The new management systems of successful and competitive companies are heading towards decentralization and versatility at work, where participatory leadership and proactivity are part of a philosophy of total quality in service to external and internal clients. Its fundamental premise starts from the consideration of HR as a basic and real competitive advantage, beyond the material, financial or technological resources it has. In this article, it is intended to show HR as an investment and not a cost within the new models of managing this asset.
Today, companies begin to accept that in order to survive and develop, they must revalue and stimulate the optimal development of the people who make them up, while in them resides the most important strategic resources, which will allow building organizations not only more productive and efficient, but smart organizations; of learning and renewal that will make possible the integral development of society. Since, as Roure and Rodríguez (1999) argue, they are the human factor of quality or Reynoso (2002), people make the difference.
Therefore, the competitiveness of companies is directly related, as most authors affirm, with their ability to attract, retain and develop talent.
Therefore, it is necessary to have a more prepared staff, who adapt more quickly to modern technology, who are proactive and who really know how to interpret what the changes generate.
The human factor in organizations - Key to success ?.
There is no talk of anything else in the organizational field than the fundamental role of HR; New positions have been adopted and the best way to manage that differential value par excellence, that key factor of success represented by the human being, has been sought.
Or in the words of Baguer (2001), "The current trend indicates that not only do people not lose importance, but that their protagonism is and will be greater…"
What do we understand when referring to human resources as a competitive advantage ?, Casado and Lavín (1999) define competitive advantage as “the differential capacity of an organization to obtain stable benefits over time, through means (technology, people, investments, etc.) not easily imitated by another competitor ”.
In this case, certain desirable characteristics - "Competencies" - of the workers dependent on each company will become differential capacities that isolate one company from any other from competing directly in a sector.
The main reason why HR can be understood as the most precious resource and hardly replaceable, part of the symbiosis and interdependence that exists between organizations and people, Chiavenato (2002) explains: “… organizations are made up of by people and depend on them to achieve their goals and fulfill their missions.
For people, organizations are the means to achieve various personal goals in the minimum time and with the least effort and conflict ”.
People are the main asset of organizations, over and above the material and financial assets they have, so the entire production or service process depends on them; Who designs and plans the products, who manages the process, who is directly responsible for the commercialization of a product or service?
Human resources establish business objectives and strategies; but above all, people are the key for companies, subject to continuous change, to achieve these objectives in today's competitive market.
By trying to define the human being within the workplace and how this has come to be considered the strategic factor for the developed, it will allow us to understand their true role within companies.
Gallardo and Alonso (1996), show us fully the evolution of the conception of the human being through the writings made in 1978 by Schein, in which four basic notions can be distinguished. At first, the worker was considered a rational-economic being; that is to say, one more extension of the machines; Later, more humanistic positions were adopted where the social relations of the human being were emphasized and later his motivations as a self-fulfilling man were taken into consideration; finally it became necessary to adopt a more comprehensive position, which gave rise to the conception of the human being as a complex man.
This last concept refers to the human being as an individual and complex microsystem that has many forms of motivation that are affected by the characteristics of each organization and above all, by their perception, values and motives of each individual; that is, by their individual systems; It is worth mentioning that these systems are not static, but constantly change according to the experience of each human being.
Therefore, it is necessary to consider the intrinsic capacity of each person at work; psychology defines the human being within three essential parameters: the biological, the psychological and the social; These aspects govern and determine their behaviors, motivations, aptitudes, attitudes, etc.
Also, in this sense, Chiavenato (1999, 2002) refers to the fact that the personnel of a company should be considered as partners and raises the elementary conception of its multidimensionality and multivariability of its essence; in the same way, it highlights their importance as drivers of the organization, capable of endowing it with intelligence, talent and learning in order to make it competitive and therefore lead it to success.
Competitive companies have managed to apply strategies that go through the modernization of their structures, their flattening and simplification; They have introduced technological improvements and have recognized the importance of having "human talent" to achieve their objectives.
All this results in a growing revaluation of the role of workers in applied knowledge in production, in teamwork, in problem solving, in the relationship with customers. If before work was conceived as an application of effort towards physical transformation, today it could be understood as an application of intelligence towards the achievement of results.
HR consultants and managers assume these conceptions as business philosophies. In Improvem (2003) they explain that there is currently a "war for talent" and that organizations will revolve around talented people and their needs and not the opposite, as is happening now, and those who understand this profound change will be the leaders of tomorrow; For its part, RRHH Networks, SL (2003), argues that talent management is essential in a competitive and globalized market where companies do not differ from each other due to their technical capabilities, since currently it is not very difficult or excessively expensive to have the latest technology.
