Human Resource Management For 21st Century.
With the global changes, roles, responsibilities, and qualifications of the workforce have been changed. Therefore there is a requirement of a shift from traditional human management to modern human management. This evolution has built a strategic perspective in HRM and have started to be seen as a unique and most valuable factor for organizations to gain competitive advantage.This enables HR to become a strategic partner in the organization. This article will reveal the evolution of HRM from past to current, challengers in 21st century and some recommendations to overcome those challenges.
Evolution of HRM
"Human resource management involves all management decisions and actions that affect the nature of the relationship between the organization and its employees- its human resources" (Beer et al, 1984).
HRM mainly focuses on all aspects of the employment of people and organizational management(Amstrong,2009). There have been considerable changes in both the science and practice of HRM. The human resource management function, once responsible for record-keeping and maintenance, has evolved into a strategic partner (Ferris et al., 1999).
Figure 1- Evolution of HRM (https://hrdictionary.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/evolution-of-hrm3.jpg?w=640)
Welfare officers - They were women and involved with the protection of women and girls.They mainly focused on Harshness of industrial conditions, Pressures arising from the extension of the franchise, Influence of trade unions and the labor movement and Campaigning of enlightened employers, often Quakers, for what was called ‘industrial betterment’
Labor manager - ‘Labour Manager’ or ‘Employment Manager’ were introduced to the engineering industry and other industries where there were large factories. The role involved handling absence, recruitment, dismissal, and queries over bonuses. Employers’ federations, particularly in engineering and shipbuilding, negotiated national pay rates with the unions,
Personnel Management - The role of the personnel function in wartime had been largely that of implementing the rules demanded by large-scale, state-governed production. As a result, the image of an emerging profession was very much a bureaucratic one.
Human resource management - Under these employees were treated as an asset or resource-like machines, but at the same time, HR also appeared to emphasis employee commitment and motivation.
Today's HR
Today, the new HRM requires being a strategic partner in the organization by aligning all the HR functions with the mission, vision, and strategies of the organization with a number of specialist disciplines.
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Figure 1- HRM functions in 21st century (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265541273_Human_Resource_Management_in_21st_Century_Issues_Challenges_Possible_Solutions_to_Attain_Competitiveness)
These disciplines ensure that your business is working to best practice, within the law and making maximum use of its team. This offers financial and operational benefits to the business and team
Challengers
As they prepare themselves for the 21st century, human resources departments must adapt to their changing role within an organization. Moving from a traditional to a strategic approach, human resources management in the 21st century will be much more dynamic than in the past. The below figure illustrates the top issues and challenges faced by 21st century HRM.
Figure 3- Top issues and challenges faced by 21st-century HRM.(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265541273_Human_Resource_Management_in_21st_Century_Issues_Challenges_Possible_Solutions_to_Attain_Competitiveness)
Recommendations
By understanding how an organization changes as it grows, it is possible to understand how human resource management must change (Baird and Meshoulam, 1988).In order to overcome the above-mentioned challenges, the below approaches can be used.
- To get the commitment and the loyalty of the young workers, HR manager should train and develop them continuously
- Young and educated workers should develop to meet technological changes.
- HR system should develop to cover organization strategies, goals and organization style, and organization planning
- HR must develop the ability to compete in the international market.
- To provide more and more talented people into the organization the HR manager must re-decide and re-arrange the staffing functions, for recruitment selection, training and transfer, promotion, dismissals, placement, demotion, and layoffs of the employees separate strategies should be developed and implemented
Conclusion
During recent years, human resources consider as the most valuable assets of the organizations to gain a competitive advantage. Human resources departments have started to play a strategic role in the organizations and all HR functions are integrated with the mission, vision, and strategies of the organizations. The new HRM perspective for the 21st century requires HRM to be strategic partners of the organization that coordinates all functions and supporting the strategies by attracting and retaining the essential qualified employees
References
- Yasemin Bala (2011).The new human resources management in the 21st century:a strategic view
- Armstrong, M. (2014) .Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice
- Muhammad,H. Fazal,H.(2012). Human Resource Management in 21st Century: Issues & Challenges & Possible Solutions to Attain Competitiveness
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