Strategic HRM at British Airways: Environmental Factors and Job Design

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) strategies at British Airways. It begins with an introduction to HRM and its significance in the modern business environment, focusing on employee satisfaction and strategic HRM. The main body of the report explores how British Airways has adapted its HR strategies, emphasizing the role of strategic HRM and its seven key steps. It then examines the impact of environmental factors (micro and macro) on the airline's HR plans, including customers, competitors, economy, and technology. The report delves into the Standard Causal Model of HRM and the value chain model to illustrate how British Airways creates value through its HR practices. It also presents a detailed comparison of HRM and personnel management using Storey's 27 points of difference. Furthermore, the report analyzes job design strategies, including job enlargement, enrichment, and rotation, and discusses the airline's hiring and firing strategies. The analysis includes examples of good HR practices, and concludes with specific recommendations for improving HRM practices within British Airways. The report aims to provide insights into the effective management of human resources in a global airline context.

HUMAN
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
1

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY........................................................................................................................................3
How H R strategies were changed by the firm & use the concepts of strategic HRM....................3
Impact of environmental factors on culture of human resource plan.................................................4
Human Resource Model & stating how values was created by the firm............................................5
Storey’s 27 points of difference between human resource & personnel management benchmark....6
Analysing the job design strategies....................................................................................................8
Stating the hiring and firing strategies...............................................................................................9
Using corporate example firm using good HR practices & literature to justify.................................9
Recommendation.............................................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES....................................................................................................................................12
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INTRODUCTION
Human Resource Management now become the basic requirement of the enterprises &
plays an appropriate part which enhance the effectiveness of the enterprises around the whole
globe. The foremost concern of the firm is employee’s satisfaction because a satisfied
workforce is more actively fulfill the requirements of their customers & clients (Aichmaier,
2017). HRM department is main contribution which works dedicatedly towards the welfare
of the workforce through the proper implementation of HRM practices like strategic hiring,
selection, training, career development, performance appraisal & many more. This project
will determine the aspects of HRM in context of British Airways which is famous flag carrier
airline of the UK. British Airways founded in 1974 & headquartered in London. This project
will discuss the concept of HRM & evaluate its strategies. This project will also determine
the affect of environmental factors, use HRM model, and also use the storey's 27 points of the
differentiate human resource & personal management. Furthermore, this project will analyze
the job design strategies , hiring & firing strategies , provide corporate example. Lastly this
project provides specific recommendations related to the HRM practices.
MAIN BODY
How H R strategies were changed by the firm & use the concepts of strategic HRM
As per the recent scenario, the requirement of the workforce is change so it is necessary
for the firm to analyses the current need of the employees in order to improve the working
situation of the firm. Due to changes in the need & demand of the workforce.. HR manager of
the British Airways is more concerned about their workforce and prepare a strategic planning
in order to formulate a specific HR strategies which can fulfill the requirement of the
workforce in an appropriate manner (Asfahani, 2021). HR manager determine 5 pillars which
can help full to frame a successful HR strategies such as legal requirements, employee
engagement, career development activities, corporate image & performance management
system. All these five pillars are playing a prominent part to frame a most appropriate HR
strategies which can provide best contribution in the development of the workforce of the
British Airways.
Strategic HRM
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Basically strategic HRM is considered as a proactive process which can help in
managing be requirement of the employees of the firm. Strategic HRM may involve some
specific components which is related to the attracting, executing, developing, retaining &
rewarding the workforce so that they can take a one step for other toward their performance.
Some specific benefits are considered by the British Airways in order to follow strategic
HRM such as improve job satisfaction level, health better work culture, increase customer
satisfaction, proactive resources management, effective approach to managing workforce &
enhancement of productivity (Baharuddin, 2021).
