Role of HRD
UNIT 5 ROLE OF HRD MANAGERS Managers
Objectives
After going through this unit, you should be able to:
• discuss the emerging issues faced by HRD professional; and
• enlist role of HRD professionals in organization.
Structure
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Emerging issues faced by HRD Professionals
5.3 Role of HRD professionals in Organizations
5.4 Conclusion
5.5 Self-Assessment Questions
5.6 Case Study
5.7 Further Readings
5.1 INTRODUCTION
HRD managers play a significant role in organizations with the changing
work pattern HRD plays a dynamic role in coping with the changes. In order
to sustain the momentum and develop human resources. HRD professionals
play different roles in organizations. This unit shall focus on the roles of
HRD managers.
5.2 EMERGING ISSUES FACING THE HRD
PROFESSIONALS
It is pertinent to understand the challenges and issues that are faced by HR
managers, especially in the context of the various aspects of the macro and
micro business environment.
The external business environment, defined in terms of political, social,
economic, technological, and legal environment along with the internal
business process, systems, and work culture, poses various challenges to HR
and the organization as a whole.
The challenges include:
1) Encouraging diversity in the workplace
2) Competing in a global economy
3) Reducing competence mismatches
4) Addressing the requirement for persistent independent learning and
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Managing HRD 5) Promoting organizational learning.
6) Managing the workforce generations
Each of them is discussed in the context of HR implications
Encouraging diversity in the workplace
The workforce has gotten more diversified in recent years, and this tendency
will continue. This includes rising racial, cultural, and gender diversity, as
well as a growing share of the workforce over 55 years old. Second, with the
rise in the number of women in top positions, it is more important than ever
to protect women from sexual harassment. Third, the ageing of the workforce
emphasizes the significance of developing HRD programmes that cater to
both younger and older workers' learning requirements.
Competing in a global economy
Companies must introduce new technology, which need the hiring of more
educated and skilled employees. Successful organisations will use quality
improvement methods and transformation activities in addition to retraining
their employees. To interact and do business across cultures and in other
nations, the staff must learn to be culturally aware.
Reducing competence mismatches
For companies to compete successfully in the global economy, they must be
skilled, and the public education system needs to be reformed. The skill gap
poses serious consequences for American companies.
Industry perspective: “A longitudinal study of information technology (IT)
managers at a Fortune 200 company in the Southwest United States was
conducted to assess the effectiveness of a training program in bridging the
perceived business skills gap for IT employees. A needs assessment was
carried out, resulting in a 4-module training program. The program was
evaluated for its ability to meet specific business skills deficiencies. Student
perceptions were measured both at the time each skill module was delivered
and at the conclusion of the training program with an online survey of all
participants. Based on these results, the authors propose business training
for skills often lacking in technology professionals to bridge the gap between
technical skills training and leadership training.”
The need for persistent learning
There should be an emphasis on learning and improving the skill of the
employee in the organization. Life-long learning can mean different things to
different employees. The challenge for HRD professionals is to provide a full
range of learning opportunities for all kind of employees.
Industry perspective: “Machine learning has not yet succeeded in the design
of robust learning algorithms that generalize well from very small datasets.
In contrast, humans often generalize correctly from only a single training
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example, even if the number of potentially relevant features is large. To do Role of HRD
Managers
so, they successfully exploit knowledge acquired in previous learning tasks
for subsequent biased learning. Lifelong learning addresses situations where
a learner faces a stream of learning tasks. Such scenarios provide the
opportunity for synergetic effects that arise if knowledge is transferred across
multiple learning tasks. Various algorithms are employed to generalize
consistently more accurately from scarce training data than comparable
‘single-task’ approaches.”
Promoting organizational learning
The facilitation should be done both at the group and individual levels. The
challenge for HRD professionals is to facilitate the transition of traditional
training programs to an emphasis on learning principles and tactics.
Managing Workforce Generations
Another major challenge of HR is managing the generational gaps and
creating the mostappropriate policies in order to keep them motivated and
satisfied. Each of these generation incumbents has various characteristics and
traits, and their behavioural outcomes and be predicted as well as mapped to
achieve superior performance. The various classifications of generations and
their characteristics are duly illustrated.
