...1. Definition of soft and hard 2. Soft will regarded the employee as a company asset so then the policy of the company will follow their human resource management policy. creative based industry is the example for this kind of company (Google, FaceBook) - Strong and regular two-way communication - Competitive pay structure, with suitable performance-related rewards (e.g. profit share, share options) - Employees are empowered and encouraged to seek delegation and take responsibility - Appraisal systems focused on identifying and addressing training and other employee development needs - Flatter organisational structures - Suits democratic leadership style 3. Hard HRM treats employees simply as a resource of the business (like machinery & buildings) thus company will try to reduce the cost as much as they can in order to maximize their profit, the manufacturing based industries will definitely represent this kind of company (Toyota, JLR) Hard HRM Key features - Minimal communication, from the top down - Pay – enough to recruit and retain enough staff (e.g. minimum wage) - Little empowerment or delegation - Appraisal systems focused on making judgements (good and bad) about staff - Taller organisational structures - Suits autocratic leadership style 4. Is there any company that really implemented the soft and hard HRM as a black and white. Or the soft and hard is basically only implemented as a spectrum 5. Soft HRM policy however will encourage the employee...
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...between hard and soft HRM practice. As defined in the article by Jenkins & Delbridge (2013) Hard HRM is solely focused on gaining competitive advantage through methods such as increasing efforts in strong methods in order to solely increase organisational productivity and as a result, improve performance. In contrast with this strict method of management is soft HRM. They described this as a means of promoting a positive relationship between employees and management, as a result positively promoting greater employee engagement. It is important to note that this method does not focus on increase productivity. The critical elements of the article are outlined by the method in which high level management under constant pressure to increase productivity and also reducing costs. This pressure from high-level management is sent down to staff and retail managers and this has a direct impact of their daily operations and budget restrictions. Fiona’s story is a first hand encounter of these hard HRM practices, however at the same time consisting of elements of soft. To begin with, the budget given to her consists of no room for flexibility therefore can be seen a method of hard level management. It is greatly focused on numbers, however as she states, there are areas of the company she believes are positive. They have excellent values; policies and ethical codes of conduct, which she believes to be unique to that organisation. What can also be seen, as a method of soft HRM is the...
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...Scientific or Closed management, Human Relations or Semi open system, Open System or Contingency system 1.2 Personnel management/ Personnel Manager 1.3 The genesis of Human Resource Management(HRM)/Defining Human Resource Management 1.4 What is ‘Hard’ and ‘Soft’ HRM? 1.5 The Debate between Human Relations(HR) and Human Resource Management(HRM) 1.6 The Human Resource Manager and his role 2.0 Attempting a framework for Human Resource Management(HRM) 2.1 Using HRM as a style, a strategy and an outcome 2.2 Is HRM a restatement of Personnel Management? 2.3 Is HRM a new managerial discipline? 2.4 HRM as a resource-based dimension of management 2.5 The Strategic and international possibilities of HRM 3.0Using some models of HRM to critically assess HRM “Hard” and “Soft” Approaches. 3.1The Harvard Model 3.2The Michigan Model 3.3Guest comparative models 3.4The ‘Choice Model’ and its benefits. 4.0The influence of senior management and their Effectiveness 4.1 policy makers 4.2 senior managers and their frames of reference 4.3 The more effective the better the policies 4.4 The Japanese example 5.0 Conclusion, limitations and proposals 5.1HRM a widespread contemporary, evolving & contingent tool 5.2The ‘softness’ of HRM, “bundles” and performance 5.3 Holistic thinking, right and egalitarian based HRM 1.0Introduction, Perspectives in Management and the genesis of Human Resource Management. Human Resource Management is increasingly considered a contemporary development that continues to reshape...
