HRM9704 Human Resources in a Global Context Assignment Help

PART 1: ESSAY

Introduction

In the era of globalization, where employees can work for international companies across the planet, there is an urgent need for improvising human resource management practices within a global scenario. Reiche et al. (2019) discuss various perspectives of human resource management, which should consider parameters like governance, ethics, migration, sustainability, work-life balance and diversity. Of course, legal and regulatory measures can help a company grow systematically; nevertheless, with globalization comes multiple challenges ranging from cultural, social and ethical issues that need to be addressed to enhance production and performance.

 The subject of HR management in the global context has grabbed focus in recent years because large international organizations have access to digital data which can be used to manage strategic employees in every department. At the same time, social, cultural, economic and political factors constantly shape the business environment where efficient human resource planning is needed to reflect the business in global markets (Malik et al. 2021). Hence, it can be said that through effective HRM planning, a company can manage uncertainties and instead resolve underlying issues coming ahead in the business. The following report summarises different aspects of HRM involving significant problems and a general evaluation of HRM practices in external, cultural and institutional contexts.

Analysis

Analysis of HR issue

The human resource department plays an integral role in recruiting, motivating, training, and promoting; therefore, a combination of various responsibilities comes with significant issues, which sometimes grow with time (Cooke et al., 2020). In large organizations like Unilever, Pfizer, Meta, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, the responsibilities are split across the HR department. However, it is noted that even when other company systems are managed systematically, a lack of resources and manpower may result in significant HR issues. The following section elaborates on a substantial HR issue faced by one of the most renowned companies in the UK, Unilever. Change management regarding technology and diversity issues based on social, cultural and background aspects has been a considerable HR issue noticed in Unilever, which is ineffectively managed by its HR team. Due to this, significant employee turnover is seen in the company amid COVID-19, which is a wrong indication of the company’s growth and management. Also, if Unilever fails to adopt a people-centric approach to combat change management and diversity issues, it may majorly impact productivity and output in future (Aitken-Fox et al., 2020).

Description of the Unilever

Intending to make a sustainable living for the worldwide population, Unilever is a UK-based multinational consumer goods company that delivers bottled water, food, healthcare products, breakfast items, cereals, and beauty products in over 190 countries. The company was established in 1929 by merging with Lever Brothers to increase the diversity of its development in the first half of the 20^th century (Ki-moon, 2020). In the initial phase of its establishment, the company focused on improving its operations to manage production, manufacturing, packing and transportation. However, the merger company started facing HR issues as the company expanded in the second half of the 20^th century.

With over 2,00,000 employees working in different countries, Unilever has acquired a significant brand position in the UK and global markets; however, the company faces significant challenges in coping with change management as thousands of employees belong to different cultural backgrounds. As discussed by Azeez (2019), change management is a systematic approach to implementing and accepting changes within an organization with the help of tools, resources and the application of knowledge. At the same time, through change management, a company can adopt and incorporate corporate strategies, technological procedures and structures to handle changes caused due to external business conditions. In the past, it has been noticed that Unilever has failed to manage organizational changes, which not only have increased the employee turnover rate but have also hampered the organization’s productivity and performance negatively.

Significance of the HR issue in Unilever

As stated by Goute et al. (2021), a human resource manager and their team play a vital role in the change management of any organization. More recently, large-scale companies like Unilever, Apple and Amazon have adopted techniques to induce change management and diversity within an organization as the workplace needs a more equitable working environment not only to work together with harmony but to accept changes implemented by the organization successfully (Мусах and Туль, 2021). In terms of equal opportunities, the European nation reports on diversity and equality suggested that over 15% of Unilever, workers have migrated to European countries since 2000, which implies that there is a greater need for inclusion, equality and diversion. Nevertheless, consecutive reports on change management and diversity show that lack of acknowledgement, diversity and inclusion have caused subsequent employee turnover in recent times.

