MSHR 650 Strategic Business Partnerships

Harvard Business Review case study, create a formal proposal that addresses the following:

1. Identification of the primary business challenges. The focus is on overall business challenges that may or may not include direct HR areas.

2. Proposed Human Resource initiatives to address the challenges identified. The proposal should include resources needed (human capital, financial, etc.)

3. An evaluation plan that will address the proposed actions identified.

The business landscape in India is characterized by fierce competition, uncertainty, nonlinear growth, and turbulence. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd faces fierce competition from homegrown motor companies such as Tata Motors and foreign automobile companies. Evidently, each of these automotive powerhouses is fighting hard to outdo the other and dominate the market share (Lokhande & Rana, 2013).  Despite the competition, Maruti Suzuki has still maintained its position as the market leader. However, this dominance may not last for long due to other companies venturing into the small car section of the market. This new development poses a significant threat to the enterprise. The case study takes a look at the journey of Maruti Suzuki since its beginning. Moreover, the case study outlines the various organizational and Human Resource changes which enabled the company to respond to a series of business needs. These changes, which were majorly on the monopolies and public sector enterprises, enabled Maruti Suzuki to compete with other global companies. The case study illustrates the challenges that the company has faced in its effort to make these changes and how the Human Resource participates in the creation of these changes. Some of the problems encountered include the need to modify the perception and mentality of the employees regarding certain cross-cultural issues and create an efficient workforce. One of the most difficult undertakings is to come up with a breakthrough innovation which would help the company stand out and gain a competitive edge. Another pressing challenge for the company is retention of talent. With the competition heating up, retention of top talents is becoming more difficult.

The problems stated above can be dealt with using several approaches.  The HR needs to develop and embrace an organizational culture that is supportive of the stated efforts. A supportive culture can be achieved by setting clear goals and celebrating when the stated goals are met (Bratton & Gold, 2012). As some thinkers note, employees will be more motivated when their efforts are recognized. The culture of innovation and quick responses should also be propagated within the company to ensure that Maruti Suzuki India Limited maintains its position in the automotive market. The employees should constantly be reminded that mistakes create a path for innovation and creation of great ideas. This will help lessen the fear among the workers and improve the chances of coming up with a breakthrough innovation (Daley, 2012). It is also important for the HR to invest in top-notch and well-skilled employees who will help elevate the company to greater levels and ensure that the company retains its leadership position and market share. To deal with the challenge of employee retention, the company should improvise some strategies such as evaluating and rewarding good performance, hiring the right people and matching the job offers from the competitors.

There is the need for the creation of an evaluation plan that will contribute to address and improve the actions identified above. The evaluation plan will assess and propose ways to improve the various activities which include the creation of a supportive culture, fostering innovation, retaining talent, and hiring new skills. The evaluation plan should continue to the implementation stage to ensure that the activities are productive by setting clear goals and timeline (Fernández-Guerrero, Revuelto-Taboada & Simón-Moya, 2012). Additionally, the evaluation plan should serve to propose unforeseen insights that will help to improve the outcomes of the activities. Finally, the evaluation plan should be reviewed by the governance or steering committee, an external or internal evaluator, and the activity director. The process of reviewing will help to ensure that the activities are all inclusive and tailored to the company’s activities. A questionnaire survey, for instance, will help to assess how the employees feel about the activities. Both the participants and the stakeholders should be identified in the evaluation plan, and all the relevant items should also be included.

References

Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2012). Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan.

Daley, D. M. (2012). Strategic human resources management. Public Personnel Management, 120-125.

Fernández-Guerrero, R., Revuelto-Taboada, L., & Simón-Moya, V. (2012). The business plan as a project: an evaluation of its predictive capability for business success. The Service Industries Journal, 32(15), 2399-2420.

Lokhande, M. A., & Rana, V. S. (2013). Marketing Strategies of Indian automobile companies: a case study of Maruti Suzuki India Limited.