Academic Assignment Paper on Human Resources Strategic Plan

1.0 Executive Summary

The human resources strategic plan involves a circumstance development that guarantees a business entity obligation to sustainable merit and combined engagement with the employees of an organization. The human resource department purposes to accomplish the mission of supporting the entire personnel of an organization. The present paper provides an analysis of human resources strategic plan with reference to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Strategic planning for the organization will explore the credibility of the company, mission statement, vision, the action plan for the important functional areas, and vital performance measurements. Correspondingly, the paper will also explore the impact inquiry in the methodical stance in high-performance labor applies. Corresponding to the subject of strategic alignment of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., additional sections of crucial significance will be appraised.

Human Resources Strategic Plan

2.0 Introduction

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is not only the largest retail, but also the leading grocery chain across the globe. The company was founded in 1962 by Samuel Walton and his brother J.L. Walton. They opened the first Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas. Their mission was, “Save people money so they can live better.” The preference of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.can be accredited to the elements of easy purchase of goods everywhere through mobile devices at a reduced hassle common with other stores. It makes consumers of the organization and other persons prefer the firm, as a result of the wide variety of produces to be purchased within a short time. The firms success and its expansion globally is derived from good customers’ response. It is as a result of the frequent structures that ensure a wide-range of consumer involvement in establishing an effective feedback response mechanism (Langshaw, 2009).

3.0 Mission and Vision Statement

The organization’s mission is to support its human resources through the conscription of existing resources that are provided in the company. In addition to resource mobilization, the organization aims at generally supporting its employees through fair recruitment, development and retention of the best staff. The strategy provides an assurance that customer service is effectively delivered by the organization in line with its strategic goals (McKenna, 2012).

4.0 Examination and Valuation of Alignment

The configuration of a human resource (HR) system necessitates a need for determination of the issues of existing structure of the company. It encompasses an impression that attempts to establish a real depiction of the best HR strategies. As a result of the practice of alignment, a prospect springs, which is significant in the development of decisive notions (McKenna, 2012). It results in a general outcome of developed system of HR strategy commonly called the Human Resource Alignment (HRA) analysis. Once a positive alignment has been decided, the next phase would be to define the process leading to the establishment of significant necessities that provide guideline for HRA process. In the HRA process, key subjects will be intensely analyzed. Strategic examination of HR guidelines involves a detailed analysis of the affairs of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Such exploration includes the strategic contribution, personal credibility, HR delivery metrics, key performance measurements and action plan, which involves the processes undertaken in ensuring that HRA objectives are attained (Koster, 2012).

4.0.1 Strategic Contribution

The fundamental function of any HR section in an organization is to offer obligation for advice, implementation and a track for success. The degree of efficacy by the performance organization is as a result of the arrangements made in the management of human capital (Lockwood, 2006). Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has established a multifaceted system that provides knowledge and information to all its employees. In every business organization, it is evident that human capital is a significant element for success. Therefore, human capital is inspired through the process of retaining Wal-Mart’s best personnel to guarantee endless provision of the best customer services. In considering human capital as effective resources within an organization, one can easily conclude that administrative functions are significantly present in the situation. The focus on the need for a strategic business corporation also enhances a successful performance of the organization. Effective business strategies have a wide range of options that are considered in evaluative arrangement (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, & Cardy, 2012). Once the evaluation of the options is done, execution occurs where the organization decides to pursue particular alternatives from a given assortment (Brauns, 2013).

The business tactics implemented by the organization necessitates the need for an interactive apparatus encompassing several key performance processes. The strategic contribution of HR guidelines calls for the justification behind the acknowledgement of crucial talented capacities. Recognized talents will, therefore, need to be advanced through good strategies aimed at managing and articulating the identified capability of an individual. Models of strategic contribution in an organization include transformation management, organization strategy, and information technology (IT), which establish an effective operative framework (Lockwood, 2006). These illustrations are derived from sound talents, which are nurtured from the HR inspiration development mechanisms. A remuneration increase, for instance, would be allowed to the personnel who have been reserved by an organization because of the best performance practices. Furthermore, the safety of employees is allowed in line with the legal obligations of industrial safety and Health Act (Grensing-Pophal, 2001). The HR sector would play an active role in training its workforce on workplace as a strategy to avoid damages and lethal accidents. It will ensure that all the personnel are safe in the workplace without danger of serious injuries (Gomez-Mejia et al., 2012).

4.0.2 Personal Credibility

It is important for an HR professional to be credible. Credibility necessitates the need for value addition in different spheres of organizational proficiency as a condition for valuable characteristics of success. The positive and negative characteristics of the company personnel directly impact the organization’s performance. Therefore, fundamental standards and aptitudes, principles or incentives are significant factors of vital decisions within the HR sector since they would have a direct impact on the performances of the organization’s employees.

