Globalization: The New Age Essence of Human Resource Departments

“…the problem isn’t finding “skilled laborers”. Instead, the solution is finding every person’s utility in the evolution of business.”

Issues in business arise when leaders’ eyes are on the prize. In some cases, that prize would be money. We’ve seen corporate devastation occur with the Enron scandal and with the venture capitalist George Kline. George Kline was said to have been doing some insider trading during coffee breaks with friends and business associates (Mattone, 2012). The Enron scandal is a classic example of accounting malpractice. Cooking the books is never OK. These types of scandals have paved the way we observe and implement ethical code. However, hybrid types of ethical issues arise with the advancement of technology and connecting people on a global scale.

A revered professional speaker, Jim Rohn, dedicated his career to studying the fundamentals of human behavior and how it most affects personal and business performance. He once said that, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” (Sato, 2014). That is why it is crucial for every person to evaluate and establish an honest ethical and moral stance. On a personal level, this aides in shaping a business’s vision. Professionally, developing an ethical code establishes the vision within the company culture.

For example, Greg Ueland is the CEO of a successful international financing service and is highly revered. Greg’s personal credo shines through many modern day leaders. Early in his career he decided to live by three basic principles:

• Do what is best for society when faced with major decisions
• Experience and knowledge trumps monetary gains
• Take vacations (Mattone, 2012).

Jack Welch is the former chairman and CEO of General Electric. He said that, “Without a doubt, the head of HR should be the second most important person in any organization” (as cited by Wright, McKinnon, Antoine, Sartain, Boudreau, & Pace, 2011, p. 1, para. 1). A Human Resource department is a business’s hub for targeted human talent. Each company’s Human Resource department may have a targeted labor pool that is similar or differentiated compared to similar industries. On a deeper level, the essence and function of a Human Resource department is honoring the ethical duty to protect the people. One could make the analogy that the function of a Human Resource department in business, to its employees, is as the function of life is to flourish.

Ray Kurzweil, “one of the world’s leading inventors, thinkers, and futurists, with a thirty-year track record of accurate predictions” (Kurzweil Technologies, 2015), during a TED Talks speech, describes the neocortex as the part of the brain that invents new behaviors throughout human evolution, such as problem solving (2014). Normally, it would take humans more than a lifetime to learn a new behavior . However, technology has developed in such a way that it has influenced the rate at which our neocortex has evolved. We have developed a global technology that can accelerate the way we aide in the well-being of humanity (Kurzweil, 2014).

After the dot-com bubble burst, different ethical issues developed along with information technology. The ethical issues concerning technology are affecting the standards of communication, as well. Depending on a management style, employees may be able to text their production manager about an issue from across the plant. In the past, texting a manager may have been considered unethical, as it might have indicated ulterior motives of sorts. Now, this behavior is normal and utilized for efficiency.

On a macro-level, business is evolving in many ways. The way we post jobs, conduct interviews and communicate within the workplace happens instantaneously. It is becoming exceptionally easier for a person with talent to showcase their skills online, on innovative platforms, taking from it various utility. Things like video (vlogging), blogging and digital design, allow hiring staffs to evaluate candidates on different scales — more noteable on a psychological and behavioral scale. The act of harnessing creative talent is now less elusive. Therefore, gathering a labor pool has become less of an issue. Furthermore, creating jobs that match new talent has become possible with social platforms. Social media marketing through Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and Pinterest among others have created jobs and utility for every business and entrepreneur. These platforms offer free services that help companies cut human resource management, advertising, marketing and branding expenses. Even more so, cloud-based project management tools such as HootSuite, Slack and Tellus offer teams a way to collaborate, communicate and plan efficiently. Investing in new technology and software aides in the development of human capital and helps refine company culture. The development of machinery, capable of industrial tasks, are freeing up human capital and talent. The acceleration of efficiency in human day-to-day tasks allows creativity to flourish. Not to mention, technology is providing educational and developmental utility, capable of remote communication on a global scale. Today, information can be sent instantly to almost anyone across the world.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has posed the largest ethical threat during this era’s Technological Revolution. The Internet of Things is the knowledge and information gathered from various sensors/devices that travel across internet connections. Not all of these connections are secure because of loose regulations. This new knowledge offered in education is subject to ethical boundaries. A student can learn the capabilities of hacking into a computer system for the purpose of protecting the same system being hacked. It can be used for unethical reasons such as retrieving sensitive information that may put company assets in danger — including employees. Much like the Industrial Revolution, humans are collectively becoming capable of new things. Therefore, new standards of ethical behavior need to be constantly recognized,addressed and redefined.

