Human Resource Management Critical Essay

Human Resources management is defined as the process of managing human talent to achieve an organization’s objectives. In this paper we will discuss the overall framework of Human Resources management and how it works in the workplace. There are four competencies that a Human Resource Manager should possess on the job. These competencies are: business mastery, Human Resources mastery, change mastery, and personal credibility. The first competency is business mastery in which the Human Resources professional needs to thoroughly know the business of their organization.

This would require that the human resources professional have a full understanding of the economic and financial capabilities so that they can become a key member in developing the organization’s strategic direction. The second competency is Human Resources mastery in which the human resource professional also has the duty of being the organization’s behavioral science experts. These professional should be able to develop expert knowledge in the areas of staffing, development, appraisals, rewards, team building, and communication.

The third competency is change mastery in which the human resource professional must be able to manage the change processes so that the organization can effectively merge their human resources activities with their business needs. The fourth competency is personal credibility in which the professionals should establish a personal credibility with both internal and external customers. The professional must be able to demonstrate the organization’s values, stand up for his/her own beliefs, and be fair-minded when dealing with others to earn that credibility and trust.

These four competencies are important for the human resources professional to possess in order to be looked at as a human resource manager. (Bohlander, George & Snell, Scott; pgs 33-34) The only example I have for a change in my workplace, was when I was stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D. C. My military occupational specialty (MOS) is classified as a Healthcare Specialist/Combat Medic. When I got there I was sent to the Neurology clinic, but after almost one year of working in the clinic I was sent to the orderly room.

When I was sent there I was to take over the finance and administrative issues of almost six hundred soldiers. I was cross-trained and picked up on it really quick. We had a civilian working there as well and her job was to assist in the passes and leaves for those same soldiers. Needless to say, she wasn’t doing her job very well and was let go, so I had to take over the entire administrative part of the company that I was in. The change I made was to the entire leave database and how they were tracked.

I used the existing spreadsheet and added to it more ways to track a leave form from my hands to the brigade colonel and then back to me. Within a month of being there, with that new system in place, I was receiving accolades for my urgency to their needs and it assured them to trust me with any of their leave and administrative issues. It was at that moment when I knew I had a desire to help people with their needs other than on the battlefield.

There are two types of changes within an organization, reactive and proactive changes. A reactive change is a change that occurs after an outside force has already affected the performance. A proactive change is a change that is initiated to take advantage of targeted opportunities. That change that occurred in my organization at Walter Reed was a reactive change because I came in and changed the way that the civilian was running things to make them run smoother and more efficient.

The change was effective because I had stated previously I had turned an entire company around from not trusting the orderly room to bringing me any kind of problem because they knew that I was going to get it done for them in a timely manner. I was never trained in human resources, but that didn’t stop me from completing the tasks at hand. I am not really sure if the Army fits into the overall framework of human resources management, but there was most definitely an impact throughout the organization.

In conclusion, we discussed the four competencies of the human resources manager, my experience in an organization that needed a change, and the effectiveness of that change. Human resources management is important because without businesses would not grow and become successful. There will always be a need for the Human Resource Manager and Management.

Reference: Bohlander, George & Snell, Scott (2010). Managing Human Resources (15th ed. ). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.