How Does HR Theory Compare to Real-World Practices? Insights from Your Industry Needed

Hi everybody,

I have a couple of questions I am hoping you all can help me with. I am an MBA student completing my course by this month, and my specialization is HR. Are all the activities dealing with HR in organizations following what we have read in the theory, or is there a difference in practice? While I was talking with a personnel officer of a manufacturing organization, I was amazed to hear that the HR department works only to decrease the number of employees in that company. Can you please tell me what is happening particularly in your industry?

Hi, I am Harsh. I am doing my MBA from Nagpur, and I am 23 years old in my 2nd semester. My specialization subjects will be marketing and HR. So, "is practical related to theory"? I will say yes.

1. Practical means to prove theories, to test them actually, and then to analyze where they actually lie in practice.

2. Theories are the conclusions from practical aspects, and then practical implementation follows, leading back to theory. It's a cyclical process. For example:
1) A thought/plan in the mind put on paper - theory
2) Testing according to that plan - practical
3) Analyzing it and drawing conclusions - theory
4) Implementing the plan - practical
5) Analyzing the results and making assumptions - theory

Therefore, we can say that first, there is planning, which moves to the theoretical phase, then it is practically proven, and finally, it becomes theory.

Now, the following factors can change the above assumptions or have an effect on them:
1) Your approach towards the particular thing
2) Your expectations
3) Internal and external factors
4) Results of the analysis
5) Desired changes and ongoing changes

If we take the assumption "HR means to reduce the workforce" and place it in the above framework, we will understand:
1) Approach - It's just one side of the coin
2) Expectations - Concentrating on only one aspect is just a part of HR, which is about managing human resources comprehensively
3) Factors - In a scenario where you have adequate workforce with good efficiency and believe in "total quality employment," the outcome is:
1) Well-qualified and trained employees on a qualitative basis
2) Higher productivity per employee
3) Meeting employee needs
4) Future sustainability as humans are adaptable and updatable
4) Analysis result - The current scenario shows rapid human development into versatile workers
5) Change - The ongoing transformation might not align with the change you desire.

Hope I have made a valuable contribution to your requirements.

Harsh

Hi,

Even I am an MBA student from the Institute for Technology and Management, majoring in HR. Right now, I am doing my summers. So, up till now, what I have come to know is that HR practices in the corporate world are totally different. You have to react to the situation and act accordingly. But, yes, for acting sensibly and feasibly, you need to have knowledge about the various theories, models, and case studies, just to refer to what all is there. It is like using your tools and techniques from a box of tools as and when required. Learning to use the tools efficiently will come gradually.

And yes, the cost-cutting method is also one of the functions of HR. Many companies study their own methods and take 2 to 3 years to come to some conclusion.

The other activities prevalent in the market are given in CHR, like:

- Training and development methods: could be finding new methods or studying the effectiveness of the old methods.
- Recruitment: which includes a planning process and job analysis.
- Performance evaluation: includes various theories.
- Talent management: a new concept to find out the talent in the present employees and make use of it.

And many more to go...

Hope you get a little idea.

Take care.

Hi,

When we see the world, maximum management practices will vary a little or more from the practical because we deal with humans who are not the same. Each one varies from one another in many ways and points. Especially HR and marketing will have more diversity between the practical application and theory. But if we do not have the theoretical knowledge, it is difficult to understand the nuances of the practical aspects too.