Jamal et. al. (2021) state that change management is directly linked to diversity management as a diverse work environment includes people with different social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Due to this, language and customs have been significant barriers for organizations to maintain equality. For this reason, some people have the acceptance to adapt to changes quickly. However, many employees from foreign cultures, castes, religions, and languages face significant issues in understanding and accepting the changes. From an organisation’s perspective, HR has multiple roles in managing change that ranges from implementation to acceptance (Danilwan et al., 2020). It should be noted that change may occur both internally and externally; however, depending on the internal and external business scenario, it is the responsibility of HR managers and executives to devise a strategy that can facilitate changes. At the same time, diversity is also linked with HR because today, in this global scenario, diversity is not just a moral challenge, but is also a source of competitive advantage, that companies can adopt to find and leverage untapped opportunities.

By understanding the relevance of change management and diversity in Unilever, its HR team can promote change management and diversity by identifying new trends. As a result of variety, it will not only be able to promote a diverse work culture. Still, it will also be able to motivate staff by all means, subsequently decreasing the employee turnover rate.

Business objectives related to the HR issue

As discussed previously, change management is a systematic approach of using a structured process to implement change where a desired outcome is achieved after the completion of the project. A recent Harvard Business Review Research describes that in order to be a successful change implementor, Unilever needs to set small business objectives which can drive long-lasting changes within an organisation. Therefore, with this explanation, Unilever framed different goals for diversity and change management (Al Kurdi et al. 2021). The first business objective of Unilever in the context of the change management issue is to reduce incidents and comply with regulatory standards in the company. As employees are resilient towards changes, it can be said that Unilever’s change management practices are inefficient. Therefore, to fulfil, the above-stated business objective of change management, the company needs to design prompt approaches that efficiently handle any changes within the infrastructure. At the same time, building a culture of innovation has also been a significant objective of Unilever. Recently, it has been noticed that every industrial sector is facing substantial crises due to a non-efficient change management system. Therefore, to normalise the circumstances, driving changes is necessary.

On the other hand, Unilever believes in equality, inclusion and diversity alignment to promote and value every culture worldwide. However, it is noticed that at times, the intentions and behaviour of the organisation’s personnel may not match and contradict each other resulting in inequality and conflicts (Cameron and Green, 2019). The Forbes Article (2019) stated 62% of the overall disputes arising in corporate work culture are due to inequality and non-supportive culture. Therefore, to mitigate the issues of inequality and diversity, Unilever has set objectives to promote equality and diversity by employing robust working policies and strategies. The goal of inclusion and diversity at Unilever is to create an environment free from bullying and harassment between different cultural and social groups.

General discussion over the HR issue in a global context

Organisations today are evolving rapidly due to technological advancement. A paradigm shift in the way employees work, interact and perceive today has entirely changed, which pushes the HR department to explore greater horizons to accommodate a large group of talent. However, even when technologies are evolving, multinational companies like Microsoft, Unilever, Apple, Meta, Pfizer, Samsung, and Tesla are facing continuous HR issues. Amazon is one of the best examples depicting issues in managing talent diversity (By, 2021). Amazon being an e-commerce platform, has its presence worldwide where employees from different cultures are involved; however, human resource leaders at Amazon faces significant challenge dealing with a heterogenous team. No doubt, a diverse workforce is likely to create a positive environment. Nevertheless, managers at Amazon have failed to understand the difference between in-office and remote resources that can allow the team to take wise decisions.

At the same time, Tesla, the world’s largest electronic car manufacturing company, also faces major HR issues in terms of conflicts of interest, where a global presence is a market challenge for Tesla. Even when the company is scattered worldwide, the resources, needs and interests of every nation may differ, which ultimately impacts Tesla’s objectives and performance. Therefore, there is a greater need to reduce the gap between employees and various stakeholders, which will subsequently reduce conflicts within an organisation (Hanelt et al. 2021).

General Evaluation in External, cultural and institutional context

Human resource management is not just linked with internal factors but a source of external, cultural and institutional factors that plays an integral role in affecting daily business operations (Roberson, 2019). For example, along with Unilever, Amazon, and Tesla are also operating in different worldwide locations. Therefore, government standards and rules may constantly pressure the company to hire, train, compensate and terminate based on compliance standards. Without adhering to its ideals, the company may be fined extensively, decreasing overall performance and growth. At the same time, external factors like economic conditions may shape or shut down a business accordingly. Therefore, Tabrizi et al. (2019) advise preparing for the worst economic conditions before global expansion because a dire financial state may create an economic downturn for the company.

