International Human Resource Management
Introduction
The successful management of human resources as well as organisational performance is increasingly being considered as one of the major determinants of the success or downturn of international organisation (, 1984). In practice, several companies are still trying to adopt a strategies international human resource management (, 1986). Since it is observed that the quality of human resource management seems to be more complex in international level than domestic operations, many organisations are having problems in effectively managing their employees. The significance of people in international entrepreneurial operations has been able to generate linkages between human resource aspects and international management. Herein, the international management of the human resources is imposed so as to create a framework suitable for establishing employees which has the ability to handle cultural diversity and surpassed the strategic issues involved in international business functions. In the international human resource management, the company must be able to identify some specialised techniques and programmes in recruiting, selecting, and employing international managers.
In this regard, the goal of this paper is to provide a specialised techniques and programmes regarding recruitment and selection of international managers. For this particular issue, the company that would be given emphasis is the human resource management undertaken by Dell Computer.
International HRM in Dell Computer
One of the main responsibilities of an organisation’s human resource department is the recruitment and selection of the right manager that would be able to manage different issues and diversities in an international organisation. These primary activities are the first steps done in hiring people. In selecting the right employee in the managerial position, international organisations take note of several factors; however, positive work attitudes and technical skills appear to be the most prioritised qualities needed from employees in general (, 2002). The following discussion provides the outline of the specialised techniques and programmes for recruiting and selective managers in an international organisation. This specialised technique has been drawn from what Dell has been using in their international human resource management.
Outline of Specialised Techniques and Programmes
Typically, the initial operations of transnational companies are made of informal recruitment and selection processes. However, as the Transnational corporation becomes more mature, the need for a well-established international human resource practice becomes realised. In addition, the use of various selection methods and more objective qualifications became a part of developing hiring decisions; these practices had been observed frequently in global organisations (., 1999).
Dell Computer is noted to be one of the largest organisations operating in the computer and electronics industry. In order to ensure the company’s success, international human resource managements of Dell see to it that proper recruitment and selection processes are utilised. In Dell Computer for instance, the company utilised online services for its recruitment process to find the most suitable manager for international functions and practice. The company has signed in a contract with Monster.com, one of the leading global careers site. The site allows the worldwide access to Dell’s company profile and offered job opportunities. The company’s human resource professionals on the other gain access to a larger pool of online applicants (, 2000).
The site’s global network and content can also be displayed in different languages, making it accessible to almost every potential employee all over the world. Paul McKinnon, the company’s senior vice president for human resource, noted that the use of online services is a unique method of recruitment and facilitates Dell’s goal of obtaining world-class talents (, 2000).
The recruitment medium selected by Dell is actually a good method as compared to conventional recruitment processes. One of the reasons is that Dell itself is a global company; as it needs to employ people to manage its international operations; online recruitment allows Dell to reach out to foreign applicant in the easiest, fastest, and inexpensive manner. Being a large organisation, online submission of resumes is also helpful for the company’s human resource staff since storing and organising applications become easier with the help of an information system.
For the applicants, using the online recruitment process is also an advantageous method as they could easily send their applications to the company; there is a greater chance that the application or resume will be received by the company as compared to sending it by post. If the company regularly checks the resume database, applicants can receive the results of the screening rapidly. Most importantly, this process is less tedious and more economical for the applicants as they do not have to personally submit their resumes to the company’s HR department.
Using online services for the recruitment procedure also has certain drawbacks. For example, down systems can delay the hiring process and could even affect the files stored. Internet security problems may also be considered a risk. The use of online recruitment procedure may also be disadvantageous for the applicants; since submitting applications is easier with this recruitment medium, the chance of getting the job is decreased significantly. As more and more applicants find online job application easier and very accessible, competition becomes stricter. The company on the other hand is flooded with many applications, slowing down the screening process.
In addition, the use of the online feature for the recruitment process is advantageous as the company can post multiple job openings and useful job information without any cost. Aside from the company website, Dell can also post job opportunities in cyberspace. Not only does this methods allows the company to offer jobs for applicants from all over the world, but it can also obtain other valuable recruitment information such as the number of visitors who access the site.
The company also employs an unusual recruitment process where a recruiting team is used by Dell to track down people with the most potential. The recruiting team is trained and skilled in identifying individuals that will greatly contribute to the company as a manager. Knowing the fact that most skilled employees are happily hired by others and are not browsing the advertisements, the recruiting team then used various methods to lure them. One of which is the friends program; here, over a thousand employees of the company join the program in order to entice others to join the Dell team. This is done by matching the employees’ skills and backgrounds to the prospects; the employees on the other hand try to convince the targets by telling them about their work at Dell and how the company has helped them to develop. Naturally, a referral fee and even raffled free trip is given to employees who had successfully referred target individuals.
As this is not a usual recruitment procedure applied by organisations, the efficacy of the method cannot be determined. While this method may help the company recruit the best people, it is quite costly. Aside from paying the recruiting team to do the recruitment job, paying thousands of employees to befriend others with potential add up to hiring costs. Moreover, the friend program can be considered as underhanded since the employees are not aware that they are just being befriended so they could work for the company. Although Dell may provide better job and compensation offers, a less complicated and more honest recruitment procedure could have made the acquisition of talented professionals more rewarding.
Line managers go through a difficult responsibility in the department as they have to process piles and piles of resumes for the recruitment process. Dell, in addition tried to resolve this matter by hiring in-house professionals or head hunters. These individuals are trained and skilled to identify qualified candidates for manager positions. The company reasoned that while paying the head hunters is an additional expense, faster hiring process is far more beneficial. Faster hiring process can also save the company valuable resources as new employees can start and contribute immediately.
