SHRM Assignment: Human Resource Practices of Samsung
Question
Task: Develop a well-structured SHRM assignment report discussing the various human resource concepts laid upon Samsung.
Answer
Introduction
Strategic human resource management has been defined as a suitable form of practice that goes in the direction and process under higher management decision-making. There are various functional departments in an organisation that work in close synergy to each other, in order to execute a holistic task, with the intention of achieving the business goals and objectives pertaining to profit maximization. Just as the human body has many organs that work with each other in a collaborated manner, to keep the entire body in a working condition and fit, the functional departments in an organisation also act the same (Jiang and Messersmith, 2018). The Human Resource department is primarily responsible for looking after the workforce in a company.
Human capital is regarded as one of the foremost and most crucial elements of an organisation, as a concrete workforce adds value when it comes to revenue generation by collective productivity. This current report is based on the exploration of various concepts associated with HR specially laid upon Samsung, which happens to be a leading South Korean conglomerate around the globe. In fact, it would focus mainly towards the positive aspects as well as some challenges of High commitment HRM, Hard and Soft HRM as well as Best Fit HRM that are considered from the concerns of how Samsung has tried to maintain and manage its employees so far in the workplace environment.
HR policies against conventional HR theories
High Commitment HRM
The primary and key agenda of High Commitment HRM is to reduce absentees so that labour turnover is increased in such a degree that the organisational performances are being fostered (Delery and Roumpi, 2017). In order to achieve HRM practices, the Samsung Group are supposed to ensure that its workforce is motivated enough to achieve the desired goals, even if challenges come in the way (Samsung Strategic Report, 2021). Effective HCRM lays focus on positive attitude within the workplace leading to providing better customer services.So far, with the myriad achievements in various fields, it can be identified that Samsung group has been able to achieve effective HCRM policies and gain the competitive edge over other key players dealing in the similar sectors across the contemporary business arena. For evidence, Samsung seems to be implementing improved quality and customer services by adding highly skilled freelance workforce who are expected to maximize mobile application embedding encryption within the devices(personneltoday.com 2020). It determines the fact that there have been complex challenges integrated into radical changes that occurred in the organisation between machine-based workers and traditional labor staffs. With time and evolution, the HRM unit in Samsung has contributed harder as possible to input transitional process of work by high commitment HRM policies.
On the contrary, Jiang and Messersmith, (2018), commented that the concept of HCRM takes under consideration employment safety and security, which means the employees are being provided with such job satisfaction, that the attrition rate is lessened.Besides, Greer, (2021), opined that effectual HCRM takes into account extensive training, learning and development. In the context of Samsung, it can be seen that the company lays importance on providing training sessions to its personnel, after timely intervals, in order to foster the competency levels within the workforce (Samsung Strategic Report, 2021). While implementing effective training programs in the workplace, Samsung has been also found to employ various role play activities that encourage the employees to work as a team, with the objective of accomplishing a common task. Adhering to the fundamental essentials of HCRM, Samsung employs lucrative compensation policies based on high level of performances too, so that employees can be more encouraged and motivated to achieve the unexpected down the line and thus, grow professionally. During the time of COVID, Samsung have given this opportunity for its staffs to be secure and safe and work remote using human-centered work culture via virtual process (samsungsds.com 2020). They too have shifted some job responsibilities for employees in order reduce to reduce stress from the staffs so that employee turnover can be increased by controlling high amount of absenteeism.
Best Fit HRM
Boon et al.,(2018), orated that as per the concept of Best Fit approach, the HR strategy that happens to be the best for a chosen organisation based on the environment is to be implemented, so that the best output is achieved. There are various factors that directly or indirectly influence the contingency of a particular business. In contrast, Bailey et al.,(2018), statedthatsome of the most pertinent contingent factors directly or indirectly associated happen to be business strategies and marketing techniques being employed and devised by the organisation.Since Samsung Group operates, as a conglomerate and has its operations throughout the world almost, the Best Fit HR practices are supposed to differ from one location to another and from time to time (Samsung Strategic Report, 2021). So as to consider best fit HRM into application, Samsung seems to be working in compliance with the HRM strategies of the firm. However, as per Wright and Ulrich(2017), employee culture, diversity management has always affected on norganisational internal environment. It generally happens to be due to the challenges of the external environment or conflicts. From another review online, codility.com (2020), it was observed that due to the issues of growing diversity management in some parts of the works mainly occurring in US, Africa, the company took serious steps of holding the responsibility of tackling gender disparity by spreading the comprehensive awareness of Samsung Electronics program and Gnder pay gap analysis yearly wise for establishing equality among the labors.