What really differentiates one company from another is its human capital, and the important thing is knowing how to manage that talent.
It is for these reasons that the conception of the Human Resources Directorate of organizations has changed and evolved to a great extent in recent years, which has little or nothing to do with the old mismanagement of personnel.
This evolution is evidence of the profound and necessary change that is taking place in the perception that modern companies have developed about the role of people, going from being an unavoidable expense to a strategic resource and a source of competitive advantage; or as Cuesta (1997) mentions
“Human resources, and in particular their training, are an investment and not a cost”.
The new Human Resources Management.
With all these considerations, it is emphasized that the competencies and functions of the HR department have evolved; move from the traditional recruitment and administrative processes (payroll, advance payments, etc.) to a much more global vision that goes from recruitment to loyalty, through compensation, internal communication, career plans, coaching, training, management performance, etc., as described by the consulting firm Improvem (2003)
In the introduction to the first version of his book «HR Management Technology», Cuesta (1999) argues that the conception of human resource management (HRM) has to be developed on three bases of knowledge: from the engineer of design, technical, economic, organization, and human behavior in organizations; and that it must also be supported under the premise of a systemic, proactive, multidisciplinary, comprehensive and participatory approach. Later, in a second version of said book, he defines HRM as: “The set of decisions and directive actions in the organizational field that influence people, seeking continuous improvement, during the planning, implementation and control of organizational strategies, considering interactions with the environment. (Cuesta, 2005)
There are many definitions that have been given to HRM, considering it as:
- Set of activities that put into operation, develop and mobilize the people that an organization needs to achieve its objectives.
To achieve this, it is first necessary to define personnel policies and their social functions in relation to the objectives of the organization (Strategic premise); second to define adequate methods that allow us to conserve and develop human resources (operating premise); and third, all this through administrative and regulatory instruments (logistical premise). (Escat, 2002) A system, whose fundamental premise is to conceive of man within the company as a resource that must be optimized based on a renewed, dynamic, competitive vision, in which a true interaction between the social is oriented and affirmed and the economic. (Velázquez and Miguel, 2001) A system, so it must meet the characteristics of being holistic, synergetic and relational, it cannot be seen as a set of isolated tasks,Rather, it operates as a system of interrelationships, where one can distinguish, starting from a socio-technical approach, the technical-organizational aspects and the socio-psychological aspects. (Zayas, 2001) Set of decisions and policies that must be born from the management, aimed at achieving the greatest effectiveness and efficiency of the integrated system that integrates production or what is transported to a business economic context, establishing the best achievement of the expected results in the development plan with the minimum cost, starting from the premise that in every production process some resources or productive means are used that always entail a cost to obtain results, which are products or services.Within the management of human talent, this concept is worked on based on the generation of competencies that guide the organization to guarantee its permanence in the market. (Bautista, and Suárez, 2004) Human talent management is the function that allows effective collaboration of people to achieve organizational and individual objectives, seeking organizational effectiveness. (Chivenato, 2002) § The HRM seeks to guarantee the selection of high quality employees, develop those employees, properly organize the activities of the employees and maintain them. Looking for financial, functional and numerical flexibility. (Gismera, 2002)2004) The management of human talent is the function that allows effective collaboration of people to achieve organizational and individual objectives, seeking organizational effectiveness. (Chivenato, 2002) § The HRM seeks to guarantee the selection of high quality employees, develop those employees, properly organize the activities of the employees and maintain them. Looking for financial, functional and numerical flexibility. (Gismera, 2002)2004) The management of human talent is the function that allows effective collaboration of people to achieve organizational and individual objectives, seeking organizational effectiveness. (Chivenato, 2002) § The HRM seeks to guarantee the selection of high quality employees, develop those employees, properly organize the activities of the employees and maintain them. Looking for financial, functional and numerical flexibility. (Gismera, 2002)
All these definitions highlight the new trends that are making this area of the company vital for achieving the objectives and increasing productivity: We must understand HRM in its systemic, holistic and comprehensive nature, which seeks to develop, attract and retain the right people considering their imminent multivariability taking as a reference the technical and organizational environment of the companies. But this is not an end in itself, but a means to achieve the effectiveness and efficiency of organizations, through the work of people, which allows establishing favorable conditions for them to achieve individual objectives.
This is why it is necessary to be clear about the contingency and situational nature in which it adopts its functions; Chiavenato (1999) expresses it this way, since it responds as an open system to the internal characteristics of the organization, its culture and value systems, and is also conditioned by the characteristics of the environment.
