Contemporary organizations are facing many HR challenges today. While some of these challenges have recently emerged, others have been inherited from traditional settings. Some of these challenges are internal (affecting departments within organizations) while others are external, affecting the outside world through the company’s image, such that qualified employees are influenced to make employment decisions regarding the organizations based on how they perceive its public image (Virmani, 2007).

ORDER HRM PAPER NOW

Contemporary organizations operate in an extremely technological environment, unlike at any other time in the history of mankind. Machines have affected the HR landscape in a significant way. When new communication channels are provided by technology, it becomes easy for HR functions to be undertaken more effectively. This paper reflects and recaps on the positive side of HR changes that are affecting the 21^st century’s organization.

Diversity of workforce

Senge (2005) observes that today, thanks to the forces of globalization, there is more diversity in the workplace in terms of the tasks that can be performed by employees (Goldsmith, Morgan &Ogg, 2004). Information technology has revolutionized the way in which information is managed, retrieved, processed, stored, transmitted and stored. HR managers are able to think of new ways of keeping the workforce out of the boredom that comes with the repetition of similar tasks by assigning them diverse tasks (Laurinda, 2001).

Harris & Moran (2004) says that the diversity of the workplace setting is also evident in the way special interest groups are represented. These groups include women; minority religious groups; ethnic groups and races; and disabled persons. Additionally, the HR base in today’s organization is more likely to reflect a fairer geographical representation compared to the traditional setting (Bonnie, 2002). This is because today, various forms of prejudices are addressed more readily than in the past.

Diversity also takes the form of the presence of multiple stakeholders. One of these stakeholders is the workforce. Today’s shareholding practices are such that employees are allowed to get a piece of the cake that they help to cook (Hufner, Reichenstein& Metzger, 2000). By owning a part of the company, these employees become more vocal in influencing its management principles, mainly through labor unions.

The multifaceted nature of workplace diversity is a reflection of global economic trends. By responding to forces of globalization, organizations become adaptive to changing eventualities, for example, changes in the financial markets. Although globalization is sometimes associated with unpredictability, it is also a source of new opportunities. Today’s employees have more opportunities to prove their skills, experience, and knowledge by innovating new ideas on a global perspective, unlike their counterparts in the past.

Workplace planning

Today, information on workplace planning is readily available. Therefore, HR managers have no excuses to give for not enforcing various elements of diversity in their respective workplaces. Additionally, workplace planning is one of the best ways of dealing with all the negative effects of diversity. The different HR areas where planning is extremely imperative to include cultural differences, innovation, linguistic differences, discrimination and religious differences (Ruona& Gibson, 2004).

When various problems that are caused by workplace diversity are solved amicably, it becomes easy for the effectiveness of recruitment measurement to be achieved (Medina, 2005 et al). According to Devanna&Tichy (2009), it also becomes easy for the organization to select the right person in today’s competitive world. Once the task of workforce placement has been achieved, diversification can still continue to be achieved in both formal and informal settings. Professionals feel satisfied with their level of performance when they can are free to switch between the requirements of the individual and system at will (Grieves, 2003).

Versatility in human resource development (HRD)

Unlike in the past where HRD professionals were faced with a daunting task of making long-term HRD plans, things have changed a lot in the 21^st century. HRD planners do not need to worry about the long-term development of the workforce. This is because changes in the workplace setting are being affected all the time, thanks to the effectiveness of different tools of technology (Cragan, Kasch&Wright, 2009). It is easy to train the workforce with short-term tasks in mind. When changes are needed in the future, all that is needed is additional training (Armstrong, 2006).

In today’s organizational setting, HRD concepts are best learned through two main approaches: modeling and behavior modification. In modeling, a cognitive approach is adopted during learning whereas, in behavior modification, a behavioral approach is adopted. In the latter case, the emphasis is put on obvious observable behavior in the learning process. In the former case, the emphasis is on the unconscious and unobservable processes.

