IMPACT OF ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE IN CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT

The nature of organizational structure greatly influences its change when it decides to bring change in its structure and practices. It should distribute its knowledge and communicate properly among its member. By keeping in view that there is consistency in change, organization can survive. Because of the uniqueness of organizational practices and setup, it is difficult to administer the change in skills and knowledge of members that are beneficial for the organization. Environmental forces have a significant impact on organizational forces so the desired technical and cultural changes can not be obtained with closed system in organization. 

'If there is an appropriate and effective culture it is desirable to take steps to support or reinforce it. If the culture is inappropriate, attempts should be made to determine what needs to be changed and to develop and implement plans for change' ( Armstrong-2014)

'Organizational or corporate culture is the pattern of values, norms, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions that may not have been articulated but shape the ways in which people in organizations behave and things get done'.( Armstrong-2009)

'An organizational culture affects every aspect of how the organization operates and how work gets done. In the quest for sustainable performance, ensuring their culture is fit for the future is a high priority for many organizations. Findings from recent survey research show that culture change is high up on the list of HR priorities' (CIPD 2010 )

According to Taormina (2009) the needs to bring motivational aspects in employees call for significant change in all socialization areas of organization; whereas socialization calls to bring significant changes in organizational cultures. Different models which have been used to develop understanding found that employees needs are linked to organizational culture because of organizational socialization. According to Balthazard, Cooke and Potter (2006) correlation analysis revealed that all individuals and other forces in the organization that are responsible for maintaining its performance have positive relationship with productive norms and values of organization but have negative impact on impair functioning styles. However it is clear from results that dysfunctional or impairs styles result in lowering of efficiency, effectiveness and performance of organization. According to Chang and Lin (2007), it was found that those organizations which are fully controlled by management information security, management values of secrecy, honesty, accessibility and answer ability have strong positive relationship with effectiveness and consistency which are important characteristics of such organization. Whereas such organizations which are flexible in their working and main characteristics of which are cooperativeness and innovativeness, the information security management principles have no effective relationship with its such characteristics as it is clear that confidentiality and cooperativeness are negatively correlated. 

Armstrong, M(2014) Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice , 13th  ed, Kogan Page

Dessler, G (2013) Human Resource Management, Pearson, 13th ed., USA

Armstrong, M(2009) Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice , 11th  ed, Kogan Page

 CIPD (2010). ‘Developing organizational culture. CIPD.  Available at:  https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/working-environment/organisational-culture-report (accessed on 29th December 2017 at 1.00 pm)

P. A., Cooke, R. A., and Potter, R. E. (2006). Dysfunctional Culture, Dysfunctional Organization Capturing The Behavioral Norms That Form Organizational Culture And Drive Performance. Journal of Managerial Psychology , 

Changing Trends in Human Resources Management (HRM)

‘The human resources profession is at a crossroads. As the global economy grows and technology has made organizations highly interconnected and transparent, what HR does has to change ’ CIPD (2013)

Historically HRM has been described as being  responsible for the attracting, recruiting, selecting, training, assessment and compensation of employees while ensuring compliance with employment and labor laws. 

More recently HRM has also become involved in succession planning, business continuity planning, workforce diversity, labor relations and some aspects of mergers and acquisitions. 

Organizations have become more global in markets and operations, Organizations will experience higher levels of risk and uncertainty,  The disruptive nature of globalization will increase the need for organizations to be more flexible and agile,  There will be increased political and social pressures for ecological and societal responsibility, Organizations will be facing and challenged by economic and demographic imbalances. The use of technology will increase at a rapid pace, Work will be come more complex and interdependent, Work and thus people will be more mobile and global in orientation leading to increased workforce migration, There is likely to be a growing mismatch between skills needed and talent available,  There will be an increased need for demographic and cultural sensitivity,  More work will be done by diverse work teams often at a distance from one another,  Declining loyalty between organizations and employees,  The traditional definition of family is undergoing transformation.

