Challenges and Responsibilities of HR Managers 

1. The Changing Scenario 

The challenge of HR managers today is to recognize the talent and groom them carefully. Talent management is necessary to achieve optimum productivity growth over a period of time. Technological development, globalization, competition, workforce diversity, information revolution, and new trends in the areas of key sector have changed the HR practices significantly. In such a scenario, organizations with similar set of resources gain competitive advantage only through effective and efficient management of human resources. The trend in HRM can be listed as: 

1. In present days, HR is speeding through system 4 (or generation 4). HR's role is shifting towards strategic planner and change management. 
2. Human resources are now viewed as an ultimate source of competitive advantage. 
3. It is being recognized that competitive advantage can be obtained with a high quality work force. It enables organizations to compete on the lines of : (a) market responsiveness, (b) product/service quality, (c) differentiated products and (d) technological innovation. 
4. IN today's organizations, highly trained and committed employees are often an organization's best competitive weapon. 

2. Emerging Challenges and Responsibilities for HR Managers 

Based on the above discussion, now we can point out the changing roles of HR managers as below. These roles are posing emerging challenges and responsibilities. 

1. HR and improving productivity. 
2. HR and Corporate strategy 
3. HR and employee commitment 
4. HR and transferring knowledge 
5. HR and service organizations 
6. HR and responsiveness. 

a. HR and improving productivity: Productivity is the quantity or volume of product/service that an organizations provides. It includes capital investment, innovation, learning and an employee's motivation. Improvement in productivity is highly important in today's globally competitive market environment. In this respect, HR manager's can play (should play) a vital role in reducing costs and improving quality of product and/or services. 

HR managers of today know that people are the most essential factor in any productivity improvement program. the changing roles of HR managers towards productivity improvement are: 

1. Implementing employee participation programs, 
2. Fostering better communication system, 
3. Developing better labor-management relations, 
4. Increasing training and development programs, and 
5. Selection and retention of highly talented and skilled employee communities, etc. 

b. HR and corporate strategy: Formulation of strategy is the responsibility of the company's executive team - of which HR manager is a member. In order to be a full fledged partner, the HR manager must initiate and participate in serious discussion. HR manager must take the responsibility for defining organizational structure to implement the strategy. In this regard McKinsey and Company has suggest 7-S framework, comprising: strategy-structure-systems-staff-style-skill-and shared values. 

Whatever framework the HR managers define, it is essential that it should be comprehensive. The components of the strategy should be defined clearly. That activity will help managers to grasp the way in which the company runs. What drives strategy implementation? Probably, this is the most striking change in HR manager's role. Success of a company's strategy is highly dependent on: 

• Strengthening organizational responsiveness. 
• Building committed work team. 
• Involve HR manager in the earliest stages of developing and implementing the firm's strategic plan, rather than letting HR just react to it. 

c. HR and employee commitment:  Commitment is a psychological state that characterizes the employee's relationship with the organization. "Committed" employees are more likely to remain in the organization that are "uncommitted" employees. 

HR manager has to play a key role in building employee commitment. According to Dessler, high commitment firms also tend to engage in actualizing practices. These practices aim to ensure their employees have every opportunity to fully use all their skills at work and become all they can be. Therefore, HR managers should: 

• Establish career oriented performance appraisal procedures, 
• Open job-posting and job transfer practices, 
• Create the feeling that organization cares them, 
• Offer training programs, etc. 

d. HR and transferring knowledge: HR manager should play a vital role to accumulate and disseminate knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. Without this service people can not be competent and productive. Training and development plays an important role in promoting transfer of knowledge. For example, job rotation can also help to transfer knowledge. Various HR programs play crucial roles in developing employee's and managers skills and expertise in the areas explained above. Finally, learning organizations are successful at transferring knowledge. 

e. HR and service organizations: There are several similarities between manufacturing and service industries. But the differences are more than that. Technological advances, globalized competition, information revolution and trends toward service society have brought about a change in the system of management. Employee behavior is highly important in service organizations like insurance companies, hotels, banks, retail stores and consulting firms. The very successes of service organizations are dependent on their employees motivation, skills and attitudes- and on HR management. Therefore, HR managers play a vital role in service organizations. Research indicates that progressive HR practices help to improve customer service and quality delivery. Examples of them are employee career plans and training program for new task, etc. In short, satisfied employees deliver high quality service and high service generates more profits. 

f. HR and responsiveness: The roles of HR managers are changing every day. One of those changes is creating responsive employees. HR managers should play an important role in accomplishing this. Responsive employees can adopt organizational change. They can also create new ideas and deliver high quality services to both organization and its customers. The benefits of creating highly responsive employees are many. Some of them are: 

1. They are more productive and innovative. 
2. They accept change management programs easily and quickly. 
   
3. They are less prone to the conflict. 
   
4. They respond quickly to their customer's needs and their competitor's challenges. 

HR managers can develop high responsiveness in their employees through building autonomous teams, equitable compensation, flexible work-hours and so on.