Human Resource Management at Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Human Resource Management at Work - Essay Example In this approach, there is not much focus on the human resource. The contemporary approach focuses on competencies and the employees’ commitment to the organisation. The principle behind the contemporary approach is that if the employees are happy, the organisation progresses too. Talents and capabilities of the employees are maximized, and are linked to the goals of the organisation. The contemporary approach is based on the principle that the people are the organisation’s greatest asset (Armstrong, 2006, p. 3). HRM provides effective management of the staff, retention, and turnover processes, and selection of employees that fit with both the organisational strategy and culture, and the cost effective utilisation of employees through investment in identified human capital. The first part of this paper focuses on theories and concepts, while the second part is concentrated on a particularly industry, the automotive industry, with Toyota as the particular organization battling the forces of organisational and external environment. The last part is a reflective diary which details this author’s personal experiences in the conduct of the research. The ‘universalist’ paradigm states that the purpose of the study of HRM is to improve the way that human resources are managed strategically within organisations. The aim is to improve organisational performance, as judged by its impact on the organisation’s corporate strategy (Tichy, Fombrun and Devanna, 1982; Huselid 1995, cited in Harris et al., 2003). Good HRM focuses on careful recruitment and selection methods, coupled with an effective training and development. Other contributing factors are a good communication process within the organisation, a well-defined job design, performance appraisal, and the motivation system for employees, which include performance standards, appraisal, etc. (Harris et al., 2003) The contextual paradigm searches