Gaps between HRM plans and implementation

Gaps Between HRM plans

The standard aspects of Human Resource Management, as described by Rothwell within John Storey's Human Resource Management: A Critical Edition, are to focus on a developmental approach to employees, where employees are given the right and responsibility to improve their education and skill set, and to improve employee investment in company and/or department goals. (1995, p. 167) Among these two goals are a plethora of opportunities for improvements (for both employees and businesses) as well as opportunities for gaps in the system, that do not meet the HRM planning goals. According to Rothwell one of the most logical occurrences of gaps in the goals of HRM planning occurs when the stress of these two functions is relegated as a line responsibility. In other words, line mangers that are frequently pressured and driven by the productivity and profitability issues of the division of the company are less likely than others to seek to develop employees' skills and education and/or stress employee investment in company goals and ideals. (1995, p. 167)

Some possible scenarios of gaps, could include lack of time, on the part of line mangers to organize or have access to employee information, such as education and skill training goals or experience beyond the line tasks they perform on a daily basis. The gap then occurs when the line manager is unaware of skill set and therefore does not know which essential part of training to make available to the employee or organize for time away from the line for the employee to meet such goals. Additionally, as Rothwell is aware the line manger is frequently burdened with extensive responsibility regarding productivity goals, making the position rather short sighted, in that time away from production might not be seen as the most logical solution for any employee with regard to productivity. This is short sighted in that the employee is then not given the opportunity to make long-term changes in skill set that might make them more adaptable on the line or even more productive in the long-term. Line managers seeking to meet monthly or quarterly goals have a limited labor pool to draw upon and may be unaware of the potential or possibility for utilization or development of employee skill set, even when such a skill set would improve the line output in even the very near future.

Another possibility for a gap would be when a line manager has goals that are focused excessively on production, and bottom line productivity, and has lost sight of the overall company goals, which they have been charged with developing employee buy in, of. The line manager then gets stuck in a situation where company goals are secondary to production goals and possibly in contradiction of such divergent goals. Employees then, secondarily may feel such a contradiction as a disparity between company ideals and real life demands of productivity. If these two sets of goals cannot be engendered as congruent, buy in is unlikely for either the employee or the line manager.

Traditional roles of the line manager, may be at the root of the possible problem as continuing to stress one set of goals over another, without the development of commonalities between goals will likely lead to dissatisfaction and increased pressure online mangers. If the expansion of roles is essential according to HRM standards, then line managers must be supported by HRM planning to implement both sets of goals, with the understanding that short-term and long-term goals are compatible with production. They must then be capable of stressing congruency, where it can be found for employee development.

The goal then of the company, upper and lower management, should be to reduce the incident of gaps to further meet the needs of the ideal goals of HRM planning. To do this line managers must be supported by HR and other departments to have a clear understanding of the skill sets that employees currently hold and those which they might need in conjunction with productivity and developmental goals. Concurrently, employees must be engendered by HR and line managers, again through planning, communication and organization to make line mangers and others aware of the individual and group skill set both current and intended. This planning clearly requires increased awareness by line managers and employees of opportunities for continued education and skill training both inside and external to the company.

Rothwell stresses both internal and external information with regard to supply and demand of labor skill sets, making clear that the development of internal skills is more available to the HR and line manager than external supply information. (p. 168) it is for this reason that internal information of labor supply, including all demographic and skill set information on each employee be an important and centralized system that is streamlined to some degree. This may be done by direct review of employee performance, i.e. By the line manager as well as by employee communication of skill set through reviews and written statements upon hire and later to ensure that such information is up-to-date and planning for future improvement is developed, including desire by employee to improve skill set and achieve educational goals, as well as streamlining of such information through planning and communication on the part of HR and line management.

This development of factors might need to include additional research on the part of HR and line managers, as well as some sort of incentive system that engenders employees to ask for the opportunity and time to improve skills through continuing education opportunities as well as flexibility for the line manager to give such time for this purpose. The development of employees must be integral to the overall goals of the company and must stress the long-term goals of the individual and the intentions of HR and management to provide such opportunity without sanction, and possibly with greater rewards.

Use of other qualitative techniques, ranging from informal conversations to more structured techniques, such as a Delphi survey whereby the views of influential people are surveyed and the results aggregated and then fed back (one or more times) with more probing questions, can-give a more informed interpretation of likely trends. (1996, p. 171)

Rothwell then goes on to stress that many companies seek to make changes based on negative outcomes of the current system or the past, including everything from poor customer relations to poor employee performance. (p. 172) Interpretively, the employer must seek to understand why such negative outcomes are occurring and where they are occurring, the intention being to improve such standards with higher goals and stress to develop internal employee development and improved pre-employment screening in an attempt to reiterate the overall goals of improving such negative outcomes. Increased utilization of skills may be one of the most important answers to these negative concerns. (p. 173)

To improve such outcomes Rothwell offers several suggestions. Which include the above mentioned stress on utilization of employee skills, improvement of pre-hire screening, reduction of absenteeism, and improved rewards for service and improved achievement of goals, like customer service or overall productivity. (p. 173) to achieve these goals the HR and line management communication system as well as employee-management communication must be at their peek. HRM planning is the key to such a change, as systems must first be understood and then improved to meet the needs of the two main goals of HRM, improved employee development and improved employee investment in overall goals of the company, which according to Rothwell often goes hand in hand. (p. 164)