Conclusion

With the increase in competition, locally or globally, organizations must become more adaptable, resilient,agile, and customer focused to succeed . And within this change in environment,the HR professional has to evolve to become a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate,and a change mentor within the organization. In order to succeed, HR must be a business driven function with a thorough understanding of the organization’s big picture and be able to influence key decisions and policies. In general, the focus of today’s HR Manager is on strategic personnel retention and talents development. HR professionals will be co aches, counselors, mentors, and succession planners to help motivate organization’s members and their loyalty. The HR manager will also promote and fight for values, ethics, beliefs, and spirituality within their organizations,especially in the management of workplace diversity

CURRENT TRENDS IN HRM Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/46525559_CURRENT_TRENDS_IN_HRM [accessed on Dec 28th December 2017]at 6.30 pm).

 CIPD (2013). ‘Megatrends: The trends shaping work and working lives’. CIPD.  Available at:  https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/megatrends_2013-trends-shaping-work_tcm18-11401.pdf (accessed on 28th December 2017 at 7.00 pm)

Armstrong, M(2009) Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice , 11th  ed, Kogan Page

IMPORTANCE OF INTERVIEW TECHNICQUES FOR GOOD PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS

What is an Appraisal Interview?     

‘Performance appraisals, sometimes called performance reviews, are one of a number of performance management tools that aim to ensure employees’ performance contributes to business objectives, and should be used as part of a holistic approach to managing performance. The value of annual performance appraisals has increasingly been challenged in recent years in favor of more regular ‘performance conversations’. However, performance feedback or appraisal remains a crucial aspect of the performance management cycle’ (CIPD,2016)

‘ Performance appraisal means evaluating an employee’s current and/or past performance relative to his or her performance standards’( Dessler,2013)

Talks between employee and manager happen on an almost daily basis. The annual Appraisal Interview however offers the opportunity to systematically discuss the following content:   

 • Discuss work and performance of the past year – tasks, work conditions and cooperation 

 • Resolve problems and misunderstandings

 • Mutually voice acknowledgement and critique in a factual matter 

 • Agree on measures to boost development and further education 

 •Mutually agree on long term goals and focus points    Hence, an Appraisal Interview is a One‐on‐One interview which:   

 • Takes place at least once a year 

 • Requires both parties to prepare for it 

 • Is semi‐structured 

 • Is carried out by the employee and the direct supervisor using specific contents   

INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES

1. Avoid an atmosphere of stress.

2. If the employee has earned a good appraisal, break the ice by saying so up front.

3. If the employee has earned an appraisal that is critical of his/her performance, either overall or for a particular task, make sure he/she understands the reason for the rating.

4. Since a fundamental part of the appraisal process is the avoidance of surprises in the appraisal interview, supervisors must be aware of when and how previous criticism and suggestions for improving performance, counseling, etc., occurred and have documentation available for reference should the employee question the validity of the rating, occurrence, etc.

5. Employees should be encouraged to write their own comments on the appraisal form. The inclusion of comments by the employee is purely voluntary.

 6. End the interview on a positive note. Encourage the individual who has done well. It is just as important to encourage the employee who, although he/she has received a less than satisfactory report, has the potential for improvement and has admirable qualities.

CONCLUSION

In many organizations, ‘the appraisal’ is still seen as an annual event, but in this case its impact will be limited. Conversations on performance should be an integral part of regular meetings with line managers, and if performance is measured quantitatively, employees should be regularly informed of their progress towards targets. What’s vital is that meaningful and open performance conversations happen regularly; whether or not there is also an annual review is secondary.

More specific factors that make for a constructive appraisal are:

A clear purpose – to inform management decisions or employee development

Recognition of achievements

Genuine two-way conversation and reflection

The whole period is reviewed, not just recent or isolated events

Agreed action plans.