7 steps of Strategic HRM
There are seven steps are involved in order to maintain a strategic human resource
management of British Airways like understanding the company's objective, evaluation of
HR capabilities, analyze the current HR activities of British Airways in light of specific
goals, estimate future HR requirements, tools and techniques to complete the job role,
implementation of HRM strategies & evaluation & corrective actions. All these seven steps
of the strategic HRM is provide various advantages to the British Airways so that they can
effectively improve their working condition & evolve the performance of staff members so
that they can effectively achieve the organizational objectives (Katie Sawyer,2019)
Impact of environmental factors on culture of human resource plan
To achieve the market growth, it is mandatory for the HR manager to to prepare a a
effective working culture via specific HR plan. HR manager of the British Airways need to
conduct a strategic planning so that they can effectively formulator HR plan to maintain
organizational culture. In human resource plan, manager can consider all the environmental
factors and then analyze the impact of micro & macro both environmental factor. There are
various elements are involved in both micro & macro environmental factors that considered
by the British Airways are as follows-
Micro Environmental Factors
 Customers - Basically customers are contain under the internal or micro
environmental factor & the main motive of the British Airways is to satisfy the need
of their customers so that they can become their potential customers. British Airways
conduct proper market research to determine the current need of their customer
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because customers are the king of the market. Customer’s effects the HR plan in an
appropriate manner & then manager can maintain all the implementation of the plan
to create a positive organizational culture (Bailey and et. al., 2018).
 Competitors - As per to take high level of competitive advantages it is mandatory for
the British Airways to follow proper HR strategies & arrange advanced level training
sessions so that their staff members can develop their core competencies & skills on
the basis of latest market trends so that company can gain more profitability &
maintain effective working culture.
Macroo Environment Factors
 Economy - This external or macro environmental factor provide direct impact on the
human resource plan of British Airways. Minimum wage, inflation, recession, trade
regulations, unemployment rate & many elements are involved in economical factors
it is necessary for the British Airways to set a pricing policy according to the current
situation because pandemic & Brexit provide adverse impact on the performance of
the airline (Delery and Roumpi, 2017). Technologies - This factor influence the working conditions of the firm.
Technological factor affect the organizational culture & also HR plan of the British
Airways. Company adopts high level of technology & software system so that
manager can provide convenient services to their customer so that they can effectively
used technologies in order to make their life comfortable.
Human Resource Model & stating how values was created by the firm
There are various human resource models are utilized by the HR manager and it is is
analyze that Standard Causal Model of HRM is the best loan model which demonstrate casual
chain system which mainly begin with business strategy & end on HR processes this model is
also beneficial to enhance the financial performance of the firm. The explanations about this
model in context of British Airways are as follows -
Standard Casual Model of HRM
The development of this model is incorporated in 1990s to 2000s, when various similar
models were about to released. British Airways consider this model because it can help full to
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assign HR task with the appropriate conditions of the organizational strategies so that
performance of the firm an increase effectively. HR manager can follow is specific HRM
practices with the help of start so that manager can properly conduct recruitment, evaluation,
selection , training and compensating practices for the growth of the workforce. HRM
practices which includes in this model can provide appropriate results in order to evolve
performance & productivity of the firm. British Airways use this model so that manager can
properly pay more attention on the training sessions of their staff members so that they can
effectively improve their productivity e and effectiveness towards their work (Khan and
Ahmed, 2020).
Value created by firm
The value chain model cab be apply to consider the specific value which created by the
firm. This is considered as the one of the very popular model in context of human resource
which mainly determines the work of Paauwe & Richardson in 1997. This model separate
HR into two categories like HR activities & HR results. British Airways consider human
resource activities determine the regular task like recruitments, training sessions, succession
planning, compensation & many more. In case of HR results, British Airways analyze the
company is trying to gain more profitability through HRM practices. Both HR activities &
HR results are helpful to create more value of the firm & hire top talent to fulfill the
expectations of the customers.
Storey’s 27 points of difference between human resource & personnel management
benchmark
The description about Storey's 27 points as per the difference between HRM& personal
management are as follows -
Dimensions Human Resource
Management
Personnel Management
Contract Motive to focus on contracts. Appropriately delineation
about the writer contracts.
Rules about guide the
management
Significance of maintain
various rules & practices.
Evolvement by the mutual
agreement.