Therefore, personal credibility involves a characteristic of corporate performance, which needs to be carefully guarded. In the case of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., a systematic exploration of credibility issues points out that HR professionals play a significant role in influencing the corporate performance. The HR standards and principles form important areas of aptitudes that motivate the organization’s employees. The HR professionals can be appropriately prepared with the required capability, which guarantees that a strategic business decision is arrived at. A good example involves a situation where there is a need for deciding upon the best approach on how to effectively harmonize employees’ remunerations as a means of motivating them. The strategy is aimed at providing responsibilities for the management of the organization to act positively with the impact being spread to the consumers. The company operates 24 hours a day, which represents an act of dedication to customer service. It means that there is a place in the organization that requires positive credibility (Tracey & Nathan, 2002).

Several mechanisms are involved in building credibility. The first approach entails the establishment of the link between the HR and the organization’s communication apparatus whereby information is spread to the external world. As a result, the information hypothesis is created, which is important in helping a likely customer who has the need for the products or services provided in the organization’s stores. The other source of credibility entails the results from mission deliverables aimed at enhancing organizational achievements. It means positive results can come from customer response where the workers are permitted to take part in deliberations about effective service delivery strategies. The latter are significant in an organization as they are avenues for provisions of real answers to customers. The paramount source of financial growth in an enterprise is optimal service delivery because it allows for a positive feedback from the client, hence resulting in improved sales revenue, performance factors, and associated financial outcomes.

The main performance elements within organizations revolve around customer gratification and process technology. The structure of personal credibility in an organization is mainly linked to significant measures of business output, staffing, training, management, average reparation and the total turnover of the organizational business. The attainment of organizational credibility is better accomplished through a clear comprehension of the business segment. Therefore, a strategic collaboration demands the business understanding of the portfolio, economy and market exploration of the organization. This entails additional information of the understanding of essential features of a business activity (Lockwood, 2006). The best measure of credibility is through determining the effective connection of the firm with the changing culture of an organization to accommodate customer reactions. It necessitates the need for an effective assessment in trying to realize how the organization’s benefits can be increased. A significant business undertaking in this situation is getting the best result from the customers’ response. Through the latter, a clear source of personal communication between the organization and customers is created, resulting in quality and quantity development of products to trigger more transactions.

4.0.3 Human Resource Delivery Metrics

Human resource delivery metrics is evaluated on the determination of the performance standards where important information would be explained and acts as a decision-making lead in capacities. Generally, metrics entails a sign of vital points of turnover, performance, and employee participation in line with corporate business strategy. Organizations that effectively deliver metrics are associated with value added. Turnover involves measureable elements of a business that are determined by the demand and supply of products in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. The degree of turnover is directly associated with an organization’s strategic planning. A good demonstration is that if the organization accounts for high sales, that are the turnover, additional profits are attained. Therefore, the increased profits attained by the company necessitate the need for HR planning on strategies to guarantee that conforming actions of employee inspiration, recompense mechanism, and incomes are disseminated to devoted workforces. In the same way, the hiring section will depend on the organization’s annual revenue and other financial policies, such as budgetary decisions. Furthermore, the turnover data is also a vital source of information for organizational leaders who may want to make comparative statements of income analysis with other competing food stores. Such comparison analysis provides a substantial source of information in the decision-making process.

Moreover, employee engagement also involves a qualitative parameter for organizational success. Determining employee engagement in an organization can be attained through investigations undertaken by the HR department. The process can be undertaken within or outside the company’s premises. Employee engagement is an important metric tool that enables the management team to understand challenges that employees face. Such challenges influence the overall performance of employees, thus, impacting an organization’s sales, customer service, and business efficiency. Additionally, the employee engagement process must be protected to make certain that their discretion is safeguarded (Langshaw, 2009).

Generally, performance metrics involves a measure of HR management in terms of performance of sales, industrial production or efficiency of the consumer. Wal-Mart’s performance will depend on the consumer production and the quantity of sales. Effective performance metrics designates the organization’s areas of excellence or most likely segments that need improvement. Wal-Mart needs to understand the sales gained from the sales of its products. The organization can, therefore, use the performance metrics in gratifying the personnel who have performed outstandingly as indicated through the sales. Customer service metrics is also significant in the organization under circumstances where customer response is addressed in ascertaining specific areas that need improvement with an intention of retaining viment. Furthermore, the indicators are also a source of crucial information for effective application of a business plan. They can provide information on capital matters in the organization such as a track record, which is reserved for the organization’s stakeholders and subsequent success.

