Graduate School Report: Human Resource Frame in Wesfarmers Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Human Resource Frame within Wesfarmers, an Australian conglomerate. It begins with an introduction to the concept of the human resource frame and its significance in organizational performance. The report then offers an overview of Wesfarm...Read More

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE FRAME IN WESFARMERS
HUMAN RESOURCE FRAME IN WESFARMERS
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Organizational background..............................................................................................................2
Strengths and weaknesses of the Human Resources Frame in the organization.............................3
The strengths of the organization:...............................................................................................3
The weaknesses of the organization:...........................................................................................5
Assessment of the issues faced by the organization........................................................................6
Recommended activities that might be considered by Wesfarmers................................................8
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
Modifications in the organizational framework are ensured through the effective
performance of the employees. McGowan, Walsh and Stokes (2017) opined that most of the
changes in the organizational operations are dependent on the collaborative performance of the
employees. In this relation, the Human resource frame of an organization is dependent on the
effective identification of the psychological factors that empowers the operations of the
workforce while operating in orientation with the objectives of the venture. The psychological
integration of the management of an organization with the employees enhances the employee
satisfaction, retention and enhancement in the work performance (Albrecht et al. 2015).
However, the major limitation of the human resource frame related approach in an organization
is to convince the employees and induce change readiness for a disruptive process. In this
relation, the research would identify the Bolman and Deal’s human resource frame in the context
of Wesfarmers, Australia. The research will also undertake an assessment of the strengths and
weaknesses of the human resource frame in the context of the organization, identify the issues
and suggest recommended sets of actions.
Organizational background
The organization, Wesfarmers, is an Australian conglomerate which was founded in the
year 1914 and headquartered in Perth, Australia (Wesfarmers.com.au. 2019). The organization is
being noted as the largest private employer in Australia with a strength of around 220,000
employees (Wesfarmers.com.au. 2019). The different changes that in the HR policies and
application of best practices supported the organisation in putting up an efficient workplace
culture. The effective performance of the organizational workforce is reflected through the
improvements in the profit margins and the revenue streams of the same. The diverse range of

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product offering of the organization and the uninterrupted performance of the workforce along
with different technological infusions supported the venture in improving the market position of
the venture.
Strengths and weaknesses of the Human Resources Frame in the organization
The strengths of the organization:
 Collaboration: The openness and transparency of the communication process followed
by the business enhanced the line of operations. Wesfarmers emphasized more on
engagement of the employees in the different processes for the successful implementation
of the design. In this relation, the managers of the organization and the employees
collaborate with each other with the objective of improving the line of operations while
operating in the different markets (Jamali, El Dirani and Harwood 2015). The enhanced
line of collaboration among the employees and the management supported the venture in
improving the line of operations. On the other hand, the transparency of the
communication between the employees and the management supported the organization
in encouraging the active involvement of the stakeholders.
 Principles of the organization: The HR principles of the organization relating to “Know,
Grow, Include and Connect” would not only empower the operations of the workforce
but also encourage the same to get involved in the innovative processes that are planned
by the venture (Wesfarmers.com.au. 2019). The principles that are followed by the HR
management of the organization supported the skill development and engagement of the
employees in the innovation based processes.

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Figure 1: HR values of Wesfarmers
(Source: Wesfarmers.com.au. 2019)
 Performance assessment: The organization developed a plan of 360º performance
assessments with the objective of maintaining the efficiency of the operations in
orientation with the needs of the venture (Wesfarmers.com.au. 2019). The performance
assessment programs supported the organization in providing the employees with a career
development plan. In this relation, the assessment of the performance of the workforce
and thereby facilitating suitable career development plan enabled Wesfarmers in
empowering the employee satisfaction and retention while operating in the different
innovative projects of the venture.
 LMD programs: The concerned organization, Wesfarmers, developed a range of LMD
programs with the help of eminent leaders and management personnel. The development

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of the LMD programs supported the organization in influencing the leadership roles and
approaches that are undertaken by the management personnel in Wesfarmers
(Wesfarmers.com.au. 2019). The organizational LMD program does not only support in
succession planning initiatives but also enabled the venture in improving the managerial
operations in the venture.
Figure 2: HR operations of Wesfarmers
(Source: Wesfarmers.com.au. 2019)
The weaknesses of the organization:
 Lack of communication between the HR personnel and Operational heads: The lack of
efficient communication between the HR personnel and the operational heads of the