Actions Systematic procedures On the basis of business
requirements
Behavioral referent & Mission & Vision statement Customs / norms or practices
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managerial task
Labour Nurturing Evaluating
Nature of the bonding Unitary Pluralist
Conflicts De-emphasised Institutionalised
Main relations Consumers Workforce management
Initiatives Integrated Piecemeal
specific Business plan Central Marginal
Decision making frequency Fast Slow
Management Role Transformational Transactional
Appropriate managers Line manager or general
managers
Human resource specialists
& personnel manager
Interaction Direct Indirect
Standardisation way Low High
Skills level Facilitation Negotiation
Selection process Integrated & essential tasks Separate & marginal
activities
Pay scale Based upon the performance Fixed payments
Appropriate Conditions Harmonisation Separate
Management of the
workforce
Towards the personal
contracts
Collective bargaining
contracts
Category of job Marginalized Maintained through training
Grades level Lesser Numerous
Communication procese Increased flow Restricted flow
Job Designing Teamwork Labour division
Managing problems Managing culture &
atmosphere related issues
Reaching temporary truces
Development aspects Learning organisation Controlled access to the
courses
Interventions aspects Personnel strategies Personnel process
On the basis of above discussion about the Storey's 27 points, it can be determined the
difference between the HRM & personal management. British Airways consider all these
points which can helpful to analyze the appropriate difference between the HRM of the firm
& personal management so that HR manager of the firm can effectively improve the
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implications of the HR strategy & conduct strategic planning process so that company can
prepare a useful strategy for the development of their employees (Kozlov and et. al., 2020).
HRM practices to forecasting the requirement of the firm for future purpose & then use
personal management techniques in order to gain more sustainability rate to take more
competitive advantage for long term period.
Analysing the job design strategies
To maintain the strategic hiring within an organization , it is compulsory to analyze
specific job design strategies. There are four basic job design strategies are utilizing by the
British Airways which are as follows -
 Job Enlargement - This strategy is all about adding the additional activities with
similar hierarchical level in an existing job role. For instance, HR manager of the
British Airways hire an expert high level of training sessions for their staff members
so it can be determined that expert hiring is considered as the additional activity
which can maintain the performance of the employees through appropriate skills &
knowledge.
 Job Eenrichment - Basically the main purpose of job enlargement is to adding more
activities in task & job enrichment it is utilized for adding motivational dimensions. It
is analysed that job enlargement could be a specific component of job enrichment.
British Airways use this strategy because it can beneficial to add motivators in the
existing roles. Some activities like adding opportunities via receive feedback, improve
client relationship & maintain functional unit (Murugi and Kariuki, 2021).
 Job Rotation - This strategy is work like a ongoing practice which continuously
moving employees between specific job role within an organization. British Airways
uses a strategy because it can help full to improve the skills variety, support
employees to understand their roles so that they can learn from their experiences. Job
rotation is beneficial to enhance the motivation & flexibility e income tax of career
development of the work force. Job Simplification - This strategy is totally opposite of job enlargement. Basically job
simplification is a a continuous process which can useful to eliminate the task from
the existing rules. British Airways can this strategy so that airline can stripping the
skills variety to build the more focused activities. This strategy may be utilized in the
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job creep situation when specific job role has been enlarged over a specific period of
time & become unmanageable (Job Design: A Practitioner’s Guide, 2020).
Stating the hiring and firing strategies
To obtain best talent within an organization, hiring and firing both are considered as the
specific elements which mainly utilized by the most of the enterprises. Hiring is container as
the ongoing activity which can help full to gain high potential talent in the company. Firing is
is an activity which mainly reduces the strength of manpower who are not performing well.
