Week One Learning Log - Sections One and Two: Exploration of One of the Six Paradoxes in HR and References

Identify and describe 1 of the 6 paradoxes in HR

The six paradoxes in HR are as follows:  outside and inside, business and people, organization and individual, process and event, future and past, and strategic and administrative (Ulrich, Brockbank, Younger & Ulrich, 2012).  The one I am choosing to explore is "organization and individual."

This paradox discusses how, although individual abilities are incredibly important to a corporation's success, what is least as critical is the way people work together and how the culture meshes in a way that facilitates team work.  This is most certainly something I have observed as true.  While a scattering of great talent and knowledge among employees seems to often occur in some corporations, when the culture fosters communication and the employees have enough respect for each other to share this knowledge over time, the result can be fantastic.   This can only happen when HR has an acute awareness of what kind of culture they want to foster when making hiring decisions.  When I was hired in my company for the loss prevention department, it was made clear to me that they were not only looking for a specific set of skills, but someone who would fit into the company and department.  However, I can imagine this is a tough decision to make if one candidate has superior qualifications over another that clearly seems to be a better fit from a cultural perspective. I have observed incidents where an incredibly talented, knowledgeable employee did not blend well with their peers and, while having a wealth of knowledge, did work that wasn't really in line with where the company was heading toward from a strategic perspective.  Needless to say, the relationship ultimately failed.  It is a critical balance that HR professionals need to try to establish when making hiring decisions.  

Ulrich, D., Brockbank, W., Younger, J., & Ulrich, M. (2012). HR from the Outside in: Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources. The McGraw-Hill Company.

References

Identify and describe what resources you have accessed outside of the materials this week in order to complete assignments or expand your knowledge of the topics addressed this week.

Some of the sources that I have used in the discussions this week include the following:

Armstrong, Michael & Taylor, Stephen. (2014). Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice, 13th edition. [Books24x7 version] Available fromhttp://common.books24x7.com.necbproxy.egloballibrary.com/toc.aspx?bookid=65150.

This book is comprehensive and outlines the essential functions of a human resource department, its responsibilities regarding hiring, employee welfare and safety, factors affecting employee behavior, performance and learning and development.  Its thorough contents covers many aspects of important competencies and laws.

Chopra, R., & Chopra, A. (2012). Innovative HR practices for competitive advantage: A strategic perspective. Journal of Organization and Human Behavior, 1(2), 32-38. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1478026197?accountid=33575

The authors discuss in detail how then the focus of competition is moving away from products and finances and moving toward talent management. The theory analyzed is if the talent is fostered and retained within the company, the strategic advantages and cost benefits will follow. 

Maedel, C. (2011). HR's role adding value to corporate values. Canadian HR Reporter, 24(4), 23-24. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/857029117?accountid=33575 

Maedel writes how the HR role plays in bringing the corporate values into the workforce.  It further discusses how values are at the heart of an organization, and how value-based action should be demonstrated top down by the leaders.

Sankey, D. (2011, May 07). HR role taking on more importance. Leader Post Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/865447469?accountid=33575

Sankey examines the expanded role of HR and how its evolved from a payroll and benefits administrator to being a key role in the strategic management team.  Therefore, its function is multi-faceted and, although the core historically performed functions are part of the daily activities, the position is key to contributing to a corporation's success.

Smallwood, N., Ulrich, D., & Younger, J. (2007, June). Developing your organization's brand as a talent developer. Human Resource Planning, 30(2), 21+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA166051339&v=2.1&u=mlin_b_necbusin&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=1790cbb96f7c70cad81afcad19e1bfa0

This reading discusses the means of making a company a "talent developer," which means to attract, recruit and then develop talent in the hopes of retaining and developing a company with long-term, knowledgeable and focused employees.  It outlines the practice of recruiting for people and qualities, not specific skills, as those will be developed in the field.