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...What is Human Resource Management? Human Resource Management (HRM) involves the practice of managing people and has been practiced since the first century “with Columella, a Roman farmer and former soldier whose De Rustica featured one of the earliest tracts on people management” (Rowley and Jackson, 2011 p.xx). HRM covers a broad spectrum of employee related affairs, ranging from selection and recruitment to training and development, employee reward, and performance management (Beardwell and Clark, 2010). Some of the objectives of Human Resource (HR) are to ensure staff motivation, to effectively manage change in the organisation and most importantly to maintain good employee/employer relationship. This essay seeks to give a general overview on the origins and meaning of HRM, reviewing the main models of HRM, the link between HRM and performance, and finally assessing the impact of HRM in multinational corporations. The origins of HR in the UK traces back to the 80’s when government reforms were been implemented to reshape the framework of industrial relations in the country. Due to “the restructuring of the economy” there was a decline in manufacturing industries, a “rise the service sector” and an increase in “new industries based on high tech products and service” (Beardwell and Clark, 2010 p.7). The economic changes were promoted by “the political climate of Thatcherism” through “entrepreneurialism and antiunion legislations which encouraged firms to introduce new labour...
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... | |Word Count: | |From a Human Resource Management perspective, provide a reasoned and academically underpinned critical analysis of the leadership style of | |Rupert Murdoch. The response should include detailed analysis of the approach taken to the management of people within the Murdoch group. | |Further recommendations should outline suitable changes to the HR strategy and practice in the future, these should be adequately justified. | INTRODUCTION: Rupert Murdoch was born in Melbourne, Australia on the 11th of March, 1931. He later attended the prestigious Oxford University in the United Kingdom. After working briefly at the Daily Express newspaper, he took over the Adelaide News from his father, and from there grew his quest to acquire companies and grow them, as well as to create new companies. Murdoch’s rise to dominate the media world resulted in a lot of controversy and outrage, because of his ruthless management style and desire to succeed. In an attempt...
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...Task 1 1.1 Assume that you have been recently appointed as an Assistant HR manager and have been asked by the MD to prepare a report on the good HRM practices in order to increase employee’s morale and commitment. Your report should address the following issues. a. Different approaches to HRM and the need of Guest’s model of HRM to Excel Accounting There are a variety of ways to approach the management of HR in a business. The business textbooks like to describe two broad approaches to HRM which are explained further below: * “Hard” HR * “Soft” HR * The key features of the hard and soft approach to HR can be summarised as follows: Hard HR Management | Soft HR Management | Treats employees simply as a resource of the business (like machinery & buildings) Strong link with corporate business planning – what resources do we need, how do we get them and how much will they cost | Treats employees as the most important resource in the business and a source of competitive advantage Employees are treated as individuals and their needs are planned accordingly | Focus of HRM: identify workforce needs of the business and recruit & manage accordingly (hiring, moving and firing) | Focus of HRM: concentrate on the needs of employees – their roles, rewards, motivation etc | Key features | Key features | Short-term changes in employee numbers (recruitment, redundancy) | Strategic focus on longer-term workforce planning | Minimal communication, from the top...
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...HRM level 2_ Module 1_Eve Lawrence What is HRM? Human resource management (HRM) is a complete and clear approach to the development and employment of people within an organization. HRM is structured and supported by a number of theories relating to the behaviour of people and organisations, strongly concerned with ethical employment and how people should be treated in terms of moral values. HRM aims to build good relationships with employees based on trust and personal achievement therefore benefiting the achievement of business goals. HRM deals with all aspects of employees within an organization. Areas of HRM include recruitment, interviews, orientation, induction, motivation, learning, performance reviews, employee relations & wellbeing, training, development, change management and complying with employment law. The core purpose of HRM is to develop and make efficient use of the workforce within an organization. HRM is people management within organizations designed to maximise employee performance focusing on the company’s strategic objectives. Effective HRM enables employees to contribute productively to the overall company direction and accomplishment of the organizations goals and objectives. What was the main message of the Harvard framework? Through my research and understanding I have come to the conclusion that the main message of the Harvard model by Beer et al is that decisions and actions made by line managers have a long term effect on relationships...
