WEEK 1 HR Discussion

Learn: Week 1 Discussion Question #1

Evaluate the pros and cons of an organization’s HR department aligning its strategy with the overall organizational strategy.

Post your response in the discussion area.

#1Diversity and Profitability

In addition to its morale and value based implications, diversity is proven to be a force-multiplier in achieving bottom-line results. As reported in chapter 2 of this week’s reading, a study of 654 stores of a leading retail chain reported a higher increase in sales in those stores where diversity was embrace by its management and leadership, and lower in stores where diversity was present but not celebrated.

Forbs, contributing writer, Glenn Llopis states authentic diversity management is the key to growth and increased profits. Approaching diversity from the perspective of quotas, tokenism or affirmative-action does not constitute authenticity.

Consumers are increasingly becoming more aware of companies stance on diversity and are voting their feelings about them with their dollars. Diversity must not only be relative to the demographics of the workforce, but must be reflected in their products and services the company provides.

#2Diversity Management

Equal Opportunity and the Law, addressed the chronology of Equal Opportunity Law, Defense Against Discrimination Allegations, The EEOC Process and Diversity Management. Each section provided insights to the dynamics and mechanics of their specific areas of interest.

I found particular interest in the section on diversity management. With the ever expanding global market and diversity in the workplace, I felt this was an area that deserved close examination.

Like most other business concepts and values, diversity has its pros and cons; diversity management is the administration of those positives and negatives. Diversity means to be varied or have the presence of differences. Whereas most people embrace the idea of diversity and it correlation to the symphony of an orchestra, it is seldom realized without an intentional design- strategy. The human resource function is vital to this strategy and its operational execution.

#3Functional Area #15 U.S. Employment Law & Regulation

Functional Area #15 is one of the fifteen areas addressed in Section 2: HR Expertise of the SHRM BoCK Document. Specifically, Functional Area #15 is one of five functional areas codified under the Workplace Knowledge Domain, one of three domains contained in Section 2.

Included in this domain are the six general categories of U.S. Laws and Regulations that provide protections for the American workforce: Compensation, Employee Relations, Job Safety and Health, Equal Employment Opportunity, Leave Benefits and Miscellaneous Protection Laws.

Furthermore, each category contains listings of several Supreme Court Cases that provide legal precedence relative to that category.

#4Message expanded.Message readThe aliginment of the HR department with an organization’s overall strategty can have many benefits

posted by Jerrisha Whitmore , May 22, 2018, 6:00 PM

The alignment of the HR department with an organization’s overall strategy can have many benefits to the organization. The HR department can “contribute to the organizations competitive advantage though human capital” (“Shrm Body Of Competency & Knowledge”, 2018). By utilizing effective management skills through policies and procedures, and business systems, the HR department can leverage its human capital to the organizations benefit. With the strategic alignment, HR and the organization, can collaborate and accomplish the vision of the organization. If the HR department is aligned with the organization, it can cause division between business lines and gaps in the way the business is operated.

#5HR Alignment with Strategic Objectives

Increasingly, top level executives are realizing that the alignment of HR objectives with the company’s overall strategic objectives is vital to the company’s success. With competition being fierce, and the business environment dynamic and rapidly changing, managers and executives have had to find ways to shorten response and change times.

The synergistic effort of homogenizing the strategic objectives of these two corporate entities creates a leaner and more agile organization. Teena Bagga, an Assistant Professor and Professor San jay Srivastava state this is possible because of five HR philosophies: Strategic human resource planning; Strategic recruitment and selection; Strategic training and development; Strategic performance management and Strategic compensation and reward management.

Employing these strategic concepts, allows managers to respond to the changing needs of the business climate and work force then identify, attract, capture, train and retain quality and high performance personnel capable of meeting the demands of aggressive markets.

#6 By Christopher Jones Human Resource Management is important to all managers. Every manager is involved in their recruiting, hiring, and development. At Nordstrom, as a manager, personally I know how difficult the hiring process can be, and how connecting the right people for the right job is so crucial to a company’s success. “Remember that you can everything else right as a manager… but still fail, for instance, by hiring the wrong people or by not motivating subordinates” (Dessler, 2005). For my department, I look for how an interviewee answers the questions – is it with enthusiasm, or are they shaky. The content of the answer, and of course their experience that is required for the job. In my team, I need leaders, and individuals with strong answers. If I can see leadership within an individual that I usually will hire then, because I can teach technical skills to a person, but cannot teach a person to be a leader.