There are many paths through which the American Airline corporation applies that is critical to its growth, prosperity and retaining the competitive advantage. One critical path is the recognition and capitalization on a superior system of human resource management (Morrison & de Wit, 2016). Currently, the American airline recognizes the increased importance of defining the structure of the human resources, where it is conceptualizing in the system of human resource management to gain the competitive advantage in the airline industry. The American airlines systematically develops the competitive advantage through a target or thrust matrix while the end goal of this matrix has a significant implications on the corporate strategy within the organization as employees as a resource help in the definition of the social corporate responsibility. In this regard, the American airlines company presents the concept of strategic initiative, where it is able to define the strategic business unit that captures the major control of the strategic behavior in the competitive airline industry. This paper critically examines the human resource management structure within the American airlines corporation.
The American Airlines is aware that the competitive environment compels to align the system of human resource with the strategic objectives in a view to support the growth of the business. The major human resource management practices evident at the American Airlines include recruitment, selection, provision of training programs and promotions (Morrison & de Wit, 2016). The viable candidate for employment to serve in the capacity of a cabin crew has to undergo an intensive seven week training program at Dallas/Fort Worth international airport, which has an airline’s flight academy and facilities for airlines training at its training center. At the initial stages, an employment offer is made privy to qualified candidates online, where the applicants are made. The practice of advertisement for opportunity is then followed up by a screening process, which involves a series of interviews and assessments with the higher management (Morrison & de Wit, 2016). The recruitment specialists are then made to learn the needed technical skills before qualification. After the required training, the candidate receives a training package, which is advanced to polish the technical knowhow.
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The basic procedure related to training include knowledge on the modules of safety, knowledge of products and services, provision of quality consumer services, awareness of the cross-cultural diversity of the consumers and that of other employees and training on paraphernalia procedures on board (Belobaba et al., 2015). The seven week training program is aimed at preparing candidates to get the required licensure for the increase in ability to fly at least three aircrafts at a given time. The initial seven week training program continues for the next six months period of flying duty, after which, the candidate is awarded the Wings that represents the full membership of the American Airways Cabin Crew team, but after satisfying the required minimum standards.
Promotions are other basic practices that define the structure of the human resource management at the American Airlines Corporation. The promotions are awarded by the airline company in collaboration with the Occupational level standards. Successful completion of the training program automatically merits Guilds NVQ level 2 qualifications, which is normally licensed in the operations of the aviation industry and the guilds of the academy at Dallas (Halford, 2016). Moreover, the airlines quest learning centers are consistently providing room for continues specialization and training in terms of skills, where candidates who show consistent improvement in performance are vetted for promotion.
The American airlines knows that sound qualities along the personal skills like collaboration and team-work ability need effective communication skills for pursuance of the goal of defining competitiveness (Belobaba et al., 2015). This is the reason why the structure of the human resource management and the expectations among the senior management is varied from that of lower management. It is evident to note that for senior and higher managerial positions within the corporation, track record of proven ability in leadership are basic considerations (Halford, 2016).
The management within the airline industry knows that teamwork is a paramount tool in defining the corporate social responsibility, which is in turn a competitive advantage. With this, the first level of promotion at the airline industry is becoming a purser. Such a promotion normally calls for one to have merited in the examination of responsibility for a specified cabin such as the first class or the formidable club. Once a purser gains more experience and academic qualification, he is eligible to serve as a cabin service director, which is considered one of the most senor riles among the cabin crew (Halford, 2016). The CSD is a position that calls for strong leadership and managerial skills, where the employee serving in this capacity s at the jurisdiction of managing the overall delivery within the course of the entire flight. From this point henceforth, more opportunities to pursue advisory positions within the airlines company automatically open up.
There are also evident training and performance demands that are constrained to the human resource component within the aviation industry of the American Airways with regards to the interpersonal skills, communication skills and conceptual skills. The airline company considers the most vital quality in the crew members as harboring the desire to serve and help other people within or without the industry. In its current recruitment system, the corporation looks for people from whom the interpersonal trait is inborn (Lee & Hyun, 2016). The interpersonal trait pertains to the ability to create and maintain a strong relationship with the consumers on one hand and with the workers and stakeholders on the other. The current recruitment system has been polished, where the company considers it to be one essential component that the candidates to join the team are the sort of persons who are able to fit easily and instantly into the organization, and are ready to work with other employees towards a common goal, and in collaboration.
The other internalized attribute that is fit for the candidates that can qualify for employment at the American airlines is being naturally outgoing with that exceptional zest, coupled with the exuberance for life (Belobaba et al., 2015). The rule of thumb is that common sense is a basic conceptual skill that is vital, while this sense comes about as a result of definition of the ability to be ready for any responsibility and contingency resulting from all forms of emergencies in response to a passenger who has never been on plane before. This implies that bearing the sense of social responsibility coupled with working with reference to common sense is one of the topnotch options for the British Airways Cabin Crew.
The American airlines realizes the potentiality of subjecting employment opportunities to nominees who possess the pleasant disposition for the above mentioned skills, where it considers such nominees as people who can honestly take real pride in working for the need goals of meeting above notch consumer needs (Lee & Hyun, 2016). The need to meet consumer needs through selflessly putting the consumer needs at hand is one attribute that distinguishes the American airlines’ system of human resource management with other completive world renowned airlines. This implies that the organization recognizes that the strength of the training program s based on the intensive quality based standards, which cultivates the moral virtues within the employees as the major depiction of the human resource management structure.
