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Siemens HR Planning & Development

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SIEMENS CASE:

"A 'high performance culture is a way of working and a set of values which encourage people so that they are engaged to achieve high results. A high performance culture exists when everyone in the organization shares part ownership of a company the same vision and where they trust and value each other's contribution."
- The Times (UK), 2009

The High Performance team or HPT as a concept first emerged in the Tavistock Institute of Great Britain in the 50's. American giants like General Electric, Hewlett-Packard & Boeing have adopted it subsequently to increase production & build efficient business models. This was achieved by reconsidering the organizational culture, adapting & shifting it to merge with the business goals of the organization as well as the social needs of the individuals. At its heart, an HPT is an organization where workers views and opinions become important as a source that influences the decisions and actions of the entire organization, where workers are actively communicated with especially when it comes to decisions that will affect them.

A high performance team is adaptive & at times difficult to build especially if those attempting to build them do not understand the social dynamics behind putting together a diversely talented pool of individuals with pronounced differences. A high performance team is borne out of a specific purpose. Each organization has specific goals and a unique culture. The organizational culture exhibited by Google for example is very different from the more formal & bureaucratic culture of the FBI.

The case of Siemens: Diversity, Global Culture

Siemens AG is a global electrical and electronics business with a turnover of nearly £60 billion. The company employs just under half a million people around the world. It is based in Munich, Germany (The Times, 2009). Siemens' business interest is varied & affects individuals & nations. Households for example brew their coffee and toast their bread using Siemens appliances powered by massive electrical generators made by Siemens where electricity is distributed via Siemens interests as well. Hospitals rely on precise Siemens medical equipment like the MRI machine to save lives. Siemens also has wind farms, IT manufacturing & back end services, trains & transport machinery, automation systems like airport baggage handling services & machinery, lighting & financial services as well as R&D. For such a global behemoth, creating a specialized concept of HPT's for its organizational culture is key to success. Siemens looks to its people as the most important part of the organization, their HPT concept is known as 'People Excellence' (The Times, 2009)-

"For Siemens, people, like its technology and innovation, are a source of competitive advantage. To make the most of this advantage, Siemens makes sure that its employees work on developing the company's heritage of innovation. Siemens believes that there are many ways to make people feel valued and engaged. These range from a pat on the back, a personal letter or a special mention in a meeting, to a promotion or a higher salary. "

"Targets for individuals are related to targets for the whole business. Everyone plays their part in achieving great results. Siemens states that 'our business success depends on the performance of each individual, our teams and the total organization'."

"A high performance team is one in which all members of the team work toward shared targets and have a sense of shared responsibility for the results the team achieves. As the team performance improves over time, the better the results."

The Siemens HPT Design
? Achieving a High performance culture
? Increasing the global talent pool (diversity)
? Strengthening expert careers (Constant retraining & specialization)
? Siemens' Leadership Excellence Program (SLE)

Siemens' human resource management approach is a fine example of creating culture specific HPTs. For Siemens, its people are what make its organization achieve. Here, high performing individuals happen because of a culture that nurtures and supports their talents to help them achieve not just work-related goals but their own personal ambitions. In this kind of environment, diversity is not a barrier. What is important is high performance and that each individual is motivated to perform well which in turn creates stunning team results creating an overall business success.

QUESTION 1: Business environment is changing everyday and bringing new challenges to the HR managers. What are the challenges faced by HR Managers at Siemens in the UK?

Q 2: Comment on how HR activities contribute to the success of organisation. Use any of the HRM Models to explain your answer.

Q 3: Describe Recruitment and Selection strategies that are suitable for the High Performance working environment at Siemens?

Q 4: Explain how HR Training and Development helps Siemens to develop High Performance culture.

Q 5: What role Performance Management plays in achieving higher performance at Siemens? Elaborate by using performance management stragies.

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The response addresses the queries posted in 1794 words with references.

// Before describing about the role of HR activities in Siemens a brief description of the company should be given. This will help in understanding the background of the company as well as will give you some knowledge about the company. After the introductory part the major challenges for the HR managers will be discussed in the paper. //

Introduction

Siemens has one of the largest engineering empires in Europe. Its headquarters are located in Berlin and Munich. The company employs approximately 480, 000 people in many countries, all over the world. The company deals in three main sectors that are industry, energy and healthcare. These sectors have their own sub- sectors, which form a significant part of the business. It is a company known for its quality, innovation, technical achievements, reliability and internationality (Siemens, 2009). The paper discusses about the 'Human Resource Management System' in Siemens. It will focus on the HR activities like recruitment, selection, performance management, training, and development.

// Above we have explained about the company, now this section will provide information about the various challenges that the HR managers at Siemens will face in UK. It will provide you sufficient knowledge about the growing challenges in the changing business world. //

Challenges for HR Managers at Siemens in the UK

Due to the changing business environment various challenges have crop up for the HR managers at Siemens. These challenges are as follows:

Talent Management: The competition in the world is increasing at a very fast pace and the employees need to face this competition with full strength. This strength can be provided by the organization in the form of talent management. The biggest challenge for the HR Managers is managing the talent of the personnel with the help of effective training and development programs.
Managing a Diverse Workforce: To manage a diverse workforce is also a great challenge for the HR Managers at Siemens. The cultural identity of all the employees should be respected. The intermingling of the people from various cultures should not lead to conflicts in the organization.
Maintaining a healthy working environment: The HR Managers should focus their full attention towards maintenance of a healthy and favorable working environment for the employees. This will improve their work satisfaction and will maintain a healthy workforce.
Motivational Approaches: The HR Managers should adopt a variety of different motivational approaches, as this is required for managing and retaining the present workforce. It will also help in attracting new employees to the organization. It will aid in enhancing the productivity of the employees at Siemens. The reward system to be made effective and attractive for the employees because this will increase the job satisfaction of the employees (The Challenges of ...

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