HRD – A PARADIGM SHIFT
P.P.Singh & Sandhir Sharma

“Managing God is probably an easier task But Managing human beings is relatively a tougher task”

Mother gives birth to a child. With passage of time, another family cycle starts from that child. What remains common in the both the life cycles is the “Relationship”, which is dynamic in nature. The story of relationship keeps on changing with the passage of time for the child vis-à-vis mother wife and their children. A corollary of this situation is, the organization replacing with mother, Job profile replacing wife and Promotions relating with children. Some questions arise from the scenario are:

1. Are Organizations treating its employees as their children?

2. Are the employees showing the same sense of belongingness to their organizations as they give to their mother?

3. Is the same loyalty and sincerity shown to the Job Profile as is passed on to the spouse?

4. Are the organizations giving rewards, appreciations and incentives as mother gives to her offsprings?

All these questions pose challenges to the business in human resource function. The answer lies only in only one phrase i.e. “Feeling of Oneness.” In the present business environment, the importance of HRM is overtaking other fields like Marketing, Finance etc.  Since the society is in the state of flux and gradually transforming from society to Knowledge based society.  Human Resource is being considered as an important source to combat with the latest trends and competition in business environment globally.  If on the one hand it is essential for employees to work for the organization with full sincerity, dedication and loyality, on the other hand, the organizations are bound to take care their employees with both hands.  Now, Assests don’t include only machinery and plant only, Human Resource is also playing vital role of asset for any organization.

With the change in all the facets of life, new trends, frames & attitude is developing in the field of HRM.  Innovations are talk of the day. The HRD arena has been totally transformed over the last two decades especially while being in the midst of an engulfing globalization, the diversification of the financial forces, the topsy-turvy turbulent economic liberalization and the rumblings of the mammoth high-tech multi-nationals baying the boundaries of national economies.

Against this backdrop of gigantic growth and impending stiff and fierce competition, the introduction & propagation of the philosophy of HRD becomes indispensable in order to bring about the excellence in the performance of the organization.  But this cannot be done, unless it is ensured that the issues like, whether organizations have been in a position to adapt themselves with the emerging changes in the changing environment, or are they by nature, learning and humanized organizations with a coping stance to meet present days technological onslaught, globalization challenges viz-a-viz its organizations strategy committed from line and top management etc.

In nutshell, ahead, in 21^st century when all businesses will face stiff competitive environment, the key to winning, among these initiatives, will be effective development of Human resources.  Technology belongs to everybody, but the genial core of an organization is its own singular property – the human resources.  HRD is directly related to strategic goals of the organization.  Authorities agree and stress upon the connection between HRD, business strategy and other business processes.

Human resource issues are like a double-edged sword as these issues can represent an opportunity for improvement or a chance to gain competitive advantage (Walker, 1992).  In the negative sense, they also represent problems or shortcomings that must be resolved.  The organizations are required to build new capabilities and competencies to resolve these issues.  Some of the issues that HRD professionals are beset with are:

The issues if addressed properly and with adequate strategies will help solve real-life organizational problems and bring about flexibility, resilience and business success for the organization.  This will constitute a new shift for the HRD function in general and for HRD professionals in particular – a shift that is necessary to prevent it becoming redundant in the changing business scenario of the 21^st century making it an accountable and proactive function.  When major change is needed HRD practitioners must think creatively and may have to transform the HRD effort into something utterly different what… has been in the past.

Authors:
P.P.Singh & Sandhir Sharma,
Faculty Members,
Deptt. of Business Management,
Punjab College of Technical Education,
Ludhiana (Punjab)