Siemens Builds a Strategy-Oriented HR System
Siemens is a 150-year-old German company, but it’s not the company it was even a few years ago. Until recently, Siemens focused on producing electrical products. Today the firm has diversified into software, engi- neering, and services. It is also global, with more than 400,000 employ- ees working in 190 countries. In other words, Siemens became a world leader by pursuing a corporate strategy that emphasized diversifying into high-tech products and services, and doing so on a global basis.
With a corporate strategy like that, human resource management plays a big role at Siemens. Sophisticated engineering and services re- quire more focus on employee selection, training, and compensation than in the average firm, and globalization requires delivering these services globally. Siemens sums up the basic themes of its HR strategy in several points. These include:
1. a living company is a learning company. The high-tech nature of Siemens’ business means that employees must be able to learn on a continuing basis. Siemens uses its system of combined classroom and hands-on apprenticeship training around the world to help facilitate this. It also offers employees extensive continuing education and management development.
2. global teamwork is the key to developing and using all the potential of the firm’s human resources. Because it is so important for employees throughout Siemens to feel free to work together and interact, employees have to understand the whole Siemens process not just bits and pieces. To support this, Siemens provides extensive training and development. It also ensures that all employees feel they’re part of a strong, unifying corporate iden- tity. For example, HR uses cross-border, cross-cultural experiences as prerequisites for career advances.
3. A climate of mutual respect is the basis of all relationships— within the company and with society. Siemens contends that the wealth of nationalities, cultures, languages, and outlooks represented by its employees is one of its most valuable assets.
It therefore engages in numerous HR activities aimed at building openness, transparency, and fairness, and supporting diversity.
(Dessler 89)
Dessler, Gary. Human Resource Management, 15th Edition. Pearson, 20160112. VitalBook file.
The citation provided is a guideline. Please check each citation for accuracy before use.
READ THE ABOVE CASE, "Siemens Builds a Strategy-Oriented HR System", on page 89 of Human Resource Management. Consider your personal knowledge and experience, and any relevant resources to facilitate scholarly, well developed responses to the case questions..
Navigate to the threaded discussion below and respond to the following:
Four Strategic Outcomes. Based on the information in this case, provide examples for Siemens of at least four strategically required organizational outcomes, and four required workforce competencies and behaviors.
Four Strategic HR Policies and Activities. Identify at least four strategically relevant HR system policies and activities that Siemens has instituted in order to help human resource management contribute to achieving Siemens' strategic goals.
Strategy Map. Provide a brief illustrative outline of a strategy map for Siemens. This may be included directly in the initial post discussion window or a document showing your map may be attached to your initial post.
Your initial post is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.
The initial posting is to be 200-300 words in length and supported by at least two sources properly cited and referenced: (a) the Human Resource Management textbook, and (b) an academic journal article obtained through OCLS that is at least 3-5 pages in length and published within the last 3-5 years.
Read and respond to at least two of your classmates' postings by end of the workshop. Your feedback is to be substantive in nature by evidencing critical thinking through such means as:
Suggestions for improving the persuasiveness of answers
Supporting or contradicting ideas not addressed in the answers
Applying relevant cases from the text to support the answers
Additional examples that strengthen the answer
Concepts overlooked in the classmate's answers
Suggestions for better logical development of answers
Suggestions for improving spelling, grammar, syntax, or structure
Each response should be 200-300 words in length and include at least the following two sources properly cited and referenced: (a) the Human Resource Management textbook, and (b) an academic journal article obtained through OCLS that is at least 3-5 pages in length and published within the last 3-5 years.