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organization affected the recruitment programs of Wesfarmers (Stone et al. 2015). The
lack of communication between the HR personnel and the operational managers would
also restrict the capability of efficient recruitment processes. The different changes in the
organizational processes are dependent on the recruitment of skilled employees in
orientation with the resource based needs in the different departments. In this relation,
the lack of efficient communication with the operational heads affected the HR
recruitment process of Wesfarmers which again affected the workforce operations.
 Lack of suitable diversity management: The organization has formulated policies for
improving the line of engagement of the employees in the different innovative processes.
However, the lack of efficient diversity management processes affected the line of
satisfaction of the workforce (Jabbour and de Sousa Jabbour 2016). In his relation, the
lack of efficient segregation of the workforce in departments based on the age and
cultural backgrounds of the employees affected the overall operations through ego
clashes and parity based reasons. The lack of efficient diversity management operations
affected the capability of the organization in retaining the usual workflow in adherence to
the needs of the venture (Guest 2017). The ageing workforce and the minimized potency
of the same to adapt to new technologies restricted the growth of the organization while
infusing modifications in the processes. The lack of suitable diversity management
related systems or policies resulted to workplace conflicts and interruptions in the work
process.
Assessment of the issues faced by the organization
The section will enumerate the different issues that are being encountered by the
organization, Wesfarmers, while adhering to the Human Resource Frame.

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 Ageing workforce: The ageing workforce of the organization, Wesfarmers, and the
different diversity related issues has affected the collaborative performance of the
different departments. The lack of collaborative performance of the different departments
due to the clashes in interests and parity related egoism affected the uninterrupted
performance of the business processes while operating in the different markets. The lack
of sufficient diversity management related operations of the venture resulted to the
minimization of the collaborated performance of the systems in orientation with the
needs of the venture. The different aspects of change in the organizational operations
would affect the line of operations while operating in the different departments. Stone
and Deadrick (2015) opined that the collaborative performance of the stakeholders
support an organization in ensuring the continuous innovativeness while maximizing the
productivity of the same. In this relation, the differences in the mental setup and diversity
of the people, coming from different generations, resulted to conflicts in the workplace.
On the other hand, the lack of sufficient consideration on parity for the senior employees
affected the line of operations of the venture. The organization aimed at empowering the
talented workforce which resulted to clash of interest of the senior employees. In this
relation, De Lange et al. (2015) opined that the appreciation of GenY without recognizing
the contributions made by GenX often affects the organizational operations. Wesfarmers
aimed at rewarding the most deserving candidate without considering points related to
parity which affected the interests of GenX. The fair HR practices heavily affected the
ageing workforce through lack of motivation and collaborative performance of the same
with the other departments in the workplace. It has affected the productivity of the
venture while operating in the different markets.

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 Lack of change readiness among the employees: The lack of change readiness among
the employees might affect the line of operation of the venture. Buzko et al. (2016)
opined that the change readiness among the employees supports an organization in
improving the innovativeness and thereby facilitate continuous change. However, the
lack of change readiness among the employees might affect the organizational planning
while implementing a change in the processes. In this relation, most of the employees of
Wesfarmers are reluctant to changes in the workplace or the processes. The lack of
collaboration and change readiness among the employees affected the needs of the
organization to facilitate modifications with the objective of improving the competitive
edge. It has been noted that most of the employees belonging to the GenX are reluctant to
learn new processes through the programs that are scheduled by the organization which
affected the line of productivity of the venture (Bircan and Gencler 2015). The different
aspects of change in the organizational operations would have supported the venture in
maintaining the efficiency of the operation in orientation with the needs of the
customers. However, the lack of collaboration from the side of the employees restricted
the capabilities of the organizations in improving the line of operations while competing
with the existing players in the markets.
Recommended activities that might be considered by Wesfarmers
The recommended sets of actions that might be initiated by Wesfarmers are:
 Developing rewards and recognition programs for GenX: The development of the
reward and recognition programs for GenX would support Wesfarmers in
acknowledging the contributions of the ageing workforce and their expertise in the
different aspects. On the other hand, the loyalty programs would support the

