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PULE ISAAC MALEFANE

STUDENT # 185568

MBA
STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
ASSIGNMENT
2015-111 (MBA)

DUE DATE
4/10/2015
NUMBER OF PAGES: 11

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2
2. The Four Siemens Workforce Competencies and
Behaviours.. 2
3.
4.

1. INTRODUCTION
Boxall,P (1992) defines Strategic Human Resource Management as the linking of
human resources with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business
performance and develop organizational culture that foster innovation, flexibility and
competitive advantage. Its a common knowledge that for business to thrive and
succeed, it needs to have stability in the workplace in order to survive the fierce
competitive environment that wants to clamour for best talent and maintain
competitive edge over other competitors by applying a distinctive approach to the
employment which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the structural
deployment of highly committed and capable workforce using an array of cultural,
structural and personnel techniques (Salaman, Storey and Billsberry,2005).
Strategic HRM addresses broad organizational issues relating to changes
in structure and culture, organizational effectiveness and performance, matching
resources to future requirements, the development of distinctive capabilities,
knowledge management, and the management of change. It is concerned with both
human capital requirements and the development of process capabilities, that is, the
ability to get things done effectively. Overall, it deals with any major people issues
that affect or are affected by the strategic plans of the organization. As Boxall (1996)
remarks: The critical concerns of HRM, such as choice of executive leadership and
formation of positive patterns of labour relations, are strategic in any firm.
The rationale for strategic HRM is the perceived advantage of having an agreed and
understood basis for developing approaches to people management in the longer
term. It has been suggested by Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall (1990) that
underlying this rationale in a business is the concept of achieving competitive
advantage through HRM.
Strategic HRM supplies a perspective on the way in which critical issues or success
factors related to people can be addressed, and strategic decisions are made that
have a major and long-term impact on the behaviour and success of the
organization. The fundamental aim of strategic HRM is to generate strategic
capability by ensuring that the organization has the skilled, committed and wellmotivated employees it needs to achieve sustained competitive advantage. Its
objective is to provide a sense of direction in an often turbulent environment so that
the business needs of the organization, and the individual and collective needs of its
employees can be met by the development and implementation of coherent and
practical HR policies and programmes. As Dyer and Holder (1988) remark,
strategic HRM should provide unifying frameworks which are at once
broad, contingency based and integrative.
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The above diagram helps us understand what strategic human resource

management consist of and which are the functions which are required for the
working in the organisation to achieve its strategic goals and objectives.
One of the example of organisation where Strategic Human Resource is
implemented are
GlaxoSmithKline:
We want GSK to be a place where the best people do their best work.
This is the objective of the management as far its strategy and human
resource is concerned

This Assignment analysis the four most critical elements of a Strategic Human
Resource Management Model based on Strategy-Oriented Human Resource
System, Recruitment, Organisational Culture and Training and Development.
The assignment will zoom into Siemens Workforce Competencies and Behaviours
and link that to Strategic Human Resource Outcomes and how they contribute to the
company achieving its strategic goals. Furthermore, it will outline on the challenges
of Global Software Solutions recruitment approach and possible interventions that
can assist the company to retain talent and improve on its organisational outlook in
relation to its culture/lack thereof to attain its goals and sustain its operations.
It will continue to analyse two more case studies in relation to the job analysis
challenge and the generational mix policy at Air Filter Company and how the
company can resolve its impasse between its traditional workers and the younger
generation of employees. It will then conclude by analysing the situation that Van
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Agts Doors is facing and how it relates to a Training and Development Programme
that is geared towards the company achieving its goals and inculcating a culture of
continuous training for individual employees, foster the culture of team work,
encourage cultural diversity and organisational values and emphasise on the need
for employees to be flexible in their orientation and be versatile for placement abroad.
2. The Four Siemens Workforce Competencies and Behaviours
a. Ability to Learn: Employees at Siemens have demonstrated their ability to
respond positively to training and re-skilling offered by their employer as part
of the companys strategic approach to remain relevant in the globalising and
competitive environment. That the company has invested so much in the
training and development of its employees has seen it sustain its operations
for over 150 years; responding to the day to day challenges of having to
maintain its niche but also realizing that the world is changing rapidly and new
solutions are required for current situations, and only a trained and re-skilled
workforce can be able to withstand the test and still be relevant in the labour
market.
There is no doubt that their employees are excited to work for the company
as they exude a positive attitude to the company and its clients. Their
employees have become a strategic resource to win the company more
friends and customers as they are always motivated and provide a climate at
the workplace of cordiality and warmth.
b. Teamwork: Siemens uses cross border, cross cultural experiences as a
prerequisite for career advancement as it has deemed it necessary for uniting
and fostering a spirit of togetherness among its employees. This approach
minimizes conflict and unnecessary tension among its employees and
improves performance. The interest of the team and the company supersedes
that of an individual and destructive behaviour is contained.
Because its employees as individuals are highly motivated and happy, they
become role models for new comers in their company as they are able to give
them a proper induction so that they are converted into being team players
themselves.HR practitioners have also conceded that a workforce is
necessarily composed of individuals, but a workplace in which the individuals
do not work together in positive ways will never perform to its full potential
JaggXaxx (eHow Contributor).
c.