Table 1: Classifications
Characteristic Baby Generation Generation Generation
Boomer X Y Z
Period 1946 - 1964 1965 - 1979 1980 - 2000 Ab 2001
Formative Post-war/ economic Crises, wars, Economic
event economic and political disasters, and and financial
miracle uncertaintie threats crises, mass
period s and social layoffs and
changes youth
unemployme
nt, the fight
against terror
Attributes Assertiveness, Independen Self- Individualisti
efficiency, ce, confidence, c attitude,
ambition, entrepreneu communicati ego
social rial spirit, ve relatedness,
competence individualit appearance,
y, creativity pursuing
their goals,
no fear of
authority
Working life Above- Adaptability Need a lot of Clear
average , resilience, recognition separation 79
Managing HRD
performance, independent and between
high work, self- attention; work and
professional realization, wishes are private life;
reference, hierarchy actively regular
pronounced skepticism, expressed; working
career and job high hours; leisure
orientation change are willingness time, and
standard to change; family comes
work must first; work is
have a a means to
meaning an end;
Leadership
responsibility
does not
have to be;
positive
feedback is
constantly
expected
Such a classification gives a good perspective of how to manage different
generations, and HR should have a broader view of HR policies suitable for
each generational cohort.
Do’s:
• Trial with mixed-age teams and reverse mentorship programs that
allows older, more experienced employees to connect with and learn
from newer employees.
• Create reward system that suits your workers' life stages.
• Regularly conduct human resources surveys to have a better
understanding of your workers' demographics and requirements.
Don’t:
• Avoid employee affinity groups based on generation – they tend to
perpetuate prejudices.
• Act like a top-down boss by forming alliances with employees of all ages
and encouraging them to voice their ideas.
• Assume you already know how to encourage older or younger colleagues
– ask them what they want from their professional life.
5.3 ROLE OF HRD PROFESSIONALS IN
ORGANIZATIONS
Organizations must anticipate, innovate, and adapt to compete in a rapidly
changing competitive environment. HRD plays a critical role in encouraging
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and supporting the creation of a learning environment that creates and Role of HRD
Managers
nurtures knowledge in this context.
Knowledge is the most important source of competitive advantage, and
employees are the ones that bring it out. As a result, HRD's tasks and
functions are focused on releasing human potential in individuals, groups,
and organisations through learning experiences that emerge from well-
planned and executed training, education, and development activities.
Operationalizing HRD for Workers
HRD has long been pressed to provide value in its day-to-day operations,
particularly through training and development and organisational
development, but the call to be more strategic (i.e., to have a long-term
influence) has been heard. The following things must be considered in order
to operationalize HRD for employees and make it more dynamic:
First, HRD should consider taking any and all opportunities to demonstrate
that investing in human capital increases the value of the company by
increasing leadership capacity, shared responsibility for on-going
organisational development and renewal, and the ability to change quickly. In
other words, it appears that HRD's initiatives must be evaluated.Second, there
is no better time for HRD professionals to develop human expertise at all
levels, like the present; increase the organization's knowledge and skill
capacity, build collaborative frameworks that empower and encourage
workers, allow individuals to act and think discretionarily and responsively,
and motivate workers to pursue the mission and vision of their organization.
In other words, it appears that HRD is a guiding light for professionalism.
The HRD practitioner in an organization has three main sub-functions. They
are a consultant, a learning specialist, and an administrator.
Role as a Learning Specialist
HRD must provide the necessary learning and growth opportunities for both
individuals and groups in order to assist them in resolving organizational
problems and maximizing organizational change opportunities. This is
accomplished through the following methods:
1. Activities for training.
2. Education and training
3. Educational activities
HRD aids in the organization of learning over a set period of time so that
performance can be improved. Training activities are centered on learning the
skills, information, and attitude required to execute a task for the first time or
to improve present work performance.
