How necessary is it that managers understand people’s personalities, perceptions, attitudes and values in order to increase overall organisational success?
Introduction
At the turn of the century, human resources managers will have to face new challenges. The economy and markets are different from those of a decade ago. As paradigms have changed, the characteristics affecting human resources management must also be revised such as organisational structure and functions in order to keep up to pace with relevance, latest trends and strategies. In today’s fast and technological modern world, the challenge that the Information Man faces is time’s nature of putting things in order and in place in the best and most effective way. Life has changed since the invention of the computer which dictated man to deal with things in the most efficient way possible. In the world of big international business industries where transactions and other business operations are governed by law, cultural differences and mutual trust, efficiency counts largely as a common entrepreneurial aim.
Most of the successful business endeavors depend greatly on good interpersonal communication and relationship between the service or product providers and their clients. Persuading customers on trying the offered services and products is only a start on putting up a successful entrepreneurial activity. Gaining the trust of the clients and maintaining patrons is very important to ideal business transaction flows. But all these will be put to waste if issues and problems brought about by cultural differences between employers and employees arise in an organisation functioning to achieve a common goal.
Human Resource Management
It is said that the philosophy of human resource management is based on the simple belief that human resources are the most important asset in achieving and sustained business success. This realisation became the driving force behind the creation of human resource management resulting in organisations taking a strategic approach to the management of their people.
The true worth of human resource management is becoming more widely understood as human resource management steadily interweaves all aspects of people management and development within the company (1995).
Human resource management (HRM) is known and accepted in the broadest sense of the term, as a form of management that includes “all management decisions and actions that affect the nature of the relationship between the organisation and the employees – its human resources” ( 1984). The tasks of those belonging in HRM can be complex as it involves all issues that encompass employee and firm relationship. Today, it can be said that role of HRM in the organisation has been expanded and improved as new ways to handle employees are discovered.
Believing that the most important asset of a business is the people in order to achieve sustained business success is the core philosophy of human resource management (HRM). Realizing this leads to a strategic management of people within the organisation. Its philosophy is based on the simple belief that human resources are the most important asset in achieving and sustaining business success. Human resource professionals basically deal with such areas as employee recruitment and selection, performance evaluation, compensation and benefits, professional development, safety and health, forecasting, and labor relations (2001).
Employee Performance
Modern organisations passed by the guild structures and as organisations grew larger, skills become increasingly fragmented and specialised and positions become more functionally differentiated ( 1996). As such organisations should stress on people approaches which includes alterations in attitudes, motivation and behavioral skills through new training programs, selection procedures, and performance appraisal schemes. Indeed, making a business successful in a particular setting demands crucial and detailed studies and examination of the factors that will generate the best results that will serve the aims and objectives of the company.
According to (1998) ensuring employee performance requires establishing a level of competence which the employee should be aware of as a target to be achieved. This is the measure to be used by managers in determining compliance with the standard and in identifying problems met by the employees in meeting the standard. In developing a training program to enhance the productivity of employees the manager will look at the competency problems of the employees and fashion the program to enable the employees to reach and even exceed the competency standard established for their work. This requires a great amount of perceptiveness on the part of the manager in determining what method of training will be most effective in improving employee competence. Some of the training includes computer software training, internet-based training and self teaching by encouraging innovativeness in the workplace (1998).
A considerable number of companies have developed into an essential part of the period of global competition, increasing development, improved business paradigms, and corporate reorganisation. The continuing transformation from the traditional industrial framework with its hierarchical companies to a worldwide, knowledge-founded financial system and intelligent corporations, altering ideas regarding the social contract involving employers and employees, an progressively more adaptable pool of talent and a body of workforce, necessitates human resource (HR) purposes to realign and relocate itself in the vicinity of these drivers. (1964) had defined three approaches to organisation, which includes structure, technology and people. New formal guidelines and procedures like organisation chart, budgeting methods, rules and regulations can also be structural approaches on inducing change. On the other hand, rearrangements in work flow through new physical layouts, work methods, job descriptions and work standards can be done as technological approaches (1964).
Modern organisations passed by the guild structures and as organisations grew larger, skills become increasingly fragmented and specialised and positions become more functionally differentiated (1996). As such organisations should stress on people approaches which includes alterations in attitudes, motivation and behavioral skills through new training programs, selection procedures, and performance appraisal schemes. Indeed, making a business successful in a particular setting demands crucial and detailed studies and examination of the factors that will generate the best results that will serve the aims and objectives of the company.
Workplace Culture
It has been argued that through the workplace culture, management can have control in the hearts and minds of its employees towards making them more committed to the organisation. One way of manipulating the workplace culture is implementing a “shared value” (1999). This shared value is the value that the management believes each and every member of the organisation should have. Through this shared value, each and every member of the organisation will work towards adhering to it, thus inappropriate behavior can be lessened. According to (1995), correctly applied and operational employee participation increases productivity as supported by empirical literature. A higher morale of the employees will reflect in their work attitude and will gradually become more committed to the aims of the organisation and to the organisation as a whole.
(2000) discussed: “Employee loyalty is the underpinning of customer satisfaction with the organisation. An enthusiastic and loyal employee will nurture productive working relationships with customers. Consequently, it is better for an organisation to keep experienced and productive employees to hire new ones. However, to get and keep loyal workers, the organisation must have a long run time horizon. It must invest in its employees through training programs and value them through strong organisational vision. In the face of eroding loyalty, attracting and keeping good people is the key to strategic staffing in all industries and sectors” ().
(1992), author of the book entitled “A Systems Approach to Quality Improvement” writes that the System Theory in Management is important in the use of quality management. He quotes that “the systems theory of management is built upon the tenet that ‘the whole is more than the sum of its parts.” This means that when all the necessary pieces are assembled, and the relationship between them is correct, the whole created possesses characteristics of its own that go beyond those of the pieces. For a quality improvement effort to truly succeed, such a whole must evolve.”