Hirsh, W, Pollard, E and Tamkin, P (2000) Management development, IRS Employee Development Bulletin

CIPD (2007f) Career  Management Fact Sheet, CIPD, London

Dessler, G (2013) Human Resource Management, Pearson, 13th ed., USA

  MASLOW’S THEORY IN PRACTICE

‘The most famous classification of needs is the one formulated by Maslow (1954). He suggested that there are five major need categories that apply to people in general, starting from the fundamental physiological needs and leading through a hierarchy of safety, social and esteem needs to the need for self-fulfillment, the highest need of all’ ( Armstrong-2014)

Maslow identified five levels of needs in his hierarchy: physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.

The most significant limitation of Maslow's theory concerns his methodology. Maslow formulated the characteristics of self-actualized individuals from undertaking a qualitative method called biographical analysis.

He developed a list of qualities that seemed characteristic of this specific group of people, as opposed to humanity in general.

Maslow's biographical analysis focused on a biased sample of self-actualized individuals, prominently limited to highly educate white males (such as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, William James, Aldous Huxley, Gandhi, Beethoven).

Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to empirically test Maslow's concept of self-actualization in a way that causal relationships can be established.

 Maslow's assumption that the lower needs must be satisfied before a person can achieve their potential and self-actualize. This is not always the case, and therefore Maslow's hierarchy of needs in some aspects has been falsified.

Through examining cultures in which large numbers of people live in poverty (such as India), it is clear that people are still capable of higher order needs such as love and belongingness. However, this should not occur, as according to Maslow, people who have difficulty achieving very basic physiological needs (such as food, shelter, etc.) are not capable of meeting higher growth needs.

Also, many creative people, such as authors and artists (e.g., Rembrandt and Van Gogh) lived in poverty throughout their lifetime, yet it could be argued that they achieved self-actualization.

Psychologists now conceptualize motivation as a pluralistic behavior, whereby needs can operate on many levels simultaneously. A person may be motivated by higher growth needs at the same time as lower level deficiency needs.

CONCLUSION

Recently, businesses, enabled by a host of new technologies, such as cloud, social and mobile, have begun to serve the intangible needs of human beings, which sit at the top levels of Maslow’s hierarchy. These include. Many companies now exist to facilitate communities between friends, colleagues or potential mates. There are also many highly specific communities for people dealing with unusual circumstances, such as rare diseases or unusual hobbies. Many of these communities had not been able to gather and communicate previously.

 There are also many new ways for people to demonstrate, and be recognized, for their achievements. From the slightly frivolous (“How many likes did my new profile picture get?”) to the utilitarian (“How many stars did my most recent product receive?”), we are now able to measure our quality and impact in myriad ways.

Further, new organizations are enabling people to express themselves creatively and/or make a living in innovative ways. Some give artisans a forum to share and sell their handiwork, while others allow people to create new careers.

Armstrong, M(2014) Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice , 13th  ed, Kogan Page

Dessler, G (2013) Human Resource Management, Pearson, 13th ed., USA

CIPD (2007) Human Capital Theory, CIPD, London

Maslow, A. H. (1987). Motivation and personality (3rd ed.). Delhi, India: Pearson Education.

Tay, L., & Diener, E. (2011). Needs and subjective well-being around the world. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(2), 354.

EFFECTIVE TALENT MANAGEMENT

Talent Management, often times referred to as Human Capital Management, is the process of recruiting, managing, assessing, developing and maintaining an organization’s most important resource- people. It’s pretty clear that people are a business’s most important asset and in this regard, organizations are seeking ways to build data-driven decision making

Integrated talent management is not a payroll system with some HR forms; it is not a recruitment system; and it is not a Performance Appraisal system. It could be HR Information System, but not by default. Technically, it’s a framework of tightly integrated HR processes that assist in making informed decisions that support your strategic objective to be profitable and successful.

