Globalisation: Nigerian HR practitioners urged to align structure
Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja
The Human Resource practitioners in the country were on Thursday advised to align themselves, structure, systems and work process with what is happening in the world in order to overcome challenges posed by globalisation.
The President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, Mr. Victor Eburajolo, gave this advice at the opening of the two-day annual conference, which has as theme: �Globalisation- The HR Challenge.�
�As globalisation is moving at a faster pace, an increasing number of firms are seeking to gain competitive advantage through expanding into emerging economies. As a result, joint ventures and strategic alliances have become the two most popular forms of international partnerships.
�To make sense of this new partnership, we need to develop new managerial mindsets by encouraging strategic thinking and collective sense making.
�We must develop new structures necessary to compete favourably in order to survive in the global environment of business organisations by intensive use of information technology and proper management of available knowledge and responsiveness,� he stated.
According to the CIPMN president, the challenge for Nigerian HR practitioners transcends routine people management practices.
�We as human resource practitioners must embrace a paradigm shift in response to globalisation and its attendant consequences such as availability of large pool of skilled manpower arising from global mobility of labour,� he said.
Globalisation, he noted, had made it imperative that there must be change in HR concepts such as motivation, reward management and employee relations.
�Motivation in a globalised economy is not just about manipulation of people, but also understanding the needs and urges, which will prompt people to do something that you want done because the person wants to do the job. It requires flexibility and adoption of the appropriate mix of behaviour stimulants to each situation.
�Organisations must develop and manage a reward system that is fair, transparent and projects merit that allows enough differentiation, tilting heavily in favour of performers. This is crucial especially in the public sector to stimulate the desired impetus for performance and competitiveness,� the CIPMN president said.
He advised HR practitioners to narrow the vision gap between the organisation and the employee, noting that practitioners have to work towards transforming employees� attitudes and perception of organisations, particularly government, as a continuation of colonial imperialism that are unworthy of loyalty, and undeserving of effort and service.