Rather than being job-related, developmental activities are geared toward
personal and organizational improvement. The goal of the development
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Managing HRD activity is to assist the individual by offering learning chances to widen one's
conceptual and perceptual basis in an area that the individual has not
previously encountered. This practise prepares the individual to deal with any
unknown forces of change that may impact the organisation in the future. It
also reflects the HRD's interest in the individual's growth in order to keep
him in the organisation. Such activities boost an individual's value to the
company while also providing opportunities for personal growth and well-
being.
A Human Resources Development Manager’s tasks encompass:
1. Conducting an audit and assessment of learning and development
requirements, as well as establishing a training plan
The purpose of a skills audit is to determine the degree of expertise of
personnel. Such audits aid in identifying gaps in needed capabilities,
allowing for the development of relevant capacity-building activities.
Furthermore, these audits construct an organization's skills matrix and test
employees' current competences against a specified set of skills necessary
for a certain vocation. Skills audits are important tools for mapping out an
organization's competency profiles. This is accomplished by identifying
individual skill shortages, developing skill development strategies and
plans, and enhancing overall organisational ability to fulfil developmental
and constitutional obligations.Destabilizing political dynamics,
organisational structures, and general demographic factors, on the other
hand, tend to make skill audits more difficult to design and implement in
organizations.
2. Managing the organization’s learning systems
Since the late 1990s, the ideas and dimensions of organisational learning
(OL) within an organisational environment, as well as management
practise, have been the most hotly discussed subjects among management
scholars and practitioners. Simultaneously, non-profit organisations
experience fast organisational growth and reorganisation, which results in
substantial organisational changes, making how they learn and what they
do with learned information critical to their progress.Then we implement
the plan and collect feedback after we monitor the process and ensure
effective commitment and completion of the process.
The experiential learning and established systems and processes should be
linked and connected together so that holistic data of organisational learning
may be shared and duly communicated to all. Organisational decision-
making and problem-solving process is benefitted from it. Shared wisdom
and learning are available on a common platform, and there is transparency in
the system.
Online chat boxes, organisational infra-net, and interactive communication
platforms powered by software areupright solutions for such HR
82 interventions.
Role as an Administrator Role of HRD
Managers
HRD practitioners or managers in an organisation must play the following
roles as administrators:
I. HRD long-term and short-term planning; with the growing relevance of
HRD, its strategic role has been further enhanced. Any strategic change
in the organisation, whether the introduction of new technology, joint
ventures, mergers, and acquisition,or going international, requires major
intervention and planning from HR, and it is important to acquire,
develop and retain talent to meet with these challenges
2. Organizing the HRD unit; Involves creating and maintaining both
tangible and intangible assets for management of the organisational
systems and processes. It also Managing facilities and equipment
3. Planning the HRD department's budgetand keeping the short-term and
long-term plans is a very important function of the department. It is
important to have a thorough cost-benefit analysis of the same to justify
the expenditure using various tools and techniques
4. Managing; Acquisition, development and retention of the employees of
the organisation as well as staffing of the HRD department. It also
involves assisting HRD staff in their professional development.
Managing programs and personnel. This administrative duty is identical
to any other managerial function performed by various functional line
managers to ensure the smooth operation of their departments.
5. Establishing mutually beneficial internal and external relationships,
Publicity, Public Relations, and building an overall Employer Brand of
the Organisation
Role as a Consultant
The HRD manager is first and foremost a line manager of a staff-related
organizational unit or department. Second, the HRD manager acts as a
consultant to the company's chief executive officers, assisting line
management in resolving personnel, productivity, and organizational issues.
5.4 CONCLUSION
The role of the HRD department has evolved and gained importance over the
last two decades. Most of the fortune 500 companies have realized the
importance, and most of their strategies have been developed and
implemented, keeping the HRD interventions in the backdrop and proved to
be more competitive than those who did not realize the growing importance
of HRD.
Besides the various functions of human resource management, HRD has
evolved as a specialized sub functionthat basically consists of Training,
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Managing HRD Development, Career Management, learning, and knowledge management at
various levels in the Organization. The HRD Manager is involved in the
various activities related to it, and he acts as a manager, administrator,
planner, implementer, guide, mentor and counselor.
