The importance of employee inclusion: lessons for HR managers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario V. Norman ◽  
Kimberly M. Johnson

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the phenomenon, or the lack thereof, of building a culturally inclusive organization, specifically suggesting this paper will offer tips for human resources (“HR”) practitioners in their quest to understand and enhance inclusivity. Design/methodology/approach This paper is written for practitioners, focusing on ways to foster employee inclusiveness through personal awareness. It includes business and professional rationales for HR practitioners recognizing the need for and the factors impeding employee inclusiveness in the workplace. Findings Organizations are facing an increasingly dynamic environment in which they must interact with and, possibly, rapidly respond to changes. As a competition, both domestically and globally, increases progressive organizations recognize ways to retain and grow their talent pool. Not having a robust understanding of diversity, generally and cultural diversity, specifically, can lead to a less inclusive work environment. Originality/value This paper discusses the multifaceted nature of diversity and the need to understand cultural diversity. Particularly how HR practitioners can be a catalyst for organizational change. This paper then proposes practical steps for HR professionals to help improve cultural inclusiveness in their workplaces.

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 175-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geetika Malik ◽  
A. Venkatraman

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to emphasise on demand supply skill gap of human resources in India which would help generate reasons for the same and the necessary steps to be taken to improve the situation and bridge the skill gap helping maximum number of the students becoming employable. It will put an impact on various stakeholders about the steps to be taken in bridging the gap in India. Design/methodology/approach A review of available literature was done in order to understand the reasons behind the increasing skill gap despite a vibrant and abundance of young population. Findings The findings of the paper implicitly point out that a vast skill gap is prevailing in the Indian labour market and there is a dearth of human intellectual capital in India. Also it emphasises on the role of various stakeholders in bridging the skill gap by investing in workforce of today for a better tomorrow. Originality/value Based on literature review, the paper makes specific recommendations to various stakeholders (industry, academia, and government) in bridging the skill gap and would serve as a roadmap for companies guiding them to follow certain strategies to improve skills of future workers by investing in them and growing their own talent pool; and is an attempt to highlight the fact that India’s jobless growth is not going to reap the demographic dividend and certainly the increasing skill gap needs to be bridged ASAP.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 18-21
Author(s):  
Subin Sudhir

Purpose Employees often engage in informal interpersonal communication within organizations. Such communication is essential for creating a better work environment. While there are documented advantages of such communication, often, such communication is plagued by rumors. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the menace posed by rumors, the motivations for employees to engage in rumormongering, and possible ways to manage the spread of these rumors. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws from published literature on rumor research to illustrate the menace of rumors within organizational contexts, motivation to engage in rumormongering, and possible management strategies. Findings The paper identifies the menace of rumors in organizations, illustrates the reasons why employees share rumors, and discusses the possible methods to manage the spread of rumors. Originality/value Rumor propagation in organizations is an extremely dynamic process. The key element in rumor management is the swiftness and agility in intervention and management of rumors using strategies described in this paper. HR managers can monitor conversations to identify potentially harmful rumors and tackle this menace.


Author(s):  
Kwankaew Chavengvorakul ◽  
Winai Wongsurawat

Purpose This case study aims to describe a set of human resources practices that can help prevent major scandals that would ruin the reputation of an organization. Design/methodology/approach The authors performed an in-depth case study of a standardized testing company, which has operated in Thailand for decades without a major cheating scandal. Findings Referrals-only recruitment, salient moral and religious cues in the workplace, and credible threats of punishments are the key tools the company has used to guard against cheating. Research limitations/implications The company’s practices are only appropriate in the context of a collectivist and culturally-homogeneous environment. Originality/value This case study represents an original and practical contribution to scandal-prevention strategies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 573-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Maghrebi ◽  
Claude Sammut ◽  
S. Travis Waller

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the implementation of machine learning (ML) techniques in order to automatically measure the feasibility of performing ready mixed concrete (RMC) dispatching jobs. Design/methodology/approach – Six ML techniques were selected and tested on data that was extracted from a developed simulation model and answered by a human expert. Findings – The results show that the performance of most of selected algorithms were the same and achieved an accuracy of around 80 per cent in terms of accuracy for the examined cases. Practical implications – This approach can be applied in practice to match experts’ decisions. Originality/value – In this paper the feasibility of handling complex concrete delivery problems by ML techniques is studied. Currently, most of the concrete mixing process is done by machines. However, RMC dispatching still relies on human resources to complete many tasks. In this paper the authors are addressing to reconstruct experts’ decisions as only practical solution.


2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 1681-1697
Author(s):  
Thuy Thi Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Man-Ling Chang

Purpose The causal conditions leading to successful human resources outsourcing (HRO) have until now attracted only limited research attention. To address this shortcoming, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how a firm and a HR provider should work together to ensure successful HRO. Design/methodology/approach By applying a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, the authors demonstrate how combining in different ways provider quality, business understanding, trust, and closed HRO networks can lead to HRO success. In addition, this study compares the causal combinations between cases with differing levels of HR-task interdependence and IT use. Findings The results of this study reveal three common solutions that lead to successful HRO from both economic and relational viewpoints. The findings also indicate that, from an economic viewpoint, trust is a core condition for achieving HRO success. Moreover, HR-task interdependence and IT use alter the number of solutions and the conditions for attaining HRO success. Practical implications Based on the solutions proposed herein, firms can consider different ways to achieve HRO success under diverse conditions. Originality/value This work also contributes to building new theories regarding HRO, trust, knowledge sharing, and IT use.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  

