BE416 Contemporary Human Resource Management

Introduction to the Module

Aims
The main aim of the course is to enable students to acquire a clear understanding of the changing nature of work and the role of HRM in different organisational and environmental contexts. Students will explore the diversity of HRM systems and practices in different national contexts and gain a thorough understanding of how the strategic role of HRM is played out in the context of internationalisation processes of firms and globalisation pressures. Critical to the process of contemporary HR management is the ability to organise the technology-human interface in a climate of constant change. Learning how to manage this change process and fostering organisational learning, employee motivation, rewards and pay, and understanding the changing nature of participation and employee relations in the current knowledge economy, so that students are equipped to play leading management roles, will also form part of the study for this module.

Learning Outcomes
review effectively the nature of the HR function and the role of todays HR manager; obtain a comprehensive understanding of current HRM strategies and policies in different types of organisations; understand and examine how national institutional and cultural differences lead to differences in country-specific HRM practices and underpin differing perspectives on HRM; examine HR managers competences for fostering employee collaboration, knowledge sharing, and participation in organisations; review thoroughly current HRM practices such as the technology-user interface, resourcing, reward and benefit systems, the management of performance, and the professional development of different kinds of employees evaluate HRM practices with reference to specific organisational and cultural contexts and interventions.

Rights and Responsibilities

We will expect and appreciate:
Compulsory attendance for all sessions (including seminars) unless there are extenuating circumstances Do not sign on for your friend we do headcount! Questions that are related to the learning outcomes will be discussed in each session

You can expect support regarding your questions or concerns. Please feel free to ask questions during my classes. Please also use my office hour:
Mondays 16:00 18:00 Wednesdays12:00 13:00 I am not allowed to discuss exam questions with you individually!

Skeleton slides available on moodle.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Lectures and Seminars However I tend to break them up into mini lectures and seminars Disability students

Schedule
Week Week 1 Week 2 Content Freshers Weeks/Induction Programme Introduction of Human Resource Management Strategic Human Resource Management Recruitment and Selection CK Lecturer

Week 3 Week 4

CK/HM CK/HM

Week 5 (T)
Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 (A) Week 10 Week 11

Managing Performance
Learning and Development Reading week Managing Underperformance Managing Equality and Diversity International Human Resource Management New Developments in Managing People / Review

CK/HM
CK/HM

CK/HM CK/HM CK/HM CK/HM

International Human Resource Management MODULE ROUTE MAP

Strategic Human Resource Management

Labour Law

Human Resource Management

Managing Equality and Diversity

Recruitment and Selection

Managing Underperformance Managing Performance Learning and Development New Developments in Managing People

BE416 (EB513): Contemporary Human Resource Management

Assignments and Exam

The individual essay (40% of final marks, deadline in week 9, 2500-3000 words) will test the students understanding of the concepts and applications of International HRM and assess their ability to link these with the challenges posed by current organisational settings at the individual, group, and managerial level
The 2-hours examination (50%) in the Summer Term

Reading
Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A. (2008) Human Resource Management at Work. 4th Edition. CIPD: Harrogate. Beardwell, J. and Claydon, T. (2007) Human Resource Management. A Contemporary Approach. 5th Edition. Prentice Hall: Harlow. Redman, T. and Wilkinson, A. (2009) Contemporary Human Resource Management. Prentice Hall: Harlow. Torrington, D., Hall, L., Taylor, S., and Atkinson, C. (2009) Fundamentals of Human Resource Management. Prentice Hall: Harlow. And further readings if you have time

Journals

Human Resource Management Journal International Journal of Human Resource Management Administrative Science Quarterly Academy of Management Perspectives Journal of Organizational Change Management Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies European Industrial Relations Review European Management Journal Harvard Business Review Journal of Common Market Studies [European Union] Journal of European Industrial Training Personnel Review Organization Studies Organizational Behaviour Administrative Science Quarterly British Journal of Industrial Relations Journal of Management Learning

Other Info
People Management* CIPD The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (UK) European Union Commission Reports ETDF European Training and Development Federation And others

Human Resource Management

An Introduction

What are within the jurisdiction of HRM?

Task Analysis Job description Person specification

Health and Safety Stress Management

Equality and Diversity

Compensation Management
Staffing Recruitment

Induce extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation

Career Development

Selection

Training and Development

Performance Management Appraisals Disciplinary procedures Grievence

Training needs analysis Technical Training

 What is at the core of HRM?

People!
Has it always been the case? Should it be the case?