‘Talent management starts with the business strategy and what it signifies in terms of the  people through the talent pipeline’ ( Armstrong-2014)

‘Talented people possess special gifts, abilities and aptitudes which enable them to perform effectively.  (CIPD (2007f),

‘Talent management as a more comprehensive and integrated bundle of activities, the aim of which is to secure the flow of talent in an organization, bearing in mind that talent is a major corporate resource’( Armstrong-2009)

‘ Goal-oriented and integrated process of planning, recruiting, developing, managing ,and compensating employees’ ( Dessler-2013)

Mentoring is one component of talent development that can be an effective method of transferring skills in a cost-effective manner. What does it mean to mentor? To mentor is to teach or give advice or guidance to someone less experienced. Mentoring can be highly effective in professions that require a considerable amount of soft skills. Higher education procurement is an area that should rely heavily on mentoring, as technical skill preparation cannot address all the needs of procurement professionals.

MENTORING

"Mentoring is a long term relationship that meets a development need, helps develop full potential, and benefits all partners, mentor, mentee and the organization.it is a protected relationship in which learning and experimentation can occur, potential skills can be developed, and in which results can be measured in terms of competencies gained and a mutual relationship with an intentional agenda designed to convey specific content along with life wisdom from one individual to another. Mentoring does not happen by accident, nor do its benefits come quickly. 

Mentoring is only one form of support. Individuals may be supported in other ways, eg by colleagues (peer support), line managers, counselors, tutors/teachers and groups, eg action learning groups or work teams, friends or parents. It is important to recognize that an individual may have a variety of support, for a variety of reasons, including more than one mentor, at any one time and that this mix of support may vary over a period of time. The traditional form of mentoring is one-to-one mentoring but there are other  models of mentoring such as co­ mentoring or  peer  mentoring and group mentoring. 

CONCLUSION

The most recognizable organizations in the world see mentorship as a competitive advantage.

Boeing’s mentorship programs give their 156,921 employees the opportunity to develop the career, leadership and diversity of skills they need to succeed in a dynamic global workforce.

 Boeing established formal best practices to drive program success across their organization. Programs operate under strict parameters and defined goals. Programs even feature orientation sessions where program participants develop the skills necessary to maintain mutually beneficial relationships. In Boeing’s Rotational Program interns and new employees partner with senior managers and executives to set career goals and plans across business, engineering, HR and IT departments.

Boeing believes that diversity is essential for success and their 1-to-1 Learning Program backs that up. Peers from a wide range of backgrounds meet 1-to-1 to expand their perspectives and learn the skills they need to succeed in a global workforce.

Armstrong, M(2014) Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice , 13th  ed, Kogan Page

Armstrong, M(2009) Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice , 11th  ed, Kogan Page

Dessler, G (2013) Human Resource Management, Pearson, 13th ed., USA

CIPD (2007) Talent Management Fact Sheet, CIPD, London

(https://blog.gloo.us/corporate-mentorship-program-examples) accessed on 22^nd  Nov 2017 at 9.46 am

The Role of Collective Bargaining

What is 'Collective Bargaining?'

Collective bargaining is the process of negotiating the terms of employment between an employer and a group of workers. The terms of employment are likely to include items such as conditions of employment, working conditions and other workplace rules, base pay, overtime pay, work hours, shift length, work holidays, sick leave, vacation time, retirement benefits and health care benefits.

‘Collective bargaining is the establishment by negotiation and discussion of agreement on matters of mutual concern to employers and unions covering the employment relationship and terms and conditions of employment ’( Armstrong- 2009)

When and if the union becomes your employee’s representative, a day is set for management and labor to meet and negotiate a labor agreement. This agreement will contain specific provisions covering wages, hours, and working conditions.( (Dressler -2013)

Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights. The interests of the employees are commonly presented by representatives of a trade union to which the employees belong. The collective agreements reached by these negotiations usually set out wage scales, working hours, training, health and safety, overtime, grievance mechanisms, and rights to participate in workplace or company affairs.

