Introduction to

Human Resource Management

Unit 1

Lecture Overview
Introduction to HRM
Definition
Key activities of HRM

Challenges facing Canadian organizations

Ethical considerations

What is HRM?
HRM functional definition what it does
Is a set of interrelated policies, practices, and programs
whose goal is to attract, socialize, motivate, maintain, and
retain an organizations employees (Belcourt et al., 2005)

HRM goal-based definition what it tries to

achieve
aims to improve the productive contribution of individuals
while simultaneously attempting to attain other societal and
individual employee objectives (Schwind et al., 2007)

HRM integrated definition (your text)

the policies, practices, and systems that influence
employees behaviour, attitudes, and performance (p. 5).
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Major HRM Responsibilities

Ensuring organizational strategy is achieved by:

Analyzing work and designing jobs

Attracting employees (recruiting)
Hiring employees (selection)
Legal compliance
Preparing employees for current/future jobs (talent
management, training & development)
Supporting and evaluating their performance
Rewarding & motivating employees (compensation)
Creating positive, healthy work environment (employee &
labour relations, H&S)

Who does HRM?

Depends on company size
All managers have HR responsibility
Hire, fire, supervise, evaluate performance, identify training
needs, make pay decisions, etc.
Often in consultation with HR department

HR Department / HR Professionals

Have specialized expertise

Lead / develop HR processes
Train, coach, support managers in these processes
Ensure legal compliance
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The HR Professional
CHRP
Certified Human Resources Professional designation
Requirements
Academic coursework, etc.
Knowledge Exam
Experience/Professional assessment

Ontario has recently introduced 3 levels

CHRP, CHRL (Leader), CHRE (Executive)
See www.cchra.ca and www.hrpa.ca for info
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Challenges facing Canadian

Organizations
1. Sustainability
2. Globalization
3. Technological

Sustainability
Ability of organization to succeed without
sacrificing its responsibility to employees,
community, or environment
i.e., meeting needs of various stakeholders
Includes:
Providing value for shareholders
Providing quality products & services for customers
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Sustainability
Providing employment for society
Providing meaningful work for employees
Corporate / environmental responsibility
Economic concerns can affect these
Recession = need to cut costs
Layoffs vs other mechanisms (temporary pay cuts;
reduced training; shortened work week)

Sustainability
Value comes from assets: physical, financial,
intangible

Human capital knowledge, skills of work force

Social capital org culture; relationships
Customer capital customer relationships, brand
Intellectual capital patents, copyrights, etc.

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Sustainability
Are key drivers of competitive advantage

These influence design of new products, innovations in

manufacturing and other process, effective customer
service, etc.

E.g., Westjet (p. 16)

Profitable in highly competitive industry

Transparent, caring org culture

Creative compensation (employees as shareholders)
Contributes to improved guest experience, good safety record, etc.

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Sustainability
Impact of demographics on workforce
Aging workforce
Increasing proportion of older workers
Implications: re-training; generational conflict

Increased diversity
Increased proportion of women, aboriginal people,
persons with disabilities, immigrants
Implications: flex work arrangements; accommodations;
assessing foreign credentials
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Globalization Challenge
2 related challenges:
Global trade international trade and competition
with other markets
Need for productivity improvement
Often competing in markets with lower wages, etc.
More output with equal (or less) input

Has led to
Outsourcing having another company provide services
Offshoring moving work to other country with lower labour
costs
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Technological Challenges
How and where people work
Easier, faster communication (internet, mobile tech)

Shift from manufacturing and agriculture to service

and telecom

Nearly 70% of jobs are in service sector

Engineering, health care, biotech, education, law, business
Higher educational needs
Increasing need for soft skills flexibility, critical reasoning,
communication, problem-solving, etc. Employability Skills
2000 (Conference Board)

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Technology
High performance work systems
Integration of people, technology, and strategy
Includes
Teams and virtual teams
Jobs with increased tech skill & social skill requirements
Flatter org structure

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Evolution of HR
HR must play pivotal role in orgs meeting
these challenges
To achieve competitive advantage
Transformation from HR being primarily
administrative to HR being strategic
Will elaborate on Strategic HRM next week

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Ethical Issues in Organizations

Ethics
Standards of conduct and moral judgment that determine
right and wrong behaviour.
Concerned with fairness/justice; respect for human rights,
dignity; greater good

Unethical behaviour
Behaviour:
That has harmful effects on other people; and
Is considered illegal or morally unacceptable by others in
a group, organization, or society at large
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Ethics in Organizations
Ethical dilemma
When 2 or more values are in conflict
Often fall in grey area between what is illegal
and what is widely agreed upon as being good
and right

Need to weigh the values and decide

Many decisions need to be made in the moment

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Ethical Issues in Organizations

Behavioral ethics research shows (Ariely
presentation; Zhang, Gino, & Bazerman, 2015)
Many people will cheat a little bit if incentivized to do so
They will cheat only to the extent that they can justify their
action and maintain their self-image as a good person
Ethical fading notion that ethical implications of a decision
are not salient at time of decision
Thus, decision is made without considering ethical criteria

Distinction between should self and want self

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Should vs Want Self

When predicting our behaviour, we use should self
I will exercise more; give blood; always tell the truth, etc.
I would not take the competitors proposal

In actual situation, our want self dominates

Decide to watch TV rather than exercise; not give blood because dont have
time
Take competitors proposal because I want to please my boss, etc.

Later, should self re-emerges

May see what we did as unethical; or
Rationalize to make behavior seem OK

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Questions/Comments

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