Educating highly competent and principled HR professionals in the 21st century

The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness of US HR Graduate Programs in preparing highly competent and principled HR professionals functioning as strategic partners and helping organizations create sustainable competitive advantage through the HR function. The paper examines the major competencies necessary for HR to serve as business partners and analyses the graduate HR programmers in developing the requisite competencies. Multiple gaps in the curriculum are identified. Strategies to enhance the quality and relevance of the graduate programmes in developing high competent and principled HR professionals in the 21st. century are discussed

Examining human resource professionals' effectiveness in Pakistan's Telco companies

The inevitability for HR professionals to perform at their best, being effective and efficient is very crucial in gaining sustainable competitive advantage in 21st century. Likewise, HR professionals have to successfully manage human resources, need personal credibility and business knowledge, understanding of the business strategies, adapting with technology changes and the ability to deliver HR services. Despite there being a substantial amount of discussion about HR professionals’ effectiveness which is featuring massive challenges and opportunities, there is a paucity of information concerning the extent of this subject matter in Pakistan. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of human resource development and organizational culture on HR professionals’ effectiveness in telecom sector of Pakistan. The other important aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of high performance work system between human resource development, organizational culture and HR professionals’ effectiveness. The study deployed a mixed method research design consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches. An initial research model was first developed based on an extensive literature review. The qualitative field study was then carried out to explore the perceptions of ten HR professionals to affirm the initial research model in phase one. The quantitative study tested the final proposed research model in phase two. The survey questionnaire was distributed to seventy five HR professionals of telecom firms and forty valid questionnaires were obtained which is 53.33% response rate. The qualitative findings have established the detailed research model of HR professionals’ effectiveness. As the quantitative study has discovered the significant moderating effect of high performance work system in the relationship between human resource development, organizational culture and HR professionals’ effectiveness. Finally, managerial, theoretical and methodological implications as well as direction for future research were discussed

Strategic HRM Measurement in the 21st Century: From Justifying HR to Strategic Talent Leadership

Measurement will be vital to the evolution of human resource management in the coming century, but in this chapter we propose that it will not be measurement as usual. The future of HRM will require a decision science for talent resources that is as logical, reliable, consistent and flexible as Finance, the decision science for financial resources, and Marketing, the decision science for customer resources. In this chapter we describe the elements of this new decision science, which we call “Talentship,” and its implications for the future of strategic HR measurement. Using this framework, we review leading measurement approaches, describe their contributions, and identify the significant opportunities for improvement in future HR measurement systems

21st Century Human Resources: Employee Advocate, Business Partner, or Both?

[Excerpt] The human resources (“HR”) field can be segmented into three eras. The first era developed in the late 19th century out of labor tensions as public concern grew due to the sometimes violent relations between employers and employees. Some characterize HR’s beginning as a managerial function as well as a steward of the employee experience. As labor and employment laws were enacted HR was also tasked with ensuring firms’ legal compliance. Over time, HR moved into a second era where it developed knowledge in employment staffing activities such as recruitment, training, compensation, and benefits.In the 1980s, the HR function was extended to include the role of strategic business partner. The evolution of HR has been driven by enhanced competition for skilled employees, globalization, increased workforce diversity, and a shift to more technologically grounded positions. This essay explores the tension between HR’s original role as employee advocate, and the later shift toward HR as business partner. This tension not only has important implications for employee expectations regarding how HR will serve them, but more broadly, what they expect from their firms. The conclusion is that these tensions are so fundamental that while the HR “function” must include both, the roles of individual HR professionals should not confuse the two

Human Resources: Key to Competitive Advantage

[Excerpt] As difficult as it may be and as fuzzy as it may turn out, we all must invest in an attempt to peer into the future to discern what implications it has for our human resources. It is not a precise effort, and it certainly can be challenged from many quarters; however, it is not only noble, but may prove to be extremely worthwhile for a competitive firm. As with almost every organization activity, the competitive world makes a paradigm shift inevitable for the human resource function. Understanding the nature of that shift and how to implement meaningful change are the fundamental questions for us all

Virtual HR Departments: Getting Out of the Middle

In this chapter, we explore the notion of virtual HR departments: a network-based organization built on partnerships and mediated by information technologies in order to be simultaneously strategic, flexible, cost-efficient, and service-oriented. We draw on experiences and initiatives at Merck Pharmaceuticals in order to show how information technology in establishing an infrastructure for virtual HR. Then, we present a model for mapping the architecture of HR activities that includes both internal and external sourcing options. We conclude by offering some recommendations for management practice as well as future research

Ready for Tomorrow: Demand-Side Emerging Skills for the 21st Century

As part of the Ready for the Job demand-side skill assessment, the Heldrich Center explored emerging work skills that will affect New Jersey's workforce in the next three to five years. The Heldrich Center identified five specific areas likely to generate new skill demands: biotechnology, security, e-learning, e-commerce, and food/agribusiness. This report explores the study's findings and offers recommendations for improving education and training in New Jersey

Exploring Successful International Human Resource Management: Past, Present, and Future Directions

Today, approximately 60,000 multinational enterprises (MNEs) employ more than 45 million people worldwide. This is about twice as many as in 1990, and this number is predicted to increase to 75 million people by 2010 (Schuler, 2003). This paper is dedicated to helping develop the understanding and competencies necessary for HR managers to succeed. Additionally, this paper aims to review the most important aspects of International Human Resource Management, (IHRM), such as the development of IHRM, IHRM vs. domestic HRM, successful localization, and talent management in IHRM. Finally this paper discusses issues that are likely to gain importance in the IHRM field in the near future.IHRM, HRM, Localization, Talent Management, IHRM Future

Planning A Future Workforce: An Australian

Libraries throughout the world are facing the dual challenge of an aging workforce and a workplace which is requiring significant reassessment of the skills base of its staff as a result of the impact of technology on the delivery of information services. The implications for libraries in responding to this environment are significant. This paper looks at the age profile of the library workforce and discusses the need for libraries to acknowledge and plan for the impending retirement of a significant proportion of their workforce. The paper argues that integral to this planning is the need to identify the skills and attributes required of library staff in both the short and long term. The response of some Australian academic libraries in preparing to address these challenges is described. Particular reference is made to strategies adopted at Queensland University of Technology Library in Brisbane, Australia to ensure that existing and new staff are equipped with the skills to be able to work in changing environments and that staff are provided with opportunities to develop leadership skills that will be required for the future

CAHRS hrSpectrum (November-December 2008)

HRSpec2008_12.pdf: 478 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020