HR Reflection

No matter what size a business, corporation, or bureaucracy, every entity requires some form of a human resource management department. The human resources department is responsible for ensuring the fair and equal treatment of all employees within a particular organization. As an organization grows and its employees become accustomed to benefits of employment, it is the responsibility of the human resources department to ensure that all expectations are met, payroll is operating smoothly, and the organization as a whole is flourishing on behalf of stakeholders, employees, and customers.

In this human resources development course, the class as a whole collaborated to learn skills pertaining to analyzing an organization’s human assets and the processes related to human capital development. Human assets are the skills and abilities that employees and other members of an organization add to the organization as a whole. Some human assets are exceptionally valuable. For instance, employees who receive additional education and training in order to improve their repertoire of skills, which can then be contributed to the organization, are strong human assets. Such assets greatly enhance the potential for the organization to function on a proficient level and to advance economically. Human capital development, then, is the progress of employees’ skills and assets that can be contributed to the organization. In order to better develop an organization’s human capital or, in other words, the value of the employees an organization has, it is important for organizations to offer training, specializations, and advancement opportunities to employees. The more valuable the body of employees within an organization, the more profitable an organization can hope to be. It is the responsibility of the human resources department to maximize the potential for human assets and human capital development.

In order for human capital to develop, an organization must provide training activities within the organization. Development differs from training in that organizational development is a progression that can be evaluated in terms of profits, salaries paid, and other quantitative values. Training is limited to structured learning activities that are “designed to help employees fulfill job duties” (Swanson & Holton, 2009, p. 370). In order to implement successful training activities, organizations must follow a clear plan involving analysis, design, development, implementation, and control of such training activities.

Swanson and Holton (2009) provide an excellent depiction of the proper way to create a personnel training program geared towards enhancing human capital development. While most educational tenants are focused on pedagogy – the education of children – human resources departments must consider the tenants of andragogy – the education of adults. In order to do so, the context in which the adult is learning must be considered. First, the particular job for which an individual is being trained must be analyzed. The specific tasks and functions of the job should be outlined and defined clearly for the benefit of the employee and the organization. With the job expectations identified, a measurement system must be established so that an employee’s efficacy within a given position can be quantified. Next, the existing education and training courses must be evaluated for strengths and weaknesses. It is important that human resources departments regularly evaluate training programs for efficacy and employ innovative changes to training programs as needed. Out-dated training programs are likely to result in lost resources, wasted time, and diminished human capital.

With a proper training program established, the instructional setting must be selected. Depending on the tone of an organization, training programs can range from recreational, casual programs to rigidly structured, formal programs. An organization that prides itself on enthusiasm, team building, and creativity may opt for a training program setting that is outdoors or involves physical exertion. Meanwhile, an organization that is more dedicated to classic professionalism and rigid curricula may opt for a traditional classroom setting for their training program. The tone of training programs and employee advancement opportunities sets the mood for all employees. The employees, in turn, convey the organization’s demeanor and brand to customers and clients. Therefore, in order to build consistency and brand recognition, the tone of training programs and human resources development must match the overall tone and goal of the organization as a whole.

The next step in developing a successful training program is to identify the key objectives. Human resources personnel must clearly identify what key points employees are meant to learn from the training program and how these points will relate to the work done within the organization. With specific objectives in place, training programs then require clear assessment tools that will be used to determine whether or not employees have mastered the information provided in the training program. The assessment tools will evaluate the behaviors required of employees as well as the sequences and structures required for various employee responsibilities. The delivery system of the information, then, must accurately convey the information employees are expected to master. For example, if employees are being trained on new accounting techniques, instruction ought to focus on computer software, economic principles, and financial projections of the organization. With these steps in place, an organization can then implement the training program, evaluate employee-training outcomes, and revise the training programs in order to continually improve the organization’s human capital over time.

Other crucial elements of human resources include the nature of humans as individuals. While it may not be immediately obvious that an organization that is attempting to make monetary profits ought to study human cognition and behavior, because employees are the basis of an organization’s success, these principles are invaluable. Humans operate in terms of cognition, emotion, and behavior – all of which play together in a revolving cycle. For example, if an employee of a given organization is hoping to receive a promotion, he or she experiences thoughts, feelings, and behaviors associated with the goal of a promotion and affect the organization in turn. The employee may be thinking about how to best strategize towards gaining a promotion, feeling anxious and nervous about the tasks at hand, and behaving in a manner that shows supervisors that he or she is hoping to be recognized as an exemplary employee.

An employee’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors all contribute to the motivation he or she has to perform for the organization. If an employee is suffering from feelings and emotions such as lack of appreciation, fatigue, burnout, or hostility, that employee’s work will suffer as well and will affect the organization. Similarly, an employee that has thoughts of unfair practices in the workplace, unfair pay and compensation, or ideas of corruption on behalf of supervisors and higher-drinking members of an organization, this too will affect the employee’s work ethic and motivation. Therefore, the cognitive science behind human behavior greatly affects an organization’s success or failure. It is the responsibility of the human resources department to evaluate employee attitudes and beliefs for accuracy and health. Human resources departments must then convey correct assertions to counteract unproductive and harmful beliefs, all while working to provide adequate training geared towards improving an organization’s human capital development.

Reference

Swanson, R. A., & Holton, E. F. III. (2009). Foundations of human resource development. (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Barrett-Koehler Publishers.