Human Resource Management Analysis for Kenneth Airlines

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the human resource management (HRM) practices at Kenneth Airlines, focusing on critical aspects such as diversity management and culture, international performance management, and training and development. It highlights the challenges Kenneth Airlines faces in a competitive and globalized airline industry, including cultural differences among employees, the need for effective international performance appraisal systems, and the importance of comprehensive training programs. The report examines these issues through the lens of various scholarly findings, offering insights into how Kenneth Airlines can address these challenges. Furthermore, the report provides recommendations for the airline to enhance its HRM strategies, improve employee adaptability, and maintain its competitive edge in the airline industry. The report stresses the importance of adapting to the dynamic nature of the airline industry and the need for HRM to support the company's strategic goals.

Surname Human Resource Management in Kenneth Airlines
Human Resource Management in Kenneth Airlines
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Surname Human Resource Management in Kenneth Airlines
Introduction
Kenneth Airlines understands the challenges companies experience in the Airline
industry regarding the human resource management. Previously, many Airlines faced
challenges when developing and implementing their strategic business plans as they
underestimated the significance of human resources (Kamau and Sanley 2015). The
companies rarely considered the role of human resources in executing their business
strategies successfully. Indisputably, the commercial airline has proved to be a safety-
sensitive, competitive, and high technology service sector. Employees, customers, and people
define the airline’s core competence (Tiwari 2013). Without a doubt, the implications seem to
affect the company’s operational activities, culture, strategy, and structure. Kenneth Airlines
has acknowledged that many companies function as divisionalized, top-down, and traditional
industrial model of governance and operations. This model is inappropriate because the
airline industry is a knowledge-based service market. The airlines require the inputs of HRM
expertise to enhance the learning-oriented workforce and develop a customer-centric
workforce that can adapt to the change imperatives and strategic goals experienced in the
industry.
The success of Kenneth Airlines depends on how it will address the aspects of
diversity management and culture, international performance management, training and
development (Geraint 2007). Based on the significance of these human resource management
factors, the paper provides the rationale depending on the findings of various scholars. At the
end of the report, the recommendations that Kenneth Airlines should consider to remain
competitive and success in the airline industry are identified.
Diversity Management and Culture
Cultural Challenges
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Workplace diversity encompasses differences between individuals in a firm. The
differences include ethnic group, personality, age, race, genders, organizational function,
cognitive style, background, and education (Elsaid 2012). It involves the perception of people
thus affecting their interactions. For employees to function efficiently, the HR professionals
have to handle the emerging issues like change, adaptability, and communication. Most
successful airlines have made immediate actions by spending resources on diversity
management (Geraint 2007). Since Kenneth Airlines operate in the international market, it
has experienced various challenges because it seems difficult to blend employees from other
cultural orientations. Patrick (2010) found that when workers from different cultures interact
regularly, the possibility of multiculturalism is evident. Kenneth Airlines never considered
the significance of helping its employees joining a new country to adjust to the new
environment. It is a common practice for the HR professionals to help the new employees to
adjust to the new communication patterns, leadership styles, and related practices thus fit in
the new country (Elsaid 2012). Like many multinational companies, fusion of culture is
critical to enhance productivity.
The employees of Kenneth Airlines are experiencing barriers to cultural adaptations.
For instance, the issue of parochialism has become evident among the employees (Tiwari
2013). This follows the different social system from their host nations. The new social system
has a direct impact on an individual’s response. When the company posted a worker to a new
country, the worker exhibited a different behaviour based on the citizen or country of origin.
It was evident that the posted employee never acknowledged the differences between the
cultures as explained by Bamber (2009). The impact of such behaviours is affecting the
organization beyond repair. The posted employee assumed the two cultures are similar, yet
they have proved distinct.
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Individualism is another problem that the company is experiencing with its
expatriates. Studies have found that some workforce is individualistic as they value their
personal welfare and needs (Nickson 2013). Kenneth Airlines has failed to address this is
problem. Ethnocentrism is also an issue that is affecting Kenneth Airlines. Most of the
airline’s employees find it difficult to adapt to another culture. The company operates in
China, India, and Europe. Dowling, Festing and Engle (2013) believe that some employees,
especially from Europe value their homeland conditions. They believe that their cultures are
superior to their Asian counterparts. Shen, Chanda, D’Netto and Monga (2009) affirmed that
the thinking of superior is natural but it undermines the human behaviour thus making it
difficult to maximize productivity in the local employees. The international workforces
should understand the local conditions by integrating the local and imported social systems
(Guest 2011). Kenneth Airlines HRM must take the lead in integrating the employees to
make them adaptable to the new cultural environment.