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organization in empowering the line of involvement of the ageing population of the
workforce. The different changes in the organizational operations is dependent on the
efficient performance of the systems in orientation with the needs of the venture. On the
other hand, the reward, recognition and loyalty based programs would support the
organization in empowering the collaborative performance of GenX with GenY while
mitigating the interest and ego based clashes between the same. The guiding principles
of the organization as per the human resource frame would be supported through the
collaborative performance of the different departments from the workforce. The key
changes in the organizational operations are dependent on the efficient performance of
the systems in orientation with the needs of the venture. On the other hand, the
organization might take steps to segregate the workforce into different departments while
creating a new department for people belonging to GenX. Arjomandy (2016) opined that
the segregation of the workforce into departments based on the age group of the people
supports an organization in improving the line of operations while reducing workplace
conflicts. In this relation, the segregation of the workforce into different departments
would be supporting Wesfarmers in reducing the line of conflict between the workforces
while maintaining the diversity of the same for maximizing the line of operations.
 Negotiating and consulting with the employees: The organization, Wesfarmers, might
take steps to negotiate and hold clarity of expressions in the communication process
while making the employees aware of any modification that is being planned by the
venture. Effective negotiation and communication with the employees and providing
suitable training and perks would support the organization in developing change
readiness among the employees. Shaukat, Ashraf and Ghafoor (2015) opined that the

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organizations develop he negotiation process with the objective of reflecting on the
mutual benefits that the business itself and the employees would gather from the change.
The identification of the mutual benefits and the positive effects of the change on the
career of the employees would support Wesfarmers in improving the line of involvement
of the employees in the change process. Negotiation and consultation with the employees
would support the organization in improving the line of operations. Therefore, the
leaders and the managers in Wesfarmers must play the efficient role of a counsellor
while negotiating with the employees and making the same aware of the needs of the
modification through appropriate negotiation skills.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above analysis it might be stated that the Human Resource Frame in
Wesfarmers is strong enough to drive a change due to their employee friendly work culture.
However, there are certain issues like the ageing workforce and lack of change readiness among
the employees which restricted the venture in undertaking dynamic changes in the process.
Therefore, the research enumerated a list of recommended action that might be considered by
Wesfarmers with the objective of ensuring the engagement of the employees while managing
diversity and change readiness among the employees for developing organizational processes.

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References
Albrecht, S.L., Bakker, A.B., Gruman, J.A., Macey, W.H. and Saks, A.M., 2015. Employee
engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An integrated
approach. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(1), pp.7-35.
Arjomandy, D., 2016. Social media integration in electronic human resource management:
Development of a social eHRM framework. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue
Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration, 33(2), pp.108-123.
Bircan, I. and Gencler, F., 2015. Analysis of innovation-based human resources for sustainable
development. Procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 195, pp.1348-1354.
Buzko, I., Dyachenko, Y., Petrova, M., Nenkov, N., Tuleninova, D. and Koeva, K., 2016.
Artificial Intelligence technologies in human resource development. Computer Modelling and
New Technologies, 20(2), pp.26-29.
De Lange, A.H., Kooij, D.T.A.M. and Van der Heijden, B.I.J.M., 2015. Human resource
management and sustainability at work across the lifespan: An integrative perspective. Facing
the challenges of a multi-age workforce: A use-inspired approach, pp.50-79.
Guest, D.E., 2017. Human resource management and employee well‐being: Towards a new
analytic framework. Human Resource Management Journal, 27(1), pp.22-38.
Jabbour, C.J.C. and de Sousa Jabbour, A.B.L., 2016. Green human resource management and
green supply chain management: Linking two emerging agendas. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 112, pp.1824-1833.

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Jamali, D.R., El Dirani, A.M. and Harwood, I.A., 2015. Exploring human resource management
roles in corporate social responsibility: the CSR‐HRM co‐creation model. Business Ethics: A
European Review, 24(2), pp.125-143.
McGowan, E., Walsh, C. and Stokes, E., 2017. Physiotherapy managers’ perceptions of their
leadership effectiveness: A multi-frame analysis. Physiotherapy, 103(3), pp.289-295.
Shaukat, H., Ashraf, N. and Ghafoor, S., 2015. Impact of human resource management practices
on employees performance. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research, 23(2), pp.329-338.
Stone, D.L. and Deadrick, D.L., 2015. Challenges and opportunities affecting the future of
human resource management. Human Resource Management Review, 25(2), pp.139-145.
Stone, D.L., Deadrick, D.L., Lukaszewski, K.M. and Johnson, R., 2015. The influence of
technology on the future of human resource management. Human Resource Management
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https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/ [Accessed 30 Jul. 2019].
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