Wal-Mart's Human Resource Management: Strategies and Issues Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of human resource management (HRM) practices at Walmart, focusing on its organizational structure, strategies, and the challenges it faces. It explores the functions of HRM, including recruitment, selection, performance management, and training and development, and highlights their importance in achieving Walmart's objectives. The report examines issues such as employee retention, unhealthy employee relationships, and performance management, while also discussing the role of the HR manager in shaping organizational culture and linking HR strategies to the overall business strategy. A critical analysis is provided, evaluating Walmart's approach to HRM, staffing strategies, and the impact of hiring decisions on the company's success. The report concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings and provides insights into how Walmart can improve its HRM practices for future success.

Management of Human
Resources

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Human resource management and its function............................................................................3
Importance of HR management in Wal- Mart.............................................................................4
Organisational structure...............................................................................................................4
Issue faced by HR manager while handling diverse individuals.................................................5
Role of HR manager in management of organisational culture..................................................6
Link between HR and organisation strategy................................................................................6
Critical Analysis..........................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11
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INTRODUCTION
Human resource management plays an important role in managing diverse individual
within organisation so that company can achieve its objectives. It is responsible for planning,
recruitment and selection of employees at right place so that task can be completed in best
possible manner. Wal-mart is enterprise that has operation in Nigeria and other 12 African
countries of world with varieties of products and services to meet customers’ requirements. This
report has discussed about several steps that have been taken by HR manager of Wal-Mart to
align its human resources with company objectives. It has also covered information related to
importance of HRM within organisation, key issue that are faced by HR manager and strategies
that are used by it to cope up with situation for growth and success of enterprise.
Human resource management and its function
Human resources manager not only responsible for hiring, selecting and recruiting right
individual at right place but it also planned for growth and development of their skills so that
they can perform task in best possible way (Cappelli, Tambe and Yakubovich, 2020). There are
several function which have been performed by HR manager of Walmart that are discussed
below:
Recruitment and selection: It is one of the most basic functions of HR manager in Wal-Mart as
it recruits and select appropriate candidate for specific job. It planned various techniques,
method that can be used to attract employees to apply for particular position in firm. At the same
time decide various processes that need to be added in selection process so that best candidate
can be chosen form large pool.
Performance management: Another function performed by HR manger of Wal-Mart is
management of performance of large number of individual that are working in enterprise.
Manager continuously evaluates and monitors performance of employees in order find individual
that are active and lazy so that best method can be used to motivate them to work hard for
benefits of organisation.
Training and development: Wal-Mart HR manager is also responsible for organising, planning
training and development programs so that employees can learn new skills and knowledge to
perform task (Tabouli, Habtoor and Nashief, 2016). Therefore all such program has contributed
in developing confidence level among employees to perform task in best possible manner.
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Importance of HR management in Wal- Mart
Human resources management is crucial in organisation as it handle most important
resources of firm that is Human which have ever changing nature. HR manager of Wal-Mart
have effectively understand feeling, views, ideas and belief of diverse individual that have
contributed in better management and achievements of objectives. Therefore, importance of HR
management in walmart organisation can be explained below:
It helps in increasing profitability: HR manager of Wal- mart also find new and innovative
method to motivate diverse individuals so that they can enhance their performance and
productivity. Various motivational method being used by manager such as reward, promotion,
appraisal and bonus that have influenced employees to give their best so that company can attain
competitive advantages (Zhang, 2019).
Employees easily adapt to change: It can be stated that Human resource management is also
important in wal-mart as it helps employees to quickly accept external changes of business
environment. Training and development program, motivation techniques have helped in updating
skills of employees thus enhanced their confidence to complete task in effective manner.
Helps in building strong brand image: Another importance of HR management is that it helps
in developing strong reputation or image in retail sectors. Employees of Wal-Mart are high
determined and dedicated towards their task and make extra efforts to deliver qualitative services
to customers that have helped in retention of market share of firm.
Conflict management: HR manager of Wal- Mart also manage various conflicts that arise in
enterprise so that each individual can put its best efforts for achievements of goals. Employees
are free to share their grievance and problem to HR manager thus they can find best way which
can be used to resolve conflict and coordinate employees to work as team for common goals
(Bailey and et.al., 2018).
