The most central use of technology is an organization’s human resources information system (HRIS), which is replacing labor-intensive, manual HR activities. For instance, many applicant tracking, time and attendance records, payroll, and pension plans are now automated. This allows for faster response times and report generation. In a sense, today’s HRIS tools facilitate management control and decision making. E-commerce and the Internet are the foundation for a new industrial order and will empower consumers like nothing else ever has. They will fundamentally change customer’s expectations about convenience, speed, comparability, price, and service. The people who make e-commerce possible are highly skilled knowledge workers; HR’s challenge will be to attract, retain, and motivate them to perform well. 12. How will demographic changes and increasing diversity in the workplace affect the ways that organizations manage people? Employers are facing a chronic shortage of skilled help. The mix as well as the numbers of people available to work is changing rapidly. These trends have two key implications for managers: 1) the reduced supply of workers will make finding and keeping employees a top priority and 2) the task of managing a culturally diverse workforce, of harnessing the motivation and efforts of a wide variety of workers, will present a continuing challenge to management. The organizations that thrive will be the ones that embrace the new demographic trends instead of fighting them. Workforce diversity is not just a competitive advantage; it is a competitive necessity. 1-3. Considering everything we have discussed in this chapter, describe management styles and practices that will be effective for your country’s businesses in the next decade. Effective management styles for the next decade will include global awareness, cultural sensitivity, environmentally responsible resource use, and a emphasis on training and development both to compensate for employee skill shortages and to develop competitive advantage. There will be a strong emphasis on quality, customer satisfaction, and productivity growth. The latter will be obtained through employee involvement programs and enhanced teamwork. Managers will be leaders and coaches, rather than bosses and autocrats. 14. What difficulties do you see in shifting from a hierarchical, departmentalized organization to a leaner, flatter one in which power is shared between workers and managers? Reengineering business processes requires that managers create an environment and organizational culture that embraces changes. The effectiveness of such efforts depends on effective leadership and communication—both of which are
The most central use of technology is an organization’s human resources information system (HRIS), which is replacing labor-intensive, manual HR activities. For instance, many applicant tracking, time and attendance records, payroll, and pension plans are now automated. This allows for faster response times and report generation. In a sense, today’s HRIS tools facilitate management control and decision making. E-commerce and the Internet are the foundation for a new industrial order and will empower consumers like nothing else ever has. They will fundamentally change customer’s expectations about convenience, speed, comparability, price, and service. The people who make e-commerce possible are highly skilled knowledge workers; HR’s challenge will be to attract, retain, and motivate them to perform well. 12. How will demographic changes and increasing diversity in the workplace affect the ways that organizations manage people? Employers are facing a chronic shortage of skilled help. The mix as well as the numbers of people available to work is changing rapidly. These trends have two key implications for managers: 1) the reduced supply of workers will make finding and keeping employees a top priority and 2) the task of managing a culturally diverse workforce, of harnessing the motivation and efforts of a wide variety of workers, will present a continuing challenge to management. The organizations that thrive will be the ones that embrace the new demographic trends instead of fighting them. Workforce diversity is not just a competitive advantage; it is a competitive necessity. 1-3. Considering everything we have discussed in this chapter, describe management styles and practices that will be effective for your country’s businesses in the next decade. Effective management styles for the next decade will include global awareness, cultural sensitivity, environmentally responsible resource use, and a emphasis on training and development both to compensate for employee skill shortages and to develop competitive advantage. There will be a strong emphasis on quality, customer satisfaction, and productivity growth. The latter will be obtained through employee involvement programs and enhanced teamwork. Managers will be leaders and coaches, rather than bosses and autocrats. 14. What difficulties do you see in shifting from a hierarchical, departmentalized organization to a leaner, flatter one in which power is shared between workers and managers? Reengineering business processes requires that managers create an environment and organizational culture that embraces changes. The effectiveness of such efforts depends on effective leadership and communication—both of which are