Hard and Soft HRM
According to the statements of Kim, (2020), since there are various approaches by the help of which, the employees in an organisation can be effectively managed, HRM is being categorized into two subdivisions, namely the hard elements and the soft elements. The hard HRM elements follow a traditional approach, whereas the soft HRM lays more focus on the out of the box and alternative or progressive ideas. The hard element of HRM is based on the belief that the employees are supposed to be restructured from time to time as and when required, hence some of the basic and common aspects as far as the hard HRM are concerned. In a nutshell, as opined by Tomicic-Pupeket al., (2017), the hard HRM focuses on an old-fashioned leadership or management unlike the soft HRM which comprises a relatively more motivated work atmosphere. Hence, Samsung takes digital transformation, as new soft approach of HRM for its staffs using block chain network during the time of COVID, for enhancing its productivity and efficiency of the staffs in remote workplace, as the people would find them in good place of accelerating them into adapting to new aspects of learning and motivation (samsungsds.com 2020). It shows that how the company takes into consideration all about soft approaches rather than some of its hard ones to offer a better place of satisfaction and flexible environment.
Aspects of HRM
Identifying employee training needs minimising employee turnover
An effective HR policy will never create room for attrition in the work place (Bordunos and Kosheleva, 2018). Many times, it has been noticed that employees do not come up to the expected benchmarks, hence are ill-treated by the company they work for. This leads to a demotivated state of mind within the employee and the employee becomes compelled to put his or her papers down and choose to leave the concerned organisation. Many times, due to underperformance employees are being put on the bench. An organisation with a fair HR policy should identify what is going wrong with the concerned employee who is failing to live up to the expectations. An organisation with a good HR policy is supposed to hand-hold an underperformer and not leads to employee turnover. Employee turnover refers to the number of employees who are replaced by new resources in a business enterprise (Morozovet al., 2017). If an employee fails to work in a productive manner, then the first and foremost job the concerned HR personnel is supposed to do, is conducting a root cause analysis. Samsung seems to be reinventing its roles of middle management for strategic guidelines to be given for driving change in respect of customer expectations (news.samsung.com 2020). Having assessed the strength areas, the chosen organisationhas possibility of having a better purview of the task that can be handled in an efficient manner by the concerned individual.
The concerned HR of Samsung can also take into account the tools and application of individual SWOT analysis (Samsung Strategic Report, 2021). By implementing a SWOT, the HR of a particular company can not only determine the strength areas in an individual but the weaknesses of the individual too. Also, as the weak areas will also be identified, the organisation can identify what challenges and threats can come in the way and decide on employing training modules for the concerned individual accordingly. For example, if an employee is failing to provide quality service to the customers, and SWOT analysis has been made, where it has been found out that the concerned individual is poor when it comes to establishing effective communication, the organisation can ask the concerned individual to attend communication classes, in order to develop a proficiency, a time will come when the concerned employee will smartly and impact fully deal with the customers.
Rewarding and compensation polices
In order to value the best talents that are recruited from the labour market, Samsung provides a beating compensation package as compared to its competitors dealing in the various markets across the world. Samsung, like many other companies ensures to establish a concrete and fair HR practice by certifying and acknowledging out of the box and accomplishing performances As per Havdyda, (2018),if an employee feels valued, he or she in turn becomes more motivated automatically and strive to achieve a better position in the organisation by getting noticed by the management and promoted accordingly.On the other hand, As Michael,(2019), orates that every person works with the expectation that he or she will grow in an organisation with the gradual passage of time. Reward and compensation policies come under HR strategic plan and its implementation in alliance with the Strategic direction given by the senior management of the organisation. In this regard, Samsung understand that whatever value that is being gained in the market is due to its wonderful workforce, thus as a display of gratitude, it timely rewards the employees with attractive incentives, bonuses and supplementary perquisites (Samsung Strategic Report, 2021). Thus, it can be sad that a fair reward system and compensation policy can not only help a company lessen employee attrition or turnover, but can also help the concerned employee grow up the career ladder.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Based on the overall analysis, it has been understood that Samsung is expected to ensure the well-being of the employees. Well-being can be both physical and mental. Samsung has to ensure that the employees do not feel extremely stressed, and should employ programs where the employees will be taught how to manage stress during trying times. It is recommended to apply the soft HRM approach as this approach happens to be a relatively more democratic style of HR practice. By employing soft HRM, the employees of Samsung are expected to feel more valued and achieve more job satisfaction, and hence strive for a better productivity.
Based on the study conducted here, it can be inferred that Samsung should consider important aspects of strategic HRM like identifying training requirements devising various tools or applications and continue its reward structure and compensation policies. Although a lot of elements are being taken under consideration while developing a hypothesis in this exploration pertaining to the study domain, there exists a lot more concepts associated with HR. To sum up, strategic human resource management can be referred to as an organizational mechanism which is employed to solve long-term business issues, and this specialization requires holistic planning before getting practiced.
References
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Bordunos, A. and Kosheleva, S., 2018. Institutional fit of Strategic Human Resource Management: Myth, limitation or advantage?.https://dspace.spbu.ru/bitstream/11701/15107/1/Bordunos%2C%20Kosheleva_WP_16-2018.pdf
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