HMN7181 - People and Organizations

Introduction Work plays a significant part in all our lives. Employers expect more from their people, which leads to them feeling more pressure to achieve greater results. These pressures appear to have reached a breaking point, as people realise that they need to achieve better balance in their lives.   Image 1: Work-life balance (hrguru.com, 2022) Why be Work-Life balanced? Maintaining a balanced healthy work-life is not only important for health and relationships, but it improves the employee’s productivity, and ultimately performance. Businesses that gain a reputation for encouraging work-life balance have become very attractive – especially when you consider how difficult it can be to attract and retain younger workers these days (Wedgwood.J, 2022). Focusing on work-life balance will help you draw a valuable talent-pool for new recruits and boost retention rates. It will save time and money, whilst ensuring a high level of in-house talent. Image 2: Determinants, Nat...

What is change management? Change management is a systematic and structured process of developing and implementing strategies and interventions for organizations transitioning from current state to a desired state (Wang.G.G & Sun.J.Y 2012) Change management is defined as the process of achieving the smooth implementation of change by planning and introducing it systematically, taking into account the likelihood of it being resisted (Armstrong, 2014) Image 1: Change management (Flevy.com) Types of change As per Armstrong, there are three types of change: strategic, operational, and transformational. Strategic change is concerned with broad, long-term and organization-wide issues involving change. It is about moving to a future state that has been defined generally in terms of strategic vision and scope. It will cover the purpose and mission of the organization, its corporate philosophy on such matters as growth, quality, innovation and values concerning employees and cust...

Definition Organizational or corporate culture is the pattern of values, norms, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions that may not have been articulated but shape the ways in which people in organizations behave and things get done (Armstrong, 2014). ‘Values’ refer to what is believed to be important about how people and organizations behave. ‘Norms’ are the unwritten rules of behavior. Organizational culture is the way that things are done in an organization, the unwritten rules that influence individual and group behavior and attitudes (Chartered Management Institute) Factors which can influence organizational culture include: the organization's structure,   the system and processes by which work is carried out,   the behavior and attitudes of employees,   the organization's values and traditions,   and the management and leadership styles adopted. Image 1: Types of Organizational Culture (Gardner.R) How organizational culture develops? The ...

Definition Employee relations refers to the relationship between or among an employer and its employees. Employee relations  concerns the building of positive relationships and interactions among employers and employees, and at a broader level helps foster a sense of community within an organization. This could entail initiating transparent workplace communication or supporting the emotional, physical and psychological health of employees. Ultimately, the goal of employee relations is to create a positive relationship between employers and employees that leads to an increase in employee retention, happiness and productivity (Crail.C, 2023). ‘The approaches and methods adopted by employers to deal with employees either collectively through their trade unions or individually.’ (Armstrong, 2014) Image 1: Importance of maintaining good Employee Relations (Edureka.com, 2022) Unitarism and Pluralism Unitarism - is a perspective that emphasizes the shared interest of all employees of...

Introduction Motivation as a meaningful construct is a central pillar at the workplace. Thus, motivating employees adequately is a challenge as it has what it takes to define employee satisfaction at the workplace (Forson.A.J, Dwamena.E.O, Opoku.R.A & Adjavon.S.E, 2021). The Self-determination Theory (SDT) provides evidence that suggests that motivation fuels performance (Deci EL, Olafsen AH, Ryan RM, 2017). Image 1: Importance of Employee Motivation (QuestionPro.com). Definition of Employee Motivation Campbell and Pritchard (1976, p.78) defined motivation as determinants of the choice to initiate effort on the given task the choice to expend a certain amount of effort, and the choice to persist in expending effort over a period of time.” “Motivation is a stimulant desire and willingness to work in one's locomotion; it affects the arousal, direction, and maintenance of behaviours relevant to the work setting” (Sari, Mulyani, & Sari, 2019, p. 5). Intrinsic & Ex...

Learning and Development Defined. Learning and development is a systematic process to enhance an employee’s skills, knowledge, and competency, resulting in better performance in a work setting. Specifically, learning is concerned with the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Development is the broadening and deepening of knowledge in line with one’s development goals (Rishaw.H, 2022) (Armstrong, 2014 pg.284) defined; the process of ensuring that the organization has the knowledgeable, skilled and engaged workforce it needs. It involves facilitating the acquisition by individuals and teams of knowledge and skills through experience, learning events and programs provided by the organization, guidance and coaching provided by line managers and others, and self-directed learning activities carried out by individuals. Components of learning and development. Learning – the process by which a person acquires and develops knowledge, skills, capabilities, behaviors and attit...

Introduction The fundamental concept of talent management – that it is necessary to engage in talent planning to build a talent pool by means of a talent pipeline – is a key concern of human resource management (Armstrong 2014, p. 236) Talent management seeks to attract, identify, develop, engage, retain and deploy individuals who are considered particularly valuable to an organization. To be effective, it needs to align with strategic business objectives. By managing talent strategically, organizations can build a high-performance workplace, foster a learning climate, add value to their employer brand, and improve diversity management. (CIPD, 2022) Image 1: Talent Management Pipeline (Armstrong 2014) Definition of Talent Management. As defined by CIPD , There are many definitions of the term ‘talent’. From our research, we’ve developed a working definition for both ‘talent’ and ‘talent management’: Talent refers to individuals who can make a significant difference to organizational pe...

What is employee engagement? Employee engagement can be defined as the commitment, enthusiasm of employees and the level of involvement in their work and workplace due to their own willingness. Deci and Ryan (1985) expanded early work by differentiating between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Competence, autonomy, and psychological relatedness which are psychological needs, motivate the individual to initiate behavior essential for psychological health and well-being of an individual and if satisfied may lead to optimal function and growth. Importance of Employee Engagement. Employees are people who take day-to-day decisions at different levels of work. The way the employees are treated and how the employees treat other employees may affect them positively or put the organization at risk. Employee engagement is a powerful predictor of an organization’s success. Image 1: Benefits of Employee Engagement (Emeritus.org, 2022) How to engage employees? Employee engagement, a byproduct of...