Human_Resource_Manager

INTRODUCTION ‘’The effective use of human resources in order to enhance organizational performance’’ is the definition that Boddy (2008) gives for the Human Resource Management. This relevantly recent term for the development of the relationship between the organization and the employees is the one ‘’replacing’’ the well-known personnel manager. Bach in the days of the industrial time where the employees where still referred as industrials or labours the work of personnel manager was mainly revolved about keeping track of the personnel affairs .After the industrial revolution and the introduction of the scientific management the selection based on the employees skill ,in order to maximize the production ,was added to the personnel manager’s operation field , but still the employees were just a part of the production. Not earlier ,but before the appearance of the human relations model the situation had slightly changed .The human relation model focused on the workers and they needs as human beings with need that until then were completely neglected. This model influenced many management theories such the role of the personnel manager or the new-called human resource manager. Is the HRM though, just a new ,more refreshing term, are these two terms overlapping or a new product' What is its actual contribution to the organizations that focus on HRM’s role' HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER CONTEXT. Based on Guest(1987) five basic changes in the business world led the appearance of the HRM: First of all the new global markets where the competition is more fearsome and the innovation and the quality are thought to be advantages. Moreover, the economical successful countries ,such as Japan and Germany, that were focusing on the management of the personnel ,combined with the published literature of 80’,claiming that firms with high performances had strong HRM action ,promote efficiently the HRM position. In addition, the characteristics of the personnel started changing, for example the educational level rise up ,while the power and the bargaining strength of the trade unions started dropping.(Boddie,2008) The term of Human Resource manager were first introduced in American academics and managers around 1980 and shortly it was adopted as well form the UK academics and managers. As for most generally accepted concepts for the human resource manager or strategic human resource management as well we do have a variety of definitions. Among others; Walton(1985): The new HRM model is composed of policies that promotes mutuality-mutual goals, mutual influence, mutual respect, mutual responsibility. The theory is that policies of mutually will elicit commitment which in turn will yield both better economic performance and greater human development.(Legge 2005) Guest(1987):The main dimension of HRM [involve] the goal of integration(i.e., if human resources can be integrated into strategic plans, if human resource policies cohere, if line managers have internalised the importance of human resources and this is reflected in their behaviour and if employees identify the company , then the company’s strategic plans are likely to be more successfully implemented), the goal of employee commitment, the goal of quality [I.e., quality of staff, performance, standards and public image].(Legge 2005) A more descriptive definition of the role and the responsibilities of human resource manager is coming form Tonnington and Hall (1987), (Legge 2005):Human resources manager is directly mainly at management needs for human resources(not necessarily employees) to be provided and deployed. There is greater emphasis on planning, monitoring, and control, rather than on problem- solving and meditation……people have the right to to proper treatment as dignified human beings while at work and that they are only effective as employees when their job-related personal needs are met…. All the definitions are emphasizing that the goals of the organization and the goals of the employees should coexist and in the best case to be united and that these unified goals will create a commitment between the firm and the employees, a loyalty consisting a competitive advantage. Human Resource Manager covers mainly four dimensions; the first one is the human resource flow that involves planning, job analysing , employs recruitment and selection of the right employee to the right position. The second one is the reward management ,where the HRM is shifting into a payment more individual and based on the performance and skills .Another one is the employee influence dimension, where the employees are getting involved partly in the decisions for the company, as a way to engage them to the firms decisions, strengthen their commitment and the team work since all together have participate in the decisions. Lastly, the HRM is responsible for the work system, the design of the work, the environment the context and the supervisory style.(Boddy ,2008)All the HRM are not applying the same methods in the same level though. We can differentiate them into ‘’hard’’ and ‘’soft’’ or more scientific we can say that the one is associated with the utilitarian instrumentalism and the other with the developmental humanism. Hard HRM focused on the business strategy and the goals of the firm comes first .In comparison the soft HRM is focused more on the humanity ad plurality version of managing the employees. Employees are not just a passive part of the production but an active part of the firm ,that through their loyalty and the donation of their skills and aspirations, can enhance the economical goals and the image of the company. Although ,’’hard’’ and ‘’soft’’ version of HRM have their differences it doesn’t mean that they can be compatible and a HRM applying methods that combine those two aspects. IS HRM A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORGANIZATIONS' The point of view is different as we show previously if we look at the personnel manager and the ‘’new’’ human resource manager, but is really HRM contributing with the new techniques to the competitive power, the reputation and the profit of the organizations' The personnel manager changed ;he turned his attention to the psychology theories and make policies for the employees, he get independent form the line managers and he focused on possible ways to retrieve employees loyalty and honest contribution. These actions were taken in order for the relationship between the firm and the employees to reach a consensus and together to set mutual goals and gain maximum economical satisfaction. HRM moved to the front line in order to secure the competitive benefits of the cultural environment of the firm and the commitment of the employees , elements that are more difficult to gained compared to technological equipment or different management strategies and productivity methods. Studies are supporting a positive correlation between the human resource management methods and the financial progress. For example, the Perry-Smith and Blum(2000) found that organizations with employees’ families policies the organization was actually presented a better performance.(Ferris,2007) In another example, Hatch and Dyer (2004) they found out that an organization’s learning and innovating department was accommodated because of the human resource selection , the training and the developmental techniques, indicating a positive correlation.(Ferris,2007) We previously indicate some features that argue that human resource manager is evolves by the personnel manager. There are also the part of the argument that supports that there are little differences between these two terms .Especially if the bonds between these two terms are getting more close if we consider the disjunction between the ‘’hard’’ and ‘’soft’’ HRM, were the ‘’hard’’ model resembles our traditional personnel manager, whilst the ‘’soft’’ model resembles more of the human relations model. We can just state and be cautious using Keenoy’s statement about the conflict between human resource manager and the personnel manager: ‘’complementary rather than mutually exclusive forms of practice….A human resources policy may be unitary or pluralistic, collaborative or conflictual, depending upon both circumstances and strategic choice; the role of the personnel or human resource specialist is to translate and implement the strategic HRM decisions into appropriate practices’’.(Clark, 1993) or we the Storey’s state that:’’what is different….is not so much that the message has changed, but that it is being received more seriously’’.(Clark,1993) REFERENCES: Edited by John Clark,HUMAN RESOURCE MAAGEMENT AND TECHNICAL CHANGE ,1993,SAGE publications. David Boddy ,MANAGEMENT An Introduction ,published by Prentice Hall, 4th edition,2008 . Legge, K. Human Resource Management: Rhetoric and realities, Macmillan: London,2005 Ferris et al ,Human resources reputation and effectiveness, Human Resource Management Review, 17 pp117-130.