ORDER HRM PAPER NOW

In today’s approaches to HRD, both cognitive and behavioral approaches to learning are used in order to bring out the best attributes in the workforce. In other words, today’s workplace is not tied to rigid theoretical principles. Unlike in the traditional workplace setting, a holistic approach to learning and performance is adopted. Performance appraisal is the greatest determinant of excellence and not the learning approach that is adopted.

Innovation

Today’s human resource environment is more conducive to innovation than the traditional workplace setting. Knowledge is more readily shared today than in the past. HRD managers can restructure the existing systems without interrupting the day-to-day running of the organization. Organizations have to seek for information as they compete for the best ways of making employees satisfied with their work.

Today’s HR environment gives professionals to engage in contingent work, thereby giving them time to engage in other personal activities (Van & De Dreu, 2001). These activities could be in the form of further studies or professional training. In this regard, today’s workplace seems to encompass elements of both personal and professional development. A contingent worker becomes a part of the organization’s learning environment whenever he is in the workplace. Upon completion of duties at the organization’s premises, the individual can embark on activities of personal development. In such an atmosphere, it is for employees to become innovative.

The typical 21st-century corporation is one that is in the form of a learning organization. A learning organization is one whereby information is continually being transformed into knowledge. In such an organization, feedback is continually being shared for purposes of improving professional performance. In such a setting, HRD professionals do not view employees as machines; rather, they respect them as human beings who have individual goals and ambitions. Therefore, they are given a good environment for them to develop their individual interests while improving the collective good.

In conclusion, the HR changes that are taking place in the 21^st century can be harnessed in order to be of benefit to contemporary organizations. If the right efforts are put in place, it is possible for diversity, versatility, and innovation to be achieved in the workplace. Such positive changes can spur organizational development if employees are satisfied with their professional roles within and without the organization.

References

Armstrong, M. (2006) A handbook of human resource management practice, London: Kogan.

Bonnie, W. (2002) 21st Century Leadership Challenge: Creating and Sustaining Healthy, Healing Work Cultures and Integrated Service at the Point of Care, Nursing Administration Quarterly, 26(5), 18-32.

Cragan, J.Kasch C. &Wright, D. (2009)Communication in small groups; theory, process, skills. 7^th Ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage learning Inc.

Devanna, M. &Tichy, N. (2009) Creating the competitive organization of the 21st century: The boundaryless corporation, Human Resource Management, 29(4), 455 – 471

Goldsmith, M. Morgan, H. &Ogg, A. (2004) Leading Organizational Learning. California: Wiley.

Grieves, J. (2003) Strategic Human Resource Development, London: Sage Publications

Harris, P. & Moran, R. (2004) Managing cultural differences: global leadership strategies for the 21st century, Oxford: Heinemann.

Hufner, K., Reichenstein, B. & Metzger, M. (2000) Challenges For International Organizations in the 21st Century: Essays in Honor of Klaus Hufner. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Laurinda, B.H. (2001) Ethical Challenges in the Management of Health Information, New

York: Aspen Publishers.

Medina, F. Dorado, M. Munduate, L. Guerra J. & Martinez, I. (2005) Types of intra-group conflict and affective reactions, Journal of Managerial Psychology, 4(3), 219-230

Ruona, W. & Gibson, S. (2004) The Making of Twenty-First-Century HR: An Analysis Of The Convergence Of HRM, HRD, AND OD, Human Resource Management, 43(1), 49–66.

Senge, P. (2005) Presence: Exploring Profound Change in People Organizations and Society. New York: Current Doubleday.

Van, V. & De Dreu, C. (2001) Managing relationship conflict and the effectiveness of organizational teams, Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22(5), 328-329

Virmani, B.R. (2007)The Challenges of Indian Management Book: The Challenges of Indian Management, London: Sage Publications.

Still stressed from student homework?

Get quality assistance from academic writers!

Order now