Strategic human resource management plays the role of providing and building a workforce that guarantees high performance. The workforce in turn ensures that there is sustained competitive advantage to grow the organization. The implementation of strategic human resource management involves ensuring that the organization’s approach towards resourcing matches the available opportunities. It is important that institutions plan carefully for employee development as well as offer attractive rewards.
Strategic human resource management employs appropriate resourcing to ensure maximum productivity of workers. Elimination of the work rigidity is one of the key inputs in human resource management that ensures that employee engagement occurs in a manner that matches existing opportunity. For example, the entry of women, especially mothers, in the workforce has created a need for human resource to employ strategic changes (Chang, McDonald & Burton 2010). The parents demand more work flexibility so as to be able to take care of their family. Keeping this category of employees in a rigid schedule will lead to reduced productivity, a fact that is not aligned with appropriate resourcing strategies. Offering work flexibility enables employees to achieve work-life balance. Most organizations tend to use part-time staff to facilitate work flexibility (Umukor, Kuye & Sulaimon 2009).
Employee development is another integral part of strategic human resource management. Changes in employee operations require that the organization establish training opportunities for their staff. Employee development enables institutions to cope with new technological changes in order to guarantee strategic approach to human resource management (Chang, McDonald & Burton 2010). For example, for an organisation that seeks to achieve work flexibility, it is necessary to offer comprehensive training to the staff so that they can plan their work and use the appropriate technology effectively. For employee development to be effective, it is key that training is availed to employees at all levels to enable them to achieve self-management ability.
Most multinationals encounter different business terrain upon entering new markets (Sheehan, Fenwick & Dowling 2010). To remain competitive, it is a prerequisite that the organizations ensure that the workforce undergoes development over time. As such the organization employs the use of international human resource management (IHMR) to develop appropriate strategies that will drive growth by ensuring employee development. IHRM has put an emphasis towards research so as to develop adequate knowledge for employee development and management (Sheehan, Fenwick & Dowling 2010). Research plays a significant role in establishing the type of skills required by the workforce so that they can be able to serve clients effectively. As such, to be effective employee development and training is an integral part of IHRM.
Rewarding employees is also one of the key measures applied in strategic human resource management. Organizations design reward programmers aimed at increasing productivity by acknowledging employees for their contribution (Umukor, Kuye & Sulaimon 2009). The practices of rewarding employees include merit-based payment system as well as encompassing profit share. Employees are treated as partners in the organization, granting them an increased level of input in the decision-making process. For example, when it comes to determining their pay, the management does not dictate operations but engages the staff to determine the right approach.
Strategic human resource is one of the key drivers of business development. Proper strategies that focus on human capital are essential for organization. The current business environment today cannot rely on other competitive advantages as was the case before because the other factors are less efficient when compared to the human resource. Traditional competitive edges are no longer sustainable and hence the need to increase the focus on human resource.
References
Chang, A, McDonald, P, & Burton, P 2010, ‘Methodological choices in work-life balance research 1987 to 2006: a critical review’, International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol.21, no.13, pp.2381-2413.
Sheehan, C, Fenwick, M, & Dowling, P 2010, ‘An investigation of paradigm choice in Australian international human resource management research’, International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol.21, no.11, pp.1816-1836.
Umukor, F, Kuye, L, & Sulaimon, A 2009, ‘Matching strategies to situations: Programmed and adaptive implementation approaches, Serbian Journal of Management, vol.4, no.2, pp.259 – 272.