HRM in Kenneth Airlines-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignment

Question: Disucss about the Human Resource Management in Kenneth Airlines. Answer: Introduction Kenneth Airlines understands the challenges companies experience in the Airline industry regarding the human resource management. Previously, many Airlines faced challenges when developing and implementing their strategic business plans as they underestimated the significance of human resources (Kamau and Sanley 2015). The companies rarely considered the role of human resources in executing their business strategies successfully. Indisputably, the commercial airline has proved to be a safety-sensitive, competitive, and high technology service sector. Employees, customers, and people define the airlines core competence (Tiwari 2013). Without a doubt, the implications seem to affect the companys operational activities, culture, strategy, and structure. Kenneth Airlines has acknowledged that many companies function as divisionalized, top-down, and traditional industrial model of governance and operations. This model is inappropriate because the airline industry is a knowledge-based serv ice market. The airlines require the inputs of HRM expertise to enhance the learning-oriented workforce and develop a customer-centric workforce that can adapt to the change imperatives and strategic goals experienced in the industry. The success of Kenneth Airlines depends on how it will address the aspects of diversity management and culture, international performance management, training and development (Geraint 2007). Based on the significance of these human resource management factors, the paper provides the rationale depending on the findings of various scholars. At the end of the report, the recommendations that Kenneth Airlines should consider to remain competitive and success in the airline industry are identified. Diversity Management and Culture Cultural Challenges Workplace diversity encompasses differences between individuals in a firm. The differences include ethnic group, personality, age, race, genders, organizational function, cognitive style, background, and education (Elsaid 2012). It involves the perception of people thus affecting their interactions. For employees to function efficiently, the HR professionals have to handle the emerging issues like change, adaptability, and communication. Most successful airlines have made immediate actions by spending resources on diversity management (Geraint 2007). Since Kenneth Airlines operate in the international market, it has experienced various challenges because it seems difficult to blend employees from other cultural orientations. Patrick (2010) found that when workers from different cultures interact regularly, the possibility of multiculturalism is evident. Kenneth Airlines never considered the significance of helping its employees joining a new country to adjust to the new environment. It is a common practice for the HR professionals to help the new employees to adjust to the new communication patterns, leadership styles, and related practices thus fit in the new country (Elsaid 2012). Like many multinational companies, fusion of culture is critical to enhance productivity. The employees of Kenneth Airlines are experiencing barriers to cultural adaptations. For instance, the issue of parochialism has become evident among the employees (Tiwari 2013). This follows the different social system from their host nations. The new social system has a direct impact on an individuals response. When the company posted a worker to a new country, the worker exhibited a different behaviour based on the citizen or country of origin. It was evident that the posted employee never acknowledged the differences between the cultures as explained by Bamber (2009). The impact of such behaviours is affecting the organization beyond repair. The posted employee assumed the two cultures are similar, yet they have proved distinct. Individualism is another problem that the company is experiencing with its expatriates. Studies have found that some workforce is individualistic as they value their personal welfare and needs (Nickson 2013). Kenneth Airlines has failed to address this is problem. Ethnocentrism is also an issue that is affecting Kenneth Airlines. Most of the airlines employees find it difficult to adapt to another culture. The company operates in China, India, and Europe. Dowling, Festing and Engle (2013) believe that some employees, especially from Europe value their homeland conditions. They believe that their cultures are superior to their Asian counterparts. Shen, Chanda, DNetto and Monga (2009) affirmed that the thinking of superior is natural but it undermines the human behaviour thus making it difficult to maximize productivity in the local employees. The international workforces should understand the local conditions by integrating the local and imported social systems (Guest 2011). Kenneth A irlines HRM must take the lead in integrating the employees to make them adaptable to the new cultural environment. Cultural distance and cultural shock are also challenges that have affected the operations of the organization (Patton 2015). The cultural distance has affected many employees, especially from Europe. When these employees are deployed in China or Indian, the cultural distance is significant because of judge conditions and ethnocentrism. Cultural shock is an issue among the Kenneth Airlines employees. As an international airline company, workers suffer cultural shock due to disorientation and insecurity in the new country. Some of the employees lose confidence