The multifaceted role of an HRD manager makes it very important and
effective in the overall functioning of the organization and creating a
competitive advantage.
5.5 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
1. What are the challenges for an HRD Manager?
2. How does the role of the HRD Manager differ from HR Manager?
3. What are the basic roles of an HRD Manager?
4. How do various generational characteristics create challenges for an
HRD Manager?
5.6 CASE STUDY
Counselling
Counselling psychology is a psychological speciality that includes research
and is used in a variety of settings, including the counselling process and
outcome, supervision and training, career development and counselling, and
preventive and health. Employee counselling is a technique for identifying
and assisting people who are having technical, personal, or emotional
adjustment issues that are interfering with their work performance.
Case study
An employee in Belgium recently interviewed our worldwide EAP service
during a stressful moment after her spouse was laid off without notice. She
told the counsellor that she felt a lot of strain as the primary breadwinner for
her family, which included her husband and a kid who was applying to
university. She was also concerned about her husband, who appeared
depressed after his construction firm went bankrupt suddenly due to a series
of missteps and financial problems.
She informed the counsellor that she felt forced to work longer hours and
accomplish more at work, despite the fact that her pay would not
improve.She believed it was now vital for job stability, but the increased
stress was affecting her health and that of her family. Our counsellor realised
within a few minutes of listening to the client that the caller was experiencing
anxiousness. She was having difficulty coping with her emotions as a result
of the recent financial adjustments because she had never experienced
anything like it before. Our therapist proceeded to look at self-help practises
that may help the woman relax, acknowledge her feelings, and then deal with
them in a good way.
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After speaking with the counsellor on that first call, the individual reported Role of HRD
Managers
feeling markedly better and appreciated the convenience of being able to
access counselling support over the phone. The counsellor recognized that a
significant level of progress could be made over the phone, and the client
agreed that short-term, structured telephonic counselling seemed like a good
solution. After five sessions with the counsellor, she reported significantly
decreased levels of anxiety and fear and was actively using the self-help
strategies to move past her anxiety and be the successful mother and
employee she needed to be.
Questions
1. Explain the role of a Counsellor
2. What steps or strategies can be adopted by an HRD department to ensure
that the employees are benefitted from Counselling and wellness
program?
2. How are employee development activities linked to Organisational
Performance?
5.7 FURTHER READINGS/ REFERENCES
References
• Hamlin, B., & Stewart, J. (2011). What is HRD? A definitional
review and synthesis of the HRD domain. Journal of European
industrial training.
• Knight, R. (2014). Managing people from 5 generations. Harvard
Business Review, 25(9), 1-7.
• Keskinen, P. (2020, June). Worker empowerment in the era of sharing
economy platforms in Global South. In Proceedings of the 16th
Participatory Design Conference 2020-Participation (s) Otherwise-
Volume 2 (pp. 30-34).
• Rachaelle Lynn Senior Marketing ManagerRachaelle Lynn, Manager,
S. M., & Lynn, R. (n.d.). What are Cross functional teams? Planview.
Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://www.planview.com/
resources/ articles/lkdc-cross-functional-teams/
• Reorganization in practice - A case study. TECHCOMMUNITY.
MICROSOFT.COM. (2020, April 6). Retrieved February 3, 2022,
from https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/it-
transformation/reorganization-in-practice-a-case-study/m-p/47405
• Gallo, S., Training Industry, & Wani, S. (2021, May 24). Meeting
workforce demands with blended learning. Training Industry.
Retrieved February 3, 2022, from
https://trainingindustry.com/articles/workforce-development/meeting-
local-workforce-demands-with-blended-learning-a-case-study/
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Managing HRD • Case study: EAP support archives. Workplace Options. (1970,
September 10). Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://www.work
placeoptions.be/case_studies_tax/case-study-eap-support/
• Wiego, & Braham, C. (n.d.). Wiego. WIEGO. Retrieved February 3,
2022, from https://www.wiego.org/
• Strategic Human Resource Management: Back to the future? (n.d.).
Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://www.employment-
studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/517_Strategic-Human-
Resource-Management-Back-to-the-future-IES-CIPD-2019.pdf
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