The union may negotiate with a single employer (who is typically representing a company's shareholders) or may negotiate with a group of businesses, depending on the country, to reach an industry-wide agreement. A collective agreement functions as a labor contract between an employer and one or more unions. Collective bargaining consists of the process of negotiation between representatives of a union and employers (generally represented by management, or, in some countries such as Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands, by an employers' organization) in respect of the terms and conditions of employment of employees, such as wages, hours of work, working conditions, grievance procedures, and about the rights and responsibilities of trade unions. The parties often refer to the result of the negotiation as a collective bargaining agreement or as a collective employment agreement

Conclusion

Collective bargaining may take place at the national, industry or enterprise level. In no country does it take place exclusively at one level only. However, in many industrialized countries, especially in Europe, the existence of strong employers' organizations and trade unions have resulted in many important agreements being concluded at the national or industry level, In the USA, however, bargaining at the enterprise level has been the more usual practice, other than in specific sectors such as coal, steel, trucking and construction. In Japan national level bargaining has been the exception, and it has been supplemented by a substantial amount of enterprise level bargaining. In many Asian countries relatively low rates of unionization have militated against national and industry level bargaining, and enterprise level bargaining has been more common. This accounts for the relative noninvolvement of some Asian employers' organizations in collective bargaining. Japanese employers and workers have demonstrated how a combination of enterprise level bargaining and shop floor mechanisms (such as joint consultation) enables the parties to take into account specific enterprise conditions and also to increase productivity.

References

Armstrong, M(2009) Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice , 13th  ed, Kogan Page

Dessler, G (2013) Human Resource Management, Pearson, 13th ed., USA

Hayter, S ( 2011)The Role of Collective Bargaining in the Global Economy: Negotiating for Social Justice  

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Introduction

Learning and development strategies are focus to ensure that people in the organization acquire and develop the know ledge, skills and competencies they need to carry out their work effectively and advance their careers to their own benefit and the benefit of the organization.

Organizations need people with high and appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities. Steps taken to meet this need are business-led in the sense that they are based on an understanding of the strategic imperatives of the business and support the achievement of its goals. But organizations also need to take account of the personal needs of those they employ for development and growth. This is good in itself but it means that the organization will be a more fulfilling and therefore attractive place in which to work.

 ‘Learning and development is the process of acquiring and developing knowledge, skills, capabilities, behaviors and attitudes through learning or developmental experiences. It is concerned with ensuring that the organization has the knowledgeable, skilled, engaged and committed workforce it needs’.

(Armstrong; 2009)

E-learning

‘The delivery and administration of learning opportunities and support via computer, networked and web-based technology to help individual performance and development’.

(Pollard and Hillage 2001)

What is E-Learning?

E-Learning has many interpretations but in short it stands for learning by electronic means. This means learning not directly from lecture notes, books or face-to-face from teacher but through electronic means.  Common forms are computer-based training and web based lessons or on-line lessons. With the advent of advanced technology, lessons may be taken anytime anywhere. These lessons can be made more interesting using multimedia i.e. combination of text, graphics, sound and animation. Lessons can be delivered to the learner via various means e.g. PC, PDA, mobile phone and TV.

E learning can be further categorized into formal lessons, which are structured, and informal means e.g. discussions, e-mail, e-conference etc. The much talked about life-long learning through E-Learning includes both types of learning to help solve performance problems. In a mobile operational environment the role of e-learning is highly essential and on the other hand e-learning  is effected to the administration cost of an organization  too.

References

Harrison, R (2009) Learning and Development, 5th edn, London, CIPD Walton, J (1999) Strategic Human Resource Development, Harlow, FT Prentice Hall

CA Pollard, E and Hillage, J (2001) Explaining e-Learning, Report No 376, Institute for Employment Studies,

Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice / Michael Armstrong. -- Eleventh ed. (2009)

Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice / Michael Armstrong. – 13^th  ed. (2013)