HRM Practices
Introduction
Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) have been grouped together because they are at the same stage of economic development. They are developing more rapidly though they have not it yet at the point where they will be considered developed. Forecasts suggest that there will continue to be the main drivers of the global growth in the coming decades. The population is also high that brings a lot of impact to the development of the nations. The population pyramid shows that, the age and sex structure of the above four countries are quite different. Brazil and China are somewhat similar approximating to 1.9 children per woman. India has made some progress in its fertility transition approximating to 2.6 children per women. The BRIC countries provide knowledge; skills and insights to global companies to enable them to invest and operate successfully.
Positives
Human resource practices in BRIC countries have led to social, political, technological and economic growth and development (Maura, 76). The late twentieth century, these countries were marked by the technology boom and the accelerating complexity and the size of the organizations resulting in a forward transition. This move eventually resorted to in work routines leading to dependency of skills and knowledge at all levels of production process enhancing the importance of human resource factors in the organization. This influences employee ties to an organization with high level of commitments leading to excellent performance.
Focusing on Brazil; it has shown a continuous and remarkable growth and development in recent years indicating great potential for the future. The annual trade of this nation has grown exponentially and is now in the range of $36 billion. China is one of the largest destinations for Brazil exports and also one of the largest buyers of mining resources. Brazil exports 84% of raw materials and agricultural goods including soybeans, ore and iron to China. This has resulted in double digit economic growth of both countries.
Employees’ welfare
A culture of change is reinforced by continuously creating change in the plant environment. Employee parking is often changed where new policies require all employees to go back into their parking places. There are many artists who represent Brazil artist and are exhibited throughout the offices and plant to create positive work in the environment. Brazilian woods are usually used to make office furniture which is used to make the offices beautiful. Also it instills pride to employees
Employees receive one hour for lunch which is a very useful timeframe that provides a healthy break from the job’s stresses and is consistent with the Brazilian customs. Quality meals are also provided in beautifully appointed restaurants where the employees are dropped there by the shuttle buses that run from downtown Curitiba three shifts per day to the plant facilities. This is one of the motivating factors that catalyze the employees to remain committed in their work and much more work safely and efficiently. Also, employees embrace the culture of change and innovation and are open to new products and procedures. They develop an intrinsic drive that makes the job attendance high and low absenteeism allowing the organization to reach aggressive quality, quantity production, quality customer services and targeted financial goal of the company. The employment turnover is also low and employee loyalty and commitment remains high reducing training and retraining costs and also permits the organization to realize its objectives and the entire goal.
Human resource practices on Talents and Education
As global competition in trade and human resource utilization continue, countries are now focusing on talent acquisition and overseas education to maintain their economic strength. Countries like the European Union member states are increasing talent retention and education awareness to remain competitive. The United Kingdom is sustaining their talent through profit sharing, allowances and meals, and provision of bonuses for their human resource so that talent is retained. Unlike Brazil, the United Kingdom has mandated additional pay increment and provision of a company car for human resource management.
Whereas in Brazil companies are required by the state to provide vocational pay bonuses and reimbursement of transport allowances so that talent can be retained in the country for economic growth. Technology also plays a major role in the human resource management success. In the United Kingdom, the human resource management is mandated to redesign processes and systems of information and technology so that there is global consistency in management. This has enabled the country to sustain talent related competencies thus spurring economic growth. The case is different in Brazil from the country’s human resource management systems are now undergoing streamlining and consolidation for strategic positioning. Human resource management systems and technological advances are at play in both countries though at different levels of progress.
Negatives: culture clash
However, culture clash complicates China’s Brazil push as it was indicated in the different web sites at both domestic and abroad in May 2011. This aroused the public attention of both countries creating a great tension. These tensions have become a stumbling block of trade in these two countries. It is being said that the Chinese companies in Brazil have been finding it difficult to retain workers even in the management positions. A survey conducted by the Michel Page International firm for the newspaper found that 42% of the Brazilian executives working for the Chinese companies left their jobs
The Brazilian employees complain that, their Chinese employers do not understand the culture of the country of developing personal relationships among co-workers. These misunderstandings frustrate the development of Chinese business in Brazil as it is said by Marcelo de Lucca the director of Michael Page Brazil operation. Other multinational companies arriving in Brazil adapt to the local culture of Brazilian but for the Chinese whose country is ruled by a strong communist party with extreme levels of hierarchy always takes longer to do so.