Organisational structure
Organisational structure helps employees to know about their respective task, duties and
responsibilities within firm so that overall objectives can be achieved. HR manager of Wal- Mart
is responsible for defining structure and system that need to be followed by employees while
performing their task.
Hierarchy organisation structure: It can be stated that Wal-mart has hierarchy functional
organisational structure that have helped in better coordination and cooperation of employees in
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the firm (Michael, 2019). Such as vertical line of authority and command is followed in
hierarchy organisational structure which means each individual have superior.
Function organisation structure: HR manager have also used functional organisational
structure which means there is separate department for each function such as production, finance
and marketing. Therefore policies and procedure are formulated at corporate headquarter of firm
that are passed to various regional manager for smooth operations of business.
Figure 1 Organisational structure of Wal-Mart
Source: (WAL-MART… Organizational Structure, 2019)
Issue faced by HR manager while handling diverse individuals
There are various issue that are faced by Hr manager of Wal- Mart while performing its
task that have adversely impacted on growth and strategy of firm. Some of key issue that existing
within firm are discussed below:
Retention of high talented employees: One of the major issue poor challenged faced by HR
manager of Wal- Mart is that it is not able to retained highly talented, qualified and experienced
employees within organisation for longer period of time (Gawlik and Jacobsen, 2016). Most of
the employees leave organisation after some years that have resulted in high labour turnover and
increasing cost of recruitment of new employees for completion of task.
Unhealthy employee’s relationship: Another issue exist within organisation is unhealthy
relationship among different individuals. Most of time employees conflict among each other
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regarding task that need to be performed or any other issue that hinder smooth operation,
function of business. Poor communication, in appropriate guidance and direction has resulted in
reduction in productivity and performance of employees.
Performance management: HR manager is not able to effectively manage performance of
diverse employees as Wal-mart has operation in different parts of countries. Due to ineffective
management company sales volume and profitability has been affected therefore HR manager
needs to make efforts to enhance performance and productivity of individual for growth and
sustainability of firm in competitive market.
Role of HR manager in management of organisational culture
Organisation culture also play important role in motivating and inspiring employees to
improve their performance so that company can retained its market share. Wal-mart culture has
key components that have added value to retail sectors and effective delivery of services to
customers. HR manager have always emphasis on abiding to ethics, value and principle that is
equal respect, recognition and reward to employees for their hard work. HR manager has also
ensured that fairness, honesty and equality is promoted while taking any important decision for
benefits of firm. It is also paying attention to provide safe and secure environment to employees
thus it have inspired them to give their best for accomplishment of goals (Garg, Srivastav and
Gupta, 2018). At the same time it can be stated that HR manager by redefining task and
activities needed to be performed by each individual have reduces chances of conflict and
contradiction thus motivated them to work effectively. Employees are encouraged to share their
innovative idea, and creativity thus it has enhanced skills of other individuals and helps in
brining innovation within firm.
Link between HR and organisation strategy
Walmart objectives it to enhance customer’s satisfaction level in order to earn profit
margin for longer time frame so HR manager have recruited and retained employees that can
contributed in delivering best services to end users. Therefore, it can be stated that there is direct
link between Hr and organisational strategy of Wal-Mart. Like:
Strategy for management control: It can be stated that Wal-Mart HR manager main objectives
is to manage performance of diverse individual so that company can attained its goals in
effective way. It uses various methods to control performance of employees such as loss of pay
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as a punishment to employees that are lazy and in active thus helped in optimum utilisation of
their capabilities (Zhang, 2019).
Performance profit and efficiency: HR manager by enhancing performance of employees of
Walmart is able to increase satisfaction level of customers thus profitability of firm. Objectives
of HR of wal-mart is to make best utilisation of skills, knowledge and experienced of individuals
so that best services can be delivered to end users so that company can earn more profit and
market share in retail sector.
Changes in organisation: There are several changes in external environment that have positive
and negative impact on growth and strategy of firm. HR manager objective is to motivate
employees to adapt to numerous changes so that company can retain its positioning in retail
sectors (Cappelli, Tambe and Yakubovich, 2020). Therefore it finds different method which can
act as a motivator factors to inspired huge individual to take steps to adapt to changes so that
firm can take first mover advantages and enhances its market share.