Concepts such as: Participation, communication, decentralization, flexibility, motivation, leadership, optimization, etc. They are an indelible part of the new HRM, characterized as an integrated Staff body committed to the strategic direction of the company that ensures increased staff satisfaction by promoting change; and not simply as an outside department that monopolizes HR functions and that is incorporated into organizations only in response to current trends.
HRM is a function of the entire organization and mainly of line directors, which is why many authors emphasize that HRM is a line responsibility.
Rojo and Cabrera (1999), who return to Ulrich, explain that the primary value of HRM lies in four essential dimensions:
1. It must perform its administrative role with criteria of quality and efficiency.
2. Try to reconcile business objectives with the needs and interests of workers.
3. Become a strategic partner who sits on the management committee and collaborates in the design of the business guidelines.
4. Given that any transformation process in the organization is supported by changes that affect people, the HR Department must be able to free up the implementation of the main change processes.
These four dimensions are directly related to people or systems and taking into account a strategic and operational approach. For these authors, and for many others, the basic function of HR is to help the company create or maintain a strong competitive advantage.
Similarly, Gárciga (1999) emphasizes that the main strategic actions of HR must be oriented to: Promote the deployment of HR through a new organizational culture; to have a proactive thinking based on the personnel requirement in terms of quantity and quality, in the same way, to the development of career plans all in relation to the demands of the company and the employees; finally, to make people feel more motivated and committed, seeking the development of a greater active and innovative capacity, and with an increase in their performance.
Butteriss (2000), in this sense, explains that the HR system seeks to respond to Corporate, Functional, Social and Personal objectives, therefore, the HR Department must:
- Create, maintain and develop a contingent of Human Resources with skill and motivation to achieve the objectives of the organization. Develop organizational conditions of application, execution full satisfaction of Human Resources and achievement of individual objectives. Achieve efficiency and effectiveness with available Human Resources. Contribute to the success of the company or corporation. Respond ethically and socially to the challenges presented by society in general and minimize the tensions or negative demands that society may exert on the organization. Redesign the corporate Human Resources function to turn it into a consultancy for the company management on hiring, training, management, compensation, conservation and development of the human assets of the organization.
In a more operative way Werther and Davis (2001) argue that HR functions are:
Describe the responsibilities that define each job position and the qualities that the person who occupies it must have, evaluate the performance of the personnel, promoting leadership development, recruit the right personnel for each position, train and develop programs, courses and all activities that go according to the improvement of the knowledge of the personnel, provide psychological help to its employees in order to maintain harmony between them, in addition to seeking solutions to the problems that arise between them, keep track of employee benefits and supervise the administration of the test programs.
For Cuesta (1999), the new HRM has as its main objective the increase in work productivity and job satisfaction, linked to working conditions, seeking the human development of personnel, economic growth and supporting the social and environmental role of the companies; In conclusion, HRM seeks to achieve effectiveness and efficiency in organizations through the participation of the entire organization, since the responsibility and execution of HRM belongs to everyone, but mainly to Senior Management and line managers.
Because of these considerations, the HR function is radically changing; We are no longer facing a department isolated from the strategic vision of the company; Current conditions have driven the need for a talented workforce and this is possible if the old paradigms of how to manage HR can be changed.
The new guidelines of a new HR Department focused on all The organization and that works as a coadjuvant of change, promoting the development of human capital mainly through the training of line managers, mark the difference between success or failure.
Human Resources Management Models.
These new precepts about the human factor and towards HRM have been incorporated to a greater or lesser extent according to each organization, and a need has been triggered to have an HR system adequate to the organizational requirements. Velásquez and Miguel (2001) when they argue that thanks to the product of conditioning socioeconomic factors, it has led to the conception of different models for the practical application of management systems for these resources.
Cuesta (2005) also adds that the new systemic conception and the search for synergy of current HR management drove the search for functional conceptual models of human resources management: “The search for own models is encouraged, autochthonous, reflecting the peculiarities of the company adjusted to the organizational culture and the culture of the country "
In managerial philosophies, the development of information and communication technologies have elevated the intelligence and talent of people to a more leading position in achieving the organization's sustainable competitive advantages. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize human resources through the application of appropriate human resource management models that guarantee the transition to the management of human talent.
This is how Fleitas (2002) puts it when he explains that the internationally developed HRM and human talent models demonstrate the need for engineering, technical-economic, organizational design and human behavior actions to interact in management activities with a view to converting HR is a source of sustainable competitive advantage for the organization.
Some classic models are described below, along with contemporary ones:
All these models require a new treatment of HR, recognizing its indisputable value and the role that HRM plays. Each one has advantages and disadvantages, therefore, the specific situation of the company and the environment must be analyzed so that one of them is adopted.