Mutual Respect: Diversity has a broader scope than race and gender.Today
offices include people of different ethnicities,ages,income levels,education
and physical abilities,bringing a melting pot of employees together.When
theres mutual respect of each others differences,diversity can be an
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asset.However,when poorly managed,diversity can breed resentment and
draw harsh lines between employees Shala Munroe from Demand Media
Company. This is what Siemens appreciated among its employees that they
are diverse and the company need to use that diversity as strength and as its
asset by initiating activities that are aimed at building openness, transparency
and fairness.
d. Flexibility: Given that Siemens subscribes to the notion that A living
organisation is a learning organisation, it therefore means that its employees
are its invaluable asset for the attainment of its goals and improved
performance. The companys classroom and hands-on apprenticeship
training will contribute towards its employees developing a broader
understanding of the business environment,appreciating the evolving
dynamics within the competitive global space, acquiring a broader
understanding of demographic, societal and cultural trends globally and
adapting to the ever changing nature of the labour relations environment.
Siemens opts for a time consuming method of training that requires patience
and resources. Their programme is well planned as it lives up to its belief that
its employees are their assets that need to be skilled and re-skilled from time
to time to improve their productivity levels. A flexible approach to training and
development will therefore ensure that they retain their staff yet at the same
time they improve on quality through innovation and creative thinking of their
workers.
3. Strategic Human Resource Outcomes for Siemens
a. Building a competent and skilful employee results in better human resource
reservoir capable of assisting the company to attain its goals and improve on
its productivity, performancemanagement ,product quality and workforce
retention. Siemens approach is appropriate because change in an
organisation always involves changing the individual and is first focused on
individual development (Schein, E.H.1979).
b. Improved performance is always a by-product of stable work environment
where individuals feel welcome and supported by their fellow colleagues. It
fosters a level of improved commitment and serves as motivation to play the
part. Siemens has used its training activities effectively to instil a culture of
collectivism that embraces divergent nature of its workforce and advancing its
strategic goal of being a leading global player. That it has found it necessary
to provide continuous training and development to its employees has fructified
the outcome of the study conducted by University Putra of Malaysia which
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came to a conclusion that, with the lack of evaluation, follow up and
continuous learning, attempts to maintain employees and motivation towards
their jobs can be ineffective. As such, the impact of these training activities on
team working and change may only be short-term, unless supported by
continuous learning and development.
c. Siemens as a global and diverse company has responded aptly to the need to
build a workforce that has high regard for diversity both internally and
externally. It has built a dedicated team that understands the organisational
culture that fosters respect for other nationalities, cultures, languages and
outlooks and has used that as its strength and asset to penetrate into other
markets globally whilst sustaining its base. This approach speaks its quest to
being a market leader and developing locally designed solutions for local
challenges and leaving its footprint in those markets globally.
d. Developing a flexible workforce has increased Siemens profile and outlook in
that it has been able to dispatch its workforce into areas where it never had a
presence. This has also contributed in its workforce being exposed to other
realities that has presented themselves as opportunities for the company to
align its training and development with its strategic goal and make the
company to manage and retain its talent, maximise their performance and
offer them rewards that will make them not to consider any other employer
but maintain their commitment and loyalty to Siemens.
4. HRM Systems Policies for Siemens
a. Compensation and Benefit: Siemens regards its workforce as the most
valuable asset for their success and footprint in the global market; therefore,it
should pay attention to the need for a Compensation and Benefit Policy which
will ensure and attracts the best talent, retain such talent and keep it
motivated. Paying its employees well will lead to an improved job satisfaction
and adding non-financial benefits will motivate them further and the company
will be guaranteed low absenteeism and less staff turnover.
b. Labour Relations: This is the bedrock of any HR Strategy as it regulates
relations and also ensures that the company is abreast with different labour
relations legislation in the countries it is operating. It places HR beyond issues
of recruiting, compensation and benefits to respond to the external
environment that regulates how companies should treat its employees and
what recourse do employers have in a situation of conflict, and therefore,
Siemens as a global company will from time to time be affected by the labour
laws of the countries it has presence in.
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c. Diversity Management:This is the most critical tool to ensure that Siemens
employees share the companys vision and are able to embrace and support
their fellow workers within the parameters of stipulated code of conduct and
general behaviour expected of them. That the company operates in different
countries with a huge workforce makes it primarily important for its HR to
apply the principles of Strategic Human Resource Management in managing
diversity and maintaining cohesion of its workforce.
d. Employees Assistance and Wellness Programme: A diverse workforce comes
with challenges of individuals having to adapt and conform to the prevailing
situation and for Siemens to get the best out of its employees; it should
provide emotional and physical support, including psychosocial support to
both the employees and their families. Some employees might suffer due to
cultural shock or anxiety of having to relocate and work in unfamiliar
territories, and that might warrant interventions from mere counselling to
medical assistance.
5. Loopholes and Shortcomings of GSS
a. No Organisational Culture: Employees of the company follow a non-culture of
doing things which can lead to many problems including non-achieving of the
companys strategic goals and maintenance of staff discipline. The company
is bound to register short term gains at the expense of long term reputation
which might cost its customers and future business to grow and expand.
b. The casualness of its employees and the laissez-faire management style of
its leadership have dire consequences for co-ordination and planning of the
company activities. The freedom that is given to employees may impact
negatively on staff development which could lead to the company losing
business. The company will forever suffer the consequences of untrained
workforce who have no shared vision of the company.
c. The company lacks experienced workers and is dominated by born-frees who
live life for now and do not care about planning for the future. These are
employees who are qualified but not skilful and less or no experienced to
execute tasks and are likely not to follow any orders or instructions as they
base their understanding of the work to be done more on what they have read
and not what they have experienced. The companys cohesion and unitywill
always be informed by matured and visionary workforce that has institutional
memory and inculcates a particular culture of doing things and espousing
certain values. The need to engage with colleagues, collaborate internally
and externally; approach most business decisions in a more humanistic

