Systemizing People - Systems to Manage People OR People to Manage Systems?

摘要

“System is down, cannot approve your expenses!”; “You have missed the system deadline for performance evaluation!” How many of us have heard one of the above or related remarks? Perhaps we all have and it truly reflects our reliance on technology and systems to manage our most important asset i.e. Human Capital. In our attempt to adapt technology and succeed in the race to improve productivity, the basic principles of Human Resources management may have been rather undermined. The rigorous demands of the service industry and scarce time resources have enhanced our dependency on HR systems. Whilst the thought of using technology to efficiently manage processes impacting our employees is on the face of it an intellectual one, it is gradually steering us from the true rationale. For instance, a performance management system can provide for accurately recording employee’s goals and performance results; however, it cannot and should not replace the communication session an employee has with his or her manager which has the true potential of increasing performance. This paper is an attempt to highlight the correlation between the number of HR systems used and its impact on managing human resources. And while evaluating the impact, the thought is in no way to suggest that computer based systems are worthless, but to examine if multiple systems in HR are really good for an organization. Today’s services industry presents an increasingly challenging and competitive business environment. With these dynamics, the most significant differentiating feature of a successful organization will be a motivated and engaged workforce. It is therefore critical to avoid dependency on HR systems alone and focus on the basic principles of Human Resources management to connect with employees.