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...
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)
To interpret such changes it must be made clear that development of goals must be clear and empowerment of employees to set these standards and then meet them could also be essential to real change. Line managers must be given the distinct impression, by both HR and upper management that their responsibilities have been broadened to include more cohesive communication and understanding of short- and long-term improvement of employees, rather than simply to continue to man the line to meet current production goals. One way that this might be aided is by upper management and HR working together to provide a more streamlined system of understanding the current and future labor skill set and building upon the fact that line managers need to be given some relative leniency of immediate goals to meet more long-term ones, like improved employee development and in turn HR and upper management will in the future offer a better pool of employees to line managers, based on realistic interpretations of existing skill sets.
Resources
Rothwell, S. (1995) "Human Resource Planning" in Human Resource Management: A Critical Text. London, UK: Routledge.