In selecting the employees, Dell applies the interview process. For Dell, the company employs rotational recruiters. If the company is searching for employees to fill in certain IT jobs, Dell gathers recruiters from its IT department. The company believes that these recruiters will input better perspectives to the selection process since they know the specific demands of the jobs being offered. Once the hiring starts, the recruiters will spend about three to four months in the human resource department to assist the interviews; once the applicants had been selected, they will return to their posts (, 1999).
It has been stated that in the company’s interviews, the interviewer looks at two vital points: the performance and the people skills. The skills, knowledge, and attributes are the focus of the performance aspect. Questions in this aspect may identify the person’s ability to decide, lead, and control. The people skills aspect on the other hand focuses on questions that will measure the person’s values, motivations, and style. Here, the interviewer tries to match the applicant’s personality or work attitude with the nature of the job he or she is applying for. This is an important aspect since this will determine the applicant’s ability to interact with colleagues. Chambers noted that the interview procedure uses situational and behavioral-based questions for selecting applicants. Situational questions are given to assess the applicants’ abilities, judgments, and knowledge. On the other hand, behavioral-based question are more on the evaluation of the applicants’ values and attitude (, 2006).
The interview is perhaps one of the most common selection method used by organisations. This is an effective selection technique as it helps identify the communication capabilities of the applicant, which may be helpful for the job, specifically in international operations. An interview is also a highly flexible selection tool as the interviewer can modify or add in questions in order to gather more information about the applicant. How the applicant expresses himself or herself is also a good indication on how well the person deals with other employees. While interview for selection purposes is effective, the method also has downsides. For instance, since the outcome of the interview will only be based on the personal assessment of the interviewer, the process tends to be too subjective (, 2001).
Moreover, interviewers tend to develop initial impression about the applicant, and the remaining time of the interview is only spent on validating these impressions. In addition, due to its subjective nature, stereotypes can greatly affect the chances of the applicants to pass the interview (, 2001). Although, it was not mentioned whether interview biases are observed within the selection process of the two cited organisations, it is possible for these observations to occur as the companies depend solely on this selection method. The main error then of both companies in their selection process is that only a single method is used. Without the use of other selection methods, the disadvantages of the interview process become more pronounced. It is then important that the companies employ other selection methods to offset the downsides of the interview method.
According to & (1997), most employees are selected by means of one on one interview; however, along with this technique, written examinations and panel interviews are also used for the selection process. The use of multiple selection techniques will help prevent applicant selection errors. The use of application tests in the selection process is perhaps the most effective method that could be used in combination of the interview method. This is because the characteristics of this technique are in direct contrast to the interview process.
One example of these tests is the work sample tests; in this type of selection method, the applicants perform tasks that are similar to the actual job they are applying for. A good feature of this selection method is its reliability factor. Through this method, assessors can easily determine whether the applicant is truly skilful or not; in addition, it is difficult to fake ones’ work abilities (, 2001). This is in direct contrast to interview results where the truthfulness and validity of the applicants’ responses is difficult to verify. Cognitive ability tests or the paper and pencil assessment, which is made up of general intelligence and aptitude tests questions, may also be used along with the interview process.
In this technique, the applicants are tested on their numerical and verbal abilities; similar to the interview method, this test is very flexible since test questions can be modified depending on the complexity of the job being offered. However, the characteristic that makes this test different from the interview is that it is highly reliable. Specifically, the results of the test are obtained through definite scores. These scores represent a definite value, thus, biases can be prevented. Aside from being objective, obtaining the results is also easy as computer scanning equipment can be used. This method is then useful as it is effective, fast, and reliable (, 2001).
Aside from these tests, the behavior or psychological background of the applicant may also be assessed through examinations. Through psychology or personality tests, the human resource department can easily determine the behavior or attitude of the applicant based on definite ratings. In general, the use of tests is helpful mainly because of their high reliability. Aside form helping in making the selection process more objective, the assessors will be able to decide quickly with these test scores. Interpretation of the application results will also be easier with the use of application tests. Due to the diversity and flexibility of the tests, companies can easily choose which technique is more appropriate for their employment needs. From this comparison, it becomes clear that it is best for companies to employ a variety of selection techniques so as to ensure that the employees they will be hiring are truly appropriate for the job and the company’s standards.
This selection practice is probably the most appropriate for an instance when a human resource team member is needed for a grocery chain’s HR department. In deciding the right selection methods to use, it is important that the responsibilities of the needed employee are clearly identified. As the needed team member will be asked to conduct trainings for junior and trainee managers, it is important that the applicant is willing and efficient in dealing with people. Moreover, the applicant must have high levels of oral and written proficiency; in particular, the applicant must be capable of doing good seminar presentations. With these important skills, both personal and intellectual attributes must be assessed.
For the personal aspect, a panel interview may be appropriate. This will help determine whether the applicant has sufficient confidence in discussing matters in front of an audience. Work sample test may also be appropriate; this can be done by means of a letting the applicant perform a training or teaching demo to an audience. The applicant will be given the materials he or she needs; time will be provided in order for him or her to prepare a 30 minute discussion about a particular topic. Here, the creativity and skill of the applicant to conduct actual training classes can easily be assessed. For this type of test, a checklist of important features of the demo should be made fore grading purposes.
Conclusion
If an organisation wants to operate in international level, the company must be able to use an effective international human resource management. In addition, the company must also ensure that all elements of IHRM are given importance, specifically in terms of recruiting and selecting the most appropriate managers for the international operations. In doing so, the Transnational Company must implement specialised approaches and programmes that adhere to an effective recruitment and selection of employees. Like what has been shown in Dell’s IHRM, the company has been able to use recruitment and selection approaches so as to hire skilful and efficient managers to ensure competitiveness of the business in the global business environment.
References:
0 comments:
Post a Comment