365 post and responses
MGT 365 Week 10 response
Kara Houser
I believe that the necessary qualifications may change but not too heavily. In my opinion, after reading the case it seems as though as long as a person is able to understand IBM’s business practices and goals then they would be successful in the HR position. It also mentions in the case that the system would have to be easy to learn, meaning it could be adapted by someone who was trained solely in HR. Although it would be optimal to have a candidate that comes in with skills in both traditional and busines HR capabilities, I do not see it as being a large requirement. It would simply mean that now a candidate that does have both may stand out more than someone who does not.
For leaders outside the HR profession it would mean having to take time to ensure they are well-versed in key areas of HR. Some things may include having knowledge on company policies, conflict management, training, and recruitment. Naturally, this will take time for these people to receive the proper training, but I believe that the HR skills may come more quickly to these people because they know what the company needs on a business side so that could help them transition into an HR role. Just like the HR role, any person who comes in having a background in HR along with business skills, will be more desired with this new model but that does not mean that the current employees will become obsolete. Just like any role, as long as a person is open to learning then they will be able to fulfill the new combined position.
I feel as though it is important for any business leader to showcase skills such as patience, welcoming behavior, kindness, and the willingness to be open minded. These things are so important because it shows the employees what the standard is for that company and will encourage them to be just as good of an example in their daily work lives. Leaders in any business have a lot of sway naturally, and employees are much more likely to pick up on their small behaviors, tones of voice, and word choice. If a business leader is unable to display those skills, I strongly believe that they should not be in that leadership role in the first place. A leader who is unable to display this will, overtime, cause the company more harm than good because they will produce poorly motivated employees who are negative and not passionate about their work and therefore become unproductive.
Jeffrey Mandeville
IBM is trying to create a new structure that is more efficient and cost-effective. Some qualifications would change for HR. I there are HR specifically tied to a certain department, IBM would want to hire someone that has the qualifications suited for that position. HR is not a generalized position, the qualifications for it changes dependent on what types of company it is. Not all HR recruits would have a background in business. If an HR employee is currently working at IBM and then IBM management tells the employee that are going to transfer to oversee another department. Of course, they are going to need new training in order to best do their job in the different department. People who have MBA’s have a little HR experience depending on the courses they took at university. It would completely depend on what type of MBA they took. If they took an MBA in HR management, then yes, they would be suited for an HR career with business background. But if they took other MBA’s then they would need training on the disciplines of HR.
The dual-hatting model would make HR have a stronger connection between planning and business level operations. HR need to have an eye on both central and business performance. The model has made the process a simple as possible. An HR employee may have little time on their hands depending on the number of employees they have to interact with. Dual-hatting will prioritize time so only the best innovations are made.
Fluid business communications and effectiveness are important skills. In IBM, the HR need to learn where everything is effective. The new structure IBM placed learning, recruitment, and compensations at the top of the most effective. Pairing HR employees to be where the have the most skills, will make communication smoothly while at the same time making it effective.