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...Executive Summary 3 The Evolution of HRM 4 Significance to the business model 4 Summary 5 The Employment Relationship 6 Overview 6 Evolving Frameworks and Models 6 Recommendations 7 Legal Context 8 Overview 8 National Legislation & its importance to Australian business 8 Impact of Legislation on the Business 9 Recommendations to Bytes Electrical 10 References 11 Bibliography 11 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to identify the importance of strategic human resource management to Bytes Electrical. This role of strategical management in regards to a businesses most important assets – its employees, is heavily influenced by a number of stimuli outlined in this report, including the evolution of human resource management to what it is today, the employment relationship and the environment and legal context that the business must operate within. By outlining these influences on Bytes Electrical, this shall allow for the management team to clearly understand the importance of HRM in today’s context. The result of this report is to highlight and convey a summary of these influences and present a number of recommendations to Bytes electrical to ensure the continued and/or increased productivity and efficiency of the business. By presenting these recommendations it allows for the business to identify problem areas within the entity and implement these proposals as it see’s fit. The Evolution of HRM Human resource management is an ever-changing...
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...Learning Organisations Moving towards a learning organization is something done BY people, not something done TO people or FOR people by someone else. So, the role of HR has to be in encouraging, facilitating, and supporting a move towards learning organizations. HR can never accomplish this themselves. Then, if executives want to move towards a learning organization, they should direct their operating units to do so, and direct HR to move into a supportive role. If it's the other way around, where HR gets the responsibility, it never works. Knowledge management (KM) "any practice or process of creating, acquiring, capturing, sharing and using knowledge, wherever it resides, to enhance learning and performance in organisations (Scarborough 1999). Knowledge management involves converting knowledge sources by classifying related information then circulating to make the information to take place. Not all information is knowledge or all knowledge is important. According to Blackler (1995), "knowledge is multifaceted and complex, implicit and explicit, physical and mental, verbal and encoded". He also categorises knowledge in four as: embedded (technological - collective), enculturel (Values, beliefs - collective), embodied (practical knowledge - individual), and embraced (theoretical understanding - individual). Contrast on Blackler, Nonaka (1991) proposes that knowledge could be either individual or collective, cannot be both. Yet another argument comes from Scarborough and Carter...
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...There are numerous assumptions on which the HRM’s soft model can be said to rest on and these assumptions include, for example, that a lot of people have a lazy attitude or mentality towards work in spite of the fact that work is practically a necessity for their existence. In other words then, the reason why they are compelled to work is perhaps because of the benefits they can derive as reward for working. One other very important assumption of the HRM’s soft model is that people tend to try and equate the remuneration they get for working with the amount of their perceived effort and vice versa. And so, morale is high when they perceive payment or reward to be at least equal to or greater than effort put in. And when it is the reverse case, people are not motivated to give their best efforts. Suffice to state that people naturally quite innovative; which could count as priceless asset to an organization. Unfortunately, it has come to the observation that this valuable characteristic of people has been far from being optimally exploited. In certain other cases, the attribute has not seen the light of day let alone put to use. On account of the initially stated, the apparent conjecture of the soft model is that people will be inclined to work to the best of their abilities and by extension bring positive returns to the organization they work for if they by any means become committed to their organization (Beaumont, 1992; Dunham and Smith, 1979; Lundy, 1994). Hope (1994, p.3)...
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...maintain performance. HRM models can be termed as Harvard model, Michigan model and more recently introduced Guest comparative model respectively. Hard human resource management Here Workers are considered a resource that needs to be controlled in order to achieve the best possible profit and competitive advantage. The Michigan model. This focuses on hard HRM, because it outlines the importance of treating employees simply as means to achieve organizations strategy or as a ‘pure’ resource. Thus characteristics of hard HRM is seen in this Michigan model. Here it follows task focused employee approach which has highly defined and narrow job design and usually employees are strictly guided. Jobs are usually repetitive, shows a hierarchical culture no defined career progression offered. It defines that people should be obtained cheaply, used sparingly and developed to be exploited fully. It says that internal human resource policies should have a tight fit to the external business strategy of the organization, and thus known as ‘matching model’. The Michigan model states the different business strategies found and relates them to contrasting styles of HRM in activities such as selection, appraisal, rewards, and developmentSoft human resource management This is a system in which workers are considered an important resource for a company's growth, they are looked after, and their skills are developed. The Harvard model. This model focuses on soft HRM. Because it concentrates...