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manner, all require greater experience.(Gary Chaplin- Executive Head
Hunter)
d. Training and Development is not systematic and cannot be assessed in terms
of its impact as most of the so-called training is done with an assumption that
it will yield the required results. Their approach of instant results orientation
runs the risk of new recruits getting overwhelmed with the tasks and
responsibilities leading to them resigning due to pressure to perform. This will
cause the company too many resources to recruit, retain and reward
appropriately their workforce as the company will always face a high staff
turnover leading to it failing to deliver to their customers.
e. The company is likely to attract nice-timers and not performers who are more
interested in the socialising part than deliver on its key performance areas
f.

and meet its strategic goals.

The company will always be a high risk to job prospects in that it does not
provide a stable working environment to new recruits and it does not
guarantee job security. The nature of the company discourages teamwork,
promotes self-serving interests and an unhealthy competition among staff

which ultimately will lead to tension and conflict in the company.

g. The company reputation is bound to suffer due to its failure to maintain
corporate image that speaks to its values and ethics that should be guiding its
employees behaviour and how they should relate to their customers.
6. GSS an appealing employer
a. No, GSS is a high risk company that has no defined culture that can guide
new recruits on how to conduct themselves and embrace the vision of the
company. It relies on individual knee-jack reaction to crucial matters affecting
the company as there is no clear line of communication. There is high level of
management by default as things are not done in a planned and coordinated
manner but are left to individual discretion with the hope that results will be
what everyone expects.
b. The companys unity is always at risk as individuals come with their own
behaviours, cultures and different understanding and reaction to different
environments. This becomes a recipe for conflict in any company given that
there is no system of managing diversity and having a culture that is aligned
to the strategic goal of the company.
c. Lack of strategic direction in the company will always contribute to future uncertainty and un-defined vision and hinders on staff development and reskilling to respond to changing circumstances that are as a result of dynamic
competitive business environment.
d. The companys ad-hoc approach to formalise staff relations and behaviour
has impact on individuals loyalty and commitment; working under such
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conditions demotivates and makes a person feel lost as you lose the sense of
belonging and reserve your best performance.
e. The casual outlook of the company compromises its brand image and identity
which makes competitors to have an edge over it and no one would like to
associate with a company as a client that has no identity. Failure to have a
corporate culture will always result in people doubting the long term future of
the company and be reluctant to invest their money into such a company, and
this does not bode well for the future growth of such a company and its
employees.
7. Possible Solutions for GSS
a. The company needs to develop a recruitment plan that outlines its
organisational needs based on its strategic goals.
b. The recruitment plan must outlinewhat the job entails and the responsibilities
involved.
c. It needs to define what skills it requires for certain tasks and how relevant are
those tasks to its long term objectives.
d. Outlining of Key Result Areas should be clearly spelt out so that the
assessment that will follow is able to give the employee a sense of whether
they are delivering on the expected outcomes or whether they face certain
challenges that should be factored within the training and development
programme of the company.
e. Over and above all, the company needs to develop a company culture in
order to define for itself what are the values that will make it different from its
competitors; how can it make itself a better place for workers to work in or
aspire to work for and how can it position itself as a delightful and reliable
company for its customers.
8. Alpha Air Filter Company
The companys approach to manage its human resource is based on an
old/traditional method of HR that is concerned and focused on hiring and
administering the payroll and focussing more on operational issues rather than
reviewing the strategic direction of the company and developing systems that will
ensure future planning and periodic review of performance and job assessment.That
it has been operating with employees who were not willing to share information about
what they were doing for so many years shows that the company lacked visionary
management and was being managed by people who were content with their comfort
zone and not planning for the future growth of the company. It has failed to address
the basic fundamentals of ensuring that there is smooth transition from the old timers
and the new entrants in the company using the old timers as their resource for