Changing Context of Work

Development of HRM have been driven by large scale organisational changes as employers adjust to a much more competitive global economic (social, political, and technological) environment (Redman and Wilkinson).
Changes in context
Economic context Technological context Social context Political context

Fombrun Model of HRM

Economic Force
Mission and Strategy Social Force

Organisational Structure

HRM

Source: Forbrun, 1984

Political Force

PESTLE
Economic Force
Mission and Strategy Social Force

Organisational Structure

HRM

Technological

Source: Forbrun, 1984

Political Force

Legal

Environmental

The Political/Legal Context

The State is responsible for economic policy that influences labour markets as well as establishing the legal context of employment relations. More importantly, it is also an employer in its own right. Bratton and Gold (2003)
Economic Policy Legal Context of Employment Relations Employer in its own right

The Political/Legal Context

UK: Relatively stable since 1979
Conservative (1979 1997) Economic liberalism?
make it easy for employers Decline of trade union power / no more winter of discontent
What is the consequence?

 Winter of discontent
British winter of 19781979 Extremely cold Huge inflation government response freeze pay increase trade union are not happy Lorry driver could use the army but have to declare state of emergency political disaster! Spread from private to public sector
Gravediggers Waste collectors use Leicester Sq to pile rubbish Fester Sq Hospital half of them became emergency only!

Official and unofficial

Source: BBC

Political and Legal Changes

UK Conservative (1979-1997)
Economic liberalisation and market led development
Remove legislation burdens for firms Restricted the rights of trade unions
Stricter rules on Closed shops, Picketing, lock down Secondary and unofficial actions Trade Union sanction

Trade Union: Completely lost their power membership is now halved that of the 1970s, and sectors that most of their members traditionally came from are in gradual decline (manufacturing)

Political and Legal Changes

UK Labour (1997-2010?)
Back to trade union?
Not really!

The third way care for the vulnerables

Encourage employment flexibility Protect min employment standard Promote family friendly policies Support partnership Support union recognition (but through legislation)

Labour introduced lots of legislation

Confusion? Definitely in the area of employment law Headache for EAT judges no consistency

Political and Legal Changes

EU
Single European Act (1987)
Member states cannot veto! EU make all employment law (top down) Tension between EU and the UK

Social Chapter
Treaty of Amsterdam 1999
Equal Pay Discrimination Working condition Vocational training Information and consultancy for redundancy >50 employees

Effect on HR?
Direct!
Must comply with law! Need constant update Perhaps go beyond law to show good practice? Esp public bodies

The Political/Legal Context

The State is also responsible for the legal context of employment relations. Discrimination issues
Law on discrimination (New Equality Act 2010)

6 areas where discrimination are prohibited

Age Gender Disability Ethnicity Religion Sexual Orientation

Equality Act 2010

Equal Pay Act 1970
Men and women equal pay for equal work Eventually extended to all other groups

Equality Act 2010

Positive Action
Provide additional support (training) for allow under-represented groups to reach senior positions

Gender pay reporting

EHRC: investigate gender pay gap if it suspects employer of unlawful practices Now UK: Public authorities with >150 employees need to publish details on their gender pay gap annually from April 2011 Later: all organisations with >250 employees audit and publish results (most likely 2013)
If so, salary secrecy clause (gagging clause) in employment contract = unenforceable

The Political/Legal Context

Government as Employer
NHS Privatisation

The Economic Context

Globalisation Change in productivity and the use of resources Deindustrialisation and service sector growth Dual labour force? Educated high skilled vs unskilled? Division of labour (specialisation) and labour flexibility different HRM approach?

The Economic Context

Globalisation
Why is it possible?
Communication revolution

How has it change production?

Global division of labour
Hands: Developing nations and their notorious Sweatshops Brains: Developed nations: HQ, sales, etc.

How does this affect the UK?

The Economic Context

Deindustrialisation and service sector growth
45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 41
Employment

39 33.6 26 17 11 28

World share

18.6 8

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Source: www.worldwidehistory.net

Source: www.corbis.com

Source: http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/40/99940-004-D6D6E9B7.jpg

The Economic Context

Different organisational structure between firms in manufacturing and service sectors Implication on HRM?

Labour market and pattern of employment

Manufacturing
Formalised organisational system Work people like machine
Table of expected target performance standard Measure the standard for every part Add them up together to find out the expected time required to produce a particular target e.g. 1772 min 36.2 sec to produce 1 musket

Trade Union membership = high

 Central Observation Tower No Privacy Being watched at anytime but not sure when

Source: Clegg et al.