and face because they can never act effectively. Barry and Nienhueser (2010) found that the company has even seen many of its expatriates resign or feel isolated thus affect their performance. Scholars have identified different reasons for such shock as language, unique current system, different management philosophies, separation from family, alternative food and attitudes (Kumar, Johnson, and Lai 2009). Some employees have als o resisted change despite the changing cultural and social workplace. This has completely affected the companys performance. Diversity Management Diversity management is an important factor that Kenneth Airlines must consider. The process involves planning, directing, and organizing the managerial attributes to develop an organization irrespective of workforce diversity (Ozbilgin and Tatli 2008). Like in other companies, Kenneth Airlines focuses on high productivity level. Managers of Kenneth Airlines experience the productivity challenges because of its unique structure, strategies and objectives as explained by Bamber (2009). The HR managers and professionals must invest in workplace diversity thus address the challenges. The management has responsibility to reduce differences in the multicultural workforce leading to high productivity. Managing diversity involves managing workforce based on the interest of stakeholders. This is an on-going process focuses on different capabilities and talents from a diverse population. This ensures the management creates an inclusive and wholesome environment thus maximize full potential (Ozbilgin and Tatli 2008). Kenneth Airlines must ensure that multiculturalism benefits everyone. The management of the airline must consider using the melting pot approach to address the workforce differences. It is evident that employees can rarely abandon their preferences, lifestyles, beliefs, and values. The HR professionals have to adapt management practices to help workers to adapt to a new work styles. According to Sippola and Smale (2007), diversity management provides an opportunity for employees to be effective in a supportive culture. The management of Kenneth Airlines should continue to support workforce diversity by embracing diversity initiatives. The company should recognize the dyna mic workforce thus create maximize productivity. Managing diversity is in conformity with the increasing workforce mobility (Kumar et al. 2009). The need for expatriates and international careers has formed the foundation of the Kenneth Airlines success. The airline should use salad bowls approach in addressing diversity. The approach ensures the employees retain their identity. Weber (2015) maintained that multinational company plans to employee more expatriates to bolster its productivity. Nevertheless, the management must handle the challenges regarding individual versus group. The Kenneth Airlines management have to adapt the new HR programs to serve the diverse employee groups. The airline company has an established corporate culture that is resistant to change. With this culture, it proves difficult to change the corporate setting (Richard and Johnson 2010). The airline has realized that diversity enhances effectiveness in the organization by promoting creativity and innovation. In the home country, Kenneth Airlines operates under teamwork culture. This has seen it embrace diverse workforce who interact frequently for better services. The teamwork spirit has enhanced motivation and morale in the company. International Performance Management International performance management has become an essential process companies use to set goals as explained by Fee, Mcgrath-Champ, and Xiaohua (2011). Companies have suffered greatly from failed international assignments. Kenneth Airlines need to emphasize the significance of selecting appropriate workers for the international assignment. The firm should conduct a detailed and consistent assessment regarding the performance of the expatriate (Nickson 2007). The airline has to conduct an appraisal of its operations to make the international successful. Unfortunately, Kenneth Airlines experienced challenges in conducting performance management and appraisals (Kampkotter 2017). The issues of concern revolved around the timing and criteria of performance bonuses, raises, and reviews. The HR managers of the airline rarely considered the views of the employees in designing the performance management criteria as reported by Moshholder, Richardson, and Settoon (2011). The managers never con sulted the employees before placing them on international duties. International assignments are important to the organization and performance appraisal should be conducted prudently compared to the domestic assignments. The company failed to use different appraisal system for each expatriate employee. Maley and Kramar (2007) maintained that many employees of Kenneth Airlines complained of poor appraisal systems. For instance, the HR managers relied on methods used to appraise the domestic employees (Kampkotter 2017). In fact, even modifying the methods with the expatriates would give different outcome. The HR managers modified the domestic appraisal system by introducing new variables like task personality, criteria, and environment factors (Hosseini, Shakhsian, Moezzi and Khaksar 2011). The Kenneth Airlines HR department have to collaborate with managers and supervisors of these expatriates to facilitate the development of the critical professional profile based on the international assignment. Eaton (2017) believes that the HR department of the o rganization failed to consider these needs for the expatriates before