maintaining an uninterrupted performance. The following issues should have been
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considered in conducting an effective job analysis in introducing new comers in the
company;
8.1. Interviews: The old timers have been with the company for ages and have regarded
themselves as being part of the life company; therefore, involving them in
processes of change in the company through one-on-one interviews would have
given the company management immense wisdom that is priceless to assist the
company management in conducting a solid job analysis. Their experience and the
number of years that they have been doing the job makes them unique in that they
have become the companys reservoir of knowledge, and thinking that by giving
them a questionnaire to share their experiences and guide on how to develop a job
description is to deprive the company an invaluable input that requires a more
informal platform for the old timers to volunteer information.
8.1.2. On the Job Training: This is one of the most effective tools in ensuring that
the new comers are well inducted into what the old timers have been doing
for years. The old timers in most instances believe in practically doing things
than formulating theories and developing manuals. The company should have
employed the services of its HR to prepare the old timers in assisting with the
training of new comers much earlier as they knew that they will be going on
retirement, and this the old timers would have done with passion and
excitement as it speaks to their own reputation in leaving a legacy in the
company and imparting knowledge and skill to younger generation.
8.1.3. Keeping of Diaries: The older people like recording things and events and the
company should have used that to gather information on what they do on
daily basis to maintain their passion and assist the company to meet its
targets of orders on the filters it produces. That the company did not have a
well-oiled HR strategy that would have informed it on the strength and
uniqueness of its employees has resulted in the company hiring consultants
at exorbitant fees to conduct and exercise that they could have done
effectively without any costs.
8.1.4. Observation: New comers could have been made to observe the old timers
during their working time of producing filters as part of their induction
exercise, and this would have afforded them an opportunity interact with the
old timers. The observation method allows for the observer to benefit form not
only the work at hand but exposes them to also notice how workers treat each
other, how they relate to one another, how they give support to each other
and also how they complement each other working as a team to achieve a
particular goal. These are things that a questionnaire would not be able to
assist to get out of individuals but is possible if you have a company that has
moved from the traditional HR model to the Strategic Human Resource
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Management model that is comprehensive and all-encompassing in making
its employees the mostly appreciated and valued assets.
8.2.1. Ignoring the old timers and writing the job description will be a wrong decision as
it would back-fire in the long run to the company. The job description will be
based on what they assume to be facts and this might have serious implications
for the profitability of the company and the quality of filters it produces.
Experience will never be replaced by money as it is always priceless and the
company should solicit the inputs of the old timers in order to emerge with a
comprehensive and progressive job description that speaks to the historical
performance of the company and what has sustained it to now leading to its filters
generating a huge demand in the market.
The old timers are the life-line of the company and they should always be given
their space to make inputs, especially on areas of their specialisation and strength.
They are the key stakeholder when it comes to the future planning of the company;
and allowing them to also share their wisdom in what should inform the job
description and the process of job analysis will lead to the company having a
smooth process of transition and maintaining the quality standards that they are
known for in the market.
8.2.2. Kenny should reconcile his differences with the old timers in order to get their cooperation in participating in the process by proposing that they will be given a role
of being mentors post their retirement so that they do not withhold important
information in the process of job analysis. The company should also consider
offering them shares to be co-owners in the company and be appointed as nonexecutive trustees in the company board so that their invaluable experience and
input is not lost. Out of this experience, Kenny must now look into the issue of the
company developing a High Performance Work Plan that will guide the company
on applying integrated Strategic Human resource Management approach that will
not only look at inputs in relation to personnel and outputs in relation to
production but also will be more on employee commitment and satisfaction and
increased performance of the company in terms of its strategic positioning in the
market and accessing other opportunities to increase its footprint.

