Leadership and HR Strategies at IBM: Performance and Culture

This report provides an in-depth analysis of IBM's leadership and human resource strategies, focusing on initiatives designed to enhance employee performance, cultivate a positive organizational culture, and improve employee management. The report begins with an overview of IBM's talent acquisition practices and performance-related initiatives, including salary structures, benefits, and performance appraisal techniques. It then delves into IBM's cultural initiatives, examining how the company leverages Schein's Culture Model to foster diversity and teamwork. The report also explores employee management initiatives, such as those aimed at employee inspiration, work schedule flexibility, and communication. Recommendations are provided for improving internal communication, organizational transparency, and innovation. The report concludes by summarizing the key HR management strategies employed by IBM and offering suggestions for future improvements. The report references various sources to support the analysis and recommendations provided.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Performance related initiatives...................................................................................................4
Employee management related initiatives.................................................................................7
Recommendation........................................................................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................10

Introduction:
IBM is also known as International Business Machines Corporation which is an American
Multinational company. The company is headquartered in Armonk, New York and has
operation over more than 170 countries of the world. The company IBM is engaged in the
production and sell of computer peripherals such as hardware, middleware and software. The
company also provides services such as hosting and consulting on the areas of mainframe
computers and Nano-technology (Computer Business Review 2019). IBM is one of the
largest employers in the world and the employees who forms the employment base of the
company are known as IBMers. This paper shall deal with how the organization is trying to
improve the performance of its workforce, improve the culture of the organization and
improve in the rates of engagement of employees within the activities of the organization.
Performance related initiatives:
Talent acquisition is one of the best practices of attracting and hiring employees out of the top
talents to meet the company’s need for efficient workforce. If this talent acquisition process
of the company is correctly done and used then the company can just not only fill its vacant
position but also find best candidates who are appropriate and suitable for the job in the
organization. IBM is the company that is improving its way of talent acquisition and has been
offering a comprehensive and integrated solution for recruiting the best candidates for the
company (McIlvaine 2018).
The IBM Company provides a good range of salaries for its employees which are standard
salary as per the market rates of the region or industry standard rates. The salary of the
employees changes as per the market rates. The company with a good package of salary also
provides incentives and other perks and allowances for its employees (McIlvaine 2018). The

IBM Company provides its employees with various benefits which not only covers the
employee as well as the family members of the employees.
IBM provides its employee with freedom to work on their allocated tasks and can take their
own call on the execution of the task. The supervisors of the tasks are asked to control and
monitor but do not interfere within the tasks of the employees (McIlvaine 2018).
The company has been making evolution into a new structure in the performance appraisal
techniques within the IBM. The Chairman and CEO of the company Ginni Rometty has said
that ‘never protect your past’ (Grewal 2018). By this the company has introduced its new
approach towards performance evaluation system which the company will be doing not at the
end of the year but all round the year.
IBM has been encouraging from the very beginning regarding team work. The culture of the
organization has been organized as team which has been making the company successful by
achieving the goals of the organization not as an individual but as team effort (Grewal 2018).
Culture related initiatives:
IBM follows the Schein’s Culture Model in the organization. As per the cultural model
introduced by Edgar Schein it has stated that there are three levels in the cultural model. The
first is the ‘Artefacts’ which deals with the characteristics of the organization which the
employees can easily view, hear and feel such as the dress code for the employees, interior
get up of the office and the standard of the office setup, behaviour of the employees and the
mission and vision of the organization. The second level is the ‘Values’, the values of the
employees defines the organization cultures of IBM (Coe 2017). The third Level of the
culture model of Schein is the ‘Assumed values’. The assumed values of the employees
cannot be measured but it makes a great change within the organizational culture.

