HR Functions: Staffing, Delegation, and Organization

Posted on Mar 12, 2025 in International Business Economics

Staffing and Related HR Functions

Staffing and related HR functions include several key concepts:

  • Definition: The process of filling positions in an organization.
  • Empowerment: Giving employees the authority and responsibility to make decisions.
  • Delegation: Assigning responsibility and authority to complete a specific task.
  • Decentralization: Dispersing decision-making authority throughout the organization.
  • Recentralization: Centralizing authority back to top management.
  • Effective Organizing: Structuring an organization to achieve its objectives.
  • Culture-Responsive Organizations: Adapting organizational culture to be inclusive and responsive.
  • Global and Entrepreneurial Organizing: Structuring organizations for global operations and fostering innovation.

Additional considerations:

  • Manager Inventory Chart: A tool to track managerial skills and readiness.
  • Matching Person with the Job: Aligning employee skills and characteristics with job requirements.
  • System Approach to Selection: Using a structured process for hiring.
  • Job Design: Defining the tasks and responsibilities of a job.
  • Skills and Personal Characteristics Needed in Managers: Identifying the qualities required for managerial roles.
  • Selection Process, Techniques, and Instruments: Methods and tools used for hiring.

Delegation

Delegation involves assigning responsibility and authority to someone to complete a clearly defined task, while retaining ultimate responsibility for its success. It incorporates empowering teammates through effective leadership and is an essential technique for the management process.

Principles/Steps for Delegating Work

  1. Select the right person.
  2. Clearly specify your preferred results.
  3. Delegate responsibility and authority.
  4. Maintain open lines of communication.
  5. Ask the person to summarize back to you and provide feedback.
  6. Evaluate and reward performance.

Decentralization

Decentralization is the tendency to disperse decision-making authority in an organized structure. It is the end result of delegation. Some decentralization exists in all organizations, but absolute decentralization is not possible.

Advantages of Decentralization

  1. Relieves top management of some decision-making burden.
  2. Encourages assumption of authority and responsibility.
  3. Makes comparison of performance of different organizational units possible.
  4. Facilitates adaptation to a fast-changing environment.

Disadvantages of Decentralization

  1. Makes it more difficult to have a uniform policy.
  2. Increases complexity of coordination and control (from upper levels).
  3. Involves considerable expenses for training managers.

Recentralization

Recentralization is the centralization of authority, where top management may reclaim power or authority from lower-level managers. This is not a complete reversal of decentralization, as the authority delegated is not fully withdrawn. Example: President’s ruling of a state in India.

Effective Organizing

There is no one best way in organizing; it depends on the specific situation. Avoiding mistakes in organizing requires planning.

Avoiding Mistakes by Planning

  • Establish objectives and plans to determine future personnel needs and required training programs.
  • Increase organizational flexibility. Enterprises that have been in operation for many years may become too rigid to adapt to a changing environment and meet new contingencies. Avoiding inflexibility through reorganization.
  • Changing managerial positions/organization structures.
  • Making staff work effectively through proper communication and accurate job descriptions.
  • Understanding authority relationships and policies.
  • Well-written organization manual.
  • Resolving personal clashes/conflicts.

Culture-Responsive Organization

Company slogans often give a general idea of what a company stands for. For example, General Electric: “Progress is our most important product,” and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: “The reliable airline.”

Top managers and leaders create the climate for the enterprise. They must understand the current culture and drive it to the expected new culture. Changing a culture may take a long time, even five to ten years. Leading companies are now restructuring for greater adaptability through increased iteration speed.