Introduction
Management theory sets parameters on how managers and supervisors use their understanding of the goals of an organization to elicit and motivate input of employees towards the achievement of these goals (Storey, 2014). The management team seeks for the attainment of the highest standards from the employees specifically towards the achievement of the specific goals of the organization. This creates an element of effort and direction. The efforts relate to what the employees are directed to do while the direction relates to what the effort is being put towards. Outcomes and assessment in human resource management (HRM) are closely related to the overall concept of management theory (Storey, 2014). The attainment of the goals of a company is the intended outcome towards which a manager must marshal the input of the employees while the assessment is the means to ensure that this effort is coming to fruition.
Setting Up the Program
Every organization has a collection of objectives, which may engender a wide variety hence it would be difficult to apply outcome and assessment management upon the entire system. The first step is, therefore, to set up a program upon which the outcome assessment is to be premised on (Storey, 2014). Within the several processes undertaken, the manager needs to select a feasible program for assessment. This can be based on which activities within the organization are most in need of assessment or which area of operation would be most suited to give a better picture of how the entire system operates. Being a human relations assessment exercise, it is all about the employees. The selected program should, therefore, have specific employees upon whom the assessment will be based. The program should also have a schedule which includes the activities that ought to be undertaken and a time limitation (Storey, 2014).
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Determining what to Measure
When it comes to outcomes in human resource management, measurable differ exponentially and may vary from scenario to scenario. Another management theory under outcomes and assessment is the determination of what is a material measurable. In an office setting, for example, there may be an employee who is always punctual but unproductive and another who is ever late but very productive. Under normal rules, the punctual employee may be feted but under outcomes and assessment, the productive employee is the one to be feted. The difference between the two lies in how measurable parameters have been set within the outcome assessment system of the program (Storey, 2014).
To arrive at what to measure, the direction of the efforts that the employees are supposed to input must be considered since these efforts ought to fulfill the objectives of the organization. To arrive at this, the manager needs to study the mission and the objectives of the organization. Further, because the assessment is about outcomes, the clients of the organization also matter. This is because customer satisfaction is integral to the outcomes of an organization. Even if everything is done right but the customer is not happy, the organization has still failed (Kehoe & Wright, 2013). This study of mission, objectives, and outcomes will elicit a list of the anticipated outcomes. When the outcomes are arrived at, the manager will then determine how each outcome will be measured based on the indicators of the outcomes (Storey, 2014). How data should be collected for the said measurement is also crucial. Before the actual process, it would be important to run a pilot test to ensure that every aspect of the process operates flawlessly. Normally, some contingencies will arise for which solutions should be developed before the actual outcomes assessment procedure.
Legal and Ethical Issues
Outcome assessment is a form of employee test and whenever testing is being undertaken, legal and ethical issues must arise. From a legal perspective, no employee can be tested based on a system that the employee is not aware of and whose parameters the employee knows (Hayes, 2014). Whenever possible and for the avoidance of legal liability, it is always crucial for an employee to sign off on an assessment process beforehand. This is because it is impossible to predict the outcome of any assessment. A routine assessment may end up revealing that it is crucial to make a reassignment or take up disciplinary action against an employee. Unless the entire process was undertaken within legal parameters, complications that may include legal liability can ensue. From an ethical perspective, it is fundamental for all employees to be accorded proper human dignity throughout the process (Hayes, 2014). For the process of assessment of outcomes to be carried out, all elements and aspects thereof must be done right since HRM involves actual human beings.
Conclusion
Human resource management is about ensuring that employees are motivated to carry out their respective obligations to enable the achievement of the objectives of an organization. Achievement is not about process but rather about outcomes. It is all about whether or not the efforts and contributions of the employees are right and also if their application helps accomplish the mission and objectives of the organization. Key among these objectives in HRM is the satisfaction of the customer. To be able to properly assess outcomes, objectives should be reduced into measurable programs involving defined objectives or sections thereof and also identified employees. Assessment can even be done in the entire organization but it can only be effectively done on a program to program basis. Within the program, outcomes will be identified and their parameters set. For legal and ethical purposes, the employees ought to be advised in the process as by assessing outcomes the employees are also being assessed.
References
Hayes, J. (2014). The theory and practice of change management . New York City, Ny: Palgrave Macmillan
Kehoe, R. R., & Wright, P. M. (2013). The impact of high-performance human resource practices on employees’ attitudes and behaviors. Journal of management , 39 (2), 366-391
Storey, J. (2014). New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals) . New York: Routledge