Cultural distance and cultural shock are also challenges that have affected the
operations of the organization (Patton 2015). The cultural distance has affected many
employees, especially from Europe. When these employees are deployed in China or Indian,
the cultural distance is significant because of judge conditions and ethnocentrism. Cultural
shock is an issue among the Kenneth Airlines employees. As an international airline
company, workers suffer cultural shock due to disorientation and insecurity in the new
country. Some of the employees lose confidence and face because they can never act
effectively. Barry and Nienhueser (2010) found that the company has even seen many of its
expatriates resign or feel isolated thus affect their performance. Scholars have identified
different reasons for such shock as language, unique current system, different management
philosophies, separation from family, alternative food and attitudes (Kumar, Johnson, and Lai
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2009). Some employees have also resisted change despite the changing cultural and social
workplace. This has completely affected the company’s performance.
Diversity Management
Diversity management is an important factor that Kenneth Airlines must consider.
The process involves planning, directing, and organizing the managerial attributes to develop
an organization irrespective of workforce diversity (Ozbilgin and Tatli 2008). Like in other
companies, Kenneth Airlines focuses on high productivity level. Managers of Kenneth
Airlines experience the productivity challenges because of its unique structure, strategies and
objectives as explained by Bamber (2009). The HR managers and professionals must invest
in workplace diversity thus address the challenges. The management has responsibility to
reduce differences in the multicultural workforce leading to high productivity.
Managing diversity involves managing workforce based on the interest of
stakeholders. This is an on-going process focuses on different capabilities and talents from a
diverse population. This ensures the management creates an inclusive and wholesome
environment thus maximize full potential (Ozbilgin and Tatli 2008). Kenneth Airlines must
ensure that multiculturalism benefits everyone. The management of the airline must consider
using the melting pot approach to address the workforce differences. It is evident that
employees can rarely abandon their preferences, lifestyles, beliefs, and values. The HR
professionals have to adapt management practices to help workers to adapt to a new work
styles. According to Sippola and Smale (2007), diversity management provides an
opportunity for employees to be effective in a supportive culture. The management of
Kenneth Airlines should continue to support workforce diversity by embracing diversity
initiatives. The company should recognize the dynamic workforce thus create maximize
productivity.
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Managing diversity is in conformity with the increasing workforce mobility (Kumar
et al. 2009). The need for expatriates and international careers has formed the foundation of
the Kenneth Airline’s success. The airline should use salad bowls approach in addressing
diversity. The approach ensures the employees retain their identity. Weber (2015) maintained
that multinational company plans to employee more expatriates to bolster its productivity.
Nevertheless, the management must handle the challenges regarding individual versus group.
The Kenneth Airlines management have to adapt the new HR programs to serve the diverse
employee groups. The airline company has an established corporate culture that is resistant to
change. With this culture, it proves difficult to change the corporate setting (Richard and
Johnson 2010). The airline has realized that diversity enhances effectiveness in the
organization by promoting creativity and innovation. In the home country, Kenneth Airlines
operates under teamwork culture. This has seen it embrace diverse workforce who interact
frequently for better services. The teamwork spirit has enhanced motivation and morale in the
company.
International Performance Management
International performance management has become an essential process companies
use to set goals as explained by Fee, Mcgrath-Champ, and Xiaohua (2011). Companies have
suffered greatly from failed international assignments. Kenneth Airlines need to emphasize
the significance of selecting appropriate workers for the international assignment. The firm
should conduct a detailed and consistent assessment regarding the performance of the
expatriate (Nickson 2007). The airline has to conduct an appraisal of its operations to make
the international successful. Unfortunately, Kenneth Airlines experienced challenges in
conducting performance management and appraisals (Kampkotter 2017). The issues of
concern revolved around the timing and criteria of performance bonuses, raises, and reviews.
The HR managers of the airline rarely considered the views of the employees in designing the
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performance management criteria as reported by Moshholder, Richardson, and Settoon
(2011). The managers never consulted the employees before placing them on international
duties.
International assignments are important to the organization and performance appraisal
should be conducted prudently compared to the domestic assignments. The company failed to
use different appraisal system for each expatriate employee. Maley and Kramar (2007)
maintained that many employees of Kenneth Airlines complained of poor appraisal systems.