Next to external factors is technological and cultural factors that have majorly impacted business operations and management. Technical aspects are also considered external influences on the company. However, HR should understand that cutting people’s jobs to save money may eventually degrade the performance of a company (Orsini, 2020). At the same time, technology is revolutionising, and this can be best justified by quoting an example of Tesla where by undertaking the customer’s standpoint, the company terminated thousands of employees to save money, which resulted in a bad reputation and employee dissatisfaction.

Framework and its Advantages and Disadvantages

The Lewin model is one of the most effective change management models or frameworks, which includes three steps such as unfreezing, changing and refreezing stage. In the initial unfreezing phase, the HR manager needs to focus on existing perceptions and processes to understand the necessity to change. More often, it is noticed that a person or group of employees resist the change because they do not understand the importance of change. Therefore, it is necessary to guide employees about the change (Muller-Camen, 2022). The next step in the model is implementing the change through practical training and education. When effective training is given to every employee, it leads to the successful implementation of change management. Ultimately, the refreezing stage provides information on how new ways can be adopted to do the same things differently. The approach is more straightforward and is trusted by most MNC companies today.

Every model and framework comes with certain advantages and disadvantages. Increased chances of successful change management are one of the most significant advantages of Lewin’s model; however, practically, not all employees can successfully understand the change. Therefore, it becomes difficult for managers to explain the difference to every person. Even if change management and diversity management include practical training, a lack of communication and engagement may be noticed, which inhibits people from accepting the change (Gottardello,2019).

Managerial implications for a manager of the HR issue

Although employing a diverse workforce and implementing change recognises multiple benefits for employees and the organisation, it presents various challenges and implications for managers.

Developing policies is one of the most significant managerial implications in HRM, where discrimination and growth in diversity can only be noticed when managers understand the need to implement non-discrimination policies and anti-harassment rules. To make the working environment positive and healthy, the HR managers at Unilever need to develop effective diversity policies that help managers promote equality, inclusion and diversity (Reiche et al., 2019).

At the same time, communicating the vision is a significant managerial implication noticed in every organisation today. For an organisation to grow consistently, its managers need to simply take the responsibility of communicating the vision to its team and department. By doing, managers will not only be able to mitigate the HR issues but will be able to create a focused and positive working environment.

Recommendations

Unilever being an international brand, needs to take several steps to mitigate the current HR issues:

• Firstly, as the organisation operates on a global scale, Unilever needs a set of influential leaders in every department that can take responsibility for implementing changes successfully (Aitken-Fox al. 2020). Likewise, for every nation and continent, securing executive sponsorship for change management will help support the organisation. At the same time, executive sponsorship will provide a definite roadmap to proceed cohesively, taking consistent steps and communication in Unilever.
• Apart from change management, Unilever also faces diversity management issues which can be mitigated by strategically building internal competencies at all levels. A global organisation like Unilever is bound to face diversity issues due to employees from various cultures and groups. Therefore, selecting local trainers for each region that can communicate and understand each other is extremely necessary. Also, cultural norms should be considered to ensure successful training delivery and skill building.
• In the end, for change management and diversity management to be successful in Unilever, they need to adapt successful change management training and tools to meet the needs and requirements of employees at global locations (Malik al. 2021). The tools should be able to translate all training materials to specific languages in that region which makes it easy for individuals to analyse and understand.

Conclusion

The above report illustrates major HRM issues faced by Unilever, which not only have impacted its productivity and performance but have also degraded employee satisfaction in recent years. To enhance productivity and ensure the successful fulfilment of the company’s aims and objectives, Unilever needs to focus on existing HR issues because when these issues remain unaddressed, it hampers the organisational growth, thereby making employees dissatisfied and uncontended. Apart from Unilever, the report elaborates on HR issues faced by global MNC companies like Tesla, Amazon and Microsoft. From the above explanation, it can be concluded that for effective branding and organisational success, it is necessary to make use of the right tools and training programs which will not only improve performance but will also increase customer and employee satisfaction.

