Evolution of HRM and its Significance in the Context of Aston Martin

This report discusses the evolution of human resource management (HRM) through various stages and its significance in the context of Aston Martin. It explores the changes in HRM practices, such as the focus on worker experience, usage of AI, and digitization of HRM division. The report also highlights the importance of current HRM practices in relation to management and the benefits they bring to the company.

Human
resource
management
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY .............................................................................................................................3
Evolution of HRM through various phases and aspects..............................................................3
HRM evolution in recent years in context of Aston Martin........................................................5
Significance of current HRM in relation to management............................................................6
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................8
.REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Human resource management is an important aspect of every organisation in the current
corporate world and involves activities for effective management of the workforce employees by
the firm to help them reach organisational objectives. The starting of the industrial age, required
various corporations to adopt human resource management as employees are a major component
for perpetual growth of the company. Human resource management has faced various changes
due to development of advanced technology in the sector and various societal changes which
asked for modifications in HRM practices and approaches. This report involves description about
evolution of human resource management through various stages. Evolution in HRM in recent
years and significance of current HRM practices in relation to British luxury auto-mobile
company Aston Martin is also provided in this report.
MAIN BODY
Evolution of HRM through various phases and aspects
Various factors from the industrial era to the current corporate world heavily influenced
by technology has made a huge impact on HRM practices and priorities of organisation when
formulating effective HR strategies. The various stages in the evolution of HRM to the current
shape with detailed description about factors affecting such changes are provided below: HRM during the industrial revolution: The need of HRM was introduced to the
corporate world in 18th century during the height of industrial revolution. The industrial
revolution faced exploitation of workers and various government legislations to protect
workers from exploitations. The industrial relations department focused on solving issues
between trade unions and corporations related to salary, worker dispute (Apalia, 2017)
(Armstrong, 2019) . This division also focused on implementation of guidelines for
health and safety of workers. Scientific management and welfare of workers: This phase of HRM was centred around
development of models and approaches which increase overall productivity of the firm
while also managing quality of products. Various practices emphasised on completing
various tasks in a timely manner by following proper procedure (Bratton and Gold,
2017) . Development and training of workers to increase their skills and speed, giving
employees rewards for their performance, creating harmonious relationship management
and employees and construction of systems for removing conflicts were the major

elements of this era. Aston Martin focused on training and developing their employees
during this stage in evolution of HRM. Behavioural position in HRM: This phase of HRM emerged in late 20th century and
laid the foundations of various practices and models which are still used for effective
management of employees. As the economy started greater involvement of the service
sector, information based industries developed and grew (Guest, 2017) . This resulted in
changes in recruitment practices as talented employees were considered an important
advantage for the company. Concepts such as employee motivation, worker satisfaction
and career development for retention of talented employees became common practices
in the field of HRM. In the context of Aston Martin, motivating employees by career
planning and creating encouraging and positive working environment became a primary
part of the HRM department. HRM of 21st century: The corporate world of the 21st century required the HRM
department to take new roles and responsibilities. The HRM started to take higher
participation in the decision making related to management rewards systems and
implementation of various legislations enforced by the government. As the workforce
became more diverse, management cultural factors impacting the productivity of
employees and workplace environment in a way which reduces conflicts and enhances
consumer satisfaction was another key role undertaken by the HRM division (Lee,
2019) . In the context of the British luxury vehicle manufacturer, steps to handle diverse
workforce and designing organisational systems to conduct various operations in a
collaborative fashion were implemented by the HRM department to increase output of
the firm.
 HRM in the age of technology: The recent advancement in technology in both the public
and the corporate sphere impacted the HRM division of every organisation. Globalisation
and technological advancements such as the internet revolution introduced new problems
in front of the HR department such as management of workforce at various international
outlets of the company (Muhammad, 2018) . Present-day HRM is not only limited to
management of the workforce but is a significant contributor in the overall decision
making process of the firm during various situations such as product launch,
international expansion, merging with other organisations. Integration of new technology

in various HRM functions such as recruitment and training process is also a recent
development in HRM. The HRM at Aston Martin focuses on using latest technology
such as simulations to build a talented workforce with the potential to take various
responsibilities and help the company gain a competitive advantage (Smith, 2016)(Tung,
2016) .
HRM evolution in recent years in context of Aston Martin
Corporations are facing new challenges and barriers to effective management of the
workforce as there has been a serious growth in the technological factors affecting the daily
operations of any enterprise. This along with the recent threat of environmental damage by
businesses and the rise in demands of environment friendly practices from the consumers and
various government authorities has influenced modifications in present day HRM practices
(Wehrmeyer, 2017) . HRM is evolving continuously as various new challenges enter the
corporate world and currently focuses on management of workforce relations , labour regulations
and removing challenges which reduce overall productivity of the firm. Evolution of HRM in the
present context with relation to British luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin is provided below:
Focus on worker experience
One major change in HRM practices in recent years is the increased focus on enhancing
worker experience and aim to create work cultures that centre around benefiting workers during
continuous growth and development of the company. The construction of structures, procedures
and methods which emphasise encourage the employee to become involved in the future
objectives of the company and create an understanding where the advantage of the company is
beneficial to the employee. The increasing significance organisational culture in factors which
affect employee's perception of the company and drive employee loyalty is another factor which
has influenced changes in HRM policies (Wilton, 2016) . In the context of the respective
organisation, implementing policies which aim to enhance experience of each employee and
incorporate workforce as a part of the identity of the organisation has improved employee
satisfaction and encouraged various workers to stay with the company for a longer period of time
and work with continuous dedication.
Usage of AI
Artificial Intelligence has made its way in the manufacturing division for most of the
organisation and is now influencing HRM division at various corporations. AI is cost effective

