Introduction to the chosen organisation

The organization covered by the research is a referred to as Rescue and Care for Wildlife. It deals with the care and rehabilitation of wild animals that are injured or abandoned by the parents. The organization offers these animals a place to stay while feeding and looking after them. The large number of animals means the organization needs a big number of workers. Due to the unavailability of resources available, the organization depends majorly on volunteer employees. 

• Management of human resources within an organization is a crucial element which requires the necessary approaches and strategies.
• In any given work force, it is highly likely that the team will be made of individuals from different walks of life.
• The variations in backgrounds between individuals in an organization lead to the concept of diversity in a workplace.
• Managing human resource in an organization which is characterized by a diverse work force can come with a number of challenges to the company. One such challenge includes poor communication especially as a result of language barrier. The other issue likely to arise in such scenarios is poor relationships between workers due to discrimination based on level, age and professional abilities. Once the relationship between workers in an organization is pricked, team cohesion and workplace unity diminishes which leads to low productivity. At the same time, such a work environment is likely to be made of individual who are lowly motivated. Low motivation equally affects the performance of the workers which culminates in low output.
• Due to the fact that low output and productivity of workers has a direct influence on the performance of an organization, there is the inevitable need to address the identified challenges before coming up with long lasting solution.
• In line with the problem areas identified above, this research focuses on some of the approaches which could be used by managers to adequately contain the various challenges associated with the human resource department in an organization.

Research Aims

At the end of the research process, the discussions and recommendations placed will be in line with project’s core aims and objectives. The main objective of the research process is to come up with practical solutions for managers to challenges associated with the management of the human resource in an organization.

The following are therefore the aim of the research

• To outline the impacts of work place diversity on the human resource department in an organization
• To identify the common human resource management challenges
• To highlight the effect of specific leadership approaches on the human resource
• To use theories and review of relevant literature to identify effective management strategies which ensure a productive work force

Research Questions

These can actually be derived from the research aims and objectives. The research process shall seek to answer the following questions:

• What are the impacts of workplace diversity on the human resource fraternity?
• What are the challenges to effective human resource management?
• What are the causes of these challenges?
• How does leadership approaches impact human resource performance?
• How can the identified human resource issues be effectively mitigated. 

Diversity verse Employee Retention          

            Beltrán-Martín and Bou-Llusar (2018), diversity at the place of work has a direct impact on the commitment of people within an organization. The authors use case studies to discuss a number of causes of work place diversity and some of their impacts. Elements such as age, gender, sexual orientation, economic abilities, religious beliefs and culture are mentioned as some of the issues which lead to a workplace diversity. 

Defects in the relationship between workers of different professional levels especially when the higher members in the hierarchy look down upon those lower in ranks also impact the motivational levels (Bryson, 2018). When these challenges are not placed on check, there is the likelihood of disruptions in cohesion and unity between workers which is an integral element for organizational productivity. Strained relationships between workers at the organization could therefore be one of the causes of less retention and hence the need for more volunteers. The organization needs to work on team work and unity among the workers to they appreciate and complement one another. This could enhance productivity and improve their length of stay in the wildlife rescue organization.

Poor Teamwork       

            As outlined by Cox and Blake (2011), the presence of people from different backgrounds in a work environment may make team work hard to achieve which in turn cripples a number of core processes within an organization. In a bid to deal with such occurrences, the authors suggest the need for team building activities through a number of processes. First of all, workshops and conferences are suggested as the productive activities which are likely to bring people together. Secondly, the authors suggest the use of annual festivals where individuals celebrate their cultures while allowing other workers within the organization to interact with and hence appreciate their values.

In a bid to retain its current crop of employees and even attract more volunteers for the wildlife care mission, the organization could consider employing the highlighted strategies. Lazaroiu (2015) points out that when people have fun together and learn from one another, their motivational levels are likely to increase as well. Such strategies create an interactive environment where the workers are also free to express themselves. It is highly likely that workers will be attracted to stay in such surroundings longer than what would be the case in a non-conducive workplace.