PART 2: REFLECTIVE ESSAY

Introduction

Human resources management is a function that helps to manage people in the organization. It includes recruiting employees, providing them with directions, and managing the various issues pertaining to each department. It includes numerous functions such as motivation, appraisals, staff development, compensation, discipline and grievances handling. As HR is integrated into each level of the organization: it has brought changes in the global business market (McCartney et. al. 2021). This reflection focuses on my HR skills and development through module learning enabling better growth and career advancement. The reflection will use Gibbs’s reflective cycle to assess the development through module learning better and identify action plans accordingly.

Module learning experience:

The current module learning focuses on developing HR skills in students in reaction to the global business environment. The learning and knowledge gained from the module have been designed to enable the student to stay competitive and achieve career growth. My module learning was based on understanding core concepts and HR issues globally. This has helped me to realize that people are the most important resource of any organization and team. It is a must to develop others while aiming at personal development. I realized that mere leading does not deliver results, but leading a talented team appropriately is the key to success (Zeebaree et. al. 2019). During a group presentation, I have presented the reflection on a core topic, Diversity and fairness.

Reflection on HR development using the Gibbs model:

Description:

These incidents happened when we were given a group assignment whereby, we had to create a group presentation on the topic of diversity, equality and fairness in the global business environment. The work was to be divided among team members, and I was chosen as the team leader. The presentation needed research, so we decided to divide the work accordingly. However, one of the team members did not like the allocation, and it resulted in conflict. The members started fighting and complained to the professor about it. As a team leader, I was called out to discuss the issue. The professor scolded me for discrimination and did not understand my viewpoint. This made me embarrassed and frustrated. I failed to understand the very essence of the topic and forgot to treat everyone equally, and failed miserably (Hampden-Turner et. al. 2020)

Feelings:

On receiving the assignment, I was very excited to be the leader as I planned everything in advance. However, the incident made me realize my weakness as a poor listener, which resulted in team conflict. The major reason behind this was my overconfidence and inability to listen. This caused me major embarrassment in the end.

Evaluation:

After evaluating the incident, I realized I needed to improve my communication skills. I also need more team spirit and managerial skills as a leader. As a manager, the most important task is communicating and understanding the people working with you. However, my overconfidence and unsupportive attitude prevented me from consulting my team members before work allocation. This revealed my limitations in the form of poor listening, aggressive behavior, rigidity and low adaptability.

For an HR manager, all these qualities are a must for achieving success. I have studied these issues in my module; however, I did not have much attention to them until now; I understood that conflict resolution, communication and flexibility are essential requirements in the global business context, and every HR manager must have them to conduct business operations efficiently. Moreover, a satisfied workforce results in positive outcomes for the organization as a whole. Therefore, the right HR strategy and administration is a must to achieve the goals and objectives (Cooke et. al. 2020).

Analysis:

After analyzing the incident, I understood that the management was not supervising or giving instructions. Rather it is taking responsibility to make people work together. It needs discipline, commitment, communication and social skills to be able to adapt to situations and react appropriately. My module learning helped me to change my perspective regarding HR management skills and their importance.

Globally every organization focuses on developing their HR and keeping them satisfied to achieve desired results (Yaacob et. al. 2021). They understand that employees are a significant contributor towards the success of a business considering the global economy and competition. Therefore, I must also enhance my managerial skill to attain future job roles and career growth. The reflected further enhanced my critical thinking skills and changed my perception deeply.

Conclusion:

 The incident taught me that having a degree is not what results in success but the willingness to learn and practice makes an individual successful. It revealed that I need to improve in decision-making as I am an impulsive decision-maker. I also need logical and reasoning skills to resolve conflicts quickly. Further enhancing social skills and interpersonal communication will encourage better management and team coordination. I must polish my skills and strengthen my weakness to achieve my desired career goals and develop competency to stay competitive in the industry and attain future job roles successfully. It taught me the significance of HR strategies and management to achieve desirable outcomes and productivity in the workplace (Dhanpat et. al. 2020).

Action plan

The current action plan focuses on developing the required skills and competencies to achieve the right managerial skills and guide me to improvise my diversity management skills.

