The Role of Human Resource Management in Improving Competitive Advantage

Human resource management plays an important in increasing the competitive advantage of an organization in the market. The employees are a major part of the overall operations of the organizations and the ways by which the organizations can increase their productivity. Motivating the employees is a role played by the human resource managers of the organization and it is related to the creativity and the understanding of the different areas where the employees require motivation. Motivation can also be related to the ways of addressing the various problems faced by the employees in the organization and the improvement required in their working process (Alagaraja and Shuck 2015).

This motivation strategy helps in delivering the message to the employees that are important to the organization. The performance of the employees need to be observed on a periodic basis so that they do not to wait for the performance appraisal process. The job description of the employees can be compared with the duties that they actually fulfil in the organization. The management needs to provide regular feedback to the employees so that they can improve the areas which are weak in nature. The managers can use positive feedback to encourage them to improve and further provide them feedback in a constructive manner. The performance related issues of the employees need to be addressed at the earliest so that immediate improvement can be made in the working process (Anitha 2014). 

Recognitions and rewards act as important ways to motivate the employees so that they can improve their performance. Public recognition can help in providing moral boost to the employees so that they can perform better in their field. Providing promotions to the employees can also be a major factor of motivation which will encourage them to further improve their performance. The employees tend to become much more responsible if they are promoted to the managerial levels. This helps in the improvement in the profitability of the organization by increasing their revenues. The organization can also encourage the employees to volunteer for the roles with the help of which they can demonstrate their capabilities and skills (Barrick et al. 2015). The opinions of the employees are important for the development of the various processes of the organization. This helps in the engagement of employees in the organization and they can also be proud of the quality of work that is provided by them. The different ways that can be effective in to motivate the employees are as follows,

• The organization can develop a system of feedback which can help them in providing rewards to the employees for the improvement that they show in the different jobs performed by them.
• The organization needs to involve the employees in the decision-making process so that they are made to feel important and involved in the processes of the organization.
• The management needs to set small goals for the employees on a weekly basis which can help them getting prepared for the larger goal in the future (Bedarkar and Pandita 2014).
• The employees can be motivated by providing them with a purpose regarding their work processes. This will help in developing the vision of the employees and execute the jobs in a strong way.
• Radiating positive vibes in the organization can help in motivating the employees so that they can excel in their fields.
• The management needs to be transparent with the employees about the decisions that are taken by the higher levels. This is important as the decisions taken by the top management affect the working methods of the employees.
• The managers need to motivate the employees on a personal level instead of just motivating the teams. This motivation can be provided with the help of aligned incentives which are related to a common goal (Bradler et al. 2016).
• The management needs to understand the needs of the individual employees and respond to the queries that are risen by answering their questions. The company can also take an initiative to invest in their professional goals.
• The organization can provide rewards to the employees based on the feedback related to their work process. This will motivate them to further improve their performance in the organization.
• Another technique of providing motivation to the employees is to help them in creating a balance between their work and personal lives. This enhance their interest related to the organizational processes (Breevaart et al. 2015).
• The management should take suggestions from the employees regarding the organizational decisions and the ways by which the employees can provide their feedback.
• The employees can be provided with opportunities where they can use their leadership capabilities to take important decisions related to the processes of the organization.
• The employees need to understand the future goals of the organization so that they can continue to work towards the bigger picture.
• The company should have a ritual or process of recognising the individuals who have achieved beyond the expectations of the management. This will motivate the other employees so that they can also work towards the same goal (Caillier 2014). 

Strategies for Motivating Employees and Improving Performance

The managers of an organization play the major role in providing motivation to the employees so that they can perform better and the achieve the goals set by the management. The managers need to have a good relationship with the employees so that they easily understand their needs and desires. The managers also need to create an organizational culture and work environment with increases the employee engagement and motivation. The positive work culture mainly consists of employees who are trusted by the management and treated like adults (Lazaroiu 2015). The employees need to be provided with vision, values, mission and the strategic framework which is related to the accomplishments of their goals. The employees can also receive communication from the managers frequently and they need to be treated with the respect that is important. These factors can motivate the employees to accomplish the various requirement that are related to their work process.

Performance management is another important function of the human resources team of the organizations. The major goal of the performance management system is to promote the effectiveness of the employees and thereby improve their performance. This is considered to be a continuous process taking place in the organization where the managers and the employees work together so that they can plan, then monitor and finally review the objectives of the employees related to the job (Leroy et al. 2015). 

