Human Resource Development (HRD)

Assessing staff performance is a key issue when deciding how to improve a firm. One method is to conduct a performance gap analysis, which can discover the various reasons why employees are failing to meet the defined performance level. Performance gaps can take numerous forms, such as a missed objective, a task not completed on time, or the work not completed at all. Recently, the firm has not performed as well as expected, owing to tough competition in the global market, a lack of expertise, and understaffing. By analyzing the factors that influence performance, the company will be in a better position to influence the performance outcomes that can help the organization achieve its goals.

Today, the stiff competition in the global economy has led to the introduction of advanced technologies which require educated and trained staff. Embracing the new office technology has been a major challenge for many employees since most of them have been accustomed to the manual process. As a result, the new technologies are not being used to their full potential and hence the need for qualified staff. Werner & DeSimone (2012) argue that for an organization to be successful, it must have workers with the necessary knowledge to compete in the increasingly sophisticated market. In this light, the company will require more than training the employees to meet the new challenges.

Besides retraining the workforce, the organization should institute quality improvement strategies and change efforts like the introduction of high involvement programs. Such value should be added by giving employees more autonomy such that they will have more control of their work. This strategy will reduce the need for unnecessary layers of management. In addition to that, the workforce should be taught cultural sensitivity to improve their communication which will help them to conduct business in different countries and cultures. The leadership program should also be revised to focus on global leadership issues such as developing the managers to meet international standards.

According to Werner & DeSimone (2012), a significant number of today’s students usually drop out at high school level. As a result, many young adults joining the company do not meet the current job requirements. Although the US is among the countries with the highest standards of living, about a half of our hourly employees have exhibited some basic skills deficiency; the skills gap poses significant consequences for the company. Understanding this gap and its impact on the business along with future trends will require the organization to reconsider its workforce strategies.

Currently, some education systems such as the Los Angeles public school system are offering a guarantee to employers, stipulating that if high school graduates are found deficient in basic skills especially writing and computation, the system will retrain such workers free of charge. Bridging the skills gap will require the company to utilize such opportunities. Moreover, some countries such as Japan, Germany, and the United States offer education systems that can teach workers the necessary skills to reduce the performance gap. Among other things, the HRD should emphasize vocational training programs so that the workers can start apprenticeship program as part of their training.

Next, the workforce is increasingly becoming more diverse along ethnic, racial and gender lines. Moreover, an increasing number of the workers are aged above fifty-five years. Effectively managing such diversity can make the organization regain its place among the best companies in the country. However, diversity issues have different implications for HRD professional. First, the company should address the racial, ethnic and other prejudices that may be contributing to the current performance gap. To do so, the HRD should coordinate the development and implementation of a complex diversity policy to eliminate any form of discrimination within the company.

Secondly, the organization should provide developmental opportunities for women to prepare them for higher ranks in addition to safeguarding them against sexual harassment. The aging group indicates the need for HRD initiatives that can address the learning requirements of the young as well as the elderly workers. Creating an ethnically diverse workplace will result in fewer disputes, reduced turnover costs, increased innovation and improved social cohesion. The role of HRD in reducing this type of gap will include ensuring diversity training for all, managing legislative aspects of diversity and monitoring discrimination and other diversity issues in performance mechanisms of the company.

Given the rapid transformation that the business is undergoing, it is evident that the workers should learn throughout their careers to meet the resulting challenges. The need for lifelong education will require the organization to make ongoing investments in HRD. For semi-skilled workforce, the learning should focus on rudimentary skills training to help build their competencies. On the other hand, professional employees should take advantage of the continuing education opportunities. The knowledge will be particularly important for certified workers who require continuing education programs to maintain their certification.

Of course providing the full range of learning opportunities for all employees will be a major challenge, which the organization can meet by establishing multimedia learning center on its internet. The center should offer different instructional technologies which will be compared to each employee’s unique learning needs. Lastly, developing solid performance solutions that can have a real impact on the gap should entail due diligence and collaboration between the HRD, management, employees and other relevant stakeholders.

References

Werner, J., & DeSimone, R. (2012). Human resource development (1st Ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western.