An organization’s strategic KPI demands for an indispensable deliberation for processes of human capital. This is because the latter is used as a measure of HR professional in contrast to business administrators. It demonstrates that there is a need for a collective responsibility on all organizational leaders, for instance, finance managers and business managers to guarantee the achievement of a complete business segment. In this regard, an organization needs to acknowledge the input of other supporting capitals of business level. Such input can originate from different personnel, for instance, database managers, logical support and support change administrators. Therefore, human capital in the company’s HR department should be supported for its success. This process demands for an effective system of feasible business practice in strategic application, personnel retention, inventiveness and managerial culture. Since Wal-Mart is a large chain store organization, the policies of KPI are important for the firm. As a result of effective KPI strategic HR practices, the company’s measureable objectives, for instance, performance administration and premeditated implementation can be attained.

4.0.5 Action Plan for the Functional Area

The organization’s considered position of key HR strategies encompasses definite stages followed in ensuring that the general goal of performance management is attained. Other accomplishments would include hiring, training, development, recompense and health safety of employees among many other undertakings. Premeditated recruiting in the enterprise can be upgraded by a comprehensive transformation of the recruitment cycle. An effective action plan would encompass the organization’s management employing some phases. The first phase involves the need to put in place a once-a-month recruiting program in all the organization’s departments. Moreover, the company needs to decrease the staffing cycle and publicizing course by providing guiding principles to the recruiting department. The next plan is the need to develop work quality, which can be attained through effective job description. Furthermore, the department needs to have a selected list of candidates through an appropriately conscripted policy to the employing department. The next plan would encompass the requirement to present quality questions applied in recruiting interviews.

Therefore, improving organizational performance is a managerial element, which is attained through a continuous empowerment of employees through training, improving skills, and the need to improve a leadership capability. The finest action plan would entail the initial step of establishing an assessment training of employees’ fundamental skills coherent with the ideologies of SMART goals, that is, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Subsequently, there is a need to develop an evaluation of assessment records that will focus on the employee assessments in line with the need to realize organizational goals and objectives. The next plan of caution would embroil the need to implement changes connected to the development progressions to make certain that the organization’s objective remains persistent, where a change process is expected. The next action will involve the training requirements for all the personnel to ensure a proper understanding. Furthermore, an effective performance management instrument needs to be created, which will emphasize on employee development and essential skills (Protolese Dias, 2012). Employee relations and health concerns should focus on the need to have a confident association with collective entities, for instance, the trade unions. The confident bond between the employees and other collective entities is significant in establishing a strong commercial performance. The fundamental element in this action plan is the provision to communicate on problem-solving mechanisms, problems and solutions, which provides for guidance and consultations in addressing conflicts (Protolese Dias, 2012).

5.0 Conclusion

In the present paper, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has been analyzed by providing a situation where important strategic HR practices have been effectively aligned to paramount policies. In the analysis, a critical outlook has been applied to the organization’s operations in the provision of products globally. This strategy underscores the general significance of strategic input within organization consistent with its strategy. The company’s consumers have been guaranteed a stable supply of products in the most convenient manner. The business strategy has been effective with regards to the implementation of HR policies that include employee retention, job gratification, and customer response mechanism among others. This policy has been effective in the organization’s HR strategy attainment of key performance metrics and the establishment of real commercial solutions.

 

 

References

Brauns, M. (2013). Aligning strategic human resource management to human resources,

performance and reward. The International Business & Economics Research Journal

            (Online), 12(11), 1405.

Daniel, T. A. (2013). Executive Perceptions about the Effectiveness of HR. Employment

            Relations Today (Wiley), 40(2), 1-11.

Gomez-Mejia, L. R., Balkin, D. B., & Cardy, R. L. (2012). Managing Human Resources. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

Grensing-Pophal, L. (2001). What’s Your HR Creed? HR Magazine, 46(6), 145.

Koster, K. (2012). Coca-Cola builds centralized HR resource with call center structure.

Employee Benefit News, 26(11), 12-14.

Langshaw, N. M. (2009). Realigning human resources: Building strategic partnerships to create

            positive culture shift (Order No. MR50411).

Lockwood, N. R. (2006). Maximizing human capital: Demonstrating HR value with key

performance indicators. HRMagazine, 51(9), S1-S11.

McKenna, T. (2012). Is your organization in alignment? Identifying & Fixing Performance Gaps.

Portolese Dias, L. (2012). Beginning Management of Human Resources. Creative Commons.

Tracey, J. B., & Nathan, A. E. (2002). The strategic and operational roles of human resources:

An emerging model. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 43(4), 17-