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Performance Management, Development, and Branding in Strategic HR Assignment
Organizations have faced challenges keeping employees constantly engaged and
motivated to maintain high productivity and performance. The contributions of employees are a
significant factor in an organization's continuous growth and development. As the key players in
this process, HR professionals and management must recognize their pivotal role in identifying
ways to support employees in performing at their best (Valentine et al., 2020). This recognition
of HR professionals' roles emphasizes their value and empowers them, making them feel integral
to the organization's operations. Valentine et al. (2020) emphasize the role organizations must
play in developing employee performance; Alsdor and Keller (2012) and Hardy (1990)
emphasize the role of personal responsibility one must play in one's performance, growth, and
development. This means that each employee can shape their career and performance. People
can find fulfillment by working in their calling or purpose and using their God-given talents. The
following paper will discuss employee performance, career development, the employee appraisal
process, and employee branding concepts from the literature of Alsdorf and Keller, Hardy, and
Valentine et al.
Keller’s Take on Work
Meaningfulness is a pivotal aspect when it comes to choosing a career path. Individuals
are often naturally inclined toward career choices that offer significance, purpose, and meaning
(McLean et al., 2023). Keller and Alsdorf (2012) caution against the potential pitfalls of
choosing a career that does not align with one's true calling. This reminder can prompt the
audience to reflect on their career decisions. In today’s world, individuals are presented with
many career paths, industries, and fields of study. This abundance of choice can be
overwhelming; some may choose a career path based on image, popularity, or potential income.
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However, if one’s career choice does not align with one's true calling, it may not lead to true
fulfillment. Each individual has a unique calling and purpose, and they are equipped with the
necessary talents by God. True fulfillment in work can be achieved by aligning career choices
with one's calling and purpose. This realization instills hope and optimism, suggesting that
everyone has the potential to find fulfillment in their work. By emphasizing the individual's role
in career development, they are empowered to take charge of their career paths.
Keller and Alsdorf (2012) discuss the potential danger of not following God’s guidance
and selecting a field or career where one’s talents can not be used to help and bless others.
Working in a field that brings money and material possessions is common in society; one can
also say that money and material possessions are idolized. Making money and acquiring material
possessions is not idealistic; it becomes idolatry when one assigns greater importance to
acquiring wealth than serving God. Keller and Alsdorf also state that when one works solely to
acquire money and material possessions, the work can become fruitless and pointless. The gospel
sets man free from working for self-serving reasons and wealth acquisition and instead for the
sake of serving God and each other (Keller & Alsdorf, 2012).
Mclean et al. (2023) found that factors like meaningfulness, meaning-making through
work, and greater good motivations were consistent among people who chose specific career
paths where they could help others. Researchers have stated that most people inherently want to
feel that their work makes a difference to others and that they are contributing to the greater good
(Knight, 2021). For Christians, work should be a means to serve God, their fellow man, and the
greater good. One should consider whether the work chosen serves god or only serves oneself.
God’s plan should be reflected in one’s professional choices, and one should strive to serve
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others while serving God (Keller & Alsdorf, 2012). This realization brings hope and optimism,
as it suggests that everyone has the potential to find fulfillment in their work.
Hardy’s Career Development
Hardy (1990) stated that people have several callings for the different stations in their
lives. One may be called to be a parent, where their vocation is to love, or a citizen, where their
vocation is to abide by the law and participate in the political process. Hardy also discussed the
concepts of a vocation as a calling and a paid occupation. One’s vocation may not be one's paid
occupation. Man must choose an occupation that best aligns with the gifts God has bestowed
upon him. Because God has bestowed specific gifts on each person, communities depend on a
mutual support system. Meaning that no one person can do it all; people must rely on each
other’s God-given talents, vocations, and occupations to thrive (Hardy, 1990). When people can
engage in work that harnesses their talent and contributes to others, they feel inspired to
continuously learn and grow to contribute more and pay forward (Carr-Chellman, 2022).
As servants, people must diligently ensure they use their God-given talents to serve
others. Christians in leadership positions are called to create a workplace culture that recognizes
each employee’s talent and communicates the employee’s contributions to the organization.
They must also create a space where employees can develop and enhance their skills and talents,
increasing the company's overall productivity. When work becomes monotonous, drained of
responsibility, intellect, and imagination, and reduced to minimal tasks that robots could
perform, one can not use their god-given talents (Hardy, 1990).
If organizations fail to provide continuous development and improvement opportunities,
they may lack employees with the skills, abilities, and knowledge to remain competitive
(Valentine et al., 2020). Organizations must also promote an experimentation culture, allowing
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employees to develop new ideas. Organizations must be willing to accept the potential failure of
new ideas so long as something is gained, like experience and knowledge. Some organizations
have adopted the “fail fast, learn fast” mindset, where organizations experiment, make mistakes,
fail, and learn from the experience to make adjustments and try again. This process is divided
into three phases: failure recognition, interactive sensemaking, and organizational adaptation.
Researchers concluded that this method of continuously identifying, monitoring, interpreting,
and embracing failure is an integral part of the learning process for an organization (Kaporcic et
al., 2024).
Key Differentiators of a Branded Recruitment Approach
Organizations face the challenge of constantly identifying, attracting, hiring, and
retaining the best talent to remain competitive (Valentine et al., 2020). Talented people are in the
position to choose from several organizations. Organizations must establish strong employer
branding to position themselves as the most desirable organization for which to work.
