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Adaptive Transformation Approach of Global HR for MNCs

Adaptive Transformation Approach of Global HR for MNCs

by KISHAN PRADIP DOSHI . -
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Based on the case study, Alpha computers is still in the middle of a transformation into a MultiNational company. reading the case study, i would surmise the following approach to global HR. 

The establishment of a global HR should be seen as a transformation effort rather than a short term project. This is because while it is easy to create job positions & fill them, time and effort needs to be expended to change the mindset of the organization to move into this new structure. Traditionally HR is seen as a 'thankless' role and are perceived as obstacles to accomplishing goals. The approach would be to first create a regino centric approach but with the intention of ultimately becoming poly centric. 

The first step in the transformation is to bring in the key stakeholders to ensure they understand what is the change. In the early stages, this is the line managers, who must assume some operational tasks from HR(such as ensuring their teams follow policy, get opportunities for regular training, review & assess their team members to determine further potential). By taking over some operational tasks, this allows the HR team to begin laying strategic foundations. 

The second step would be to define what is the corporate identity of the MNC. There are certainly values which the company will give greater weight to compared to other non tangible values, therefore the Global HR teams needs to define with leadership what are core values, vision, mission and foundational habits & practices that the organization follows at all levels. 

Third, the HR team needs to define methodologies to determine how much headcount can they have on a year-to-year basis, and to establish recruitment pipelines to find the people that fill these headcounts. For the recruitment pipelines, its best to divide it based on the level of experience the role entails. For junior positions, the pipeline should include establishing relations with universities & hosting competitions for student teams with the intent to recruit finalists. For Senior positions, leveraging outside recruiters who have wider networks will assist to find talents with niche skills that.

Next is the empowerment of employees by their line managers. Line managers must be taught to remember all salient points of HR policies, while being coached on how to develop & manage a team. This would include the adoption of leadership styles & tools such as Situational Leadership, where based on desire and skill level the line manager changes his management style to bring the best out of the team. As not all managers are the same, the job falls to HR to ensure that line managers meet a universal standard which ensures all team members get the same message regardless of which line manager they speak to. Beyond leadership style, a performance assessment methodology needs to be established. This assessment should be a two way discussion, starting with what are targets to achieve for the calendar year. The discussion must be two way to avoid setting up team members with an impossible measurement metric that is fundamentally impossible to achieve. 

Fifth is the standardization of company practices. Wherever possible, HR must define an easy to understand policy & guidance for team members & line managers to follow. These policies should naturally comply to local laws but where no laws are defined, they must be a standard that is followed by all subsidiaries. 

The final piece here would be to create a means for employee opinion to be heard in a anonymous yet transparent manner. Team members are ultimately the ones who best know which managers are "good" or "bad" leaders. By creating the means to obtain this information, HR can identify line managers that need additional coaching & training to bring out the best of the team. 

The above actions would be the essentials that need to be established beforehand to create a regino-centric organisation. Once these steps are in place, the processes will be mature enough to move into a poly-centric setup. Job positions should ideally be filled with locals, especially at the leadership levels. Effort must be undertaken to promote & hire executive & mid level managers who represent the local offices and have equal say in how decisions are made in the MNC. By embracing this diversity, this creates a positive perception that decisions can be made by all teams and not just the head office. 

the above are several pieces which will take time to establish. It is my recommendation to work on certain topics in parallel where possible. Such a transformation would take the better part of a decade to train new habits into existing organizations.