Another instance of ethics topics in business surround neuroscience study and application. Kurzweil also mentioned in 2014, during his TED Talks speech,

“We can see your brain create thoughts. We can see your thoughts create your brain…” because we have the capability to map “…individual interneural connections, connecting in real time”

Researchers have developed IoT devices based on the way the brain operates. Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as Apple Inc. Siri and IBM’s Watson have been able to master human language and translation by gathering information from IoT. This information is stored on a “cloud” accessed on an internet. “Another exponential trend is the shrinking of technology” (Kurzweil, 2014). As devices get more refined and compact, the capability to create nanobots increases. Inserting these into the bloodstream could advance neuroscience and medical technology. An IT student should make the ethical decision not to hack into a network to steal information for personal gain. In a similar scenario, creators, developers and purchasers of nanobots should consider the amount of personal information that is being gathered; how that knowledge is being filtered, protected and used. The possibility of humans being connected to the cloud could open up opportunities for companies to enhance productivity, workplace morale, and the well-being of staff. Not to mention, the ease of taking a business to the global scale will become easier.

Since there has been a market shift away from the traditional media broadcasting industry, traditional broadcasting services that offer free internet based services are flourishing. This has offered businesses utility in many ways. Companies have cut some risk of opportunity costs relating to staffing and sales and the budgets for marketing operations. This means company savings could be reinvested into the workforce. Health is becoming a pressing issue. Wearable performance technology like FitBits and Google’s Smartwatch are a small fraction of examples that a company can invest into its staff and future growth. Amazon’s Echo, IBM’s Watson and Apple Inc.’s Siri have the capabilities to enhance productivity in a personal and business setting. Google Hangouts, Snapchat, Periscope and Meerkat can accelerate workplace communication and help solve the lack of emotion in typed-communication and the language barrier.

The language barrier is just the beginning of many changes humanity faces in the next cycle of evolution.

All of these innovations can help lower stress levels in the workplace and boosts moral, making operations more efficient. Allowing people more personal time allows the possibility for the general status of global well-being to rise. Business operations, like human behavior, rely heavily on telecommunication. In this sense, it should heavily influence the evolution of ethics and human resource development on a global scale. It is true that labor pools are quickly developing with new knowledge and new talent. So, the problem isn’t finding “skilled laborers”. Instead, the solution is finding every person’s utility in the evolution of business.

References

Wright, P. M., Boudreau, J., & Pace, D. (2011). Chief HR officer: Defining the new role of Human Resource leaders. Retrieved from eBooks on EBSCOhost 2015.

Mattone, J., (2012). Talent leadership: A proven method for identifying and developing high-potential employees. Retrieved from eBooks on EBSCOhost 2015.

Cha, Bonnie. (2015, January). A beginner’s guide to understanding the Internet of Things. Retrieved from the re/code.net website: http://recode.net/2015/01/15/a-beginners-guide-to-understanding-the-internet-of-things/

Sato, K. (2014, May). Why the five people around you are crucial to your success. Retrieved from the Entreprenuer.com website: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233444

TED Talks. (Producer). (2014, June 2). Ray Kurzweil: Get ready for hybrid thinking. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVXQUItNEDQ.

Kurzweil Technologies Inc., (2015). A brief career summary of Ray Kurzweil. Retrieved from Kurzweil Technologies Inc. website: http://www.kurzweiltech.com/aboutray.html.