IBM has a hierarchical organizational culture. The communication flows through hierarchy
level within the organization. The communication either flows horizontally or vertically
within the organization (Coe 2017). Therefore, the company has taken certain significant
initiatives to strengthen the cultural diversity of the organization which are as follows:
 The company has taken initiative to engage employees from all sections of the society
together to perform the activities within the organization which has been allocated to
them. Through this the IBM has ensured to strengthen the cultural diversity within the
organization.
 The organization also encourage women participation in the leadership programs of
the company so as to strengthen women empowerment within the organization.
 IBM also focuses togetherness within the organization to ensure team spirit. The
organization views that working in team will enhance the quality of performance and
will help the organization to achieve organizational goals and objectives. Team work
motivates and increases the efforts of the employees which positively affects the
organization. Therefore, IBM ensures that its employees irrespective of their cultural
background should work within a team towards the achievement of the organizational
goals.
Employee management related initiatives
There might be some employees who are self-motivated and ambitious and take initiative in
the workplace. However, there might be employees who fear to take initiatives in the
workplace thinking that he might over step boundaries within the organization. IBM has
taken initiative for the employee who fears to take initiatives on their own and has introduced
various methods through which employees are being engaged in the activities of the
organization instead of discouraging them.

Keeping the employees inspire: By an research within the organization, IBM has found that
the causes of employee burnout is the overload of work and this leads to incompleteness of
work, frequent overtimes and no innovative approach towards the work (ZILLMAN 2016).
The organization has introduced various perks and allowances which inspires the employees
and allows the employees to focus on the task they are passionate about.
IBM supports flexibility in work schedule: The Company allows its employees for flexibility
in work schedules (Rath 2017). The IBM has introduced various gaming sessions and fun
days for the employees within their work schedule so as to provide employees a fun filled
environment within the workplace and work culture which motivates the employees in giving
more effort towards their work.
IBM listens, responds and adapts: the management of the company communicates with its
employees every week to get to know regarding the achievements or the challenges the
employees regularly face during the work (Rath 2017). The management goes through the
suggestions put forth by the employees and by going through the suggestion it adapts the
most suitable suggestion for its employees.
IBM has introduced several executive programs for its employees so that they can enhance
their knowledge and skills with the changes in the technology and the working culture within
the organization. IBM wants its employees to be dynamic so that they can adapt to any kind
of changes in the internal as well as external environment of the organization.
Recommendation
Therefore, the recommendation as per the HR strategies that has been implemented by IBM
through various initiates is as follows:
 Recommendation for Performance related initiatives:

IBM has taken performance related initiative through various manners but the organization
should focus on its communication system within the organization. Internal communication is
essential part in increasing the level of performance for its employees. Effective internal
communication mechanism can motivate its workforce by providing right communication at
right time to right employees (Albrecht et al., 2015). IBM should introduce effective
communication system which will show the exact position of the organizational goals and
achievements before the employees and will inspire the employees to increase their efforts to
achieve organizational goals. Effective internal communication will help in delegation of
duties and tasks to the employees and the employees can have proper knowledge regarding
the tasks they have entrusted within. Therefore, through the effective communication, IBM
can ensure effectiveness and efficiency in the performance of its employees.
Recommendation for Culture related initiatives:
IBM should have transparency of its organizational goals and achievements before its
workforce. Transparency within the organization not only has a positive impact on the
workforce of the organization it makes the employees feel secured and motivated. It inspires
the employees towards the achievements of the organizational goals (Rosemann & vom
Brocke, 2015).
 Recommendation for Employee management related initiatives:
IBM should take initiative not only on the performance of the employees as per the allocated
tasks but also the employees who have employed various innovative processes to successfully
complete the tasks allocate d to them (Berman et al., 2019). This inspires the employees in
innovation and creates an innovative workforce within the organization. IBM should also
clearly communicate the goals and objectives of the organization so that the employees are
aware of organizational and shall focus towards achieving the targeted goals.

Conclusion
Therefore, in this concluding statement it can be stated that HR management of IBM follows
a much organised policy in terms of managing the human workforce in the entity. Three key
considerations regarding the management of employees has been stated in the given report
which particularly states the steps taken by the management in terms of increasing the job
satisfaction of the employees and reducing the staff turnover. Beside this, there are certain
draw backs in this strategy which has been identified in the conclusive statement and
necessary suggestions have been provided in this respect.

References:
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