The Central Processing Unit of any company depends on the Human Resource department to achieve its mission and vision. HR professionals’ primary role focuses on the managerial functions of the organization. The department is entrusted with the recruitment of a company’s labor force. This paper aims at examining how to best improve HR for efficient and effective management. It will also expound on findings that have been proposed to be adopted by Facebook.
The early phase of HRM began in China in 1650 BC when the country established the principle of labor division. Consequently, in 1800 BC, the minimum wage rate and incentive wage plans were incorporated in the Babylon code of Hammurabi. Similarly, in America, the organization’s function has its origin in the 1950s but did not gain popularity until January 1980, and in the United Kingdom from mid to late 1980s (Nankervis et al., 2019).
In India, the organizational function can be traced back to factory workers’ welfare during the 1920s (Nankervis et al., 2019). The international Royal Commission for Labor proposed that the appointment of labor officers who were to protect the employees from concerns of indebtedness and jobbery. The officers were tasked with investigating corrupt practices in selection and hiring in the Indian industry.
During the industrial revolution period, the development of machines and technological innovations led to an increase in job specifications. Despite the grouping of organizations, the living and working conditions of the employees were poor and they had long working hours since the employers were only focused on productivity rather than the satisfaction of working demands (Nankervis et al., 2019). Consequently, the adversarial relationship between the staff and managers was established which led to the gradual evolution of systematic attention to employee welfare and established the foundation of the HRM.
The HRM is currently considered a strategic partner in employee management. Strategic management entails long-term plans of the HR department. Initially, the Human Resource position was designed to react to management-labor problems and ensure employee satisfaction. The duties were restricted to running job advertisements to fill a job vacancy in a department, responding to employees’ job-related questions and payroll issues, and terminating employees’ contracts (Nankervis et al., 2019). However, over the years, employees and organization shareholders have raised concerns about Human Resource professionals’ traditional functions.
Facebook has adopted a distinct management structure from the traditional style of management. The company’s HR department often responds to workers’ complaints by ensuring their needs are taken care of and that disputes are solved before getting worse. On payroll issues, the employee formally informs the human resource manager, who then directs it to the Finance department for action (Brown et al., 2017).
Initially, some of the complaints would be neglected or inadequately solved by the HR managers. The need to solve employee concerns within the shortest time possible is Human Resources managers’ duty. Despite the various challenges in human resources, the strategic partnership ensures adequate problem solving within the shortest time possible.
The human resource department was known for terminating workers’ contracts in cruel ways. In most cases, the fired employees cannot be rehired back due to the inhumane method of contract termination. There was a complaint regarding negatively profiling employees who dare to advocate for a better governance system (Sparrow et al., 2016). Such management malpractices led to reduced staff morale, created a feeling of exclusion in decision making, and greatly affected employee performance. Therefore, the need for change in the style of HR management was imperative for better organizational performance.
Currently, the online social media company believes adapting such a unique system would enable it to expand and diversify. Moreover, Facebook has translated its needs into a management design that supports its goals and missions. It uses a matrix structure to manage itself, and the form has yielded a competitive advantage for the company over its competitors such as LinkedIn (Arjomandy, 2016). The matrix structure suits the social media company since it boosts creativity and innovation. Facebook matrix strategic partnership is based on various reasons which have enabled it to gain its current market share.
First, team-based corporate functions involve operational teams in each department to improve its clients’ online social media departments. The unique positions, such as privacy and global public policy departments, are incorporated in the Facebook matrix structure layout (Arjomandy, 2016). The departments are responsible for developing ways to improve employees’ performance to achieve the platform’s goals. Consequently, the company has managed to retain numerous consumers while still attracting new markets.
Second, Facebook’s matrix layout includes geographic divisions. Facebook, an international company, takes credit for being the world’s best advertisement and internet accessibility. Understanding the geographical dynamic business environment requires strategic partnership in management to undertake a PEST analysis (Marler & Parry, 2016). The hiring of employees and the content to release to consumers will help the company remain competitive. Therefore, training employees in such regions would be more comfortable, leading to low cost in conducting an interview.
Facebook has a product–based divisions that are responsible for specific product development in all international regions. The production departments are tasked with developing various kinds of merchandise to meet online consumer needs. In strategic partnership management, Facebook would hire employees that are long-term oriented to achieve its diversity vision (Marler & Parry, 2016). The development of various products by Facebook shows how the matrix structure of management as a strategic partnership improves social media market share.
One of the complaints by the management was that the traditional HR functions were rigid and restraining. Facebook’s matrix strategy has enabled its managers’ flexibility, thus focusing on more diverse issues with less effort (Brown et al., 2017). The strategic partnership approach has helped Facebook achieve better performance in the online social media business. The policy has also identified certain forecasting challenges that could impede business growth. By creating a technology and innovation department in a matrix structure, Facebook could mitigate these unseen bumps.
In improving employees’ performance, Facebook offers lucrative benefits with paid holidays and maternity leaves. The traditional HR management did not guarantee such developments. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Facebook was among the first multinational companies to offer employees work-from-home options (Nankervis et al., 2019). Such recognition and appreciation of workers’ morale have helped it achieve better performance. The first policy in the company’s strategic partnership management includes rewarding employees.
Facebook’s matrix structure ensures this dream becomes valid as innovative, creative, and best-performing employees are recognized and given bonuses (Arjomandy, 2016). The company has also been keen on upholding employees’ dignity. The maternal leaves granted to female employees are paid. Moreover, two weeks’ leave is given to paternal parents; hence they feel like a family. The strategic partnership, therefore, ensures improved HR management that benefits both the company and the employees.
The creative thinking and innovation of regional managers facilitate the growth and development of the entire company. Facebook, being a company that depends entirely on technological advancement, therefore, needs to be more focussed on predicting consumers’ online preferences and tastes. Expanding management to a more diverse and challe4nging environment helps the company conduct the SWOT analysis more effectively (Brown et al., 2017).
The future of management, therefore, relies on modern management strategies for sustainability and governance. Moreover, technological advancement has made a strategic partnership easier and accessible, unlike traditional management that depends entirely on paperwork. Business management depends on strategic partnership minimum out and maximum profit.
In conclusion, the strategic partnership in management improves the company, market share, entry into new markets, and increases sales volume resulting in an improved profit. Facebook applies matrix structure in the management and therefore, uses a joint venture to operate its regional headquarters. The international shareholders are a part of the board of directors who decide on the company’s crucial management issues. Therefore, abandoning traditional administrative and operational functions of HR to broader and complex strategic partnership brings more diverse experiences in the company that is vital for its sustainability.
References
Arjomandy, D. (2016). Social media integration in electronic, human resource management: Development of a social eHRM framework. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences de l’Administration, 33(2), 108–123. Web.
Brown, M., Kulik, C. T., Cregan, C., & Metz, I. (2017). Understanding the change–cynicism cycle: The role of HR. Human Resource Management, 56(1), 5–24. Web.
Marler, J. H., & Parry, E. (2016). Human resource management, strategic involvement, and e-HRM technology. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(19), 2233–2253. Web.
Nankervis, A., Baird, M., Coffey, J., & Shields, J. (2019). Human resource management. Cengage AU.
Sparrow, P., Brewster, C., & Chung, C. (2016). Globalizing human resource management. Routledge.