HR Management Role in Facilitating the Individual Adaptation of the Employees

Introduction

Business environment exists and functions under the impact of constant challenges covering the processes of restructuring, acquisitions or mergers. The role of human resource management is to be analyzed on the basis of employees’ adaption to such internal alterations, and investigation of their perception of HR policies. The paper will be concentrated on the necessity of the organizations to develop people-centered management through the change of the existing approach into the living one; this will give an opportunity to adapt the employees to the center of corporate purpose building the demands and leaders’ challenges will be satisfied through managerial capabilities. The most important concepts in the HR management and its role analysis are considered to be human and intellectual capital, as well as knowledge management. The individual adaptation of qualified specialists and ordinary workers to the system of reorganization and company’s transitions; the problem of adaptation in the HR management policies development is considered to be vital through its reflection on business operations and employees’ performed activities; these aspects will be especially centralized in the paper on the basis of researched material related to business management. (Rennie, 2003)

Literature Review

It is necessary to underline the fact that the role of human resource management in business environment and its shift to new economy can be identified through employees’ strategic capabilities and their easy adaptation to the restructuring within organization. Bruke and Cooper, 2005, stressed the significance of the manager’s duties concentrated on the employees’ adaptation; a qualified specialist of the HR Department is to maintain conducive to work and friendly environment stimulating effective work. (Burke, & Cooper, 2005). According to Huy, 2002, the changes within organizational structure are considered to be vital for effective business; he underlines the significance of emotional balance, contributing to quick adaptation period to innovative business system. (Huy, 2002).

Human resource management is to be developed regarding competitiveness of the work in the environment of friendship and mutual understanding. Martocchio, 2006, noted that managers are to focus on technical knowledge and behavior controlling; the specialists should be always ready to provide help to the employees in the process of dynamic change adaptation, by means of policies development. (Martocchio, 2006).

Human resource management and its role are to be analyzed on the basis of technological introduction in business restructuring; Bondarouk, 2009, managed to demonstrate the idea that innovative technologies will impact the increase of productiveness and work performance effectiveness. For example, internet will give an opportunity easily cooperate and consult each other; it will improve the adaptation process and delete minor mistakes connected with confusion and misunderstanding in information perception. (Bondarouk, 2009). Besides, it is important to take into account the point expressed by Altman and Al-Rajhi, 2006, underlining the significance of human resource management policies development; this method will give an opportunity to investigate employees’ reaction and perception of the challenges and introduce new appropriate steps to quick adaptation. (Al-Rajhi, Altman, Metcalfe, & Roussel, 2006)

Problem statement

The central problem connected with innovative Human Resource management strategies is based on the facilitating the employees’ individual adaptation. The most frequent organizational changes faced in new economy are concentrated on acquisitions and restructuring; it should be noted that the expansion of HR policies will contribute to additional help in retaining employees and keeping them attentive. The problem solution is aimed at making the workers feel confident and fluent despite the changes they experience.

It is necessary to underline the fact that the problem in employee’s adaptation on the basis of HR management policies is to be analyzed through rejecting and avoiding the consequences of undermanaged transitions; in most cases these causes cover trust falls, managerial rigidity increase and communication deterioration within the company.

Taking into account the impact on employees’ working process, these consequences can cover their inability to avoid risks and prioritize the duties as well as be the reason for team work dysfunction. It should be stressed that the mismanaged transition can be identified financially being the key organization indicator, where ‘expenses ranging from increased health care claims to unanticipated training expenditures spike following a combination’ (Marks & Vansteenkiste, 2008, p. 811).

So, the central problem lies in the development of strategic approaches aimed at minimizing the consequences related to mismanaged organizational transition. The issue is to be investigated on the concrete case studies and business constructed data; the principle solution to the problem is to be concentrated on the outline of the key management policies in accordance with the analysis of their perception by the employees and impact on the effectiveness of their work.

Purpose Statement

The research paper is concentrated on the investigation of adaptation of the employees under the influence of major business challenges in current new economy; the central purpose is directed to the analysis of employees’ successful adaptation and basic methods leading to effective results. The basic aim of the study will be reached through a number of interviews with the workers, who take the same positions when the acquisition and merger are over. It is necessary to stress that the analysis of the interview will be concentrated on the framework consisting of engagement, enforcement, empathy and energy, developed by Marks, 2007. (Marks, 2007) Besides, the significant part of the study will be dedicated to the links between HR interventions and outlined factors on the basis of conducted questionnaire, allowing identifying the perception effectiveness. This part is to be focused on the basic questionnaire scales, such as the rating and importance one. Collected results of the study will be aimed at two participants’ groups, the representatives of HR department who bear responsibility for transition period, and the employees; the groups will belong to various companies.