tool for improving various significant functions of the HRM department such selection and
enlisting process. The AI tools and techniques are helpful in improving the process of screening
employee resumes and developing tests which identify the skill level of each applicant and assist
the enterprise in selecting the most talented candidates out of the available talent pool. This
process is useful for organisations with the aim of expanding their operations to international
market, as the cultural barriers can be eliminated with the help of AI which is built for
understanding the cultural differences in that region and selecting the most competent candidates
for the company (Bratton and Gold, 2017) . The procedure of on-boarding is similarly simplified
by the usage of AI technology. In relation to the respective company, AI technology provides the
required assistance to the company in the overall recruitment process of the company.
Digitisation of HRM division
The HRM department has evolved to digitise various processes and functions to keep up
with the current advancements in technology in both the societal sphere and the corporate world.
The function of attracting talented candidates for the company is accomplished by promoting the
vacancy in the company on various digital platforms. Apart from this, digital platforms such as
social media handles are also a significant part of the current HR strategy to effectively
communicate with their employees and construct a brand image which increases consumer
satisfaction and encourages pride in the workforce of the company (Guest, 2017) . The digital
revolution has also impacted the procedure of training and developing employees as digital
sessions to improve the skills of the workforce are cost effective and can be used by employees
from any part of the world. In the context the respective company, digital portals to cost
effectively train employees and connect them with the company to construct a workforce with
the ability to face any challenges with help of guidance from managers and supervisors.
Significance of current HRM in relation to management
One of the recent change in HRM is incorporation of digital technology in various
elements and operations undertaken by the HRM department. From a management perspective,
this change of the HR division to increase the usage of digital technology is highly beneficial and
is an important step towards improving the management practices in the digital age (Lee, 2019) .
For instance the usage of digital technology to train employees and develop a workforce with
diverse skill set has reduced the overall expenditure of the procedure and increased the reach of
the HRM division as training sessions are easily accessible with the usage of digital technology

such as mobile phones and laptops. Aston Martin is using digital training sessions to create
skilled workforce and increase employee participation in training initiatives as digital
programmes to enhance the skills of the employees can be acceded from any area providing
employees options related to time at which they with to start their training session (Muhammad,
2018) .
The modification of organisational structure is an important aspect of the recent
evolution in the field of HRM. As organisational design became a more significant part of the
overall HR strategy, efforts to introduce new organisational structure and move away from rigid
hierarchical structure of corporations were made. This is another significant evolution in HRM as
it helped in effective management of employees and helped the company increase employee
satisfaction and participation in various activities for the growth of the company. Flexible
organisational structure provided the much needed aid in creating an environment which allowed
employees to participate in decision making process and built a loyal workforce. The Aston
Martin has used organisational structure to improve overall productivity of the workforce (Smith,
2016) .
The evolution of HRM to focus on constructing procedures, systems and structures
which increased collaborative and co-ordinated efforts between all the department proved
helpful in improving the productivity of the company as a whole and helped in creating collective
identity of the workforce. This is crucial for the growth of multinational organisations in
scenarios which require equal contribution in effort from al the departments of the company like
during the launch of new service all the departments such as sales, marketing, operations,
customer service have a significant role for successful product launch. This concept has helped
the management effectively carry out tasks which require usage of every department within the
company. In relation to the respective company, this recent concept of organising the company to
perform tasks related to a specific objective in a co-ordinated fashion is significant for smoothly
completing their daily operations and accomplishing various organisational objectives (Tung,
2016) . This practice also shapes the collective identity of the workforce for the benefit of the
company, as the employees break departmental barriers and work together to help the
organisation achieve certain various organisational objectives.

CONCLUSION
From the above report it is concluded that HRM practices play a crucial role in the
growth and development of every organisation as employees are one of the main creators of
value for any company. HRM is continuously evolving to remove various barriers which have a
negative impact on the productivity of the company. HRM practices in the current era are heavily
dependent on digital and advanced technology such as AI to improve outcome and accessibility
of various procedures. These changes are essential for every company as they are helpful in
creating harmonious working environment at the workplace and helping the employees reach
their highest potential while working at the company. The recent changes in HRM practices such
as focus on enhancing employee satisfaction play a major role in helping the company secure an
advantageous position at their industry by creating loyal and dedicated workforce.

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