Hr Roles And Responsibilities

Human resource management (HRM) is defined as the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes, and performance (Noe-Hollenbeck,-Gerhert-Wright, 2003, p. 1). HRM has changed earlier attitudes and assumptions of personnel management about managing people in several significantly impacting ways and the new model of HRM includes many essentials vital to the basic management goal of accomplishing and maintaining competitiveness. In this paper, the author will describe the changing role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in response to trends in globalization, technology, diversity,

e-business, and ethics.

Globalization

The first impact on the changing role of HRM is globalization. Companies are finding that to survive they must compete in international markets as well as fend off foreign competitors' attempts to gain ground in the United States (de Silva, S., 1997). To meet these challenges, U.S. businesses must develop global markets, keep up with competition from overseas, hire from an international labor pool, and prepare employees for global assignments (Noe-Hollenbeck,-Gerhert-Wright, 2003, p. 46). Employee skills have become important determinants not only of flexibility, efficiency and excellence, but also of employability, investment and the ability to adapt quickly to market changes.

For today and tomorrow's employers, talent comes from a global workforce. Organizations with international operations hire at least some of their employees in the foreign countries where they operate. Even small businesses that stick close to home often find that qualified candidates include some immigrants to the United States. Changes in the contemporary global economy highlight many of the emerging challenges facing human resource management (HRM). Many societal changes increasingly bind countries into co-dependent nations in which goods, capital, and people move freely. Between these communities, however, there remains a mixture of cultural barriers. To remain successful in this new global age, agencies must commit themselves to expanding their business. They must also create internal plans that are likely to succeed in global competition. Applying successful global strategies requires careful attention to the inconsistencies created in the management of human resources and the maintenance of complex organizational cultures.

Technology

A second development, which has shifted attention to workplace relations, is technology. Human resource management is playing an important role in helping organizations gain and keep a lead over competitors by becoming high-performance work systems. These are organizations that have the best possible fit between their social system (people and how they interact) and technical system (equipment and processes) (Noe-Hollenbeck,-Gerhert-Wright, 2003, p. 36).

As the workforce environment has changed, so has the necessities for creating a high-performance work system. Customers are demanding high quality and customized products, employees are seeking flexible work arrangements, and employers are looking for ways to tap people's creativity and interpersonal skills (p. 36). Such demands require that organizations make full use of their people's knowledge and skill, and skilled human resource management can help organizations do this. Among the trends that occurring in today's high-performance work systems are reliance on knowledge workers; the empowerment of employees to make decisions; and the use of teamwork (p. 36).

Diversity

The third kind of change affecting the role of HRM is diversity. HRM is growing more diverse in racial and ethnic terms. The greater diversity of the U.S. labor force challenges employers to create HRM practices that ensure that they fully utilize the talents, skills, and values of all employees. The growth in the labor market of female and minority populations will exceed the growth of white non-Hispanic persons (Noe-Hollenbeck,-Gerhert-Wright, 2003, p. 34). Therefore, organizations cannot afford to ignore or reduce the prospective contributions of women and minorities. Employers must guarantee that employees and HRM systems are free of unfairness, and value the perspectives and experience that women and minorities can contribute to organizational goals such as product quality and customer service, promote knowledge and acceptance of cultural differences, ensure involvement in education both within and outside the organization, and deal with employees' conflicts to diversity. When employers commit themselves to ensuring that they recognize the diversity of their internal labor force, they may gain a competitive advantage.

E-business

E-business is the conduct of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling but also servicing customers and joining forces with business partners. E-business obviously produces many HRM challenges. The fast pace of change in information technology requires that e-business companies quickly identify and hire talented employees. At the same time, competition for such employees is rigid. As companies start, struggle, and sometimes fail, they require HR expertise to help work through the stresses of downsizing or restructuring without making legal missteps (Noe-Hollenbeck,-Gerhert-Wright, 2003, p. 51).

The development of e-business has included ways to move HRM activities onto the Internet. Use of the Internet allows companies to search for talent without geographic restrictions. Recruiting and include on-line job postings, applications, and candidate screening from the company's website or the websites