21st Century Management

Managing people

Author name

Affiliations

Managing Human Resources

Introduction

Managers in any organization are required to perform numerous roles depending upon their position in the organization. They have to optimize all their resources such as material, capital as well as human. However, to manage human resource is not an easy task for them. They are required to learn and practice different techniques to manage people effectively. All managers are tangled with these five activities staffing, retention, development, adjustment and managing change in order to manage humans. Their effective management can give their organization a competitive advantage as they are able to recognize different challenges of managing people and getting the synergy in organization operations and functions. This paper will examine the significant people management challenges that my organization faces, and what I being a manager can do to meet those challenges. The analysis also contains different recommendationsto address the people management challenges. Moreover, there is also discussion about specific actions or behaviors that can enhanceemployee productivity, engagement and morale.

Discussion

Attracting and retaining the right talentManaging human resource is one of the difficult tasks that managers are required to perform. This is due to the presence of different nature of people in the organization. In an organization, there are different people having different attitudes and beliefs. It is not easy to manage them with a single strategy. Managers face different challenges during their human resource activities such as staffing, retention, development, adjustment and managing change.During high unemployment, organizationsreceivemillionsof applications for different posts. For example, Starbucks has received 7.6 million job applications over the past 12 months ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"WynrWMkC","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Cascio, 2010)","plainCitation":"(Cascio, 2010)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":193,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/wY2D8D5E/items/K985ME5B"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/wY2D8D5E/items/K985ME5B"],"itemData":{"id":193,"type":"book","title":"Managing Human Resources (Sie) 8E","publisher":"Tata McGraw-Hill Education","number-of-pages":"732","source":"Google Books","ISBN":"978-0-07-070073-4","note":"Google-Books-ID: 423elGiWMgAC","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Cascio","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2010"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Cascio, 2010). The greatest challenge that my organization is facing regarding managing people is to attract and retain the right talent ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"FVtlDBWl","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(TED, 2015)","plainCitation":"(TED, 2015)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":195,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/wY2D8D5E/items/ZQCFTG8Z"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/wY2D8D5E/items/ZQCFTG8Z"],"itemData":{"id":195,"type":"webpage","title":"Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume | Regina Hartley","URL":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiDQDLnEXdA","author":[{"family":"TED","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (TED, 2015). In order to attract the right talent, there requires a lot of dedication, time and hard work. Firstly, managers have to clearly specify the job requirements. This will separate good candidates from the bad.But this is not an easy task for managers today, as requirements for each position are changing.

Overcoming the challenge

Managers make huge investments in terms of time and money while attracting and managing their talents. Moreover, they face fierce competition for their talented and skillful employees as these employees play a significant role in the smooth function of the organization. I am working in a small company that does not havea big budget for retirement plans as well as exclusive insurance policies. Moreover, employee turnover is expensive and negatively affect business growth.Thus, the best strategy in this regard is to check for market vacancies and must use only platforms that are frequently visited by many potential employees. Today job seekers are extensively using online mediums. Using these platforms my company can remain in contact with potential employees. Then during the screening phase, focus must be onhaving a right fit for the job as well as for the organization. Managers must screen employees carefully. They should challenge their learning and technologically savvy by taking different tests such as integrity and mentalabilitytests. Recommendations, references, and backgrounds must also be checked ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"zLGtYLGU","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Cascio, 2010)","plainCitation":"(Cascio, 2010)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":193,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/wY2D8D5E/items/K985ME5B"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/wY2D8D5E/items/K985ME5B"],"itemData":{"id":193,"type":"book","title":"Managing Human Resources (Sie) 8E","publisher":"Tata McGraw-Hill Education","number-of-pages":"732","source":"Google Books","ISBN":"978-0-07-070073-4","note":"Google-Books-ID: 423elGiWMgAC","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Cascio","given":""}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2010"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Cascio, 2010). They should also opt for drug screening during this stage.

Acceptance and implementation of change

Another challenge that my organization is facing regarding managing people is acceptance and implementation of change.Change can affect management, organization structure, technology as well as humans. Any kind of change can be addressed with proper planning.Therefore, managers are required to make sure that their employees are gracefully adapting the change. In this way, the change will be advantageousfor the organization.

Overcoming the challenge

No single strategy can be used to overcome this HR challenge. The best approach in this regard can be the presence of effective communication among employees and management. Employees will be then able to understand the cause behind the change and potential benefits that they can get from the change. In addition, managers are also required to equip their employees with the skills and expertise that they need in the event of a change. For this purpose, they can provide training to their employee’srelated to the development of different hard and soft skills. This is the best strategy to make employees feel secure and proficient to adapt to the change

Enhancing employee productivity, engagement, and morale

Different strategies can be used to enhance employee’s productivity, engagement, and morale. I can set realistic and achievable goals for employeesand encourage them to attain those goals by giving them proper feedback ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"VPyYJSYt","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Shields et al., 2015)","plainCitation":"(Shields et al., 2015)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":197,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/wY2D8D5E/items/8GEQAJWF"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/wY2D8D5E/items/8GEQAJWF"],"itemData":{"id":197,"type":"book","title":"Managing employee performance & reward: Concepts, practices, strategies","publisher":"Cambridge University Press","ISBN":"1-107-65353-3","author":[{"family":"Shields","given":"John"},{"family":"Brown","given":"Michelle"},{"family":"Kaine","given":"Sarah"},{"family":"Dolle-Samuel","given":"Catherine"},{"family":"North-Samardzic","given":"Andrea"},{"family":"McLean","given":"Peter"},{"family":"Johns","given":"Robyn"},{"family":"O'Leary","given":"Patrick"},{"family":"Robinson","given":"Jack"},{"family":"Plimmer","given":"Geoff"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Shields et al., 2015).This will not only increase their productivity but also their engagement and morale. I can also give them choices to participate in decision making. Thus, making them autonomous will increase their effectiveness. In addition, they can be encouraged to work in different teams specifically cross-functional. This will increase their expertise and they will be able to manage every task successfully.

Insights into effective people management

People can be effectively managed by enhancing their capabilities and making them able to face every challenge in the organization. For this, they must have a clearpicture of theorganization’s mission and vision. They must have an understating of all the skills that will be required for working in an organization and attaining success. In this way, they can be competitive and fulfill the changing needs of organizations ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"IizBM64A","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2017)","plainCitation":"(Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2017)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":42,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/wY2D8D5E/items/FXHW7ENL"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/wY2D8D5E/items/FXHW7ENL"],"itemData":{"id":42,"type":"book","title":"Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage","publisher":"McGraw-Hill Education New York, NY","ISBN":"1-259-25506-9","author":[{"family":"Noe","given":"Raymond A."},{"family":"Hollenbeck","given":"John R."},{"family":"Gerhart","given":"Barry"},{"family":"Wright","given":"Patrick M."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2017). Moreover, organizations must have significant strategies to be used for communication as it is the lifeblood for the organization. In this way, employees will be able to have regular communication about potential and existing issues. Managers can then provide them feedback and resolve issues timely.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Cascio. (2010). Managing Human Resources (Sie) 8E. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.

Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage. McGraw-Hill Education New York, NY.

Shields, J., Brown, M., Kaine, S., Dolle-Samuel, C., North-Samardzic, A., McLean, P., … Plimmer, G. (2015). Managing employee performance & reward: Concepts, practices, strategies. Cambridge University Press.

TED. (2015). Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume | Regina Hartley. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiDQDLnEXdA