulfilled. (Torrington, 2005). The roles of HRM are to recruit and select the best employees, training staff etc. In order to help deliver organisational excellence, HRM should become partners with senior and line managers in strategy execution.

At the departmental level Line managers require a major role for day-to-day personnel matters with HR managers being their advisors. Line managers play a different role to HR managers as they would be more concerned with the functioning and operational features of HR activities. For example duties, salary, minor disciplinary matters, safety and grievances from staff. It is their job to examine the performance of staff and make sure that all the employees conducting their jobs properly. (Mullins, 2007)

Five benefits and drawbacks of line managers being involved in HR activities

Benefits of line managers involved in HR activities:

1. If the line managers get more involved with the human resource activities and the HR manager, this will make the HRM function more effective.
2. As line managers get closer to their own staff by being involved in their working life, this will have a greater impact on their teams performance and capability, which will eventually impact the performance of their organisation.
3. More capable to deal with day-to-day issues such as lateness, personal problems as this is a general skill they have gained from their job role.
4. Employees feel positive about their relationship with their front line managers as they are more likely to have higher levels of job satisfaction and commitment to their job.
5. The line managers will get a chance to be involved with training and development in the HRM function to improve knowledge and skills

However there are also drawbacks of the line managers getting involved with the HR activities such as:

1. The line managers are not specialists in HR activities and as the human management function is a shared responsibility among top management, line managers and supervisors they may not perform as well.
2. If there is no teamwork and co-operation between all members of the staff, there could be a chance of conflict within the workplace, which could show a negative concern on the organisation.
3. There may be a lack of policies and procedures if line managers get involved with the HR department as it could get quite complex.
4. They may be a lack of communication between the different managers; as a result it will set a bad example on the employees.
5. Management styles of both managers are generally different. (gender diversity, 2006)

The Skills line managers need to develop to effectively manage people

http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm

As front line manager's main role is to be responsible for their employees to a higher level of HR management, the main aspects they cover include coaching and guidance, being responsible for performance appraisals and dealing with discipline and grievances. The front line manager role is vital in a number of respects, however there are certain qualities and skills that are still needed from front line managers to develop in order to effectively manage people.

Communication skill is a key feature that line managers need to develop with the top managers of the HR function as well as their staff. The reason for this is that they need to be able to communicate, offer teamwork and demonstrate issues with their employees to build a better working relationship. In order to deal with any problems effectively line managers need to listen and respond carefully.
Coaching and guidance is another skill that line managers need to expand on to effectively manage people. They need to support their employees on how they do their job and encourage them to take more responsibilities and be involved in more opportunities.
Line managers need to have the right skills to be able to solve problems quickly to avoid conflict and to show they can be trusted on.
Line managers need to develop good teamwork skills which they can teach to their staff in order to manage their staff efficiently. Effective teams can be built to bring out better functioning and operational systems. This will result staff to be more motivated and willing to learn.
Additionally there should be a good working relationship between employees and the line manager. The reason for this is there would be a better understanding and line managers can effectively assist in issues such as disciplinary matters, standards of work performance and grievances from staff. (Cipd, 2010)

The line managers at my work are developed and skilful enough to supervise and enforce a high-quality working environment for us staff through the communication skills they possess. This is very helpful when I have an issue I want to raise or a problem that needs solving as I can have a personal meeting with my line manager to discuss certain policies and procedures. They are aware of what is happening in the workplace. The line managers at work have good problem-solving skills because when a staff member reports any inappropriate behaviour they use their judgment to help find positive solutions and in a discrete way. As the staff members are addressed indirectly it shows their understanding to keep the situation private and under-control. They set a good example and treat all us staff fairly and with respect.