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...Introduction As the time moves on, the proportion of union and non-union has been changed. According to the research in Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS), the proportion of non-union only voice increases from 16% to 40% between 1984 and 1998, instead, that union-only voice decrease from 24% to 9% (Millward et al., 2000). Peter Boxall & John Purcell (2003) defined employee voice as “a term increasingly used to cover a whole variety of processes and structures which enable and sometimes empower employees directly and indirectly to contribute to the decision making in the firm.” Comparing with union representation, Non-union Employee Representation (NER) has been more and more crucial within the representation structure. Based on the research data, Charlwood and Terry (2007) indicate that the development of representation in non-union enterprise has been in a stable situation, with 10% of employees are situated in workplaces where representation is provided through non-union channel. This essay is divided into two parts. Firstly, it will focus on the understanding of non-union enterprise including its differences with union enterprise, management structure and employee relationship in non-union enterprise. Latterly, The essay will conclude whether employee’s vocie can be effecitive in non-union enterprises by analysing different management system. Mainbody How can the growth of non-union enterprise be best explained? Background of Non-union firms In...
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...Abstract Strategic human resource management (SHRM) has emerged as a significant issue in tandem with the increasing focus being given by the companies to strategy. Faced with an accelerating changing and unsteady environment, the response of the corporation has been to attempt to create a sound internal configuration that includes human resource management (HRM) systems. The key to providing an effective response is to have an HRM system attuned to strategic requirements. The philosophical and academic bases for SHRM, proposed during the past three decades, have followed differing paths. This project attempts to bring together the differing approaches to SHRM and presents a consolidation and evaluation of these viewpoints. A discussion highlights the problem of semantics and pinpoints the controversies and contradictions implicit in the different viewpoints. This project underscores the emerging area of agreement viz. the increasing emphasis on the strategic nature of HRM and considering human resource as a strategic resource to be used to create and sustain a competitive edge for organizations. Definition Strategic Human Resource Management is essential to every firm and organization to define its plans and strategies on how the company vision and goals should be aligned and attained through people. It is founded on the following propositions: 1- Human resources is a key source of competitive advantage 2- Employees are those who implement the strategic plans 3-...
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...The guest model is propounded by David Guest (1987) which is based on the assumption that the human resource management is in its own world in terms of people management. David guest developed four aspects of human resource management which are strategic integration, flexibility, high commitment and quality. This model is a fusion of aspects that resemble both a hard and a soft approach of HRM. The purpose of this model was to try and distinguish human resource management from personnel management. In his quest to distinguish the 2, Guest suggested that human resource management is unitaristic, individualistic and mutual while personnel management is advisory, compliance oriented, pluralist and collective. Tempting as it may be, human resource seems to promise unrealistic goals. Firstly, Armstrong defines human resources as strategic, intergrated and coherent approach to the management of the organisations most valued asset working there (2009). Rama Rao (2010) defines personnel management as a set of programs functions and activities designed to maximize both personal and competent people. According to Bratton et al 2007 personnel management only focuses on cost minimisation rather than quality of workforce. On the other hand human resource management is manipulative. Wilmo (1993) quoted in Armstrong (2005) that human resources management operates as a form of insidious control. It preaches mutuality but the reality is that it exploits workers whereas human resources in this...
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...PA R T 1 The role of human resource management Part contents 1 Introduction to human resource management 2 Human resource planning and resourcing 3 Work and job design 1 41 74 Chapter 1 Introduction to human resource management LEARNING OUTCOMES After studying this chapter, you should be able to: identify the historical developments and their impact on HRM outline the development and functions of HRM understand the differences between HRM and personnel management evaluate ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ approaches to HRM understand how diversity is an issue in HR practice consider the HRM as an international issue. The opening vignette gives a somewhat pessimistic view of the role of people in the workplace. Often it is the job of the human resource manager to develop policies and practices that serve the organisation, but she or he also needs to think about the people. If the people are nurtured then the organisation can develop. As can be seen below, this was not the case with Enron. Enron: something’s got to give Human beings are not governed purely by their own self-interest, so our management and HR systems should not assume they are. For more than a year, Andrew Fastow – the erstwhile chief financial officer of Enron and the key architect of the off-balance-sheet entities that caused Enron’s sudden death – ran rings around the prosecutors investigating the collapse of the energy giant. 3 4 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Suddenly, he...
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