9.

Van Agts Doors

9.1. The companys training process is ad-hoc and unsystematic and is likely to make it
suffer huge losses both in profit and running costs (overheads). Their training process
is not aligned to their broad strategic goal in that there is no dedicated plan that is
driven from management level to empower their employees with the necessary skills to
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perform. The training that they offer to their employees seem to have no clearly defined
outcomes; workers seem to be lacking the required skills to perform and at the same
time their own development suffers as they seem to be navigating in darkness.
This process is not working for the companys good performance in that it has failed to
identify the cause of this continuous problem of their employees not willing to see
things the way their President sees them.Their training lacks the three fundamental
factors (McKenna and Beech,2014:342-343) of defining the training needs of their
employees, rather than applying a one jacket fits all approach; identifying what training
will be necessary to deal with those needs so that this enhances their performance and
boost their confidence levels and increased morale; Evaluating the training provided to
check if it has brought some change in terms of individual behaviour and performance,
how it has assisted to build a team that pulls in one direction and compliments one
another and also if there has been improvements in the quality of doors produced as
this would see the company meeting its objective of improved performance in the
market and retaining its market share and business.
One of the huge flaws in their process is the collapse of organisational discipline which
is seen by their employees disregarding lawful instructions to do their job in a particular
manner and they decide to ignore such instruction and do what they like. Their problem
is also two fold in that there seem to be no line of communication as the President is
the one issuing instructions on operational matters and that communication seem to be
unclear or not properly communicated to them which has a danger of collapsing the
operational plans of the company.
The company is also suffering from lack of direction and vision and this can be
attributed to failure to have a training and development strategy. The absence of a
training and development strategy impacts negatively on the future of any company as
it demoralises and demotivates employees in that they always do not look forward to
going to work, they choose to be passive and not contribute to any discussion that
seeks to find a solution as they feel that they are not valued by the company,
employees end up using the company resources to seek employment from competing
companies at times sharing with competitors valuable company classified information.
The training and development strategy will assist to ensure that employees of the
company have a sense of where the company wants to go and what it wants to
achieve.It will afford management the opportunity to interact with their employees and
give them feedback on their performance, which is something that will make them more
excited and motivated. It will contribute towards building a complete employee that has
the right attitude, the right skill and the right culture that is linked to the companys
strategic goals and future success. The strategy would also assist management to give
instructions that employees can easily understand and appreciate the intentions of such
instructions, which is what Sun Tzu in his classic work The Art of War cautions against
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when he asserted that giving the team a task that it cannot possibly perform is called
crippling the army.
9.2. Improving Training Process
The training process at Van Agts Doors needs to be drastically reviewed so that it
becomes systematic and focussed.Their process must now start talking to what is the
vision of the company and what type of employees will it need to achieve its
objectives and goals both in the medium and long term. The company must develop a
training and development plan that will guide its approach on recruitment, training and
rewarding and also assess performance of both individuals and groups. Proactive
organizations require innovative approaches to identify training and development
needs and implement solutions. (DAVILL Recruitment SA).The following are key
result areas that their training and development plan should seek to achieve;
9.2.1. Enhance Individuals skills and knowledge: Training of individuals in the job they
need to perform as well and ensuring that employees are placed in jobs that are
relevant to their understanding and skill is of paramount importance. This will lead
to employees not being unduly under pressure to perform resulting in them
committing a string of errors and compromising quality output. Confident and
motivated employee are key for the companys success and the company is able
to know what type of resource does it have and how to develop it to being long
term assets that will help the company achieve its long term strategic goals.
Knowing your employees will also help determine appropriate remuneration and
reward as the placement and upward mobility of their employees which will earn
the management of the company much respect including its President.
9.2.2. Value adding: The training and development plan should be integrated within the
broader business plan of the company and add value in the systems and
processes of the company to deliver on efficiency, productivity and financial
viability of the company. The company should improve on its efficiency by
deploying its human and material resources properly and ensure that there is
accountability in all fronts on effort, promise and results. A simple illustration that
Van Agts Doors must follow is what The Sergay Group, Ltd on their website gives
on the interconnectedness of training and development and the organisational
strategy and vision below;

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Strategic Training and Development should clearly spell out the Vision of Van
AgtsDoors and follow that with the Objectives and Action Plans of the
company.

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