Strategic Human Resource Goals at Starbucks

Strategic human resource management is a critical aspect to the success and competitiveness of a firm. The process involves the attraction, development, reward and retention of employees at their capacity as individuals and for the benefit of the organization as a whole. Strategic human resource goals allow for the alignment of human resource goals to the overall organizational strategies to support the attainment of collective organizational goals (Noe et al., 2006). The concept is critical in the connection between the company’s human resources sector and the firm’s overall objectives, strategies, and goals.

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The aim of developing strategic human resource goals in an organization include the improvement of the business performance of the firm. It allows for flexibility, competitive advantage, and innovation as well as the development of an organization that is fit for successful running of operations. Strategic human resource management focuses on the way the human resources department can make a direct impact to the growth of the company through the development of a strategic approach towards the development and retention of employees to meet the needs of the company regarding its long term plans (Wright & McMahan, 2011). The purpose of this paper is to establish the strategic human resource goals of Starbucks to ensure increased productivity and enhancement of performance of the human resource department in the organization.

Starbucks

Starbucks is an American chain company established in 1971 and operating in the coffee industry. The company buys and roasts coffee and sells it with other beverages and a range of fresh food items and snack offerings through its operated stores. The company is among the leaders in the specialty coffee industry (Wheeler, 2001). The sector is however associated with an increase in the levels of competition hence the need to achieve competitive advantage regarding the human resource sector of the company. It is worth noting that human resources play a critical function in the successful running of operations in a firm and contribute significantly to the profitability of activities as well as a competitive edge for the company. To increase employee productivity and engagement in service, Starbucks seeks to establish strategic human resource goals for both the short and the long-term range to promote the uniqueness of the function and consequently the company’s performance as a result of effectiveness in its workforce.

HR Goals – Strategy – and Justification

Strategic HR Goal	Range	Rationale	Rank	Justification for rank
Cross-utilization and cross-training of employees	Short-term	The seasonality of sales in the company requires the availability of appropriate numbers of staff at any given time.	3	The strategic human resource goal is essential to ensure the availability of an adequate number of staff for the smooth running of operations in the company’s outlets.
Employment security	Long-term	Employee’s performance and productivity is based on the stability and contentment at work	5	It is critical for an employee to know that the firm values their contribution to the achievement of organizational objectives.
Selectivity in recruitment	Long-term	The best top talent for an organization is achieved right from the selection and recruitment phases	5	It is essential for Starbucks to attract and retain top talent for optimal firm performance.
Enhancement of wages and salaries	Long-term	There have been cases of employee complaints on the minimum wages paid by the firm as compared to its competitors in the market.	3	There is a need for employee retention as the recruitment and training processes are more expensive to the firm.
Effective sharing of information	Short-term	Ineffective information sharing platforms have contributed to inadequate collaboration and coordination between employees and supervisors in the organization	4	Information sharing is a critical element in cooperation and coordination between staff members.
Participation and empowerment	Long-term	Employees’ engagement and contentment is achieved through active participation as well as empowerment towards the achievement of organizational goals	4	It is critical to empower employees and ensure active participation in the day to day activities and decision-making process of the company.
Internal Promotions	Long-term	The company is likely to benefit from the internal promotion of employees to fill the existing senior positions as a result of the current experience and adequate knowledge of the operations of the company	3	Recruitment and training is a costly affair for the firm. It is essential that promotions are done from within to take advantage of the experience and knowledge on the matters of the company
Establishment of effective teams	Short-term	Successful performance of operations in a company is based on effective teams taking into consideration the diverse views and perspectives of all the members	4	Team spirit is more important than individual performance in a firm.

Conclusion

Strategic human resource management is critical for aligning the human resource competencies of the frim to the organization’s overall goals and objectives. It is crucial that human resource managers establish strategic goals related to the workforce that contribute to the achievement of organizational goals. Starbucks, a company in the specialty coffee industry should adequately establish human resource goals to ensure employee engagement as well as employee retention for the enhancement of the overall performance of the firm.

References

Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2006). Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage.

Wheeler, M. (2001). The speciality coffee market. P, Baker. Eds. Coffee Futures: A source book of some critical issues confronting the coffee industry. Chinchina, Colombia. CABI FEDERACEFE, USADAICO. p, 66, 73.

Wright, P. M., & McMahan, G. C. (2011). Exploring human capital: putting ‘human’back into strategic human resource management. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(2), 93-104.