Organizing

Every organization establishes their own structures to suit their business needs. These structures are often not set in stone and change according to situations or evolving environments. Many companies create functional areas to include both corporate units and dedicated support units. Human Resources and Information Technology are two such areas that are organized to increase efficiencies and to reduce management costs. These units are initiated to meet company objects such as improving customer service, reducing turn times, as this is the case with my company.

Human Resources

The cornerstone of every organization is their Human Resources department. My company's Human Resources' area is responsible for the overall well being of the organizations employees who are their most valuable asset. Our company is committed to providing its employees with a safe and fair work environment, free of discrimination and harassment. Equally important is their commitment to hiring employees who are dedicated to providing the highest caliber of service, both to fellow co-workers and to their participants. My company has organized their Human Resources' area as a functional division to encompass three essential components of their responsibilities. The reasoning behind organizing this area is to be able to cut across the overall organization. In addition, it is considerably less expensive to manage in separate areas then to have one centralized division.

The first HR component is their Corporate HR and Operations unit, which is responsible for all Corporate HR services, including: compensation, benefits, health services, compliance, and business processes as a whole. This unit establishes policies for hiring, promoting, transferring and terminating employees. They also benchmark compensation and benefits to see that we are in line with our industry competitors.

The second section is the subdivision of the Human Resources' staff into dedicated HR support units that ensure that business and support units adhere to the policies set forth by the Corporate HR and Operations unit. The support unit is comprised of HR Relationship Managers that oversee full delivery of human resources solutions, including advice, staffing, development and performance management, training, and compensation management for each business line and support unit. There is only one difference in the reporting structure. Dedicated support units report to a business or support area as well as to the functional area. Heads of support units within business and support areas report jointly to a functional area executive and an executive of either a business area or a support unit, but not both.

Lastly, Learning & Development leads corporate-wide training efforts with curriculum and programs that support all businesses. Our company is committed to creating opportunities to expand our awareness, skills, and growth through training, educational, and developmental resources. HR wants staff to realize the full advantage of these offerings and incorporate them into each of our own plans for career development to move proactively toward our own goals. Career development is a process integrating one's own interests, skills, and values, and leveraging on-the-job experience according to the needs and opportunities of the organization. Our HR Learning & Development area stresses the importance that employees understand the skills and abilities that we each can offer and that we recognize the challenges and growth areas available within our company.

Information Technology

Another vital piece to an organizations successful structure is its Information Technology structure. Our company is aware of the significance of this functionality within the organization. This part of the organization has also been organized as a functional area for this reason. Not only does Information Technology (IT) maintain and support the flow of information and the tools to distribute it, but it is done while working to consolidate a vast assortment of often competing sometimes outdated technologies that had been in place for many years. Our company has identified five main areas to direct their energy: Open Architecture, Business Intelligence, Web Strategy, Security and Work Flow. Even as our company changes its posture from reactive to active, IT is still handling dozens of initiatives at a time. IT is working to unify and prioritize, putting the bulk of our resources behind answering our most pressing needs, such as systems for each business area.

IT Relationship Management serves to support new and existing business applications for specific business and support areas. IT Relationship Management has been established for the following areas: Client Services & Public Affairs, Corporate Support, Investment Management and Product Management. By evaluating whether a business decision calls for a technological service already in IT's range or requires a unique solution, these relationship managers advise the best way to go and also explain the solution's impact on cost to the company.

IT must also enable everyone in the company to have e-mail 100 percent of the time. For each division or area to have a separate, perhaps quirky, and perhaps incompatible e-mail system