Job roles of a HR manager

After researching the prospects website for the job roles of a HR manager I believe the main jobs within the HR are Personnel officer/manager, training and development officer, employee relation officer and recruitment officer. The personnel manager’s role is to develop advice on and implement policies relating to the effective use of HR within an organisation. The training and development manager is responsible for developing a training package in order to maintain a motivated and skilled workforce and to fulfill the needs of the organisation. An employee relation officer deals with working conditions, performance management, equal opportunities and negotiating with trade unions. Recruitment managers work with line managers and involve preparing job descriptions and person specifications and assist with the implementation of redundancy programmes. Many human resource managers act as the bridge between management and workers in non-union companies. Conflict resolution and improving the overall workplace is a key part of the role of a human resource manager. (Prospects, 2010)

I feel my skills are more suited to being a line manager than a HR manager because I believe I would be more effective in managing people by specifying task and job requirements and allocating individual job roles within the team through coming face to face with employees and communicating in that way. I like to listen to people’s problems and try my best to resolve the situation. I prefer working with employees within a team and understanding the personality of team members and interactions. I prefer creating a positive relationship amongst ourselves through motivating staff and support them to progress in their career. A HR manager’s job role involves more administration functions like paperwork and documentations and even though team work is needed, I feel I am better suited as my strengths lie in my self-awareness and showing a positive attitude to issues.

Conclusion:

In conclusion I have learnt the importance of the HRM function and that it’s a shared responsibility between line managers, HR managers and the top management. The skills and qualities that these different managers hold are diverse and play a key role in an organisation. Teamwork and consultation is needed to effectively manage people and be successful.

References:

Torrington, D. Hall, L. and Taylor, S. (2005) Human Resource management, sixth edition, Financial times Prentice Hall, p.14

Mullins (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. The nature of management, Eighth edition, Chapter 13, pg 486.

Gender diversity (2006) Line managers [online] Available from: http://www.genderdiversity.cgiar.org/inclusiveworkplace/dignity/harassment/linemanagers.htm [Accessed 1st February 2010]

Cipd (2010) the role of front line managers in HR [online] Available from: http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm [Accessed 3rd February 2010]

Prospects (2010) HR job roles [online] Available from: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Explore_job_sectors/Human_resources_and_recruitment/job_roles/p!ecdgabm [Accessed 7th February 2010]

Notes from the lecture in class.

Team Working

The time when I worked in a successful team:

An example of a time when I worked in a team and was successful was in year 11 where I was apart of the lunchtime supervisor scheme. During lunchtime our school canteen was always jam-packed with the school pupils from all years waiting to get into the canteen and purchase their lunch. It wasn’t very much organised. So senior members of staff decided to have lunchtime supervisors during lunchtime period to help manage and deal with the situation. I had to apply for the job like all other students and even have an interview with the head teacher and luckily enough I was one of the pupils selected out of 10 to get this position. We had been told from the start we had to work as a team; even though we all in the same year and were familiar with each other we all did not know each other well enough. One the first week we were all very much alert of the duties we had. However on the first week we all started to get to know each other and according to Tuckman’s Theory on stages of team development we were at the ‘forming’ stage. We were all trying to make a good impression to the staff and showing we knew what we were doing. At the start I was quite lenient with other pupils especially the younger kids who I saw jump the queue to the canteen and did not take action.

After a little while the situation was not improving as much and kids were staring to sneak into lines through the back doors and were leaving litter behind after eating making the canteen look like a mess by the time lunch was over and the school canteen dinner ladies who had to clean at the end were complaining. At this point then, we were at the ‘storming’ stage of team development as conflicts had risen and it was quite de-motivating as we had to clean up after the pupils left. Two of the members of our group actually opted out and did not want to take the responsibility anymore and they thought it was hard work and were not prepared to loose their lunch hour to supervise. This put pressure on us as we were now short of helpers.

We thought of having a group meeting with the senior member of staff who was in charge of us and discuss the issues. We all thought of splitting the group and getting organised. For example having 1 person at the corridors, having another near the queue to make sure there were no pushing and shoving. Another at the entrance of the canteen, who let pupils in a group at a time. One near the food where the tills were so no one would steal and the rest scattered around the canteen to make sure pupils picked up their rubbish on the way out. I think that our team worked successfully during this period because we acted as one team splitting the group up and giving different roles which made it efficient for us. At this point we were at the ‘Norming’ stage of team development.

Once we started to get more organised this made it a lot easier for us and as soon as lunchtime would start we all would go straight to the lunch hall and do our duty. As we got stricter with our duty, no one misbehaved infact younger pupils had fear for us. The dinner ladies were very pleased with our effort and passed on the good word to our senior member of staff. We all were comfortable with each other and resolved any problems without conflict. At this point, we had reached the ‘Performing’ stage of team development as we were at our most productive.