The performance of the employees can be managed with the help of different processes like,

• Performance standards – The employee performance related measurements can help in determining the compensation of the employees, the status of their employment and the opportunities that they have in the future. The performance management related methods need to contain accurate and fair assessments of the performance of employees,
• Sales of graph rating – The graphic rating related scales are suitable for the work environments which are production-oriented. This rating scale consists of the list of the duties related to the particular job (Melnyk et al. 2014).
• Forced ranking – This process is related to the ways by which the employees are ranked by the managers. Forced ranking is mainly related to the process of ranking the employees with respect to the achievements made by the other employees. This deals with the comparison of the current performance of the employees with their past performance in the same field.
• Management by objectives – This process is related to the measurement of the performance of the employees who are in the managerial or the supervisory positions. MBOs are related to the identification of the goals of the employees and the manager and the employees can then start making a list of the resources that are required to achieve the goals. The next section is related to the development of the timelines for the achievement of the goals (Mone and London 2014).

The two organizations that are taken into consideration for the performance management systems are Sainsbury’s and Barclays Bank. Sainsbury’s uses the process of performance management to improve the services that they provide to the customers. This further helps them in providing quality service and gaining competitive advantage in the market. The performance management process used by Sainsbury’s helps them in keeping a track of the performance of the employees and the ways by which this can be further improved. Sainsbury’s has been facing many challenges in the implementation and pursuing of the system of performance management and this disrupts the performance of the employees (Vivares-Vergara, Sarache-Castro and Naranjo-Valencia 2016). 

Barclays is a global multinational organization which provides financial services in the commercial and retail banking sector. The global network of Barclays consists of greater than one hundred and fifty thousand employees. The company therefore faces major challenges in the management of the employees who belong to a diverse background and have different needs. Barclays has however been able to attract and retain employees who have the best of abilities. The human resources management team of the organization has created sustainable benefits for the employees so that they can do all the right jobs in the organization and provide their best performance (Leroy et al. 2015).

Conclusion 

Motivation therefore plays an important role in the organization and helps the organization in maintaining a competitive advantage in the market. This also enables them understand the needs of the employees and use their capabilities for the profitability of the organization. 

References

Alagaraja, M. and Shuck, B., 2015. Exploring organizational alignment-employee engagement linkages and impact on individual performance: A conceptual model. Human Resource Development Review, 14(1), pp.17-37.

Anitha, J., 2014. Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance. International journal of productivity and performance management, 63(3), p.308.

Barrick, M.R., Thurgood, G.R., Smith, T.A. and Courtright, S.H., 2015. Collective organizational engagement: Linking motivational antecedents, strategic implementation, and firm performance. Academy of Management journal, 58(1), pp.111-135.

Bedarkar, M. and Pandita, D., 2014. A study on the drivers of employee engagement impacting employee performance. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 133, pp.106-115.

Bradler, C., Dur, R., Neckermann, S. and Non, A., 2016. Employee recognition and performance: A field experiment. Management Science, 62(11), pp.3085-3099.

Breevaart, K., Bakker, A.B., Demerouti, E. and van den Heuvel, M., 2015. Leader-member exchange, work engagement, and job performance. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 30(7), pp.754-770.

Caillier, J.G., 2014. Toward a better understanding of the relationship between transformational leadership, public service motivation, mission valence, and employee performance: A preliminary study. Public Personnel Management, 43(2), pp.218-239.

Lazaroiu, G., 2015. Employee motivation and job performance. Linguistic and Philosophical Investigations, 14, p.97.

Leroy, H., Anseel, F., Gardner, W.L. and Sels, L., 2015. Authentic leadership, authentic followership, basic need satisfaction, and work role performance: A cross-level study. Journal of Management, 41(6), pp.1677-1697.

Melnyk, S.A., Bititci, U., Platts, K., Tobias, J. and Andersen, B., 2014. Is performance measurement and management fit for the future?. Management Accounting Research, 25(2), pp.173-186.

Mone, E.M. and London, M., 2014. Employee engagement through effective performance management: A practical guide for managers. Routledge.

Vivares-Vergara, J.A., Sarache-Castro, W.A. and Naranjo-Valencia, J.C., 2016. Impact of human resource management on performance in competitive priorities. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 36(2), pp.114-134.