Human Resource Management Functions Organizational Goals

Question: Discuss about the human resource management functions and the way each function contributes to the organizational goals and objectives. Answer: Introduction Human Resource Management focuses on people dimension in any organization. It is concerned with motivating, hiring and maintaining people in an organization. However, human resource personnel are well positioned in any organization to deal with the objectives of becoming a socially and environmentally responsible organization (Morgeson et al. 2013). The report includes specific HRM activities such as training, performance management and information sharing on employee well-being. According to Kehoe and Wright (2013), the progressive HRM practices leads to the positive relationship between firm-level measures and organizational performance. Functions of Human Resource Management 1) Recruitment and Selection A key function of HRM is to employ right candidate for the right job with right skill mix. This function is proactive that helps the organization to decide its needs well in advance. The focus of recruitment and selection is to match the abilities and preferences of prospective candidates aligned with rewards and demands natural in a given job. However, recruitment attracts high quality applicants so that the best can be selected amongst them. Therefore, this one of the significant factors that top performing organizations devote substantial energy and resources to producing a high-value system of selection (Djabatey 2012). 2) Training and Development The function that deals with total employee participation is strategy-linked training that is essential to the success of organization challenged by rising global competition, the fast pacing of technological change and the shifting workplace demographics. However, training and development in an organization are well suited for three types of activities- to improve the performance of the current work, to train skills for the new job and lastly, to train for a new position in the growth of the individual as well as the organization. The two different methods that help in training and development in an organization are off-the-job training such as role-playing and conferences, and on-the-job training includes job rotation, transfers, mentoring, and coaching (Nassazi 2013). 3) Performance Management Performance Management completely focuses on management process that is continuously based on individual, team performance and performance of the organization. According to Armstrong and Taylor (2014), this function is a process that is particularly driven by top management and the personnel department that aims to get planned goals, standards and competence requirements for performance management in an organization. However, performance is seen as a combined responsibility of employees and employers with consistent improvement in jobs, tasks, activities that are agreed upon to meet the organization's vision and mission. It provides a conceptual framework for the employers and employees to have a benchmark that differentiates and compares previous performance with the expected performance (Van Dooren, Bouckaert and Halligan 2015). 4) Reward Management Reward system is to increase the company's performance by rewarding the employees for achieving the high performance (Armstrong and Taylor 2014). Rewards can be of financial and non-financial means. However, the financial aspects of the rewards are extrinsic in nature that satisfies the necessities of life like salaries, incentives, etc. The non-financial aspects of rewards are intrinsic in nature that is essentially based on psychological needs such employee development, motivation, recognition, and achievement. However, at the level of organization, reward management should help to recruit people, employees needs, and expectation should match with the pay followed by harmony at the workplace (Itika 2011). Organizational Structure The framework of the organizing responsibility, accountability and authority of formal relationships can be stated as organizational structure. However, it is the means of providing determining HR practices integration and flexibility (Daft 2012). The organizations follow a combination of different structures like hierarchical, centralization and decentralization structures that influence the HRM activities. Hierarchical Structure The hierarchical structure involves two types of structure flat and tall structures. Flat structure is wider and more direct with brief lines of communication between various levels. The HR practices are benefitted in information being conveyed and disseminated in the closer form of interaction between subordinates and management. Nevertheless, HR activities in tall structures are spread through the ranks and positions that are transmitted and delivered to different hierarchical levels. However, tall structure leads to disconnection of communication between management and subordinates (Bretton and Gold 2012). Centralization and Decentralization The organizational centralization structure is the fundamental point of decision-making where the strata are based on a diminishing concentric fashion. However, it is less of a democratic structure where the style of leadership and management is to set tasks and give orders. Nevertheless, the organizationally decentralized structure is converse to the centralized structure. However, the power of decision-making is evenly distributed and delegated amongst the subordinates as well as management in the democratic style (Belizon, Morley and Gunnigle 2016). Hence, the decentralization and flat structures are more adaptive to changes the environment of HRM practices than centralized or flat organizational structure (Rishipal 2014). Management Styles The management styles are highly influenced by the culture of the organization about behavior and attitudes of the managers. The different management styles lead to developing multi-cultural and international organizational environments (Uche and Timinepere 2012). The management styles can be of many types like coercive in which managers expect immediate subordinate obedience and compliance motivated by threats of punishment. The other style is authoritative when the manager dominates the team members. The affiliative style provides no clear direction, goals, or standards but keeps the employees happy by considering "people first and task second." However, the democratic style is participative as both managers and employees contribute to the work whereas pace setting is strictly based on the self-direction where the employees take responsibility by themselves before the managers assign the task. Lastly, coaching management style is "developmental" and concerned with high standards an d clear expectations for the subordinates by improving overall organizational performance (Moran, Abramson and Moran 2014). Conclusion The report is based on human resource management functions and the way each function contributes to the organizational goals and objectives. However, the organizational structure and management style influence the human resource practices based on the efficiency of the structure. Nevertheless, one management style is not effective in all situations. However, a blend of organizational structure with management style should be followed to achieve the human resource management to achieve the goals of the organization. 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