The aim of the study will be reached through the development of policies and their presentation by the HR managers to the employees; it is necessary to investigate the change in the workers’ perception of the challenges and ability of the HR managers to impact the improvement of employees’ reaction.

Research Questions

The central question of the research paper is concentrated on the investigation of the basic techniques developed for HR managers in facilitating employees’ adaptation. It is necessary to underline the idea that this question will require the explanation of the basic techniques and aspects contributing to the development of HR management policies.

Besides, it is necessary to find out: What period does the adaptation take? This question will give an opportunity to understand the required period of time necessary for the employees to adapt to organization challenges. Additionally, this issue will contribute to the introduction of new techniques minimizing the period of adaptation and improving the work effectiveness.

Further question of the research will run like this: How is the effectiveness of the main HR techniques measured by either HR managers or other supervisors? The question disclosure is considered to be the expansion of the techniques for adaptation period and underlining the measurement of the policies effectiveness.

Furthermore, the study will analyze the question: In what way do the employees perceive the HR policies and what is their reaction to such regulations? This point will give an opportunity identify all pros and cons of the HR policies and techniques through the analysis of employees’ reaction; it is necessary to underline the fact that adaptation to innovations is the adaptation to the work itself, that is why to know the workers’ perception of introduced techniques is of great importance in the working performance improvement.

And finally the paper will analyze: What are the basic results of HR management policies introduction and what is its impact of organization’s work competitiveness? This aspect will give an opportunity to evaluate the rightness of HR management development or correct mistakes slowing the period of employees’ adaptation. (Long, 2009).

Summary

Nowadays the world of economy is completely dominated by the development of communication and information technology leading to its globalization and high competitiveness. The effectiveness of human resource management and its role is identified through managerial capabilities and leadership within the organization. The analysis of HR management in current economy is concentrated on the integration of human capital, information and intellectual management within HR strategy of the company.

The paper demonstrated the inevitability of organizational transitions occurring through the company’s life time, along with the focus of the top executive management on the adaptation to the organizational change, and the resistance of the middle to lower rank employees to the new organizational order, put the issue of individual adaptation to organizational transition as a problem to be taken into account. The research paper disclosed the most important elements of the study devoted to disclosure of HR management role in employees’ adaptation to business challenges; the analysis covered the purpose of the study, the basic research questions, literature review, and problem identification. Thus, it can be assumed that such study might be beneficial in the practical aspect of the employees’ adaptation process. Among the limitations of the study’s purpose, the elimination of the employees, who did not manage through the transition, assuming if there were any, can be considered as the most important. However, it can be predicted that the interviews with such employees might threat the validity of the study and the bias will be hard to avoid. The work will contribute to the existing knowledge of the employees’ transition and adaptation management, and provide an insight on the disparities that might exist, between the perceptions of the employees and the HR management, on the methods and the interventions, as well as on the assessment of their success and importance.

References

Al-Rajhi, I., Altman, Y., Metcalfe, B., & Roussel, J. (2006). Managing Impetrate Adjustment as a Core Human Resource Management Challenge. Human Resource Planning, 29(4).

Bondarouk, T. (2009). Handbook of Research on E-Transformation and Human Resources Management Technologies: Organizational Outcomes and Challenges. Idea Group Inc (IGI), London.

Burke, R. J. & Cooper, C. L. (2005). Reinventing human resource management: challenges and new directions. Routledge, Oxford.

Huy, Q. N. (2002). Emotional Balancing of Organizational Continuity and Radical Change: The Contribution of Middle Managers. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47(1).

Long, K. (2009). Crafting Qualitative Research Questions – Deep Inquiry Meets Flexible Planning. Web.

Marks, M. L. & Vansteenkiste, R. (2008). Preparing for Organizational Death: Proactive HR engagement in an organizational transition. Human Resource Management, 47(4), 809.

Marks, M. L. (2007). A framework for facilitating adaptation to organizational transition. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 20(5), 721-739.

Martocchio, J. J. (2006). Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management. Emerald Group Publishing, West Yorkshire.

Rennie, W. H. (2003). The Role of Human Resource Management and the Human Resource Professional in the New Economy. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. University of Pretoria.