Human Resource Functioning in an Information Society

• DOI: 10.1177/0091026013487047
• Author: Meagan E. Brock,M. Ronald Buckley
• Date: 01 June 2013
• Published date: 01 June 2013
• Subject Matter: Articles

487047PPM42210.1177/0091026013487047Public Personnel ManagementBrock and Buckley
research-article2013
Article
Public Personnel Management
42(2) 272 –280
Human Resource Functioning
© The Author(s) 2013
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DOI: 10.1177/0091026013487047
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Practical Suggestions and
Future Implications
Meagan E. Brock1 and M. Ronald Buckley2
Abstract
This paper explores the state human resources management in an information society.
As technology rapidly changes organizations and human resources professionals need
to be mindful of the impact that can have on the every day operations in human
resources departments. As human resource management is involved in the process
of recruitment, selection, and retention of new and current employees, they can
play a significant role in maintaining a competitive advantage in the knowledge-based
market. Thus, the purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the practical and
strategic steps that those in the human resources field can take to facilitate success in
this changing economy, as well as to warn against the implications and consequences
of failing to meet these important challenges.
Keywords
human resources, technology, information society
The shift in how organizations can effectively function in the changing world of work
has recently been a hot topic within the fields of industrial and organizational psychol-
ogy, human resources, management, and knowledge management. Several authors
have addressed how society is rapidly shifting from an industrial age to an information
age or knowledge economy and the challenges that come about with such a change
(Al-Hawamdeh & Hart, 2001; Burch, 2005; Castells, 1996; Elliot & Jacobson, 2002).
While there has been extensive thought-provoking discussions on the realities facing
organizations and the changing demographics of the workforce, little has been written
1West Texas A&M University, Canyon, USA
2University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA
Corresponding Author:
Meagan E. Brock, College of Business, West Texas A&M University, WTAMU Box 60809, Canyon, TX
79016-0001, USA.
Email: mbrock@wtamu.edu

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Brock and Buckley
273
that directly addresses the practical implications for human resources functioning. One
cannot deny that this issue has been addressed with extensive literature reviews; how-
ever the applied, pragmatic dos and don’ts of how to succeed have received consider-
ably less attention. Thus, the purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the
practical and strategic steps that those in the human resources field can take to facili-
tate success in this changing economy, as well as to warn against the implications and
consequences of failing to meet these important challenges.
Until recent years, the traditional roles of human resources departments in organi-
zations has been to recruit, select, place, and promote employees into different jobs.
They have also been involved in overseeing salary and bonuses, performing adminis-
trative functions, and disciplining and terminating employees. However, with global-
ization, and information technology impinging upon today’s organizations, human
resources departments in the United States and around the world will have to take on
the role integrating human resources structure into the whole of organizational func-
tioning (Meisinger, 2006). They need to become the leader, rather than performing a
supporting role in the company. Moreover, an organization’s ability to recruit, select,
retain, and develop the best employees is essential for facilitating and maintaining a
competitive advantage in the information age. Such functions have become progres-
sively more vital as the knowledgeable employees who possess the necessary compe-
tencies, knowledge, skills and abilities, are becoming very valuable, yet increasingly
rare and difficult to replace. Due to the asset of the organization being progressively
shifted toward the employee, the first thing to realize is the value of the company’s
human capital. While it may sound insensitive and impersonal, many organizations
do not realize the value of an employee, until he or she has left the organization, and
even then it is still difficult to fully understand the value of what was lost. Evaluating
the value of an organization’s assets is not a new concept, it goes along with the old
saying, “what gets measured gets managed,” however, the application of this notion
to human or intangible assets is fairly novel (Weatherly, 2003).
Recommendation 1: Measure the value of your human capital, to manage, develop,
and cultivate it.
After an organization is aware of the value of its human assets, the next is to
attract selection and retain employees who fit the culture of the organization. Thus,
the purpose of the next section of this article is to review the functions of employee
recruitment, selection, and retention by discussing the current processes and how the
paradigm shift accompanying the information society is going to change such
functions.
Recruitment
Employee recruitment is the first step to take on the path to hiring outstanding employ-
ees. The more successful an organization’s recruitment strategy, the stronger the appli-
cant pool, thus, the...