When it came to the end of the year, we felt we achieved a lot and became much apart of the school as we devoted out lunch break to help and we enjoyed it. The last stage of Tuckman’s theory is the ‘mourning’ stage and we did not want to leave because we had gone so far and were successful in working as a team.

Review of my first assignment for people and organisation

The people in my group were me, Grace, Aminah and Ruth for the People and Organisations group assignment. We decided to research on the organisational culture of Body shop and Marks and Spencer. Overall I felt we did not achieve the best mark for the assignment infact I was quite disappointed with the end result. The reason for this is because we did not work entirely as a team. Instead we split up the work into 4 sections between us four and did the research separately and then put all the work together at the end without relating and analysing the theories and explaining them. The overall piece of assignment was supposed to flow and the theories should have all linked in but it looked like 4 separate pieces of work.

According to the model by Tuckman it identifies the five main stages of group development (Mullins, 2007). Our group did not develop through all the stages of the theory therefore that’s the reason why we were not quite successful in working as a team. The first 2 stages ‘forming’ and ‘storming’ were the stages we got up to but stopped there and did not progress. We advanced through the ‘Forming’ stage by being friendly to each other and making a joint decision on the topic we were going to do our assignment on. We split the research we had to do into 4 sections and we all agreed to research the part we had without any disagreements.

During the ‘storming’ stage of development there were many difficulties as we did not manage to meet up after lectures to discuss the work we had done so far. We just did the work ourselves at home and did not do the work as a team. There were times when I needed help because I got stuck with a certain part. We managed confronting each other to talk about the assignment but one member was not there so we were not completely clear with the task. Also with the time of the assignment deadline was getting close, this made it difficult and de-motivating at times. But we managed to complete the assignment on time, so we were successful going through the storming stage.

We did not reach the ‘Norming’ stage of development as we did not establish set systems and procedures on how we were going to tackle the assignment. Even though I felt that we confronted issues regarding the assignment, I don't think we developed our skills as a team as we should have planned it out more carefully. I think this stopped us from achieving a higher grade for our assignment, as the analysis of the theories and the conclusion was the major part that carried forward the most marks which we lacked on as we didn't study the content to a high level.

As we did not pass the Norming stage we could not move onto the ‘Performing’ stage of development. I think we didn't progress through the Performing stage because I felt we never got organised in the first place and left it quite late to improve on the content which effected our overall success of this assignment. I think that we would have passed all five stages if we all met up regularly and discuss how to put the whole piece together for improvement.

Times Top 100 Companies

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/

Using the link above to the Times top 100 companies to work for Beaverbrooks the jewellery retailer is ranked as number one on Times Online Best 100 Companies. (Times online, 2009) Team work has been a major factor that has contributed to the success to this company. One of the aspects that contribute to effective teamwork is the low labour turnover rate of only 17%. This shows the commitment existing employees have and that they would not leave the workplace. Employees that work for Beaverbrook are trained that focuses on developing every aspect of the employee. This adds a huge achievement on their self-development and creates an interest with the company making them more motivated towards their job and increases productivity. 82% of employees feel a strong sense of family in their teams which brings them closer as a team as they are caring and feel and sense of belonging with one another.


Another company where teamwork has been identified as a major factor to their success is Microsoft. From the survey it is believed that People love working for the company (81% positive). This shows how happy employees are within their workplace and team and if they have an interest in the job they are going to have a positive effect toward the business. Employees say colleagues go out of their way to help each other (80%). This mainly due to teamwork where staff support and care for each other. Employees at Microsoft are the first to use the technology before it is launched. They find the work “stimulating” and believe they are apart of the valuable success of the company. This makes the working environment fun so the employees enjoy working there They have regular team meetings and team celebrations which keep the staff feel they are belonged within the business. This overall motivates staff to work harder and therefore team working at Microsoft clearly contributes to the success of the business. (Times online, 2009)

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I have found this topic really interesting as I have realised how important team work is within a business and what effective teams consist of. By just interacting and discussing issues can help resolve conflicts within individuals and make the workplace a pleasant environment. There can be many downsides of working as a team rather than working individually as you have to listen to other members of your group which can lead to disagreements but according to Belbin’s theory of teamwork , the individual roles within the team help put the group together and make working in teams a success.

