Analyzing Human Resource Management at Walmart: Best Fit Approach

This report examines the human resource management (HRM) practices of Walmart, focusing on the concept of HRM and its significance in managing employees within an organization. The report explores Walmart's HRM approaches, including recruitment, training, and performance appraisals, highlighting their role in enhancing overall company performance. The analysis emphasizes the 'best fit' approach, where HRM strategies align with the company's overall strategy to achieve competitive advantages. The report discusses Walmart's focus on recruitment to select the best candidates, training to adjust employee behavior, and employee benefits as integral parts of their HRM strategy. Additionally, the report considers the limitations of the best-fit approach and suggests the use of a balance scorecard to evaluate and manage performance effectively. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of human resource planning in driving company activities and achieving market share growth, with strategic management tools like the balance scorecard playing a crucial role in assessing actual performance and ensuring success.

Running head: Human resource management
Human resource management

Human resource management
Concept of HRM
Human resource management is a concept which is considered to elaborate the formal
systems related to the management of people within an organization. The main responsibility of
the manager of human resource is to focus on staffing, employee compensation and benefits and
also in designing work. It is a process which helps in managing the employees of the
organization. Human resource management is important in recruitment and training, performance
appraisals also help to maintain conflict in the company. HRM also focuses on maintaining
proper work environment so that people can conduct the activities smoothly (Armstrong and
Taylor, 2014).
Introduction of Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart is considered as an American public corporation that has a large chain of
departmental stores and also a chain of warehouse stores. Headquarter of the company is in
Bentonville. It is the biggest majority private employer and also the biggest retailer of grocery in
the United States. The company also has the retail warehouse named as Sam's club which is
situated in North America. It can be analyzed that the company has more than 8500 stores in 15
countries with more than 55 various names. The company was established by Sam Walton in
1962. The company also conducts the activities under the name of its own which is Puerto Rico.
The activities of the company are conducted in Mexico with the name of Walmex and also in
China and United Kingdom.
It is seen that human resource practices help to enhance the overall performance of the
company by taking into consideration various practices like training and recruitment. For
example: if company select appropriate candidate then it can be easy for them to enhance the
performance in an effective manner. There are various HRM approaches that are taken into
consideration by the company are recruitment, performance appraisals and human resource
planning (Jackson, Schuler and Jiang, 2014). The company has a great role in conducting the
activities of the company. The retail service provides products in such a way that is convenient
and good for the shoppers.
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Human resource management
In this paper, the discussion will be made on one of the HRM approaches which are
human resource planning. This approach is best for the company as it helps them to enhance the
market share and also growth in the market. It is seen that if the best approach is not considered
by the company then it can give negative impact on the social factor by giving emphasis on the
mindset of the customers (Cascio, 2018).
Best fit approach of Wal-Mart
Best fit approach is considered so that optimal vertical fit can be achieved with the
corporate strategy so that competitive strategy can be achieved. It helps to enhance the
employee’s productivity. It is seen that Wal-Mart considers various approaches like proper
recruitment, training process and also many other that will be discussed below.
It is seen that by giving focus on the recruitment process the company try to select the
best candidates who are eligible for the job post. It is one of the best approaches considered by
the company as it helps to reject the unqualified candidates and company can recruit capable
candidates. Also the company has given emphasis on reducing the cost by focusing on hiring
large number of the employees (Marchington et al., 2016).
Also in the training context the company considers its employees as an associate and
boosts the employees to perform better so that goals and objectives can be enhanced. It also
gives positive impact on the values of an individual (Porter and Kramer, 2019). By giving
emphasis on training it is seen that the company tries to adjust the behavior of the employees and
also the competencies. Through this the employees work according to the strategy of the
company and also lower the overall cost. Also if focus is given on the labor relation it is seen that
the company is doing good to show the contingency model of the bets fitness activities (Storey,
2014).
Also the company has a good anti-union policy which helps them to sustain in the
competitive environment. Wal- mart also gives emphasis on the employee benefit and safety
perspective which is best HR policies in the corporate level strategy. In the company the
employees are eligible for the advantages as health insurance. The company tries to give proper
health care access but the high level management gives emphasis on just implementing the low
cost strategy (Bratton and Gold, 2017).
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Human resource management
It is also seen that human resource planning is stratified by considering the programs and
solutions. For instance: it is seen that human resource planning is considered by the top
management of the corporate human resource department. Wal-Mart is considered as a large
company and there are many stores who have one manager under many subordinates. They
translate the overall human resource plan from the corporate human resource department. It is
analyzed that to evaluate the surplus and shortage of the workers the company take into
consideration information system that help to determine the demand for the human resources. It
is seen that human resource management plays a great role to enhance the overall performance of
the company ( Purce, 2014).
So, in the above statement the focus is given on the HR approaches by considering the
Best fir model but it is seen that best fit approach has some limitations also. These approaches
are not effective all the time as it can give negative impact at the time of implementing the
change. When the changes are made in the company then it is seen that best fit approach is not
useful so the company should give focus on balance score card so that proper evaluation can be
made of the performance. If productivity of the employees enhances then it can be easy to
accomplish goals and objectives of the organization in an effective manner.
Conclusion
By focusing on this paper it is concluded that human resource planning plays a great role
in conducting the activities of the company. One of the best approaches is human resource
planning which will help the company to enhance the market share. The management can also
check the performance by taking into consideration balance scorecard. Balance scorecard helps
to evaluate the performance and manage it in semi-structured approach so that growth can be
achieved by the company in a proper manner. This strategy management tool helps to analyze
the actual performance. So, this should be considered by the management so that success can be
achieved.
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Human resource management
References
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
Cascio, W., 2018. Managing human resources. McGraw-Hill Education.
Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S. and Jiang, K., 2014. An aspirational framework for strategic human
resource management. The Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), pp.1-56.
Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., Donnelly, R. and Kynighou, A., 2016. Human resource
management at work. Kogan Page Publishers.
Porter, M.E. and Kramer, M.R., 2019. Creating shared value. In Managing Sustainable
Business (pp. 327-350). Springer, Dordrecht.
Purce, J., 2014. The impact of corporate strategy on human resource management. New
Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals), 67.
Storey, J., 2014. New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals).
Routledge.
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