High-performance work systems have the best possible fit between their social system (people and how they interact) and technical systems (equipment and processes). Working together, these things provide an advantage in the competitive environment. Current trends in today’s high-performance work systems include reliance on knowledge workers (their main contribution to the organization is specialized knowledge), empowerment of employees to make decisions (giving them responsibility and authority), and use of team-work (the assignment of work to groups).
Select an organization you are familiar with or that you can find ample information about in citeable literature. Imagine that you run the Human Resources Department in this organization. Using sufficient detail and support from the literature, address the following:
- Begin the assignment by providing a summary of the organization. Discuss their industry, their mission, their goals, and their products/services. In the summary, be sure to provide details about their size, location, and management structure to set the stage for the main content.
Identify and clearly explain at least one specific strategy that Human Resources Management (HRM) could take advantage of for each of the trends noted above to achieve a high performance work system and in turn, a competitive advantage for the company. You should have ONE detailed strategy for each of the following trends that makes a clear connection showing the impact that HR can have in the development of high-performance work systems and competitive advantage:
- Reliance on knowledge workers
- Empowerment of employees to make decisions
- Use of team work
Clearly support all information and opinions by citing sources, in APA format