Introduction
In the fluctuating landscape of international business, the interface of Human Resource Management (HRM) goals and organizational strategy acts as an axis around which the global triumph of the companies hinges. To shed light on this complex relationship, this essay will analyze three diverse articles from varied peer-reviewed academic journals/magazines, all within the past five years. Every article provides insights into the subtleties of strategic HR in an international business context, illuminating every primary assertion made by authors with respect to HRM objectives and organizational strategy.
Body
Article 1: ” Global talent management and performance in multinational enterprises” (Journal of Management, 2019).
This first article showcases how global talent management has become part and parcel of the 21st century. The author points out that in an era of increasing globalization, organizations must adopt a strategic approach regarding HRM to attract the best candidates not only from their nations but also across borders to allure and retain them. Thus, the article contends that a single HR strategy is needed, which remains conducive to the general organizational goals so that there can be a consolidated approach toward talent management all over the world (Collings et al., 2019).
The author believes that multinational corporations (MNCs) that successfully make HRM integral to their international business strategy can gain a competitive advantage in increasing the development and deviation of skills and ideas. Standardized training and leadership development through cross-cultural training have been regarded as global HR practices and are considered significant tools for achievement of the organizational objectives on a global periphery (Collings et al., 2019). In alignment with the perspectives of the author, companies like IBM have presented the best global practices in HRM. IBM’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, coupled with the program of globally consistent talent development, exemplifies HRM goal integration with organizational strategy. It concurs that strategic HR is one of the powerful drivers of success in international business.
Article 2: ” Cross-cultural management research: Topics, paradigms, and methods” (International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management, 2022)
The second article is an overview of the challenges as well as opportunities in strategic human resource management in cross-cultural contexts. The author focused on addressing the concern to support his arguments towards the fact that HR strategies should be tailored to the cultural differences across geographical regions to facilitate effective support from this division within international business. The article suggests that adopting of one-size-fits-all strategy in HRM may not be appropriate for multinational companies functioning in diverse cultural environments. What needs to be brought into practice is a culturally sensitive HR strategy embedded with the strength to integrate and honor indigenous traditions (Barmeyer et al., 2019). The author further adds that even cultural differences in HR practices, if well understood and taken care of, can go a long way to promote employee engagement, satisfaction, as well as overall organizational performance.
In contrast to the universal HR approach, companies like Unilever which have performed better because of region-specific HR practices. Unilever’s commitment to adjusting HR policies was a key contributor to accommodating cultural diversity within its workforce to make it succeed on a global scale. This helped strengthen the argument that strategic HR in international business has to be softer and adaptable keeping into consideration the variations that exist in the culture of different nations.
Article 3: “The role of HRM practices in product development: Contextual ambidexterity in a US MNC’s subsidiary in India” (The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2021)
The third article discusses the strategic role of HR which intends to provide a foundation based on research regarding core HR practices or principles from the perspective of product development. Here, the author shows the strategic position of HR functions in helping organizations and products to grow by assisting them to move into new international markets without any hassle. Proper planning of HR and effective acquisition along with the development of talents is important for coping with the complexities of the different business environments worldwide (Malik et al., 2019).
The article recommends that HR professionals should be involved in the early process of product development, gaining insight into the wider business strategy. Furthermore, based on the article, it is possible to state that forming a global mindset among employees can be viewed as significant in reaching the competitive performance and success of the firms in the global markets (Malik et al., 2019). Microsoft is an example of a successful expansion of business worldwide. The author views the practices of much pre-entry cultural training to its expatriates and having a bias toward local talent in the new markets by the company’s HR as justified. Indeed, the organizational success of Microsoft could partially be attributed to the strategic incorporation of HR in the process of product development.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the selected articles collectively point out the critical role of strategic HR in international business. Whether to support new business expansion to foreign markets through global talent management, or in the form of culturally sensitive HR practices, integration of the Human Resource Management goals with organizational strategies is important for organizational competitive advantage. IBM, Unilever, and Microsoft are real-life examples that depict best global practices which are in unison with the arguments put across in literature. Strategic HR needs to be embraced not as a theoretical imperative but as an absolute practical necessity for organizations intending to survive in the perilous landscape of international business.
Reference
Barmeyer, C., Bausch, M., & Moncayo, D. (2019). Cross-cultural management research: Topics, paradigms, and methods—A journal-based longitudinal analysis between 2001 and 2018. International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management, 19(2), 218-244. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1470595819859603
Collings, D. G., Mellahi, K., & Cascio, W. F. (2019). Global talent management and performance in multinational enterprises: A multilevel perspective. Journal of Management, 45(2), 540-566. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0149206318757018
Malik, A., Pereira, V., & Tarba, S. (2019). The role of HRM practices in product development: Contextual ambidexterity in a US MNC’s subsidiary in India. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(4), 536-564. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09585192.2017.1325388
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