The business in Brazil is hierarchical where a string value is placed on hold decision making responsibilities. Decisions are made by the highest ranking person since Brazilian negotiates with the people but not companies. Whereas Chinese company takes a lot of time to make decisions because the executive do not like making the decisions. The group of people negotiate and come to censuses which way to follow. The Chinese manager work is to gather as much information as possible and report to the boss back at home. These differences will always hinder development until the two countries negotiate the bilateral agreements that will allow them to make trades swiftly.
This culture clash is because of lack of intercultural communication awareness and failure to carry out the effective human resource management that was supposed to be conducted by the enterprise leaders. It led to the highest level of interconnectedness and interdependence between manager, enterprise and the government to different cultures. The advent of this new era of human interconnection and telecommunication brings with it the question of adaptation, identity, ethics, language, power and social order in the process of global communication. The enterprise leader did not realize that the human resource management is the formal structure within an organization responsible for all strategies, decision making, factors, principles, practices, operation, activities and methods related to the management of people. Again, people lack the intellectual skills resulting in communication break down, damaging business relationships, missing deadlines, project failure and talented people going to the competition instead of developing the economy of the county.
Population composition
Brazil has a higher number of young populations who mainly contribute to the development of the nations while the EU countries like the United Kingdom is mainly compost of the aged in their population who are not actively involved in the development of their nation. This is the reason why the human resource in Brazil is rising and the need for better management is inevitable.
Population size
Brazil has a larger population size thereby providing workforce in various levels or ranks that is required as opposed to the EU nations that do not have a sufficient workforce to match the available the available job opportunities thus they have to seek hire professionals from elsewhere. This implies that the human resource management in the EU countries is more diverse than that of Brazil. The management has to deal with diverse cultures and education disparities in the United Kingdom than in Brazil.
Trade
For an organization to execute at a global stage, its human resource governance structure should allow more and more decisions and opinions to be made at local levels in areas which it is expanding its operations. The organization or company need to create ways and processes of operation that enhance and encourage innovations locally; this is specifically crucial in fields and industries in which consumer understanding is prefaced on the human resource management in a distinct market. This is crucially important as it is the effective management of human resource that can make a country or region realize these strides.
Equally crucial, managers of the human resource should be drawn from places where the organization historically does business operation as per the guidelines of Brazil (Maura, 67). However, in the United Kingdom, management and governance of the human resource is drawn from places that show significant market potential so that they could tap this potential. Processes and structures of governance between the United Kingdom and Brazil with regard to human resource management also tend to differ to some extend. While, in Brazil the structures are redesigned in a manner that puts the decision making principles in the hands of employees and management through involvement; that of United Kingdom puts more focus on the managers so that they become more accountable and responsible for their actions. The Brazilian economy is one that is rising at a fast rate and the government does this to ensure that it sustains its growth.
In the United Kingdom, the diversity of the human resource management team is crucial. For instance, the board of directors that consists MasterCard Company is a wholesome approach to it includes outsourced personnel from India, the United States, Belgium and Hong Kong. These leadership processes and structures are a reflection of a company with diverse and global threats and market aspirations to grow. This more sustained than a parochial economy. On the other hand the Brazilian economy is a growing economy that is also experiencing a growth in the human resource management and designing. Most companies in Brazil are more designed to utilize the presence of a large population that the country is blessed with. Here it is rare to find a comprehensive human resource management approach since the economy is yet to reach its peak. Though growing and trying to diversify, it still remains converged in the territories of the country.
Leadership development in a country that is entered at a world stage of human resource planning and management is critical. The coming management of human resource and executive require to be trained and be exposed to diverse cultures so that the country is a reflection of global trade. This is what the Brazilian economy is trying to develop especially in the human resource field that is young and challenging at the same time. This is because the place that the Brazilian human resource will be working and developing will be different from the cultures and norms of the country. The human resource management is trying to test how the world operates and work in at a global stage. On the other hand the human resource management of the United Kingdom is experienced and diverse. The HRM of this country is experienced through long exposure in world trade.
The exposure to international trade has made it possible for the country’s human resource to get the exposure of policies, people, norms, laws and human motivation accrued from different places in the world. In this context, this type of global exposure and experience by the United Kingdom in human resource has made it possible for translation into critical a broad assignment of the country’s human resource personnel. But in the case of Brazil, the human resource management is trying to implement other creative and effective approaches in world trade. In the United Kingdom, companies like Shell utilize short term assignments in other countries for its employees especially at management level so that it acts as a motivation in meeting different needs and requirements of diverse cultures on the international stage of trading. While the Brazilian human resource management is trying to grow and develop critical mindsets and skills in the workforce at all levels of economic development, their counterparts in the United Kingdom are at an advanced stage of trading and economic growth having sustained it for a long time.