Reference:

Mullins, L. (2007) Groups, Teams and leadership, Eighth edition, Chapter 8, pg 310

Times online (2009) Beaverbrooks the jewellers [online]. Available from: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article5701536.ece [Accessed 25 January 2010]

Times online Microsoft [online]. Available from: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article5703546.ece [Accessed 25 January 2010]

Organisation and management theory

Case study which displays classical school theory:

The case study, Call centres: a case study in people problems in a ‘modern workplace’ is an example of the classical approach. BT’s job design is often seen as an issue in weak maintenance. For example it states “Reference Is made to the ‘intensity’ of the call centres” and “jobs are ‘improvised’ being ‘routine’, ‘boring’ and lacking in variety”. This shows BT relates to the theory that uses scientific management as they take little account of how employees feel about work. (Barnes, 2004, pg.20) Another example that demonstrates the use of classical theory is "Call centres are plagued with high levels of labour turnover with rates averaging 19.3% at agent level and peaking at 37.8% in the food and drink sector" (Barnes, 2004, pg.19). BT call centres are definitely more tasks centered and do not pay attention to needs of workers which explains that the scientific management theory is followed. One of the main characteristics of bureaucracies is the specialisation and employment by the organisation. The most suited to being a call centre agent are “role conscious, dutiful, conscientious, perfectionist and introverted”. This shows when recruiting they are looking for employees with the right qualities. (Barnes, 2004, pg.20)

Case study which demonstrates human relations theory:

The case study, Dell computers: the world at your fingertips is a clear example of the human relations approach. In 1984 Michael Dell set up his own business where he began to build and sell computers directly to customers. It states, “Dell’s idea was to sell direct and at the same time allow customers to have a PC partly tailored to their personal requirements”. (Mullins, 2007) This gave a better level of consumer confidence and sense of involvement that they can choose the components and specification of their product. Dell is highly concerned about the service it provides by offering both reliability and value for money for its customers. The general philosophy of the company is described as “The soul of dell” and the code of conduct which is stated on the Dell website says “We want all members of our team, along with our shareholders, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders, to understand that they can believe what we sat and trust what we do” (Dell, 2009) The Dell workforce demonstrates the human relation theory as its more people centered and pays attention and interest of the workers. Feedback from the workforce and customers is the key to Dell’s success.


Comparisons between BT and DELL

Both companies have a different approach and different principles to how a business should be organised and managed. BT demonstrates the Classical School theory and Dell demonstrates the Human Relations theory. BT pays less attention on the needs of the workers and has more consideration on the organisation. The focus of scientific management has been described as ‘organisations without people’. On the positive side the BT is concerned with the tasks and tries to meet their aims and objectives under any circumstances. The scientific management approach is used where the best and most efficient method of working for each task by which people should undertake their jobs. On the other hand Dell focuses on human relations approaches and has been described as ‘people without organisations’. The key success is through the workforce and believes the level of production is influenced by the social factors at work. By encouraging the workforce to get involved in the process of the Dell system motivates staff and feels they are belonged.

Scientific management: Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages:

Increased productivity and efficiency from individual workers.
Increased wages while the product cost is dropping.
selection of work force with appropriate abilities for specific tasks.
They keep training employees and increase their professional level.
The most efficient workers are kept which may help boost the sales revenue and therefore profits of a business.

Disadvantages:

Ignores the human element and the view on an employee.
limits interests and needs of employees resulting in de-motivation.
Workers are motivated by only money reasons.
There is a seeming lack of opportunity and contribution towards systematically training and making a man competent.
working conditions were not taken into consideration as the managers didn't care how they worked.

Conclusion:

To conclude, the four main organisation and management theories are the classical school, human relations, systems approaches and contingency approach theory. Scientific management and bureaucracy are part of classical theory and this approach is more task centered and takes in little account of the workers. Human relations theory is the quite the opposite of classical theory, because it is believed employees are the more important factor and productivity will increased with the job satisfaction. A lot of the organisations nowadays follow this theory.

Reference:

Barnes, P. (2004) Call centres: a case study in people problems in a ‘modern workplace’

Mullins, L. (2007) Approaches to organisation management, Eighth edition, Chapter 2, pg 69

Dell (2009)