Critical Analysis
Strategic planning is the process of determining the organization along term objectives and
establishment of the goals which are necessary to achieve. This process has greater level of
involvement of the depth analysis along with current anticipated conditions which may affect the
organizational ability to achieve its respective mission. Staffing strategies are entirely confused
with recruitment strategy as the later one is identified as a continuous process of managing and
competing with satisfied workforces. So, it has the major level of responsibility by defining the
right roles as the right times to meet the company goals.
Walmart have created the business strategy or full oriented plans for creating in
maximizing more levels of competitive advantage to accomplish the organization mission. In
order to successfully execute the strategy, Walmart needed to assign departmental strategy with
overall business strategy in the perfect manner.
In Walmart’s, as the company is looking to have the expansion strategy, there is the need
for the maximum level of employee to take over various responsibilities of the different areas
such as the finance and accounting, sales and marketing, operations, HR, information technology
and production. So it can be clearly stated as the HR function is more important than other
functions which involve the combined effect on different operations and extrusion of all other
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business functions. hence the HR in Walmart is having wide staffing responsibility recognizing
extension to the life cycle of employments.
On the other hand, it is important to note that the biggest waste of the organization's
success is in hiring the wrong employees. As Walmart is planning for expansion in different
areas, managers of the HR department are spending more time in monitoring and correcting the
performance of wrongly hired employees. The company can lose their recruitment power, on
boarding and training, development and investments.
The operation has the need to cover the lost productivity the employee is working for the
company and while HR is looking for their replacement. Essentially, when companies are hiring
wrong employees, then there is a need for shifting resources from moving forwards and making
sure that nothing goes wrong. Hence, it is the shift of binge proactiveness to reactivity by hurt
performance and the bottom line.
So the company is taking the various steps to solve the issues related to the high level of
employee turnover and lack of motivation in the employee. The company have also failed to
make proper identification of talent and performance management of employee which is creating
the revenue impact of the development of the Walmart’s increase in organizational barrier.
So, in the Walmart’s, the HR function are interrelating effects of the other function in the area of
Talent management
Employees are the element which bring difference in the organizations by just the creative and
innovative ideas for the company development. The company will be succeeding the strong
strategy development to sell products, providing better satisfaction to customers and planning for
the future development. it is necessary for the Walmart to make proper attention and
consideration of talents. This will provide motivation to the employees and positively impact in
creating thrive and survive in the marketplace. Hence the talents management will be bringing
out the higher level of potentiality along with being to invest in their professional development.
On the other hand, this can turn out to be expensive and longtime tasking processes which cost
most of the financial cost and resources. Employees of Wal-Mart are high determined and
dedicated towards their task and make extra efforts to deliver qualitative services to customers
that have helped in retention of market share of firm.
Performance management
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In the organization, there is the need to have specific and regular feedback to evaluate
performance on periodic or task basis. Organizations which have culture tend to have the proper
level of support there, the performance coaching realizing the 13 % stronger as the business
results. The performance management will be helping the employee with feedback in order to
succeed. This is critical management to employee performance allowing to become more
comfortable be assigned roles. On the other hand, it can be considered as time consuming
process along with being the part of discouragement. As the one employee gent the appraisal
will be turning out to be motiving for any other employee. On the other hand , in Walmart it is
believed by employee as there is difficultly to keep the biasness out from the performance
appraisal process.
Training and development
There is the keen importance for Walmart to align business strategy with two significant core
activities in learning and development. There is a need to show employees how the work actually
connects with the organization. In addition to that’s the development activities should prepare
employees for their upcoming future roles. Hence, this is helping out in increasing the
productivity with a surge in competition in the market, there’s more responsibility to perform
better than the rest. this is los helpful in tea building exercise by defining the role of individuals
in manner. On the other an tiw will also lead in building skills and increase in employee
satisfaction . Human resources play an important and significant role sainted bringing up the
talent and business strategy together holding of the unique positions will always leads to specific
discussion employees. Various motivational method being used by manager such as reward,
promotion, appraisal and bonus that have influenced employees to give their best so that
company can attain competitive advantages. Manager continuously evaluates and monitors
performance of employees in order find individual that are active and lazy so that best method
can be used to motivate them to work hard for benefits of organisation.