A.) Harper and Lynch (1992) model.
- In this model, based on the strategic plan, the forecast of needs is carried out in interdependence with a series of key HR activities (analysis and job description; professional curves; promotion; succession plans; training; climate and motivation; etc.) developed through the knowledge of the HR available to the organization. With these elements, an optimization of HR will be achieved, for which constant monitoring is required, verifying the coincidence between the results obtained and the demands of the organization. The model is descriptive in nature as it only shows HRM-related activities to achieve optimization, but not in their dynamics and operation.
B.) Werther and Davis (1996) model.
- This model raises the interdependence between key HR activities; which are grouped into five categories and today are transcendent in HRM; and the social, organizational, functional and personal objectives that govern the company.
However, this model does not have a strategic projection of human resources; but the initial role that it gives to the foundations and challenges is positive, where it includes the environment as a basis for establishing the system and shows the audit as an element of feedback and continuity in the operation of the HRM.
C.) Model of Zayas (1996).
- In this one, the systemic nature of HRM stands out, proposing an interdependence between the three subsystems: the organization subsystem; the selection and development of personnel; and that formed by man and the different interactions that he establishes.
Starting from the determination of the mission, the objectives and the organizational and management structure are defined, which implies the design of positions by carrying out the analysis and description of the positions and occupations, thus determining the demands and requirements of the themselves and the characteristics that workers must possess.
All of this will serve as the basis for defining the sources of recruitment, selection methods, and the training and development of personnel, which determines the characteristics of the personnel entering the organization and the interrelationships that occur.
D.) Model of Idalberto Chiavenato (2002)
.- Chiavenato states that the main processes of modern human talent management focus on 6 aspects: in the admission of people directly related to recruitment and selection, in the application of people (design and performance evaluation) in labor compensation, in the development of people; in staff retention (training, etc.) and in the monitoring of people based on management information systems and databases. These processes are influenced by the external and internal conditions of the organization.
F.) Beer et al. Model.- The authors of the model covered all the key HRM activities in four areas with the same names of those policies.
It explains that the influence of employees (participation, involvement) is considered central, acting on the remaining areas or HR policies (work system, HR flow and reward systems).
Later, Cuesta (1999) modifies the model by including the HRM audit focused on quality, as a feedback mechanism to the HRM system, also adding new components; as well as a series of indicators and techniques. This model integrates the functional, structural, technological, dynamic and content elements that characterize this process and it represents one of the contributions of the study, with full knowledge of the limitations that the construction of models implies.
G.) HRM Diagnostic, Projection and Control (DPC) model, Cuesta (2005).-
From Beer's model modified by Cuesta (1999) and other elements, this functional HRM model arises, which is also conceived by Cuesta (2005), and implies a technology to put it into organizational practice.
In this model, all the key HRM activities are concentrated in the four HRM subsystems:
- Flow of human resources: inventory of personnel, selection of personnel, placement, evaluation of the performance, evaluation of the human potential, promotion, demotion, relocation. Education and development: training, career plans, communication plans, learning organization, participation, promotion, performance of positions and tasks. Work systems: work organization, occupational safety and hygiene, ergonomic requirements, optimization of workforce, job profiles. Workers compensation: payment systems, social recognition systems, motivation systems, etc.
Illustration 7.- HRM - CPD model / Source: Cuesta, La Habana, 2005.
conclusion
The evolution in the organizational field has set the guidelines for an accelerated development in the management of human resources; The new paradigms show workers not only as another resource within companies, but as the only resource capable of leading to success and competitiveness; In other words, it represents the competitive advantage of the third millennium for which its role as a strategic partner has been emphasized.
For these reasons, there has also been evidence of an evolution of the functions of the HR Department within companies; This instance can no longer be conceived as an isolated department of the organization, but rather as a means to achieve efficiency and effectiveness derived from greater competitiveness and profitability.
We also believe that the human resources function must be carried out throughout the organization and not only from one department, so responsibility and awareness on the part of each line manager of the fundamental role of the worker for the company; ensuring the development and empowerment of its staff.
Finally, new models of HR management systems must be created, for each company trying to establish a valuable theoretical-methodological tool for the design and / or improvement of resource systems that takes into account the organizational interdependence with the environment and that allows above all, attracting the right staff to a perfectly designed position;
Retain those personnel capable of leading the company to success through human resources policies in accordance with their needs and those of the organization; Furthermore, the staff must be Developed by offering them possibilities for personal growth.
These three elements must be framed within the business philosophy and must be part of daily activities.
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