Research problem

Ineffective leadership styles

            According to Knippenberg (2009), the productivity of workers and the general output of the organization badly decline when the workforce is not closely knit. The tendency to achieve proper output from the workers largely depends on the leadership approaches incorporated. The nature of leadership causes variations in interest, level of commitment to the organizational goals and overall low worker morale.  A worker is therefore likely to leave an organization due to lack of commitment to the goals and vision of the company. Poor forms of leadership lower the workers’ awareness with respect to the organization’s target.

  This may end up crippling key processes within an organization. When workers are not effectively directed by the leaders, the focus on the organization’s goals and objectives may be diverted. This in turn slows down productivity especially when some members within the process chains fail to give their best due to low morale and lack of knowledge/awareness. The author therefore suggests worker education and exposure on the organizational goals, aims and targets as one of the possible solutions to low retention and productivity. As echoed by Lazaroiu (2015), such strategies may involve the workers being taken through various educative forums where they learn and appreciate the core values and ideas of the organization.

The approach also helps the workers to operate smoothly with each other despite the differences that may exist between them. The organization could employ this idea in a bid to increase the knowledge levels of the workers and volunteers. The organizational case study projects that some of the workers could be leaving the premises because they feel incompetent and unaware of what to do. Educating and exposing them on the expectations at the wildlife rescue and care center could be pivotal in retaining the workers.

Variations in Backgrounds influences retention   

            As discussed by Collings and Wood (2009) the aspects of culture, religious beliefs and variations in values are some of the challenges to proper human resource management in most corporate organization. Cultural backgrounds are further mentioned to be the leading cause of workplace frictions hence the need for proper management skills. According to the authors, different cultures imply different languages; this then leads to a workforce where departments comprise people whose first languages are different.

As mentioned by the authors, variations in languages due to different backgrounds lead to challenges in communication which is a crucial element when it comes to enhancing proper organization processes. As a result of language barrier, it becomes a major challenge for the top management to communicate important information to each of the departments. When this flow is hampered, the meaning of the message may be distorted which in turn affects the speed of flow of major processes. Language barrier comes with a number of impacts like a decline in the overall organizational performance and hence the economic strength based on its line of operations.

An organization may therefore need to revise its strategic plan on communication and embrace transmission methodologies which would ensure that messages from the leadership are passed in a clear and coherent manner to all members within the organization. Good communication creates a proper environment for workers which in turn uphold retention and productivity (Collings & Wood, 2009).

Research question(s)/aim(s)

Practical Solutions   

            Johnason (2009) examines some of the management approaches which could be implemented in a bid to ensure workers are comfortable in an organization. Through the analysis of statistical records, filled surveys and direct interviews, the author outlines the various impacts of organizational model and its impacts on the human resource. The discussion highlights variations in leadership approaches as one of the transition which may require adequate addressing. In addition to highlighting the causes of low retention of workers, the author provides a number of practical solutions to the associated impacts.

First of all, the aspect of knowledge management and dissemination is mentioned and emphasized. There is the need to treat each member of the organization with equity and honor irrespective of their level and nature of responsibilities. At the same time, knowledge about the core processes and procedures within the organization ought to be disseminated and made available to each member in order to improve efficiency and the overall productivity (Johnason, 2009). When the top management freely interacts with the workers incorporating them into the crucial decision making processes, there is a sense of belonging created within the human resource fraternity. Making the worker feel important and part of the organization’s main missions is an integral part of leadership execution which has a special influence on employee retention. Despite the fact that an organization may lack the necessary resources to heftily pay its employees, creating an

Research design

            The research report shall involve the used of mixed methods where both qualitative and quantitative approaches shall be employed during data collection. The quantitative approaches shall include; random sampling, direct interviews and surveys. The qualitative approaches shall be review of relevant literature in addition to contextual analyses.

