Human Resource practices and the success of an organization are intertwined. Therefore, for any organization to succeed in its performance, its labor force must be highly effective. Moreover, with a good workforce, an organization achieves more due to its competitive advantage in the market. Furthermore, proper leadership in an organization can reduce risks due to unforeseen activities. This reduction in risks results in the removal of losses and the ultimate increase in profits. It is pivotal for any organization to adopt sound human resource management strategies since it shall propel it towards success.
Similarities and Differences of the Organizations Featured in the Study
Good human resource management practices have always been associated with the success of any institution. According to Cabrera (2015), effective human resource practices improve an organization's performance by giving it a competitive edge in the market. However, for Chief Battalion Robert Olivio, the two US army Blackhawk helicopters flying a humanitarian relief mission inside the “no-fly” zone in northern Iraq , and Cadet Jeffrey Smith of the fire department, the leadership qualities depicted were not effective. It resulted in catastrophic losses to both their organizations and even their employees.
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Undoubtedly, the type of leadership and management practices used is crucial to any organization's performance. However, the organizations depicted in the study have employed different approaches to their management practices. First of all, North Valley Fire Department has a leader who is not proactive. Instead of taking appropriate measures before the first fire incident, he fails to assess the structure to determine its conditions, resulting in damages due to fire. This organization has been unable to reiterate the importance of performance appraisal and rewards for a good job.
Similarly, the US Army and Airforce Departments portray organizations that do not value accountability from their employees. The department ought to culture responsibility among its labor force by rewarding performance and punishing mistakes. With the integration of performance appraisal, the fighter jets pilots would have taken due diligence before engaging the ' target enemy’ helicopters, resulting in Americans' death.
Both the North Valley Fire Department and the US Department of Defense lack a synergistic method of sharing information. First of all, North Valley Fire Department would have offset the fire incidents' losses if they had encouraged collaboration and coordination among its workforce. With teamwork, the fire-fighting crew, together with the Colony apartment team, would have completed the debris's overhaul. Moreover, Chief Battalion Robert Olivio, together with the fire-fighting unit, would have assessed the damages caused by the first fire incident. They could also have identified the fire, which was not wholly extinguished. Similarly, the US Army and Airforce did not have good collaboration and coordination. The US Airforce failed to identify the US Army helicopters and ended up striking its people, resulting in the death of 26 Americans.
Both the US Airforce and the Cadet Fire Department lack an excellent organizational culture. In both, the departments respect the chain of command, and officers cannot raise any issue about their fellow employees' welfare. Cadet Jeffrey Smith of the fire department risked his crew's safety just because he was not supposed to raise any issue about the officer's orders in charge. Instead, he kept quiet and jeopardized the safety of his crew, who almost got injured. Moreover, as recruits, some suffered severe burns, but they did not disclose to their instructors due to fear. Similarly, the US Airforce pilots acted without due diligence just because they were following orders. In both scenarios, the employees depicted do not have a chance to express their views and opinions on the subject involved.
On the contrary, the Cadet Fire Department does not have a selective hiring process. The department recruited Cadet Jeffrey, who was not fit for the job. He did not integrate well with the military values of following commands, and he ended up quitting the job after a year. Employee turnover is a loss to the firm due to the resources spent in training and coaching the employees. Hence, it reduces the productivity of an organization.
Behavior and Structure of the Organizations under Study
North Valley Fire Department
North Valley Fire Department lacks effectiveness in its operations due to the bottlenecks in its organizational behavior and structure. The leadership of Chief Battalion Robert Olivio is not proactive. The fire-fighting company has not invested in training its employees on the job's prerequisite, such as carrying out a thermal-imaging assessment of the state of the fire. Moreover, the organization lacks knowledge sharing among its employees. With proper measures in place, the Chief Battalion Robert Olivio could have collaborated with other officials in carrying out the overhaul. Moreover, the organizational structure does not encourage knowledge sharing among employees. The second fire incident could have been avoided if the leader had sought his crew's opinions on the cause of the fire. Instead, the leader went back and sit, resulting in another fire incident. Also, the company does not utilize performance appraisal and compensation for good work. With this strategy's adoption, the leader would have ensured no other incident by conducting a proper assessment that would have identified the fire that was not completely extinguished.
