iii) Appraisals
Appraisals are precision indicators that enable managers to rat their organizational and managerial performance. The appraisal of the U.S. army is not only regarded in America, but also globally. The respect shown to them is due to the worth of sacrifice and zeal in achieving their objective of protecting America. These appraisals enhance the assessment of its performance and enhance the career development of the soldiers. The HR Model encompasses such human practices of appraisal in the army through three ways, the Critical Incident Method, Paired Comparisons and from Peer Reviews. These appraisal techniques form the fundamental part of personal management.
Appraisal from the Critical Incident methods involves the identification and description of events where a soldier has exemplifies exceptional work or needs to improve. Supervisors records incidents of interest to improving the work experience. Whether on the training ground or operational assignments, commanders recognize and correct soldiers where need be. In the situation of positive appraisal, a soldier is confident and is more trustworthy as no commander of supervisor needs to be available to oversee incidental happenings. The utilization of the HR Model under this aspect of appraisal indicator ensures that managers, and hereby the commanders and supervisors are more detailed and accurate in their performance ratings of their subjects (Susan and Randall 8).
Paired comparison appraisals are done by comparing two employees, and in this case soldiers. Judgments made from this method by the panel determine whether one is better or worse in comparison, in relation to his colleague. However, a formula is utilized by relating to a certain number of soldiers being compared to one another. This method is hardly of utility to army officials due to the amount of time consumed in conducting this appraisal; hence it is mostly replaced by the ranking method of appraisal (Laura).
The HR Model also advocates for appraisals from peer reviews by evaluating the employee. In the U.S. army, reviews are written by the supervisors or their assistants in view of what the soldiers are doing while at their field operations. This method allows the soldiers to pass indirect messages of how operations are conducted. This method of appraisal is also referred to as the easy appraisal. Strengths, weaknesses, positional performance and flexibility areas are written in accordance to a soldier's experience. This method gives the management a focus on the behavioral characteristics of an individual in the place of work and how this contributes to the entire operational success or failure (Jafari et al. 94).
iv) Motivation Techniques
Warfare training activities in the army are encouraged by motivational techniques. Motivational principles provide the needs and motives to a soldier to provide results that confer to his or her satisfactory needs. Motivational techniques are based on two theories, the Maslow and Vroom theories.
The Maslow theory proposed by Dr. Abraham Maslow is a depiction of how a soldier manages his or her self-actualization skills, ego or pride, social, safety and physiological aspects of motivation...
These are areas that need not to interfere or influence operational and performance behaviors of soldiers (Lucas 169) and, therefore, need to be addressed prior involving in any training or operational program.
The Vroom motivational theory proposed by Victor Vroom attempts to provide motivational explanations in any work environment. In this context of the U.S. army, several forces expend a task. A soldier ought to be familiar with the effort he or she has to place on a task and the performance expected. Vroom proposes that Effort= Expectancy x Valence (Gary et al. 7). The theory further purports the involvement of soldiers in valence, instrumentality and expectancy of their work.
v) Quality of Work Life
Environmental and situational analysis from the experiences and performance of the U.S. army soldiers depict that their work life is excellent. According to the U.S. army website, compensations, work culture, balance and security is attractive. With the integration of the HR Model strategies, management of a soldier's work is conducted efficiently. Promotions are done frequently on proper display of hard work. The pros of the work life in the U.S. army surpass the cons; hence making it an eligible job environment for qualified U.S. citizens.
Conclusion
In today's global activities, the U.S. army and its leadership have become human resource practitioners by utilizing business policies. The U.S. army has taken up business incentives such as the integration of the Human Resource Model and it is strategies in ensuring that the role of protecting the nation is attained. Since the incorporation of such incentives, massive attacks and security alarms have reduced. Such a directive has made the U.S. army comparable to business firms whose human resource management standards are under-standardized. In addition, the stipulation of indicators to conceptualize the army's utilization of the HR Model will encourage other global nations and armies to learn from the U.S. army.
Works Cited
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Gary, Kress, Batia, Sharon and David, Bassan. Work Motivation: Theory and Practice. U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, pp 2-92, 1981.
Jafari, Mostafa, Atieh Bourouni and Roozbeh Hesam Amiri. A New Framework for Selection of the Best Performance Appraisal Method. European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 7, Issue 3, pp 92-100, 2009.
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Smith, L.J. Vestibule training for today's needs. In (a. E. Dodd & J.O. Rice, Eds.), How to Train Workers for War Industries. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1942.
