Human Resources Service Delivery (5SDL)

Introduction to Human Resource Service Delivery

The unit HR service delivery primarily focuses on the HR functions that supports and provides services to the employees. This is one of the most important units for HR professions since it covers service delivery in an employee lifecycle. HR service delivery affects all phases of an employee in an organisation, which is from the time they are employed to the time they leave the organisation. Additionally, it impacts all the people that the HR may come into contact with in the course of employment. Therefore, it is very important for HR practitioners to understand what effective and efficient service delivery entails. Students of this unit will greatly benefit from the knowledge acquired because service delivery is the first defence when either the C.E.O or employee of an organisation needs services from the HR. Similarly, the HR and customer interactions paint a lasting impression of the organisation or company.

One of the key variables of achieving organisational goals is the way service is being delivered. HRM is an important department in service delivery because it is the only department that directly deals with employee issues as well as management issues in an organisation. Therefore, human resource management students pursuing this course will greatly benefit. The basic objectives of the unit include:

• To discuss different HR service delivery models
• To understand how to establish and Monitor a selected HR service delivery model
• To understand challenges of maintaining effective HR services
• To understand how organisations, change structure and location of HR service provision

Human resource service delivery unit is suitable for all persons who are already in the HR profession as well as those aspiring to join the practice. All individuals seeking to develop a career and expand their knowledge in the fields of L&D and HR management will greatly benefit from the unit. In some organisations, people other than the HR may be given the responsibility to implement HR policies and strategies. In such organisations, the individuals tasked with that role should enrol for this unit so that they may have an understanding of the HR role in organisational and environmental context. The module will teach on the different service delivery models that play a critical role in effective and efficient service delivery. There are two types of HR service delivery models as it will be covered by the module.

HR Service Delivery Models

Traditional HR service delivery method is also referred to as the generalist model. This is the most common model of service delivery as used in many organisations. The traditional model revolves around a central team that is responsible for provision of HR services in an organisation. The team comprises of generalists, specialists and the administration staff. The HR team in the traditional model, handles the needs of employees, managers, senior staff as well as visitors in the firm. Often, HR in these model focus on administrative and clerical functions as opposed to the managerial and technical functions. The traditional models, is the most common HR service delivery system that is used in most organisations. The students will learn that, this model is especially common among the medium and small sized enterprises as well as private companies.

The second model of HR service delivery is known as Ulrich’s three legged stool model. This model of HR service delivery is based on the concept of strategic partnering. As it will be exposed in the unit, the model is ideal for larger organisations because it focuses on dividing the HRM into different operational areas.   In this model, there are three critical strands that influence effective service delivery of the HR department. The three strands as it will be covered include:

• The HR strategic partners.

Strategic partnering refers to the process through which an organisations HR functions works closely with the managers to achieve the organisational goals. The primary benefit of business partnering is that it allows the HR practitioners to be more strategic contributors with increased engagement with line managers. Additionally, the HR role and understanding of good people skills enables the partners to raise issues that maybe hidden to the managers.

• The HR centre of expertise.

The centre of expertise is made up of HR experts who have expertise in leading HR solutions. The module will enable the students to understand that, the centre of expertise gives an organisation a competitive advantage in some HR areas such as trainings, rewards and talent management. Students of this unit will understand that, there are several areas that are covered by this second strand of Ulrich’s three legged model.

• The shared HR services.

The unit will further clarify that, shared HR services is the third and final strand that emerged in the 1990s. The third leg of Ulrich’s model suggests that it is possible to perform administrative tasks from a centralised position. There are three primary principals that guide shared HR services and they include: cost, quality and organisational change. Students of the unit, will further assess the details of each principal drawing examples from existing organisations.

The other models of HR service delivery include self-service and out sourced HR services. Importantly is to understand that each model of HR service delivery has its strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the unit, the learners will be in a position to decide on a model that is suitable for particular organisations or industries.

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of the unit, the learners will be in a position to:

1. Understand and explain the different models of HR service delivery
2. Decide a suitable HR service delivery model for different organisations.
3. Tackle challenges of maintaining and managing HR services
4. Work in organisations and play a critical role in changing of structures and HR service provision.

Winding-up

The role and structure of HR functions in an organisation can change based on the organisational needs and objectives. Service delivery is a crucial part of the changes that can steer and organisation to attaining its objectives. The unit, human resource service delivery is important for all HR practitioners and the knowledge gained is useful in the practical world. The HR service delivery models discussed in the unit constitute of best practices and learners will be able to decide on what to apply in their work places. At the end of the unit, the students will become efficient and effective in their service delivery approaches and thus fit for the competitive market.