For instance, the HR managers relied on methods used to appraise the domestic employees
(Kampkotter 2017). In fact, even modifying the methods with the expatriates would give
different outcome. The HR managers modified the domestic appraisal system by introducing
new variables like task personality, criteria, and environment factors (Hosseini, Shakhsian,
Moezzi and Khaksar 2011). The Kenneth Airlines HR department have to collaborate with
managers and supervisors of these expatriates to facilitate the development of the critical
professional profile based on the international assignment. Eaton (2017) believes that the HR
department of the organization failed to consider these needs for the expatriates before
departing. With the professional profiles, it is possible for the HR Department to outline the
expectations and productivity of the employees. As such, the airline could have realized
operational efficiency and profitability among its expatriates in the foreign market like China.
According to the studies, establishing performance criteria is never an easy work
(Yabs 2010). This is because of differences in equitable standards and international
environments. Shaw (2007) explains that performance appraisal criteria in service and
manufacturing industries should be designed based on the foreign subsidiary. The HR
department should establish the performance goals and criteria by considering the norms and
values of home office performance and local environment standards. The HR managers of
Kenneth Airlines, however, failed to consider the country profile and the foreign subsidiary
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environment when designing the performance appraisal system (Lewis and McKone 2013).
This has made the review of the performance difficult. The factors that the HR department
needed to have considered include communication, control, culture, language, labour
relations, politics, government, and economy.
These underlying factors are critical, especially in China and India, where Kenneth
Airlines operate and intends to expand its operations (Belobaba, Odoni and Barnhart 2016).
Without these factors, the performance of expatriates has become difficult to appraise.
Therefore, the HR managers needed to use the information to resolve the performance
appraisal challenges. Critical professional profiles for its expatriates can be clustered to
enhance the measurement of performance criteria for employees on international duties.
Training and Development
Training and development is an important function of human resource management
(Tharenou, Saks and Moore 2007). It improves the performance of individual employees and
teams in an organization. It is an educational process improves employee skills, behaviours,
and concepts thus enhance the performance of workers. Kenneth Airlines recognizes the
significance of remaining competitive in the airline industry. To this effect, it has opted to
invest in this HR function. Although the airline values this function, it has never provided
enough resources for human resource development that involves developing skills and
training employees for future roles. Soltani (2010) ascertained that the human resource
development activities entail tuition reimbursement programs, training teams, managers and
supervisors, and performance management. The human resources development activities also
include 360-degree reviews, harassment prevention training, customer training, and career
coaching.
In the wake of technology advancement, competition in the airline industry has
intensified and customer expectation increased. Athanasios (2012) argues that it is important
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for the firm to prepare its workers for new roles thus justifying the need for training workers.
Studies indicate that airline industry should continue to train and develop due to the high rate
of workforce replacement (Soltani 2010). The knowledge workers are swiftly replacing
industrial employees. Kenneth Airlines is slowly responding to the needs of the industry
given the dynamism. However, many employees have complained of the firm’s slow
adoption to this new development. The airline needs to understand that change is a factor that
is turning them obsolete thus, the need for training and development has become essential.
Loizos and Wirtz (2010) believed that technology is changing how airline business operates.
The company has to consider this factor to remain competitive. The airline has many
approaches to train and develop its workforces. For instance, the HR managers can consider
mentoring, simulation, apprenticeship, on-job training, systematic job transfers and rotations
(Soltani 2010). Web-based learning, programed self-instruction, instructor-led classroom
training, and role-playing can be used to train and develop workforce.
Conclusion and Recommendations or Solutions
Based on this study, it is evident that Kenneth Airlines experiences HRM challenges
in allowing its workforce achieve international assignments. With the company operating in
different countries, it has to address the emerging HR issues emanating from cultural
diversity. The employees have expressed concern and reservations in their workplace
environment. For instance, the issues arising from culture, international performance
management, and training and development require redress to avoid conflicts. The HR
Department has to play its role in advancing the needs of its expatriates. These challenges can
be addressed through diversity management.
Recommendations
Effective HRM will define the success of Kenneth Airlines in its pursuit to gain
competitive edge in the airline industry. The company must invest in diversity management
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initiatives. The HR managers must understand that training workforce is critical. Training
will make the workers job-specific and company-specific. Training and development will
enrich the employee’s career thus allow them to fulfil their personal needs. Kenneth Airlines
and its employees should engage in training depending on their agreements. The HR
department should avoid imposing training that is irrelevant to the workers. The firm’s HRM
should also consider an individual performance appraisal system when measuring the
productivity of its workforce. The appraisal process should encompass host environment,
task, compensation package, cultural adjustment, headquarters’ support, and performance
management system.
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