Human Resource Management

We regard Human resource a close parallel to chess. Organizations may have their line and staff functions in place, but without clear HR policies, all efforts would be like taking potshots in the dark.

As in the game of chess, you recruit people for various business functions; some niche and some generic. Every employee of your organization is an important cog in the wheel. If you follow the right recruitment practices, each employee can become an asset for your organization.

The role of HR is thus an intricate web of hiring, recruiting, training, promoting, and mentoring. It also involves unpleasant activities like performance appraisal, layoffs, and employee disciplining. Since human resource management has everything to do with people related issues, HR professionals also conduct behavioral assessment, leadership development, talent management, and knowledge management.

We have been teaching HR subjects to management students for years. Hence we have had the good fortune to get a bird's eye view of HR trends and challenges. As businesses evolve, the dynamics of HR also changed. Yesterday's HR mantra focused on management concepts that focused on process improvement and elimination of management wastes. Kaizen, Six Sigma, and other Total Quality Management (TQM) tools were the buzzwords of the twentieth century business world.

Today, the focus has shifted from refining business processes to outsourcing business processes, thereby making organizations leaner and more flexible. Even as we speak, businesses are constantly redefining and re-evaluating management models. To be able to fit into the new-age management world, HR has to also revisit its founding principles and chart a new way forward.