            The data got from this procedure would be essential in deciding the attainability of the entire research venture. This is on the grounds that from the discoveries, the important thoughts should be inferred and along these lines used to set up the model. Because of the significance of the entire research process, the strategies picked were precisely inspected to decide their adequacy. For the exploration procedure, the information accumulation approaches included random sampling, direct interviews and surveys, review of relevant literature in addition to examination of contextual analyses

            A total of 100 participants shall be selected. The participants shall be picked while considering their departments of operation, professional abilities and leadership responsibilities. The sample shall be a mix of both ordinary workers in these companies and leaders in the top management as well. The method was picked because it is effective in obtaining a lot of data within a short period of time. The samples offer a fair representation of the entire population hence confirming the reliability of the data collected.

            The second data collection procedure shall involve the issue of questionnaires to the selected population sample. The duly filled questionnaires shall be collected after a period of two weeks and subjected to data analysis. Apart from the questionnaires, a portion of the selected sample, especially the managers and the supervisors shall be subjected to direct interviews on key human resource management issues. The method is effective in gaining a lot of information from a number of people within a short period of time. At the same time, it is possible to deduce the reliability of the data since clear trends can be observed from the responses.

Literature review

            The last data collection approach shall involve review of relevant literature whose content address the research problem. A total of 8 sources on human resource management shall be selected and reviewed in a bid to adequately respond to the key research questions. Additionally, case studies addressing core human resource management issues in the selected companies shall be reviewed and the main arguments derived for analysis.

            The main methods of data analysis shall involve the use of descriptive statistics and data visualization. In line with the use of descriptive statistics, the feedback obtained from the direct interviews and questionnaires shall be arranged to indicate specific trends. For the closed ended questions, there shall be choices hence arranging the data with similar choices given by individuals shall be used to prepare the raw data for analysis. To understand the data, averages, mean and the median shall be calculated.  Furthermore, the obtained data shall be arranged into tables and graphs in clear presentations which are easy to interpret.

On the use of data visualization, information shall be directly derived from the sources through a moderated visual analysis of the contents. The approach shall be crucial in analyzing the data obtained through literature review and case studies. These approaches of data analysis were chosen because they allow presentations which are easy to interpret. The bar graphs, tables and chats are equally easy to construct with reference to the outcome of the calculated values. The methods also derive progressions within a short period making them convenient approaches in the research process. 

Ethical considerations

            The research process shall involve obtaining information from a number of companies.  This implies various stakeholders shall hold key position in ensuring the success of the research. The approaches shall also involve the derivation of information about companies and their management approaches. Some of these concepts may be sensitive and key secrets of a company which when leaked may have drastic effects on the organization’s procedures and operations. In order to ensure the confidentiality of the information obtained from the stakeholders, the data shall be kept secret and precisely for the purposes of the research. In case an individual has to be mentioned, it shall be done on their permission.

The right ethical considerations have therefore been put in place to hinder any negative eventualities. The anonymity of the respondents shall be upheld to enhance the confidentiality assurance levels. To ensure this, agreement documents shall be signed between the researcher and respondents confirming that the information obtained shall remain confidential. Any participant willing to withdraw shall be given the lee way. Information shall be obtained from the respondents based on their willingness and not forceful approaches.

Summary of Research Significance

            Based on the effective strategy put in place for this research, the expected outcomes are likely to be helpful to managers and other key stakeholders in line with the management of human resources. At the end of the procedure, the outcomes are expected to highlight some of the causes of the major challenges in human resource management. The discussions shall also highlight some of the best management approaches which can be implemented in order to improve the productivity of workers within an organization despite the eminent obstacles. The data collection and analysis process is also expected to bring out clear trends on management styles and the impacts of these approaches on the workers. The discussions and findings from this procedure shall touch on key management aspects which can be build on by other researchers in future in order to come up with stable recommendations on the most effective ways of managing human resources in an organization. 

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