The interface between Human Resources Management (HRM) and Production / Operations Management (POM) is fundamentally pronounced especially in the areas of employment, learning and talent development, compensation, safety, health and environment, industrial/employee relations, communications, productivity and performance management.

TALENT DEVELOPMENT

Developing the talent of people in production, quality, purchasing, maintenance engineering, logistics and supply chain, technical services such as research and development (R&D) and other departments classified as line functions is critical to business success, now and in the future.

Getting individual employee, teams, departments and the entire organization to be highly productive require top management commitment, high-executive level co-operation, alignment of business processes and the right interface between the staff and line functions. The human resources managers need to provide the prop for effective talent management in a manufacturing plant and service industry operations.

 HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Human resources management (HRM) is the management of people in an organization.The key role of the human resources department is to ensure corporate effectiveness by partnering with the line management, in this case, the production and operations departments in the acquisition, development and retention of talent, working as agent of transformation while anticipating possible dimensions of change in the business world, promoting high performance geared towards ensuring the realization of business goals and objectives and harmonizing internal interests between the employer and employees and external interests between the company and regulatory authorities and communities, implementing HR policies strategies and decisions, propagating corporate culture, values and best practice standards among others.

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS TALENT

“Production and Operations talent can be defined as a term for natural ability and skills required in all positions in a manufacturing plant as well as service organizations including production, purchasing, warehousing, transportation, maintenance engineering, research and development (R&D), quality control/quality assurance, logistics, supply chain, customer, service and so on. The cross-functional teams’ chemistry and bonding across the organization, especially between HR and POM departments will help to promote integration and business process alignment for enhanced efficiency. The HR Directors and Managers are traditionally expected to play the role of championing and managing this chemistry and bonding.

HR OPERATIONS

Human Resources Managers have strategic roles for ensuring that the organization is never in short supply of talented, skilled, adequately motivated and committed workforce it needs to achieve its business goals and objectives. They also have operational roles which occupy most of their time. However, HR day-to-day operations should not overwhelm them at the expense of preparing for the future.

And, this is not just about succession planning, redundancy or employee off boarding but the whole gamut of employee resourcing, performance management and human resource development including career management.

– Dr. Olaniyi Opanuga, FNIPM

President / Chairman of Council

Nigerian Institute of Production Management (NIPM)