The evolution of the Human Resource profession into a specialist function can be dated back to the 1900s
The evolution of the Human Resource profession into a specialist function can be dated back to the 1900s. During this time the business environment was impacted largely by globalization and fierce competition. Therefore, there was a shift from the HR profession being viewed as Welfare manager, to Personnel Manager to Human Resource Management and more recently Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM). The revolution of the HR profession in organisations continues to affect the development of HR professional’s role in organisations.
The late eighteenth century to mid-1970’s gave birth to the concept of Welfare Personnel. During this time, welfare officers were appointed to get employees to merely comply instead of aligning employees work to meet organizational objectives. The welfare officer’s function was basic and was concerned with administration.
The welfare Officer’s function was called Personnel Management in the 1970s to late 1990s, at such time the work of Elton Mayo continued to influence performance management. Lyons (1974), “personnel management is part of management which is concerned with people at work and the relationship with the company.” British social reformers during this era pushed for the appointment of personnel managers into organisations.
Taylor (2011) suggest that “the transition of personnel management to human resource management was significant new thinking on the part of managers.” The emergence of HRM was due to the realization of the linkage which exist between quality and human resource to gain competitive advantage.
During the 1980s there was an increase in globalization, restructuring in organisations, a decline in trade union power as a result HR specialist was able to work more closely with central management goals. Companies in the UK and US were facing intensified competition internationally thus challenging their competitive position in the global economy.
Armstrong (2008) stated that “Human Resource management is an approach to develop and integrate HR strategies with business strategies by so doing enabling the organization to achieve goals.” Beyond the year 2000 the significant changes experienced by organisations at this time forced company’s activities to be more strategic in nature. Most recently with the introduction of SHRM, HR is developed and utilized in a manner to align with strategic objectives.
At GTM the HRP’s role was more administrative in nature in the past, but the company was challenged with increased competition and there was a need for the HRP to posse strategic thinking skills. Today, the HRP is part of the company’s strategic business planning process. Therefore, the company ensures that the HRP is utilized in a manner that aligns with its goals. The HRP now play a major role in drafting HR policy and procedures aligned with objectives.
In the past less emphasis was placed on training employees since it was deemed too costly for the organization. Soon, GTM was being faced with the difficulty of not having the ability to clearly link organizational change to strategic needs of the business. As a result, the HRP’s role now facilitate organizational change and to ensure employees attain proper skill sets needed to perform their duties.
GTM’s HRP’s main focus was mainly to yield productivity and output. Over these years it was realized that interpersonal communication and constructive feedback was lacking and should be given priority. The HRP is charged with the responsibility to understand individual employee needs, using their strengths to enhance productivity. The HRP has also assumed the role of employee advocacy to include; the recognition of employee success, identifying opportunities for growth and administering performance review programmes in the organization.
In the 1980s there was a minimal level of employee engagement/employee voice within the organization. As a result, employee morale was low, decrease quality of work and decrease motivation. In light of this, there was a focus towards increasing employee engagement at GTM which have yield positive results in innovation as there have been a notable increase in employee drive. Employees are willing to “go the extra mile” as a result increase profits for the company.
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