Mohammad Mosaddek Hussain :
(From previous issue)
Besides, downsizing is if HR departments contribute to ‘quick-fix’ solutions, without considering the critical people issues, as then the organization can end up with a demotivated and scared workforce. This can create complexities in organization and ultimately difficult and creates structural problems. In this situation an appropriate leadership focus of organizing tasks and new motivational techniques can be helpful.
As critics recently argued that the cutting process has gone by. It denotes that delayering or downsizing have led to ‘dumb sizing’. Organizations have stood by employees to the point where they are denuded of the skills needed to grasp new opportunities and remaining staff are demoralized and overworked. So, some employees may be frustrated with their works and become tired to their job. In this point, Mr. Reyer A. Swaak commented in his article “Are we saying good-bye to HR?” on what the future will bring that a reduced and altered HR may be just one HR executive reporting to the CEO, who will be in charge of HR planning to ensure that people and organizational decisions are aligned with the business plan. This new HR executive should “act as the tough but fair-minded keeper of the corporate conscience and provide strong direction on all HR-related issues.”. Further Mr. Swaak states that HR’s key activity should be participating in the formulation of a mission and the translation of that mission into realistic objectives and strategies. Finding, developing, measuring, and rewarding talent will become part of a line manager’s job with guidelines coming from HR. Most or all of HR administration, including compensation and benefits, will probably be outsourced. Compensation administration and delivery could become an activity performed by finance, and benefits could be taken over by the treasury function.
Many top executives have a negative attitude towards the HR function, but some also see the strategic advantages of having a well-functioning HR Department. So, it is recognized that there are some specific functions that can be performed well only by the competent department of HR. Without this, proper human management functions would be hampered in many ways.
Need-based strategies and integrated practices sound fine in theory, but how are they to be translated into action? In this connection Tony Miller states in his book “Redesigning HR for Strategic Advantage” how HR departments can deliver measurable value. He further states that “The concept of HR being a major business player really goes without saying. Either HR plays with the players or it needs to be outsourced to someone who can perform the task. To succeed in the future, the most important change for the HR function to achieve is the move from a process manager to become a strategic player.”
To move from process provider to a true strategic player within the organization, there are several steps to follow in order to succeed in the transition.
First, an audit of the HR department’s skills – what they are and how to measure them – needs to be done. Then HR has to assess what it has to offer to the business so that it can become a viable strategic partner of the company and also to get a strategic advantage for itself. Services provided need categorizing into processes and added value activities. When this is completed HR professionals can review how they spend their time and in which of the two areas most of their effort is focused.
Last, the techniques to form a strategic long-term partnership need to be implemented. This is the main part of the transition, where the HR professional has to gain a much wider view of the business area. Working at the strategic level is a vital requirement for HR functions if they are truly going to be seen as adding value. The challenge is to gain enough credibility to get involved in the process at the early stages.
As Tony Miller describes that the whole process of having a vision and turning it into actions can be broken down into seven levels:
The first level concerns the vision, where we have to define the direction for the future.
(To be continued)