Purpose The purpose was to produce a standardized tool in the form of a questionnaire to measure HR competencies Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from 234 managers and experts in human resources of selected firms existing in the Yazd Industrial Town. A questionnaire was developed to assess HRCs. Findings The paper produced a key scale for assessing HRCs in three dimensions: knowledge business, functional expertise and managing change. Two items of the original 33 were dropped as they were found to be unreliable Originality/value The authors believed the developed questionnaire can be used as an appropriate scale for measuring HRCs in future research and also in organizations in Iran.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 29-31
Author(s):  
Terence P. Malloy

Purpose This paper aims to review how millennials, since coming into the workforce in 2004, have faired in several countries worldwide. After a synopsis of how the group is characterized in each country surveyed, suggestions are provided to human resource (HR) directors on how to further manage and motivate this employee sector. Design/methodology/approach The paper opted for document review of research from past 15 years on this sector of the workforce to contrast and compare how these workers had progressed (or not) depending on the areas of the globe in which they reside. Findings The paper provides practical insights on possible ways and means to create productivity from these employees. It suggests that successful managers may have to be more creative in their ways to attract and appeal to this group but also be more deliberate in creating effective strategies tailored toward the digital native. Research limitations/implications Because the data in this group are still not voluminous and theories and conclusions on the impact they have made continue to vary depending on the circumstance, continued analysis to recognize new trends is suggested. Originality/value This paper suggests updated criteria for HR managers to better evaluate and motivate a growing sector of their workforces.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Enderwick

Purpose The continuation of China’s belt and road initiative (BRI) is assumed in most analyses. Yet, recent events have created significant reputational damage for China and Chinese businesses. With a trade war evolving into a hegemonic struggle, there are a number of potential developments that could derail the BRI. This paper aims to provide a contemporary review of the factors that could negatively impact its continuation, and what China has done to mitigate the risks. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive paper that groups possible disruptive factors into three groups: internal weaknesses of the BRI and its design; those related to China’s implementation of the BRI and external concerns and pressures. Findings China has actively reviewed and refined the BRI to reduce its perceived weaknesses and increase its attractiveness to potential participants, focussing on debt dependency, transparency and governance. However, this has occurred at the same time as growing concerns regarding China’s international assertiveness, the hegemonic challenge and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Research limitations/implications These changes are occurring within an extremely dynamic environment and any analysis at one point in time is subject to considerable limitations. However, the paper brings together a range of disparate perspectives in a structured manner. Originality/value The classification of possible threats to the BRI is original and provides insights into the relative significance of the diverse challenges that China faces. The paper concludes that while China’s operational focus on the mechanics of the BRI process is necessary, it may not be sufficient to ensure its continuing development. The paper identifies the next step which is conceptualisation of these ideas and of the BRI. Some guidance as to how this might be done is provided.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson Aparecido Costa de Amorim ◽  
Marcus Vinicius Gonçalves da Cruz ◽  
Amyra Moyzes Sarsur ◽  
André Luiz Fischer

PurposeThe purpose of this work is to comparatively study human resources management (HRM) areas in Brazil, at the national level, analyzing how companies considered labor market and labor relations aspects when building their strategies and when configuring people management models in place in the country (2014–2019), based on local conditions.Design/methodology/approachThe subject was approached through qualitative analysis, encompassing document survey, systematic literature review, specialists' panel discussions, eight focus groups (43 human resources [HR] managers), interviews (16 union members), applying institutional approach to people management.FindingsIn regards to labor market and unions, HR areas faced different conditions across Brazilian regions. They have dealt with those influences on their strategic and quotidian decisions in an unstructured fashion. HR areas remain constructed as traditional, adjuvant and far from strategic level. In the institutionalization process – normative isomorphism – a professional HR jargon use was identified. HR areas usually act in collective bargaining, resorting to specialized professionals or consulting companies. During the economic crisis, HR professionals' attitude had a reactive nature, responding to organizations leadership, with little dedication to the emerging context.Practical implicationsThis work enables important players like HR managers, union members and specialists in public policies to interpret the institutionalization phenomena of practices related to management, labor market and labor relations in the country.Social implicationsUnderstanding the effects of the relations among state, companies and unions allows the different power vectors, acting upon the institutionalization process of people management areas in the Brazilian case, to be outlined.Originality/valueThis study applies the institutional approach to understand the economic and social heterogeneity affecting organizations in Brazil. It enhances the knowledge on HRM areas scope and their articulation toward labor market and relations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 217-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave Ulrich ◽  
Jon Younger ◽  
Wayne Brockbank ◽  
Mike Ulrich

PurposeThis article aims to describe partial results of the 2012 Global Human Resources Competency Study (HRCS), led by the RBL Group and the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.Design/methodology/approachOver the past 25 years, this ongoing research project has provided the most global, comprehensive, and empirical identification of the competencies expected of HR professionals, and the impact of these competencies on both individual HR professional effectiveness and business performance.FindingsThis article points out a number of the key findings of the research – including the six fundamental competency domains that HR professionals must demonstrate to impact business performance – and identifies implications of the study findings for HR talent planning, assessment and development.Originality/valueHRCS findings have influenced thousands of HR departments, from global giants to smaller organizations in every continent.


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