Human Resource Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Resource Management - Assignment Example Here was nirvana for organizational success- the magic formula one could replicate and make its own and hopefully rise to the top amid the competition. Thus the idea of high commitment HR theory and practice was born. We all know that quality is never an accident- it is almost always the result of painstaking and committed effort (Aquayo, 1991). We see this effort in Japan’s adoption of Edward Deming’s Total Quality Management principles, Motorola’s Six Sigma Manufacturing, Philip Crosby’s The Eternally Successful Organization and even Peter Senge’s The Learning Organization. Like any living creature with a body and soul, an organization too has strengths and weaknesses. The organization and its management must also continually learn from and adapt to changes in its internal and external environment, without which it would be hard to survive and prosper. This is what strategic management is all about. From a reading of the case, it is clear that the Container Store has been quite successful in creating and maintaining its niche market in the Storage and Organization retail segment of the home furnishing and house ware retail industry. From humble beginnings in 1978, the company managed to carve out and maintain an enviable position for itself as market leader in an expanding niche market. The Container Store management however realises that competition is fierce and to meet this challenge they have embarked on a high commitment HR strategy that treats the employee as a centre point for sales, work productivity and an attitude of service with a smile. As Vice President Sharon Tindell has observed, the company needs highly trained and committed people to sell its specialised products. Its niche is to sell the hard stuff. However, keeping staff motivated and satisfied is not without its challenges and as we shall see, the HR manager of the enterprise would be hard pressed to create a performance appraisal system that is adequate for its employees, yet equitable and justifiable so that it is appreciated by all. Mission and Guiding Principles of the Container Store As we can see, the foundations of success of the Container Store are very much ensconced in its mission and guiding principles. The mission of the Container Store is the words of its chairman Boone, ‘to better the lives of consumers by giving them more time and space.’ To this end, it has connected employee and customer satisfaction, for it believes that there is no better way to satisfy a customer than by putting him in contact with a highly satisfied, well trained and fully committed employee. The company is convinced that eminently satisfied employees display a service and work attitude that is enviable and that results in better sales, more customer satisfaction and a WOW experience every time. Furthermore, the hours of dedicated and specialised training that is invested in employees whether full time or part time also make one wan t to produce more sales and satisfaction for the company. In fact the company has consistently been rated as one of the best, if not the best, in customer service and employee satisfaction for a number of years running in the industry. The company has a stringent employee selection and recruitment process that consists of a telephonic interview, a group interview and