HR systems

This week we are discussing how HR systems can influence business results and evaluating HRM practices which are appropriate to minimize or eliminate organizational conflicts. In the last few years there have been some improvement in this area.  Some great strategies have emerged from studies that link HR performance and business performance.  The outcomes were exceptional especially within the auto industry. There have been some familiar processes come out of it including the balanced scorecard. The key is to focus on what is important and how an organization can leverage their HR department to improve efficiency. This is just what the balance scorecard represents.  For an organization to succeed they must consider their stakeholders and what will make the customers happy. If you think about what you like about a store when you shop consider these elements, does it smell good such as a comfort food or perfume? Some stores will have a stand in the middle of their store which pipes the smells throughout the store. They may use nuts or popcorn. Using the sense of smell to give the shoppers a feeling of home may get them to feel motivated to buy more. This is just a theory and research has been done to back it up as well but it works. The other element is ambiance. How will the customer feel when they walk in the door. Of course there are several options the managers may go with such as a luxurious feeling when you enter Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus.  The women will be encouraged to purchase perfume knowing the sample sprayed on them is wonderful and may make them feel beautiful. When you walk into a store like Target you get a good feeling from all of the red colors and the bold colors of their products.

There have been many companies that reorganized based on what their HR team outlines as their focal points. They keep their skilled staff and minimize the superfluous staff to hone in on their most productive areas. Most of the larger companies now use contractors to fill in the gaps in their workforce. They may keep their most experienced workers and outsource their least experienced staff

To participate in the following Discussion Forums, go to this week's Discussion link in the left navigation:

1.      Linking Strategy to HRM Practices

Read pages 177 -180 from the course text and imagine how “Well-designed HR systems can influence business results.” Read Fast Company’s article on SAS (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/21/sanity.html) as well as the article on CBS "60" minutes (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/04/18/60minutes/main550102.shtml--), and visit the SAS website (http://www.sas.com/corporate/index.html) to learn more about the company.



Consider how SAS used organizational strategy to drive HRM practices.  What are they doing that is different than most others? How and why did SAS do what they did? What was their goal? How did it work out? How did it impact their employees in terms of retention, satisfaction, and productivity? Could your firm do what SAS did? Explain why or why not. Present your views in 200 words or more in your discussion post. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Remember to properly cite your sources.

2.      Conflicting HRM Systems

Almost every organization with more than 200 employees has at least one significant conflicting HRM practice, which undermines the total performance of the organization at least marginally—examples abound. Discuss one or more conflicting practices you have experienced and recommend one or more alternative HRM practices that could appropriately minimize, or even eliminate, the conflict. Explain in detail. Present your views in 200 words or more in your discussion post. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Remember to properly cite your sources.

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