The human resource management in Brazil is also faced with the problem of skills and knowledge required for sustained growth and overseas deployment and assignment. But nevertheless the country is trying to diversify its leadership in the human resource so that it positions itself on the world stage of economic powerhouse using structured approaches. This approach has been successful at it is now a member of the BRICS states that have entered the international trade and economic growth at a rapid rate. This is because unlike the EU member states, personnel in the human resource in Brazil are willing to take up shorter postings and the country provided an enabling environment for this kind of arrangements. The United Kingdom human resource management is more concerned about other talents coming from other countries to compete with the locals and they term their economy a superior one.
Recommendation
The quality of education system in Brazil needs to be firmly considered and improved. The secondary education continues to lag behind western standards and the deficiencies are widespread. This means that, there is no much university talent pool to recruit from to do a remarkable job. Most of the workers end up having little knowledge of basic skills, especially in technical skills and language skills leading to poor communication. They also end up with little knowledge in leadership, management, decision making and poor implementation of the action plan. Therefore, this state should expand and construct more universities to impart the named above skills and knowledge to accelerate development
Brazil is a federation of states but not a one state all with different legal procedures and employment framework. Therefore, the human resource managers need to understand these differences and manage talents and skills risks adequately. They should also improve the communication channel to ensure timely dissemination of the information that will enhance the smooth running of the organization
The Human Resource manager and reword practitioners need to understand that the taxation burden on employment in Brazil is high and the complexity of the tax compliance is a factor that needs to be addressed wisely and advice accordingly to avoid employees from being motivated, which lowers the work performance lowering the economy of the country. They should help the employees understand why they pay taxes and how it should be paid. They should let them know that, they pay taxes for their own welfare and the interest of the country so as to provide equate social amenities such as schools, hospitals, infrastructures among others
There is a great need to work on cultural differences so as to come into a consensus which practices to be followed. We have clearly seen that Chinese-Brazil trade is highly hindered by the culture crash of these two countries marking a need of negotiation to form a bilateral trade agreement that will bridge these differences resulting to growth and development. They should come into consensus on how making a decision, manage the organization as well as coordinate the workers to deliver effectively and efficiently. How to solve any rising disputes should be well discussed upon.
The performance management needs to be popularized globally to enhance development to equip employees who have the basic skills needed in their respective fields. The performance management and appraisal should be linked firmly to learning and improving the employees’ ability to grow and perform excellently. This can be highly achieved if the employees are included right from the grassroots to decision making of the organizations
Also talents need to be nurtured to enhance positive transformation in the country. It needs to be well managed, well developed, rewarded and also incentives in common with the other emerging nations such as Britain. Brazil needs to develop a strategic capacity to aggravate the growth of Brazilian talents by providing adequate facilities and trainings that will catalyze to creativity and innovations that will also boost the growth and development of the nation and much more the global development.
The legal framework of the Brazil country should be improved because is almost blind to the flexibility required by industries such as Information and Technological services exposing a lot of directors to lawsuits. This country has to introduce policies on performance management and appraisal which will lead to legal action in case of any disputes
In order to break the rigidity of the labor law in Brazil, the Human Resource managers need to take an active role to help in developing and nurturing available talents such as soccer players, artists, innovators among others and do monitoring and evaluation on the progress as well as assessing the likelihood of the risk occurring and risk-managing the legal situation
Integration of productive factors should be firmly implemented to avoid delays imposed to the delivery process of various productions. Infrastructure constraints hinder swift transportation of good and services to the market as well poor storage of those goods leading to wastage. Therefore, land, human resources, finances and other resources need to be pooled together to enhance effectiveness and efficient performance that will propel this country forward
Conclusion
Human resource management is a coherent and a strategic approach to the organization management most valued assets. Competent people working there contribute to the achievement of business objectives maintaining employees’ commitment and performance. It enhances good public relations that contribute to effective and efficient performance
The convergence approach of these emerging economies such as Brazil has led to some common changes in international human practices However; many differences in human resource management do exist because of varieties of limiting factors. These factors range from economic stages of development of business strategies, culture of the nation’s e.g. Chinese-Brazil culture crush and a fixed enterprise mindset as clearly shown in Brazil state.
References
Maura, S. (2012). Developing managerial talent: Exploring the link between management talent and perceived performance in multinational corporations (MNCs). European Journal of Training and Development, 36 (1), 66 – 85.
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