MANAGEMENT SKILLS

HRM DECISIONS AND SKILLS

                                              (Steve Boese, 2022)

• IDENTIFICATION OF ISSUE: Less strategic planning for staffing
  
• APPLIED THEORY: Transactional cost theory
  
• PRACTICAL THEORY: Consult executives on decision-making
  
• LINKED THEORIES: Institutional theory and transactional cost theory
  
• SOLUTIONS: To take necessary actions and to perform tasks

To make delegation successful, a manager needs to make sure that his subordinates have acquired the necessary skills and competence to perform the tasks that are delegated(Zhu and Nyland 2004).

In general, Skills refer to abilities that could be profitable and used to assess and manage resources for the achievement of goals. 

Skills and responsibilities of an HR manager

HRM is typically broken into pre-employment and employment phases, as well as more specific subsections, with an HR manager assigned to each one. Areas of HRM oversight include the following:

• Employee recruitment.
• Onboarding and retention.
• Talent and workforce management.
• Job role assignment.
• Career development.
• Compensation and benefits.
• Labor law compliance.
• Performance management.
• Training and development.
• Succession planning.
• Employee engagement and recognition.
• Team building.

In the 1980s, HR departments initiated strategic initiatives focusing on employee-related issues for long-term business success. HRM strategies, also known as HRM strategies, are a comprehensive approach to managing employees, culture, and environment, aiming to improve workforce performance and recommend business solutions(Lincoln 2002).

Since the mid-20th century, some companies have outsourced traditional administrative HR functions to focus on more meaningful programs. These functions include payroll administration, employee benefits, recruitment, background checks, exit interviews, risk management, dispute resolution, safety inspection, and office policies. Human resources departments are responsible for recruitment, retention, employee relations, and benefit programs.(Gomes et al. 2012) 

HRM is a strategic approach to managing employees, work culture, and the work environment, focusing on metrics to measure workforce success. The five main responsibilities of an HR department include recruiting, hiring, onboarding, compensation, career development, individual employee issues, and developing company-wide policies. The long-term goal is to create a more positive, loyal, and productive workforce, benefiting the company(Jyothi and Jyothi 2009).  

According to Borman & Motowidlo (1993), job performance consists of two main factors:

• Task performance describes the core job responsibilities of an employee. It is also called "in-role prescribed behavior" (Koopmans et al. 2011) and is reflected in specific work outcomes and deliverables as well as their quality and quantity(Whetten and Cameron 2005).
• Contextual performance goes beyond formal job responsiblities. Also referred to as "discretionary extra-role behavior" (Koopmans et al. 2011) contextual performance is reflected in activities such as coaching coworkers, strengthening social networks within an organization and going the extra mile for the organization(Lazarus and Folkman 1987).  

A BRIEF NOTE 

Job performance is a multidimensional concept involving task and contextual performance. Task performance is crucial for producing job-specific goods and services and requires employees to demonstrate core technical skills. Contextual performance, on the other hand, boosts the organizational climate by strengthening social networks and can transform the organization through employee volunteerism, enthusiasm, and cooperation. It is linked to organizational performance and has important implications for human resource practices. Personality traits, such as conscientiousness and dependability, are more effective predictors of contextual performance than task performance. When organizations use job analysis, personality traits predict both task and contextual job performance.

Contextual performance plays a role in selection, assessment, and performance appraisal in human resource practices. Managerial decision-making plays a significant role in performance appraisal, as supervisors' relative values on task and contextual performance behaviors influence promotions and rewards. Inclusion of contextual performance in assessment decisions can also impact the fairness of human resource practices, as it can influence adverse impact and hiring of minorities.

REFLECTION

HR departments began strategic initiatives focusing on employee-related issues for long-term business success. HRM strategies aim to improve workforce performance and recommend business solutions. Companies have outsourced traditional administrative HR functions since the mid-20th century, focusing on more meaningful programs like payroll administration, employee benefits, recruitment, risk management, dispute resolution, safety inspection, and office policies. HR departments are responsible for recruitment, retention, employee relations, and benefit programs. Job performance consists of task and contextual factors, with task performance describing core job responsibilities and contextual performance involving activities like coaching and strengthening social networks. Personality traits, such as conscientiousness and dependability, are more effective predictors of contextual performance than task performance. Contextual performance influences selection, assessment, and performance appraisal in human resource practices, impacting fairness and preventing adverse impacts on minorities.

Reference list

Hartline, M.D. and Ferrell, O.C. (1996) “The Management of Customer-Contact Service Employees: An Empirical Investigation”. Journal of Marketing [online] 60 (4), 52. available from <https://doi.org/10.2307/1251901>

Kurzban, R., Duckworth, A., Kable, J.W., and Myers, J. (2013) “An Opportunity Cost Model of Subjective Effort and Task Performance”. Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Print) [online] 36 (6), 661–679. available from <https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x12003196> 

Lazarus, R.S. and Folkman, S. (1987) “Transactional Theory and Research on Emotions and Coping”. European Journal of Personality (Print) [online] 1 (3), 141–169. available from <https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2410010304> 

Riley, M. and Szivás, E. (2009) “The Valuation of Skill and the Configuration of HRM”. Tourism Economics [online] 15 (1), 105–120. available from <https://doi.org/10.5367/000000009787536771

Rosenblatt, L.M. (2018) “The Transactional Theory of Reading and Writing”. in Routledge eBooks [online] 451–479. available from <https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315110592-28> 

Whetten, D.A. and Cameron, K.S. (2005) “Developing Management Skills”. in Routledge eBooks [online] 33–53. available from <https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203983119-13>