What is HRD? Discuss the characteristics and concept of HRD.

Human Resource Development is the part of human resource

management that specifically deals with training and development of the
employees in the organization.
Human resource development includes training a person after he or she is
first hired, providing opportunities to learn new skills, distributing resources
that are beneficial for the employee's tasks, and any other developmental
activities.

HRD concept was first introduced by Leonard Nadler in 1969 in a

conference in US. “He defined HRD as those learning experience which are
organized, for a specific time, and designed to bring about the possibility of
behavioral change”.

Human Resource Development (HRD) is the framework for helping

employees develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and
abilities. Human Resource Development includes such opportunities as
employee training, employee career development, performance
management and development, coaching, mentoring, succession planning,
key employee identification, tuition assistance, and organization
development.

The focus of all aspects of Human Resource Development is on developing

the most superior workforce so that the organization and individual
employees can accomplish their work goals in service to customers.
Human Resource Development can be formal such as in classroom training,
a college course, or an organizational planned change effort. Or, Human
Resource Development can be informal as in employee coaching by a
manager. Healthy organizations believe in Human Resource Development
and cover all of these bases.

CHARACTERISTICS OF HRD:

The Characteristics of Human Resources...

Expertise

The ability to manage HR functions is partly based on a generalist's

knowledge of HR disciplines: compensation and benefits, safety and risk
management, employee relations, recruitment and selection, and training
and development. To supervise HR specialists in each of the disciplines, an
HR manager must have extensive knowledge of these areas. The HR
manager typically is the expert in both HR management and HR processes.

Communication

HR managers have strong communication skills regardless of the audience,

interacting effectively with a wide range of people, executives, staff,
suppliers, colleagues and applicants. To effect this, an HR manager must
have a way with words, regardless of the audience. Another, equally
important element of an HR manager's role is to listen, the most important
aspect of communication. Employees' comments about the workplace
should be given as much serious consideration and respect as the chief
executives' speeches about organizational strategy.

Compassion

Terminating employees is probably an HR manager's least favored task, but

she must balance professionalism with compassion to handle employee
terminations in the best possible way. An HR manager's empathy is also
welcomed by employees who share information about medical-related
issues requiring a leave of absence or need to discuss sensitive matters,
such as complaints about workplace harassment.

Integrity

HR managers count on their integrity to uphold equal employment

opportunity. Basic business principles such as fairness and equity are the
foundation for fair employment practices, and it takes clear understanding
of employment and labor law to support compliance with laws that regulate
the workplace. In addition, HR managers have access to employment data,
organizational strategy and the company's proprietary information, and
depend on their sense of integrity to maintain strict confidentiality.

Leadership

In addition to understanding human behavior, HR managers must exhibit

leadership skills. As managers of the department that recruits workers and
provides recommendations for hiring workers, they are able to lead other
department managers by example. For example, an HR manager who is
committed to training and development for the company's employees sets
an example and demonstrates to other department managers the value of
improving skills of existing employees. HR managers also lead by example
when they adhere to the organization's code of conduct in treating
employees with respect.

Concept of Human Resource Development (HRD)

Human resources development refers to an organization ’ s focus on

improving the knowledge, ability, skills, and other talents of their employees.
It is the integrated use of training, organization, and career development
efforts to improve individual, group, and organizational effectiveness.
Human Resources Development (HRD) as a theory is a framework for the
expansion of human capital within an organization through the
development of both the organization and the individual to achieve
performance improvement” or “HRD is a new systematic approach to
proactively deal with issues, related to individual employees and teams,
and organizations and a movement to develop organizational capability to
manage change and challenge”

The active resource of an organization is the human resource. Other

resources remain inactive unless there are competent people to utilize the
available resources for the production of goods and services. A human
brain has a limitless energy to think and act in a productive way. Hence,
competent and qualified human resource is a key factor of organizational
success. In this regard, the emergence of human resource development
(HRD) plays a vital role in enhancing the entrepreneurial skill of people.

Human Resource Development (HRD) is a process of developing skills,

competencies, knowledge, and attitudes of people in an organization. The
people become human resource only when they are competent to perform
organizational activities. Therefore, HRD ensures that the organization has
such competent human resource to achieve its desired goals and objectives.
HRD imparts the required knowledge and skill in them through an effective
arrangement of training and development programs. HRD is an integral part
of Human Resource Management (HRM) which is more concerned with
training and development, career planning and development and the
organization development. The organization has to understand the
dynamics of HR and attempt to cope with changing the situation in order to
deploy its HR effectively and efficiently. And HRD helps to reach this target.

