` Ford Company is a world leader in the automotive and automotive related services and products and the new industries like financial, communications and aerospace services. Henry Ford in Detroit, United States, founded the company in 1903, and it is headquartered in the Dearborn, Michigan (Ford Motor Company, 2009). Its mission entails improving its products and services continually to meet the needs and desires of its customers, prosper as a business, and provide a reasonable return to stakeholder’s business owners. The core values that are fundamental to its success are people who provide corporate intelligence and improve its vitality and reputation (Fackler, 2007). Teamwork and involvement are its highest values, and they make sure that people are better suited to serving customers across the globe.
How to Ensure HR Strategy Alignment with Business Strategy
The Ford Company transitioned from tough managerial, a management philosophy based on the promising pursuit of strong and relentless control over the employees and adopted a strategy of active involvement and participation (Price, 2011). Moreover, there is a combination of technological and market factors that can help Ford’s continuing efforts to redesign jobs and increase productivity. The transition was informed by the modern practices in management and leadership, as well as the increasing significance of human resource in the success of an organization.
Moreover, to make sure that its HR strategy aligns with the business strategy, the HR has to develop the compensation strategies, which balances the employee expectations and company functions. In case the compensation is small, the employees may quit and look for opportunities elsewhere, and if it is too high, the income statement can be adversely affected (Fackler, 2007). HR should always be included in the efforts of product development and make sure that required human resource is hired for particular functions. As such, it might even imply paying a premium in the short term for contract employees with the right experience and skills for the tasks in the company.
Ford’s HR Job Positions
There are several job positions in Ford that are under the Human Resource Management. First, the Occupational Health and Safety position is responsible for maintaining functional responsibility for the safety matters and occupational health. The functions include the development of procedures and standards to protect the employee safety and health (Price, 2011). Secondly, the Compensation and Benefits position responsible for delivering innovative solutions and experiences, which supports the organization plan and empowers workers to increase their productivity.
Likewise, there is a Corporate Travel position that provides high quality and affordable travel and event services to the activities of the company worldwide (Ford Motor Company, 2009). The Global Occupational health services worked strategically with the organization and its workers to enhance the safety and health position. The position ensures that every employee continually adopts acceptable standards that are related to health. Lastly, there is the Workers Compensation Litigation position that litigates for the contested workers’ compensation cases before the workers compensation Board of the Magistrates (Price, 2011). As such the areas that will be considered include the Compensation and Benefits, Occupational Health and Safety position because they are the key source of motivation for the workers in any company.
How Ford Company can Increase Diversity
The organization ensures the inclusion of all people and measure diversity to establish whether people are satisfied at work. Every year, different employees are required to participate in a survey that is aimed at gaining insight into their job satisfaction at the company, among other aspects affecting their well-being. The different employees should be encouraged to provide candid feedback, and the results are benchmarked with the other main players (Price, 2011). Moreover, there should be an Employee Satisfaction Index section in the survey that questions the workers whether they believe they are rewarded for their job performance. As such, it should further inquire whether they feel valued at work and the practice has shown improvement of employee productivity over the past five years (Fackler, 2007). The hiring policies at Ford should not be discriminatory. Ford should hire more people from the minority groups like women, the physically challenged people, and minority communities. The primary criteria used by the human resources management need to take into account whether an individual can perform the described task. The recruitment process should be free of discrimination and considerate of all people irrespective of their personal affiliations.
How Ford can Establish HRM Strategies and Improve Competitive Advantages
The company is focused on the development of the future workforce. They should adopt the STEM approach that encompasses Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, where the leaders and senior managers leverage its current programs to develop future skills (Fackler, 2007). The organization can develop a future pool of talent that ensures the success of the company suppliers, and the overall industry of automotive. Moreover, the Next Generation Learning, Ford Partnership for Advance Studies can be used in helping and encouraging the employers, educators, and the community leaders create a new generation of young of innovators.
Employee development is vital in delivering the vision of building great products, which contributes to a better world. The organization should remain focused on the creation of motivated and skilled workforce through the strengthening of their technical and leadership skills (Price, 2011). The organization should standardize and integrate the processes of talent management and enhance programs of leadership development (Fackler, 2007). The employees should be encouraged to invest in their professional development by developing their individual development plan that will help in meeting future and current goals while increasing performance in their duties.
References
Fackler, M, (2007), The Toyota Way is translated for a New generation of Foreign Managers, The New York Times, Retrieved February 18, 2008 from www.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/business/worldbusiness/15toyota.html Gratton,
Ford Motor Company <Detroit, Mich.>. (2009). Ford manual: For owners and operators of Ford cars and trucks; (1939). Bremen: Salzwasser-Verl.
Price, A. (2011). Human resource management. Andover: Cengage Learning EMEA.