Employee Turnover and Retention
The rotation of workers around the labor market, may it be between firms, jobs and occupations, or between the states of employment or unemployment, is called as turnover (1998). Accordingly, turnover is one of the most significant causes of declining productivity and sagging morale in both the public and private sectors (2000). Excessive turnover may lead to jeopardy of the organisation’s objectives and may negatively affect innovation and cause major delays in the delivery of services and introduction of new programs. It may also lead to loss of key employees, which, in turn may have negative impact on the quality and innovation of services delivered, which in turn, may negatively affect the satisfaction of customers of some departments or government agencies. For some government agencies or departments, customers include not only those people who consume services, but also the employees working in their offices ( 2000).
Retention of skilled employees is obviously important. They function well and stand out among the others. Furthermore, retentions save the company additional expenses. A company loses approximately million with every 10 managerial and professional employees who leave the organisation ( 1997). A company also loses critical knowledge necessary for better performance when a skilled employee decides to resign. Skilled employees are badly needed because they rarely come. If the training was provided by the organisation, the turnover of skilled employees would just put the training expenses into waste. Furthermore, the mobility of the company is affected greatly because every turnover puts tasks left behind by the employee into a halt. Even if there would be a temporary substitute before a new employee is hired, it is unsure if the substitute would perform the task faster and efficiently. Then, the hiring process also wastes a considerable amount of time. It also brings additional costs in advertising.
Employee Motivation
(1992) stated that skills, knowledge and experience represent capital due to the reason that they enhance productivity. Companies invest in skills training and development to be competitive, but the failure to manage the person trained could be considered a great setback. Employee retention is basically essential in grasping a complete return on investment. Based on the human capital theory, it is imperative that companies invest in skills training and development, but they should also align the compensations and benefits of the person with his or her achievements. In the case of our company, there is obviously a lack in recognizing the achievements of skilled employees. Without recognition and growth, there is no reason for the employee to carry on his good performance, or worse, to continue his service to the organisation (1992).
Motivation can be assumed as the reason or the force behind why a person does what he or she does. Sometimes, it is also a means to make the person perform better and more efficient. Basically there are three assumptions in human motivation established in research. The first one assumes that motivation is inferred from a systematic analysis of how personal, task and environmental characteristics influence behavior and job performance ( 1997). The next one infers that motivation is not a fixed trait; but rather it refers to a dynamic internal state resulting from the influence of personal and situational factors (1997). This means that motivation may change with changes in personal, social or other factors (1997). Finally, motivation affects behavior, rather than performance (1995; 1997). Wiley explained: “Initiatives designed to enhance job performance by increasing employee motivation may not be successful if there is a weak link between job performance and an employee’s efforts” ().
(1999) defines motivation as ‘the degree to which an individual wants and chooses to engage in certain specified behaviors’. From this theory, (1999) identifies four common characteristics which underline the above definition of motivation:
· Motivation is typified as an individual phenomenon. Every person is unique and all the major theories of motivation allow for this uniqueness to be demonstrate in one way or another.
· Motivation is described, usually, as intentional. Motivation is assumed to be under the worker’s control, and behaviors that are influenced by motivation, such as effort expended, are seen as choices of action.
· Motivation is multifaceted. The two factors of greatest importance are (i) what gets people activated (arousal); and (ii) the force of an individual to engage in desired behavior (direction or choice of behavior).
· The purpose of motivational theories is to predict behavior. Motivation is not the behavior itself, and it is not performance. Motivation concerns action, and the internal and external forces that influence a person’s choice of action (Mullins, 1999).
From the definitions mentioned, it can be analyzed that motivation is necessary for the growth of the employee in the organisation. The employee starts his career through learning, basically the culture of the organisation and his responsibilities. Motivation is a vital element to learning because if an organisation does not possess the ability to motivate its employees, the knowledge within the organisation is not practically used to the fullest (1999). Thus, in every successful learning organisation, finding the factors that will motivate its employees to partake in continuous learning and to take advantage of this knowledge, accordingly, becomes their aim ( 1999).
Conclusions
As social beings, basic human interaction and communication are considered as relevant needs that should be attended to in the working environment. The rational and emotional aspects of a person enable one to be participatory and reflective on certain\n aspects of the operations in the organisation. Social interactions are necessary so as to provide for the social needs of an individual. Since people are more than a resource of an organisation, their active and contemplative nature will always be open and shown. Aside from the primary needs for existence, social interaction in the form of companionship helps in shaping the character of a person as a quality individual that is capable of doing complex things and acting complicatedly.
Based on the performances and achievements accomplished by the workforce in a particular organisation, an individual or group’s morale, self-esteem, confidence and drive is enhanced and heightened which proves to be healthy for the efficient and productive function of the workforce and the organisation in general. Morale likewise serves as a motivation for people to work at their best which not only benefit them as independent beings but also as part of a complex system. Performance quality is highly correlated with the appreciation a person garners from his or her colleagues and supervisors which at the same time serves as a personal evaluation of one’s capabilities.
By nature, human beings are highly-self motivated. They take into account their capabilities in performing their duties and responsibilities. Self-motivation and self-control directs and greatly influence every action that they intend to take. Making oneself stand out from the rest drives an individual to assert oneself and take a position that he or she believes in. The diverse traits and characteristics that make up the personality of a person make one’s existence and behavior a complex and highly interesting. The complicated nature of a person serves as a basis on how one will react and treat things and events in order to achieve an objective. The precise and rational thinking of people motivates them to behave toward a goal. These characteristics classify human beings more than resource of production which the human relations studies recognize and uphold.
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