Without 'belief in people' no organization can outsmart competition, and develop a sustainable competitive advantage that ensures its market competitiveness. Demonstrating genuine belief in people takes more than oratory to do. Organizations of today should develop integrated systems that combine selection of the best fit, job-matching, continuous skills and competencies development, fair compensation, democratic leadership style, and creating attractive motivating work environments.
In my opinion, this HR orientation approach relies on the organization's transparency; its readiness to trust its employees; its willingness to empower them; and its sincerity to maintain a participative team spirit where employees assume ownership and a deep sense of belonging. People were and can always be a competitive advantage in a global market that became more demanding and very sensitive to the quality of services that goes with the product.
Nowadays, a shift had happened in customers perception of where the added value rests. There is an escalating trend that it relies more on the quality of services and the fast response to the customer needs rather than the product itself; so much so in service industries. That's why the caliber of people makes the difference in achieving customer satisfaction on one side and gaining bigger market shares on the other.
The starting point to have the concept of valuing people is to both establish and give the greatest support to a HR function, a function that can be used as an effective media to demonstrate the organization's 'conscience' and its concern with its people needs. Obviously, the way HR functions are placed on the organizational heirarchy in many organizations does not at all reflect the importance of such a vital function to the managment and employees alike.As a management and HR consultant, I have seen HR reporting to Administration or Financial Managers. Thus diluting both its efficiency and effectiveness with people issues and negatively impacts its neutrality in dealing with company policies without being biassed by its reporting to specific functions below the MDs level.
In my opinion,HR professionals,especially in developing countries, have a role to play in making themselves real 'strategic partners' in their organizations. They need to have a cause to promote and defend. They also need to gain more credibility in proving their value in enhancing organizational performance and keeping it up-to-date on people's issues and market demands to become customer driven and accomplish sustainable competitiveness.
People Concern Developing a HR Competitive Advantage - To learn more about this author, visit Dr. Fathi El-Nadi's Website.
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Dr. Fathi El-Nadi
(Visit Dr. Fathi's Website)
Certified Crosby College TQM Instructor;
Management & HR Development Senior
Consultant to a number of Egyptian & Arab
enterprises across the Middle East. -
Rated by The Society for Human Resources
Management (SHRM) as Senior HR
Professional due to his significant
contributions to prominent Multinationals
in the US, The Gulf, and Egypt. - Had held
senior Management, HR, and Training
positions in SOM, Johnson Wax, General
Motors, and Bristol Myers Squibb. -
Currently teaching Management, HR,
Strategic Management, and OB at a member
of prominent private universities in
Egypt. - Management & HR Development
consultant to USAID, CIDA, DANIDA & IFC on
development projects in Egypt. -
Professor, Strategic Management & HR
Development (The Arab Academy for Science
& Technology / AUC) - Consultant & Member,
The National Committee for Faculty &
Leadership Development Project (FLDP), a 7
year World Bank Funded project to enhance
the quality of Higher Education in Egypt.
- Consultant to a number of Egyptian State
universities on Strategic Planning &
Quality Improvement projects.
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