Employee retention and engagements
Employees are free to share their grievance and problem to HR manager thus they can find best
way which can be used to resolve conflict and coordinate employees to work as team for
common goals. HR manager have always emphasis on abiding to ethics, value and principle that
is equal respect, recognition and reward to employees for their hard work. Employees are
encouraged to share their innovative idea, and creativity thus it has enhanced skills of other
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individuals and helps in brining innovation within firm. there is need to make the best utilisation
of skills, knowledge and experienced of individuals so that best services can be delivered to end
users so that company can earn more profit and market share in retail sector. HR manager has
also ensured that fairness, honesty and equality as any important decision for benefits of firm. It
is paying attention to provide safe and secure environment to employees thus it has inspired them
to give their best for accomplishment of goals.
Employment and compliances
Therefore, the need for the proper alignments of the HR strategy with respect to the organization
business strategy is termed to be critical in achieving organizational mission and vision. It can be
clearly stated as the alignment is identified as proper connections and execution through
communications. The HR has to develop the proper understanding over business strategy along
with assessing the current trends and market demand. On the other hand, managers have termed
to identify, plan and implement HR strategy along with continuous measurement and evaluation
of results. Communication within the different HR departments along with clear of other
business functions is the key to accomplish the following steps.
CONCLUSION
from the above file, it can be stated as Training and development program, motivation techniques
have helped in updating skills of employees thus enhanced their confidence to complete task in
effective manner. Employees are free to share their grievance and problem to HR manager.
There have been the effective emphasis on abiding to ethics, value and principle that is equal
respect, recognition and reward to employees for their hard work. Staffing strategies are entirely
confused with recruitment strategy as the later one is identified as a continuous process of
managing and competing with satisfied workforces. The talents management will be bringing out
the higher level of potentiality along with being to invest in their professional development. On
the other hand, this can turn out to be expensive and long time tasking processes which cost most
of the financial cost and resources. It can be considered as time consuming process along with
being the part of discouragement. There is the keen importance for Walmart to align business
strategy with two significant core activities in learning and development
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Online
Books and Journals
Cappelli, P., Tambe, P. and Yakubovich, V., 2020. Can Data Science Change Human
Resources?. In The Future of Management in an AI World (pp. 93-115). Palgrave
Macmillan, Cham.
Tabouli, E. M., Habtoor, N. A. and Nashief, M., 2016. The impact of human resources
management on employee performance: organizational commitment mediator
variable. Asian Social Science, 12(9). p.176.
Zhang, H., 2019, March. Reflections on the Innovation of Human Resources Management in the
Era of Big Data. In 2018 8th International Conference on Education and Management
(ICEM 2018). Atlantis Press.
Bailey, C and et.al., 2018. Strategic human resource management. Oxford University Press.
Michael, A., 2019. A handbook of human resource management practice.
Gawlik, R. and Jacobsen, G., 2016. Work-life balance decision-making of norwegian students:
implications for human resources management. Entrepreneurial Business and
Economics Review, 4(4). p.153.
Garg, V., Srivastav, S. and Gupta, A., 2018, October. Application of artificial intelligence for
sustaining green human resource management. In 2018 International Conference on
Automation and Computational Engineering (ICACE) (pp. 113-116). IEEE.
Ghinea, V.M. and Moroianu, M., 2016. HR strategy–necessity or fad for business sustainability?.
Management & Marketing. Challenges for the Knowledge Society, 11(2), pp.458-469.
Nykyforenko, V and et.al.., 2019. Motivational monitoring as a component of effective human
resource (HR) strategy of company. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 18(2),
pp.1-6.
Viana, A., Galoyan, S. and Sanchez-Rey, M., HR & STRATEGY.
Trost, A., 2020. Building an HR Strategy. In Human Resources Strategies (pp. 25-51). Springer,
Cham.
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WAL-MART… Organizational Structure, 2019, [Online]. Available through:<
https://slideplayer.com/slide/10885907/ >.
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