Conclusion

This incident helped me to identify my personal goals. This reflection encouraged me to manage my time and plan in advance for effective results: thus, improving my managerial, decision making and communication skills. I would further develop my skills to achieve management of HR and career progression better. Moreover, I better understood the importance of HRM in a global context through module learning. It enhanced my knowledge and experience to assess my abilities better and improvise my skills for further development.

References

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Al Kurdi, B., Elrehail, H., Alzoubi, H.M., Alshurideh, M. and Al-Adaileh, R. (2021). The interplay among HRM practices, job satisfaction and intention to leave: An empirical investigation. J. Legal Ethical & Regul. Issues, 24, p.1.

Azeez, F.O. (2019). Impact of Selection Process on Organisational Performance: A Case Study of Unilever Nig. Plc (Doctoral dissertation, Kwara State University (Nigeria)).

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Cameron, E. and Green, M., (2019). Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.

Cooke, F.L., Schuler, R. and Varma, A., (2020). Human resource management research and practice in Asia: Past, present and future. Human Resource Management Review, 30(4), p.100778.

Cooke, F.L., Schuler, R. and Varma, A., (2020). Human resource management research and practice in Asia: Past, present and future. Human Resource Management Review, 30(4), p.100778.

Danilwan, Y., Isnaini, D.B.Y., Pratama, I. and Dirhamsyah, D., (2020). Inducing organizational citizenship behaviour through green human resource management bundle: drawing implications for environmentally sustainable performance. A case study. Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues, 10(October), pp.39-52.

Dhanpat, N., Buthelezi, Z.P., Joe, M.R., Maphela, T.V. and Shongwe, N., (2020). Industry 4.0: The role of human resource professionals. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(1), pp.1-11.

Gottardello, D., (2019). Diversity in the workplace: A review of theory and methodologies and propositions for future research. Diversity in the workplace: a review of theory and methods and recommendations for future research, pp.202-221.

Goute, A.K., Babu, K.V. and Prasad, N.V., (2021). Hindustan Unilever Limited: Providing the Right Work-Life Balance. IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(4).

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Jamal, T., Zahid, M., Martins, J.M., Mata, M.N., Rahman, H.U. and Mata, P.N., (2021). Perceived green human resource management practices and corporate sustainability: Multigroup analysis and major industries perspectives. Sustainability, 13(6), p.3045.

Ki-moon, B. (2020). Paul Polman, Former CEO of Unilever, Co-chair and founder of IMAGINE, Vice Chair of UN Global Compact.

Malik, A., Pereira, V. and Budhwar, P., (2021). HRM in the global information technology (IT) industry: Towards multiverse configurations in strategic business partnerships. Human Resource Management Review, 31(3), p.100743.

McCartney, S., Murphy, C. and Mccarthy, J., (2021). 21st century HR: a competency model for the emerging role of HR Analysts. Personnel review, 50(6), pp.1495-1513.

Mello, L.V. and Wattret, G., (2021). Developing transferable skills through embedding reflection in the science curriculum. Biophysical reviews, 13(6), pp.897-903.

Muller-Camen, M., (2022). Age diversity at the workplace: A comparative study on the influence of national institutions on employers’ age management practices.

Orsini, P. (2020). The effect of early international experience on the perception of cultural diversity in the workplace. Keizai Shūshi, 90(1), pp.93-114.

Reiche, B.S., Lee, Y.T. and Allen, D.G., (2019). Actors, structure, and processes: A review and conceptualization of global work integrating IB and HRM research. Journal of Management, 45(2), pp.359-383.

Roberson, Q.M., (2019). Diversity in the workplace: A review, synthesis, and future research agenda. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 6, pp.69-88.

Tabrizi, B., Lam, E., Girard, K. and Irvin, V., (2019). Digital transformation is not about technology. Harvard business review, 13(March), pp.1-6.

Yaacob, A., Mohd Asraf, R., Hussain, R.M.R. and Ismail, S.N., (2021). Empowering Learners’ Reflective Thinking through Collaborative Reflective Learning. International Journal of Instruction, 14(1), pp.709-726.

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