Prison Presidio Modelo, Cuba

I was there, 1953 - 55

Source: Wikipedia, 2009

Prison Presidio Modelo, Cuba

I was there, 1953 - 55

Source: Wikipedia, 2009

Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, Ireland.

Source: Wikipedia, 2009

www.uhc-collective.org.uk

www.caseelectricalservices.co.uk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI4X1_DzKa4 1:18

www.npt.gov.uk

 What is the implication on HR?

Systematic and simple HRM Treat people like machine

The Economic Context

Implication on HRM
Scientific Job design
Set out the time to produce each component, and expect them to be produced Systematic measurement and observation

Collaboration between managers and workers

Labour: manual work Manager: coordination and management: set up system, job design, supervision; reassess job role systematically ) No conflict if everyone stuck to their task (is it the case in reality?)

Staffing
Scientifically and systematically (i.e. not just family neighbours and friends) select employees based on skills, attitude. Fitting workers to the right jobs

Training
Train to work mechanically for a specific job Both managers and workers (which one is easier to train mechanically?)

Compensation management
Productivity pay system: Bonus and incentives

Source: The travelling hungry boy

Source: Guess where in London

 Service sector
High growth Now providing 74% GDP Employing 29m in 2007 (econ and Lab Market Review, 2007)
Informal Require more flexibility Creativity and innovation
Talk about the innovation model of HRM

Most do not belong to a trade union

job nature individualism

The Economic Context

How about from another countrys context? (e.g. Developing countries)

The Social Context

Flexibility and work-life balance
Number of part time workers

Female participation within the labour force

Life expectancy
The issue of diversity and discrimination The development of the underclass Concern for environment and CSR

Social Change
Gender
Female participation increase from 9.73m in 1985 to 13.37m in 2007! 65% of women in working age (18-64) are in employment (higher than EU average of 56%)

So its all good?

No women are still facing considerable problem both in terms of accessing the workplace as well as within it. Gender gap still exist (women earn 12.6% less)
But nevertheless the lowest ever so its all getting better?

Source: Marchington and Wilkinson

Social Change
Gender
Nature of job
Mostly part-time who earn a lot less per hour

Occupational segregation
Concentrated in low growth low wage sector that demand less skills. Hairdressing, cleaning, domestic care, etc

Lack of progression (glass ceiling) Held back by pregnancy, duty of care, etc
New rule in maternity law is trying to change this?

Social Change
Gender Implication to HR?
Link to legal what is legally required
Discrimination law Equal pay Maternity leave provision Some flexile working hour Job share Flexible working hour Work from home Providing childcare

How do you tackle something beyond your legal obligation?

Cannot adopt a blanket approach for all

Social Change
Increase immigration 7.5% were born abroad in 2001 (BBC, 2009)
Irish 19th and early 20th century Jewish from Europe around WW2 Decolonisation and the arrival of commonwealth immigrants (1940s onwards) many now into their 2nd and 3rd generation European immigrants (1970s onwards) 1971 Population 52,559,260 1981 53,550,270 2,751,130 5.14 1991 54,888,744 3,153,375 5.75 2001 57,103,331 4,301,280 7.53

Born Abroad 2,390,759 % of Total 4.55

Source: BBC Born Abroad (2009)

 Immigration
Immigrants often suffer similar problems to those faced by women
Occupation segregation Glass ceiling A lot of them turn to self-employment

But also more specific problems

Social isolation Family adjustment

Implication for HR: again need to go beyond legal obligation and look at the specific needs of each worker individually

Social Change
Work-Life Balance
Part-time working 25% of working population Flexible working (work from Home) 3.5% of workforce getting more and more feasible thanks to modern technologies Agency workers (pushed or pulled?) Increase number of self-employed

Do we need to facilitate work-life balance?

Legally?
Only those with children under 16 can demand flexible working

But many organisations are now trying to faciltate it:

Job share Flexi-time Annualised hours

But problems remain unsolved

Monitoring There are always work that cannot be taken away from the office who will share them? Promotion for those who are not always there

The Flexible Firm

Source: Atkinson, 1984, p.29; Torrington et al.

The Technological Context

Two aspects:
The use of technology that facilitated some of the economic and social changes
Lean production methods Further specialisation Effects on globalisation Effects on flexibility and home-working

The use of technology for HRM

Summary
Change is the focus of this topic PEST changes in the past couple of decades
Make sure that you relate them to HR!

Also consider some of the more recent changes as well! Can good HR practices change the performance of an organisation?