The American Airlines also knows that the cost of production is a tool that helps in the definition of sustainability as the cost of production affects the profitability. It is evident that the American airlines give intensive training programs to its employees, which brings about the question of the total costs of production (Lee & Hyun, 2016). It is also evident to note that the highly trained personnel and the highly educated employees are possible targets of piracy by competing airlines, where the airline company is aware that this can result in a better compensation package that is way above the company. With this, the organization has stringent rules for its seasoned employees, where it encourages the solemn oath for permanent service especially with the seasoned employees. To keep these employees to the commitment to task, the airlines company has motivation structures for incentives and rewards to the high performing employees.
Throughout its operations, the American airline intends to motivate an internal audience for its employees as a mode of raising the game among these employees. It is evident that every company sets up a vision statement, while in most cases; this vision is forgotten soon after rolling out. It is for this reason that the American airline does not want this to befall its management systems, where it is currently using the power of story sharing to ensure that all of its employees pursue the vision as this makes it to be registered on the minds of the contenders. In the first place, the airline relishes through the vision of becoming the most loved in the world, the most flown and the highly profitable company in the world (Halford, 2016). To realize this vision, the airlines company ensures that its superiors and other employees work together for a common purpose.
It is the common rule among most organizations that the paycheck at the end of every month will automatically inspire people to walk an extra mile within the endeavors of an industry. However, for the American airways, the major purpose of existence in the airline industry is to connect people to what is vital in their lives by way of friendly, cost effective and reliable systems of travel. The airline company knows that the major stride in achieving the virtue of connection of people is through effective communication (Belobaba et al., 2015). In this regard, the organization has mastered in the game of storytelling, which is a single and most effective way of reminding the employees about the purpose of the company and as a way of reinforcing the purpose of the daily interactions with the consumers. One such mode of storytelling is the formidable public praise especially for employees who have shown their commitment to appreciation of the consumer service. The airline company publishes magazines showing the features of stories that highlight the positive behavior by way of recognition programs and awards for the participant employees.
It is also imperative to note that the company has a leadership team with the responsibility of directing and collaborating in undertakings within its jurisdiction. The strategic direction of the human resource management within the organization is based on a balanced scorecard theory, which is a principle that defines the strategic direction of the human resource (Belobaba et al., 2015). The first perspective is the financial perspective, which defines the profitability factor as a form of responding to the needs of the shareholders with regards to the value. Under this perspective, every employee is expected to work towards maximization of profitability within the company by ensuring prevalent conditions for expansion of the market base. On the other hand, the customer perspective are used in the company to gauge the needs and levels of satisfaction of the consumers as a way of meeting the sustainable market and expansion of the niche in the marketplace.
The next perspective that is used to judge the performance of the employees is the internal process perspective, which questions the operational, administrative and technological processes within the airlines company and how the human resource management system is able to address these processes for the continuous enhancement of the responsiveness of these systems for the achievement of the end goals and mission. In this regard, the human resource management is trained and seasoned to automatically respond to the operational, administrative and technological processes. For instance, there are teams within the organization which are always proactive in responding to descriptions in critical processes of decision making (Morrison & de Wit, 2016). Consequently, the learning and demands perspective is used for promotional purposes within the company. This implies that the company has a training and development program for its employees, where most of the employees are required to attend advanced training programs especially from the already experienced employees, while those who are qualified are screened for promotion. This in turn increases the motivational levels of employees, which are a model used to instill loyalty on the part of the employees.
The American Airline has a highly unionized system of workforce that is constrained to bargaining agreements that are conducted periodically (Lee & Hyun, 2016). Just like any other company that has a unionized workforce, the negotiations are privy to some eminent form of breakdowns with the end result of stalling of operations. Nevertheless, the continued effort of cutting employment costs by way of productivity and optimization of the available resources has posed varied levels of risks to the company like the eminent increase in inventory. This has made the higher management to work with one resolve of focusing on the change in the culture and development of programs aimed to transform the airline company into a hub for innovation, building of relationships and provision of better consumer services as a way of responding to the odds.
The culture program for the human resource management within the American airline company is constrained to five major themes. The first theme is that of engaging people as a component of the human resource management to drive high levels of performance in every workplace of the airline. The second theme of the culture program for the human resource management is the formation of a consistent consumer service that helps in focusing on a solid customer service (Lee & Hyun, 2016). The other theme is the formation of stakeholder partnerships, where each employee should strive for class relationships with partnerships within and without the company. The other theme is creation of a performance based culture coupled with the development of an improvement driven philosophy that is pegged on both the short and long-term efficiency of operation.
Overly, the American Airways is at the jurisdiction of looking deeper into its financial plans to subsidize the increasing cost of training, the development costs and the cost of promotional systems. With this, the company is ready to diversify the pool of candidates among the most reliable countries of origin. This implies that it is commendable for the organization to shed light to its current program of outsourcing for cheaper but experienced labor from other countries as a way of subsidizing on its ever increasing wage bill. It is also commendable to note that the company has programmed its recruitment, selection, training and all its development programs into short, medium and long term periods. The system of programming into these periods allows for equal opportunities to other operation strategies as a way of blending well with the whole business plan and the overall market plan.
References
Lee, K. H., & Hyun, S. S. (2016). An extended model of employees' service innovation behavior in the airline industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management , 28 (8).
Morrison, W. G., & de Wit, J. (2016). The Inevitability of an Unlevel Playing Field in Civil Aviation (In the US and Elsewhere). Available at SSRN 2801726 .
Belobaba, P., Odoni, A., & Barnhart, C. (2015). The global airline industry . John Wiley & Sons.
Halford, C. D. (2016). Implementing Safety Management Systems in Aviation . Routledge.