Hence, HRD is a conscious and proactive approach applied by employers

which seek to capacitate employees through training and development to
give their maximum to the organization and to fully use their potential to
develop themselves.
2. Discuss the role and competencies needed in a HRD manager in
a manufacturing firm.

The human resource department plays a wide variety of different roles in

the success of an organization. To compete in an ever-changing world,
businesses must frequently realign themselves. Organizational
development is a way to improve a company through this change process.
When done effectively, organizational development focuses on the best use
of the company's employees.

Human Resource Development (HRD) is the framework for helping

employees develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and
abilities. Organizational development is a planned effort for a work group
and/or the organization, managed by leadership and supported by
employees, to increase organization effectiveness through planned change
in processes and systems. The focus of all aspects of Human Resource
Development is on developing the most superior workforce so that the
organization and individual employees can accomplish their work goals in
service to customers. Organizations have many opportunities for human
resources or employee development, both within and outside of the
workplace. Human Resources may set strategies and develop policies,
standards, systems, and processes that implement these strategies in a
whole range of areas. The following are typical of a wide range of
organizations:

 Recruitment, selection, and on-boarding (resourcing)

 Organizational design and development

 Business transformation and change management

 Performance, conduct and behaviour management

 Industrial and employee relations

 Human resources (workforce) analysis and workforce personnel data

management
  Compensation, rewards, and benefits management

 Training and development

The HRD function in the manufacturing industries is often concerned with

payroll, administrative work and mediating between the management and
the workers. Mostly, the manufacturing companies lean on the HRD
function in times of labor unrest and strikes. Manufacturing is the use of
machines, tools and labour to produce goods for use or sale. The term may
refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most
commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are
transformed into finished goods on a large scale.

GE as a global company with operations in more than 100 countries

believes in developing the talent of new employees with programs
designed to give in-depth experience and build skills that are crucial for
long-term success. Their heritage is built on continuous learning, which is
why they invest more than $1billion annually in training and education
offerings.

Tata Steel formerly known as TISCO and Tata Iron and Steel Company
Limited is the world's seventh largest steel company, with an annual crude
steel capacity of 31 million tonnes. It provides free medical services to all
employees and their family that continues after retirement too. Plus it
provides monetary incentives to employees who pursue higher education in
a related field along with study leave, scholarships, etc.

Recruitment difficulty: The large number of job positions to be filled pose

a challenge for the HR. What makes the task of filling many job positions
even further more complex is the need of specific skill set required by the
worker. Manufacturing industry who look for skilled workers, frequently
face shortage of people with the right skill set and abilities, hence forming
another hurdle for the HR.
Employee retention: An increase in turnover rate in manufacturing
industry is a common phenomenon as people often leave to explore new
and exciting opportunities. Other reasons for increase in turn overrate may
be due to no growth or development of the employee on both professional
and personal front, low pay package, lack of benefits or poor work
environment.

Global competition: As this increases, the task of making the company

attractive to top talent and innovators in this age of cut throat competition,
is a challenge important for the survival and growth of the company in the
industry.

Training and development: It is the sphere where HR has to operate to

its optimum. It is equally essential to provided adequate training to
employees, in order to keep them update with the latest developments in
the industry and prepare them better for the upcoming challenges.

Decline in workforce: Even though the sector seems to be growing, and

there is a perpetual demand for workers, there is a shortage of skilled
candidates as salaries in manufacturing is higher compared to the
combined salary averages across all other industries, but unfortunately it is
not acting as a magnetic factor in attracting new and better talent into the
industry.

As far as Human Resource Management is recognized as one of the most

important managerial aspects in the life of every company. HR in
manufacturing is much more rules-driven and consistent in applying those
rules. HR role provides leadership in designing of the organization growth. A
poorly designed organization is like a colander; in there we can pour top
level talent and hours of effort into it. A well-designed organization uses its
talent effectively and HR works on it so hard to build talent. Many small to
mid-size manufacturing companies have become increasingly aware of how
an effective human resource leader can contribute to the success of the
business’s bottom line. With the perpetual growth in the manufacturing
industry, the role of HR is bound to play an even more crucial and complex
role in the future. But with diligent care, HR can overcome each and every
hurdle and do what it does the best: Help the company achieve newer
heights.