British Airways use all these two components so that HR manager can effectively balance
employee requirement for the future purpose. HR manager of British Airways, follow some
few guidelines related to the hiring and firing strategies. In context of hiring, manager follows
guideline like analyzing the legal compliance, clearly define the position, arrange interview &
consider hiring. All these guidelines maintained by the manager so that company can hire
high potential workforce who can effectively accomplish the organizational goals
(Odhiambo, 2020). In case of firing strategy, manager can follow specific guidelines like
maintain extensive documents, consider workplace policies, follow legal considerations &
include witnesses. Manager can follow all these guidelines to maintain the firing strategies so
that those employees whose performance is weak can be fire easily. HR manager need to take
care of all the sharing and caring activities so that best and talented employees retain in the
organization for long time duration. As per the hiring prospective, manager need to provide
proper training & career development sessions to the new employees so that they can field
job security & understand their job role clearly which can helpful in employee retention. On
the basis of firing, manager analyze employees performance monthly basis and then identify
weakest performer of the month and try to improve their working effectiveness through
various practices and then even that particular employee not improve their performance
manager can fire that particular employee. There are another reason considered by the
manager to use firing strategy like low productivity, lack of skills, low performance level,
complete task after the deadline & many other reasons lead firing of employees (Saha, 2021).
Using corporate example firm using good HR practices & literature to justify
HR strategies are changing frequently & HR manager prepare strategies so that manager
can influence the performance of the staff members & motivate them towards the growth.
Highly motivated employees are the assets of the firm who are performing their duty to
evolve the productivity of the firm. HR strategies are helpful to maintain each and every HR
practices which may be utilized by most of the corporate firms. British Airways is one of the
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most popular airline and to maintain their employees performance and efficiency is the main
concern of this airline so that manager can implementing various HR practices like on
boarding experiences, performance management, compensatory and other benefits, are board
system and many other practices. The descriptions related to the HR practices which utilizing
why various corporate forms are as follows -
 Career development programs - . This HR practice can useful to provide job
satisfaction level so that all the employees can improve their development for gain
better promotional opportunities. For instance, Easy Jet, virgin Atlantic are also
famous organization which also utilizing this HR practice.
 Employees Engagement - This is the most effective & promising practice utilizing to
retain high performing employees in an enterprise. To create good employee relation
is helpful to enhance the team working & improve the productivity level of the firm
(Sultan, Vincent and Aslam, 2020).
Recommendation
As per before discussion it can be evaluated that there are various HRM practices are
determined by the British Airways so that organization can effectively improve their
organizational productivity & effectiveness. There are many recommendations recommended
in order to maintain the organizational performance level. Some specific recommendations
such as -
 It is recommended that to enhance the productivity level of the British Airways , it is
necessary for the company is to improve the performance based payment system so
that all the staff members can improve their productivity.
 British Airways need to provide continuous feedback to their workforce so that they
can effectively improve their performance level as compared to the previous
performance.
 British Airways should provide job security to their employees & also provide healthy
environment so that they can work properly.
 Company can utilize high quality of resources so that company all the staff members
can effectively work to boost the motivation level of the firm (Tooranloo, Azadi and
Sayyahpoor, 2017).
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 British Airways need to focus on their services & do some modification as per the
pandemic & Brexit so that company can provide high standard services to maintain
the hygiene level so that employees can feel safe.
 Company need to focus on learning & development of their staff members so that all
the employees can present their point of views & use specific activities for their self
learning so that they can provide their participation in decision making.
 British Airways need to focus on there organizational structure and try to adopt most
convenient structure according to their operations so that all the task can be done in an
effective manner.
 Company should pay more attention on their research and development department so
that it can make easy for the company to identify the current leads and demand of
their potential customers which can aid in improve the organizational performance.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of this project it can be concluded that HRM become the prime requirement
of the business and it can give lots of benefits to the company so that company can
effectively improve their market position. This project discuss about various HRM strategies
& also analyze the concept of strategic HRM which can essential in order to maintain the
future requirements & attain long-term sustainability. This project also evaluated the effect
of environmental factor on the working culture & Human resources plan. This project
evaluated for types of job design strategies and it is determined that all these strategies like
job enlargement, job enrichment, job rotation are beneficial for the development of the firm.
Lastly, this project analysed the hiring & firing strategies so that company can appoint top
talent and fire weak employee in their organization.
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Online
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https://www.digitalhrtech.com/job-design/
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Through < https://www.deputy.com/blog/7-steps-to-strategic-human-resource-
management/>
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