The US Army and Air Force Departments
The US Army and Air Force do not have a proper channel of communication. These are two departments in the US Department of Defense, and therefore they are not supposed to incur losses due to poor communication. Moreover, the employees portrayed a lack of accountability by firing without due diligence. Also, the structure of the organization seems to encourage ranks in the institution. With a reduced status distinction, the pilots would have been able to ask further questions whether they should engage the target or carry out a further assessment. Furthermore, there is insufficient coordination in the department due to a lack of cooperation. They should have contacted the relevant authorities such as Iraq Air Space Control to confirm the identity of the said ‘enemy helicopter’ before making the call.
Cadet Fire Department
The Cadet fire department is not highly effective in its operations due to its culture and structural conflicts. First of all, the culture of the organization has cultivated fear in its employees. The department has been militarized, and employees cannot speak their minds because of fear of punishment. Secondly, the structure of the department has nurtured military aspects of respecting the chain of command. Therefore, the field fire safety officers cannot object to carrying out any operation even if it poses risks to their health and safety.
Management Practices that Promotes Organization’s Effectiveness
With the increase in organizations' pressure from both internal and external factors, firms ought to embrace a shift in their management paradigm by adopting new human resource management practices. With the adoption of the new system, a firm is guaranteed to remain effective in its operations. These management practices are:
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Designing of Work
An organization should encourage teamwork in executing its process. According to Cabrera (2015), teamwork enables employees to work with diverse members and learn from the different group members. Moreover, employees can share knowledge which consequently increases their creativity in the job. Moreover, with teamwork, employees are responsible for their work due to the accountability required while executing the task. The team process promotes collaboration and coordination between the various departments.
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Selective Recruitment
The recruitment of employees should be designed to identify employees who agree with the organization's values. According to Chatman (1991), the selection panel should hire someone who will fit the job requirements by agreeing with the organizational values and norms (as cited by Cabrera, 2005). By agreeing with norms, an employee shall be compatible with the organization.
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Organizational Culture
The culture of an organization should be centered on employee empowerment. According to Kalenda et al. (2018), a good culture should foster employee commitment by reducing differences in status among its employees. With the adoption of reduced statuses, an organization is able to achieve more from its employees due to increased knowledge sharing. Furthermore, a good culture foster employee job satisfaction and reduces the rate of employee turnover.
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Performance Appraisal and Compensation Rewards
Performance appraisals tend to instill responsibility in a workforce. According to Cabrera (2015), performance appraisals encourage sharing of information and ideas among employees. Moreover, it promotes collaboration and hence reduces risks associated with poor coordination.
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Training
Training and development are key in the delivery of employees. According to Cabrera (2015), training helps employees be self-sufficient through training knowledge. Moreover, cross-training encourages knowledge sharing among employees, which ultimately increases the productivity of a firm.
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Technology
Information technology is the driving force in the operations of businesses and interaction among its employees. According to Kalenda et al. (2018), the information to be adopted should be employee-friendly. Moreover, it should align with the organization's existing culture so that employees can adapt to it very easily. With the adoption of the right technology, there shall be an increased level of collaboration and coordination among various department employees.
Conclusion
Human resource plays an essential role in an organization. They are the backbone of any organization, and therefore the management should invest heavily in them. This investment is in the form of adopting best management practices that empower the workforce. With good management practices, an organization is able to get the best out of its workforce through collaboration and coordination among its labor. This would result in increased sharing of knowledge and ideas, thus improving an organization's productivity.
References
Cabrera, E. F., & Cabrera, A. (2015). Fostering knowledge sharing through people management practices. The international journal of human resource management , 16 (5), 720-735.
Kalenda, M., Hyna, P., & Rossi, B. (2018). Scaling agile in large organizations: Practices, challenges, and success factors. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process , 30 (10), e1954.