Organizations leverage marketing tactics to present themselves to candidates as the best
employer choice with the most desirable working conditions while also seeking to increase the
satisfaction of their current employees. This increased satisfaction helps improve the
organization's culture and reputation and ultimately improves productivity, hiring, and retention
(Lukić et al., 2019). Organizational culture is one of the most critical components in determining
success or failure, as it represents how the company treats and supports its employees (Chiţu &
Russo, 2020).
Another branded approach to recruitment is aligning the organization’s HR branding with
its reputation and social image. A clear and unified organizational identity can be crucial to
developing a competitive strategy (Greyser et al., 2019). Global organizations such as Coca-Cola
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and Google have successfully built indistinguishable and internationally recognized brands.
Google has leveraged its global and social media presence, technology, and work culture to
attract and retain top talent. Coca-Cola has developed a brand that has lasted generations across
international markets. Both companies have made it a point to be active in social responsibility,
which positively impacts a brand's internal and external perception (Chiţu & Russo, 2020).
Recommendations
An organization’s recruitment strategy is crucial to its ability to remain competitive and
succeed. The recruitment process can be arduous but must be strategically developed to attract
the best talent from the labor pool (Greyser et al., 2019). An organization like SoCalGas, a public
utility, has some advantages in its regional area of Southern California. SoCalGas is a regulated
monopoly, so it has well-established brand recognition. However, for SoCalGas to recruit
beyond the confines of Southern California, it is recommended that SoCalGas leverage available
technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), to recruit from a broader talent pool. AI can
allow recruiters to search through a larger pool of candidates and look for candidates whose
profiles and resumes best match the job qualifications (Valentine et al., 2020).
AI technology is being applied to various stages of the recruiting process to make it faster
and more efficient with a smaller staff, freeing up personnel for other tasks. AI applications can
be used to write job ads, screen candidates, and analyze video interviews utilizing facial
recognition software. There is also potential for AI to improve workforce diversity by
minimizing potential biases that human screeners may unwittingly have (Hunkenschroer et al.,
2022). Regarding workforce diversity, recruiters and hiring managers should receive ongoing
training to ensure they are aware of potential biases affecting their hiring decisions. For example,
the author of this paper has participated in hiring panel interviews and has witnessed hiring
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biases leaning toward diversity. Instead of hiring the most qualified, most experienced candidate,
a candidate who met the minimum qualifications was hired because of their ethnic background
and gender, a female person of color. Although hiring managers are trained to overlook ethnicity,
race, and gender, the majority of the hiring managers on the panel felt pressured to have an
ethnically diverse team out of fear of being labeled biased or racist. This kind of decision-making
mentality is not suitable for the long-term health of any organization. The elimination or
minimization of biases can help ensure that organizations are hiring the best possible candidates.
Career Development
Valentine et al. (2020) stated that Talent Management (TM) is an essential element of
Human Resource Management (HRM). TM is described as the systematic attraction,
identification, development, engagement, retention, and deployment of employee talents
(Thunnissen, 2016). Organizations must consistently employ the right people for the right jobs to
remain competitive. TM practices allow organizations to develop their employee's knowledge,
skills, and abilities for overall success (Valentine et al., 2020).
SoCalGas offers several training opportunities for employees to grow within their field
or branch out to another area of the organization. For example, employees who want to branch
out into project management can earn a project management certificate that Caltech College
administers. Employees enrolled in the course can take half of the weekly hours while on the
clock (16 hours per week course, 8 hours on the clock). The course costs $3,800 and is fully
reimbursable upon successful completion. Assuming the employee meets minimum work
experience requirements, the certification qualifies them for an entry-level project manager
position. The company also offers said entry-level project manager positions on “V-
Assignemts.” These are temporary assignments to projects for 6-12 months. Employees can be
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temporarily assigned to a project for up to a year without losing their position. This allows
employees to try project management before fully committing to the change.
Currently, the V-Assignment program is limited to only a few positions. It is
recommended that SoCalGas expand the program to more positions so employees can explore
opportunities within the organization that best align with their God-given talents. Also, in many
cases, union-represented employees can not always take advantage of training opportunities
because of restrictions within the collective bargaining agreement (CBA). It is recommended that
SoCalGas re-visit the CBA with union leaders to persuade them to accept amendments allowing
more employees to participate in career development opportunities.
Conclusion
The Bible states that one should live a life worthy of the vocation or calling they have
received (NIV Bible, 1978/2024. Ephesians 4:1-6). God bestowed talents and abilities on
everyone fully realized when working in their vocations (Keller &Alsdorf, 2012). When one
diligently has his vocation, he can use his talents to serve others and his community while
honoring God (Hardy, 1990). Beyond the service to others, working within one’s vocation
provides a sense of meaning, inspiration, fulfillment, purpose, and contributing to the greater
good, something that most people naturally lean towards (Carr-Chellman, 2022; Mclean, 2023;
Knight, 2021). As Christian HR practitioners and organizational leaders, it is their calling to
ensure they are providing their employees with the tools, opportunities, and work environment to
fully develop their God-given talents so they may be fulfilled and also be more valuable to the
organization, ultimately contributing to the continued growth, development, and success of the
organization (Valentine et al., 2020).
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