Introduction
Xerox Corporation is one of the leading multinational organizations having its reach over 180 nations and employing more than 140,000 employees. The company has diversified into providing services to four main areas including human resource, document management, healthcare and transportation other than the core area of providing photocopier services. Leading business and information technology systems have partnered with Xerox to get ultimate solutions to facilitate their systems and processes. Xerox provides optimal services in the area of technology so that firms can operate in an effective manner (Xerox Corporation, 2014).
Human resource practices in Xerox Corporation
Xerox Corporation believes that employees are its core strength. The company believes that employee – centred ideals can help it to grow and earn increased revenue. Effective human resource practices including the construct of motivating employees by appreciating and rewarding can help the firm the gain competitive edge. Xerox has a diverse workforce and in order to ensure attraction, motivation and retention of its employees, it follows the practice of effective reward management and performance evaluation. This helps the company to determine the effective skills and capabilities required for enhanced organisational objectives.
Total reward and motivation
Xerox believes in rewarding its employees for attaining organizational goals and displaying enhanced performance in the workplace. One of the motivational tools used by human resource management practices is that of rewards and appreciation. Rewards may be monetary as well as non-monetary and helps in enhancing motivation and productivity of individuals. Total reward is a relatively new strategy for improving the motivation of employees in firms. The compensation received by an employee for rendering effective services is reward. Reward may be in the form of monetary as well as non-monetary compensation. Reward and motivation are closely related to each other as these two constructs are related to attaining desired organizational goals. Total reward has been defined as “the sum of the values of each element of an employee’s reward package” (Fernandes, 1998). The term, total rewards, has been used to bring about all total strategies for reward including several benefits for organizational environment including employee development and learning. Total reward includes all the devises that can be used so as to help attraction, retention and motivation of employees.
The policy of total rewards goes beyond the traditional human resource practice of providing the standard remuneration. This is because it considers in engaging employees and blending them to the organizational culture, facilitate employee motivation and performance management. This is a practice which has been recently embraced by Xerox. Being a multinational giant, the company has a diverse workforce and the implementation of the total reward strategy as a human resource practice helps it to motivate and enhance performance of its workforce (Jiang 2009).
The strategy of total reward as a human resource practice has been linked with several motivational theories including Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The diverse requirements of the personnel needs to be considered and this helps human resource experts to develop the reward strategy which includes the physiological, safety, esteem, love and the need for self-actualization. The total rewards strategy also considers the ERG theory proposed by Alderfer. Experts often develop the total reward package of employees considering the core elements of growth, relatedness and existence depending on organizational strategies and objectives (Jiang 2009).
Academic scholars have maintained that an effective reward strategy should consider both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation other than incorporating the organizational objectives and strategies. Experts should have thorough knowledge about reward strategies and accordingly consider pros and cons and link them with employee motivation. Understanding employee reward preferences helps firms to link certain elements of reward to retain the needed skills and capabilities thereby leading to enhanced motivation and organizational success (Anku-Tsede 2013).
Xerox is currently following the practice of monetary and non-monetary reward management. However, the company should seriously think on developing a total reward strategy and incorporate it into the remunerative element of the employee. This will not only help in overall development and motivation of employee but also lead to organizational effectiveness.
Xerox and performance management
One of the significant processes used in human resource is performance appraisal. Performance management is a devise which gives data on the performance of employees, so as to facilitate decision making, with respect to promotions, remuneration, recognize needs for development and training and the documentation of specific conduct of employees that may need organizational sanctions (Meenakshi 2012).
One of the significant drivers for human resource management practice is performance management. In this case, 360 degree feedback as a performance management tool serves to objectify, measure and make people aware of their performance. The main presupposition behind this process is the creation of self-awareness among employees. The 360 degree performance management measure can be defined as “the systematic collection and feedback of performance data on an individual or group, derived from a number of the stakeholders in their performance” (Hurley 1998). If used efficiently, the 360 degree performance measurement enhances management and leadership capabilities, enhance learning and communication, help in organizational and employee development, encourage teamwork, accelerate effectiveness and productivity and provide for excellent customer service (Hurley, 1998). Xerox Corporation is basically a service organization and implementing this kind of performance measurement can help the firm to gain overall organizational development and enhanced organizational capabilities.
However, there is academic debate with respect to the effectiveness of the 360 degree performance measure. Although popular, the 360 degree measure is often evaded by firms as it is expensive. The most important criterion of this measure is the participants’ opinions and views. One of the most significant question that arises is whether this performance measure successfully increases employee self-awareness. Several academic studies have been conducted underlining favourable impact of 360 degree measure. However, the improvement of self – awareness among employees may be entirely dependent on certain personal criteria as well as human resource practices followed in that particular organization.
Scholars further argue that contemporary organizations need excellence in employee development, communication and teamwork. Such situations warrant the 360 degree performance appraisal measure as it facilitates in obtaining data from team mates, colleagues, supervisors and subordinates thereby helping the employee to have better self-awareness. Further scholars have maintained that the 360 degree appraisal provides employees the opportunity to participate in the appraisal process and this leads to augmented employee commitment levels (Pak 2009).
The 360 degree process helps overall growth and development of the employees and the organization. Employees may benefit from this appraisal to enhance unsatisfactory performance, decline in attitudes of employees being defensive about their weaknesses, enhance self-awareness and provide employee feedback. The feedback provided to employees can help in understanding employee capabilities thereby leading to enhanced performance. On an organizational level, the 360 degrees performance appraisal helps in facilitating change management, development of employees, succession planning, reinforce business strategies, values and culture into the performance appraisal system (Oz & Seren 2012).
Conclusion and recommendation
The incorporation of total rewards and the 360 degrees performance management systems can help Xerox Corporation to gain competitive edge. Xerox should design its total rewards package in a manner that it considers the 360 degree feedback elements. This will not only help the firm to identify and improve performance of employees but will also promote employee growth. At the same time, human resource should counsel management and workforce to adhere to ethical means while implementing these practices. The end result of the incorporation of total rewards program along with 360 degree performance management should be evaluation for positive outcomes (Mujtaba & Shuaib 2010).
Xerox is a multinational firm and promotes diversity in its workforce. Incorporating overall organizational aspects like culture, motivation and self-awareness of employees will lead to overall development and retention of personnel. Effective human resource practises like total rewards and 360 degrees performance management can help human resource to entail all the organizational elements like culture, employee awareness and motivation into its practices. It is very difficult for human resource to select and recruit the right employee for the right sort of job. The implementation of these two human resource practices will further increase the credibility of the organization as a whole and will further facilitate human resource to choose excellent personnel to be a part of the organization. At the same time, such practices will lead to accelerated employee commitment, retention and low employee turnover. Hence, it is recommended, that Xerox Corporation should incorporate the total rewards and 360 degree performance process into its human resource practice so as to promote overall organizational development.
Reference
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Xerox Corporation, 2014, Our company. Our capability. Our commitment. Viewed November 01, 2014 from http://www.xerox.com/jobs/company-information/enus.htmlhttp://www.xerox.com/jobs/company-information/enus.html