departing. With the professional profiles, it is possible for the HR Department to outline the expectations and productivity of the employees. As such, the airline could have realized operational efficiency and profitability among its expatriates in the foreign market like China. According to the studies, establishing performance criteria is never an easy work (Yabs 2010). This is because of differences in equitable standards and international environments. Shaw (2007) explains that performance appraisal criteria in service and manufacturing industries should be designed based on the foreign subsidiary. The HR department should establish the performance goals and criteria by considering the norms and values of home office performance and local environment standards. The HR managers of Kenneth Airlines, however, failed to consider the country profile and the foreign subsidiary environment when designing the performance appraisal system (Lewis and McKone 2013). This has made the review of the performance difficult. The factors that the HR department needed to have considered include communication, control, culture, language, labour relations, politics, government, and economy. These underlying factors are critical, especially in China and India, where Kenneth Airlines operate and intends to expand its operations (Belobaba, Odoni and Barnhart 2016). Without these factors, the performance of expatriates has become difficult to appraise. Therefore, the HR managers needed to use the information to resolve the performance appraisal challenges. Critical professional profiles for its expatriates can be clustered to enhance the measurement of performance criteria for employees on international duties. Training and Development Training and development is an important function of human resource management (Tharenou, Saks and Moore 2007). It improves the performance of individual employees and teams in an organization. It is an educational process improves employee skills, behaviours, and concepts thus enhance the performance of workers. Kenneth Airlines recognizes the significance of remaining competitive in the airline industry. To this effect, it has opted to invest in this HR function. Although the airline values this function, it has never provided enough resources for human resource development that involves developing skills and training employees for future roles. Soltani (2010) ascertained that the human resource development activities entail tuition reimbursement programs, training teams, managers and supervisors, and performance management. The human resources development activities also include 360-degree reviews, harassment prevention training, customer training, and career coaching. In the wake of technology advancement, competition in the airline industry has intensified and customer expectation increased. Athanasios (2012) argues that it is important for the firm to prepare its workers for new roles thus justifying the need for training workers. Studies indicate that airline industry should continue to train and develop due to the high rate of workforce replacement (Soltani 2010). The knowledge workers are swiftly replacing industrial employees. Kenneth Airlines is slowly responding to the needs of the industry given the dynamism. However, many employees have complained of the firms slow adoption to this new development. The airline needs to understand that change is a factor that is turning them obsolete thus, the need for training and development has become essential. Loizos and Wirtz (2010) believed that technology is changing how airline business operates. The company has to consider this factor to remain competitive. The airline has many approaches to tra in and develop its workforces. For instance, the HR managers can consider mentoring, simulation, apprenticeship, on-job training, systematic job transfers and rotations (Soltani 2010). Web-based learning, programed self-instruction, instructor-led classroom training, and role-playing can be used to train and develop workforce. Conclusion Based on this study, it is evident that Kenneth Airlines experiences HRM challenges in allowing its workforce achieve international assignments. With the company operating in different countries, it has to address the emerging HR issues emanating from cultural diversity. The employees have expressed concern and reservations in their workplace environment. For instance, the issues arising from culture, international performance management, and training and development require redress to avoid conflicts. The HR Department has to play its role in advancing the needs of its expatriates. These challenges can be addressed through diversity management. Recommendations Effective HRM will define the success of Kenneth Airlines in its pursuit to gain competitive edge in the airline industry. The company must invest in diversity management initiatives. The HR managers must understand that training workforce is critical. Training will make the workers job-specific and company-specific. Training and development will enrich the employees career thus allow them to fulfil their personal needs. Kenneth Airlines and its employees should engage in training depending on their agreements. The HR department should avoid imposing training that is irrelevant to the workers. The firms HRM should also consider an individual performance appraisal system when measuring the productivity of its workforce. The appraisal process should encompass host environment, task, compensation package, cultural adjustment, headquarters support, and performance management system. 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