HRM in Print, Graphic, Digital Media & Tourism

Prof. Joy Chowdhury: Associate Professor
Centre of HRD and Leadership

It is a must for Global organizations to navigate a “new world of work”—one that requires dramatic changes in strategies for leadership, talent, and human resources. In this new world of work, the barriers between work and life have been all but eliminated. Employees are “always on”- hyper-connected to their jobs through pervasive mobile technology. Networking tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Glassdoor enable people to easily monitor the market for new job opportunities. Details about an organization’s culture are available at the tap of a screen, providing insights about companies to employees and potential employees alike. The balance of power in the employer-employee relationship has shifted, making today’s employees more like customers or partners than subordinates. Many of today’s employees work in global teams that operate on a 24/7 basis. New cognitive technologies are displacing workers and reengineering work, forcing companies to redesign jobs to incorporate new technology solutions. Demographic changes are also in play. For human resources (HR) organizations, this new world requires bold and innovative thinking. It challenges our existing people practices: how we evaluate and manage people and how we engage and develop teams; how we select leaders and how they operate. HR organizations now face increasing demands to measure and monitor the larger organizational culture, simplify the work environment, and redesign work to help people adapt.

Developments that have taken place in the information and communication industries over the past decade, have caused substantial structural changes to the traditional Graphic arts, Media and Tourism sector. Driven by rapid technological developments, these structural changes take place not only internally within the production chain, but they also affect the entire spectrum of the sector`s operations and functions, in terms of products, market and business environments. Principal factors that affect the graphic arts and media sector are the humans that have any type of relationship with the sector. Furthermore, the introduction and integration of new technologies such as digital printing and cross-media publishing into the traditional graphic arts enterprises have caused considerable changes in the production of printed media production, and workflow management. Consequently, these changes affect the competence characteristics and general requirements for existing employees and personnel that are to be recruited into the enterprises. Human resource management or human capital development strategies have been introduced and applied mainly in large enterprises. Research has revealed that little attention has been given to the human capital development strategies of employees and owners of micro, small and medium sized enterprises or sole entrepreneurs and individual workers. Nowadays, the role of humans is considered important in any development strategy and as a result new concepts in human resources are have been developed. Among others, the following concepts are considered important: 

• Relationship Management
• Emotional Intelligence
• Customer Relationship management and
• Networking

Digital media is an emerging, rapidly evolving, vibrant, diverse, and creative industry. Digital media companies are the creators, enablers and aggregators of digital platforms like TV, computers, cell phones and other portable devices. It is known for its contribution to game design and development, simulations and interactive training, advertising and promotional content, software design and development, content management systems, and web design and development. 

Many of the human resources (HR) management strategies, programs, tools and mechanisms are standard across all industries. This is helpful since there is minimal information regarding human resource issues facing the digital media industry and there is little to no evidence-based research available. However, there are some specific requirements unique to digital media companies, and some unique requirements for small, medium, and large digital media companies. 

Generally speaking, the size of the company can have a direct impact on the extent to which programs and initiatives are undertaken. For example, large companies such as Google or Apple must take a more strategic approach in creating their culture. Small companies, on the other hand, are able to adapt more quickly to the changing needs of their employees and can work collaboratively to define and create their own culture. Unfortunately, there is not a-one-size-fits-all approach to human resources management in organizations. Given the recent explosion of the digital media industry and its level of attraction for young and exceptionally skilled talent, the need to focus on innovative and leading-edge practices is critical. 

The Tourism Industry:

The importance of tourism and hospitality employment in both developed and developing countries is attested to by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), who suggest that travel- and tourism-related activities account for over 230 million jobs, or 8.7 per cent of jobs worldwide (WTTC, 2006). However, whilst the quantity of jobs is unquestionable, the quality of many of these jobs is of great concern to academics and policy-makers alike. Frequently considered a satisfying career choice by people who have never held one’ (Coupland, 1993: 5; and see also Lindsay and McQuaid, 2004). MacDonald and Sirianni (1996) recognize the challenges of living and working in a service society which, according to them, is characterized by two kinds of service jobs: large numbers of low-skill, low-pay jobs and a smaller number of high-skill, high-income jobs, with few jobs being in the middle of these two extremes. Such a situation leads labour analysts to ask what kinds of jobs are being produced and who is filling them. This point is also true for the tourism and hospitality industry and it is important to add a caveat about the generalizability (or otherwise) of the conditions of tourism and hospitality employment worldwide. Hence Baum (1995: 151) reflecting the diversity of employment within the sector notes that: 

In some geographical and sub-sector areas, tourism and hospitality provides an attractive, high-status working environment with competitive pay and conditions, which is in high demand in the labour force and benefits from low staff turnover … The other side of the coin is one of poor conditions, low pay, high staff turnover, problems in recruiting skills in a number of key areas, a high level of labour drawn from socially disadvantaged groups, poor status and the virtual absence of professionalism.

Organizations and managers in the tourism and hospitality industry face real challenges in recruiting, developing and maintaining a committed, competent, well managed and well-motivated workforce which is focused on offering a high-quality ‘product’ to the increasingly demanding and discerning customer. This book seeks to address some of the key human resource (HR) issues that have to be tackled in order that organizations can maintain such an environment. To do so it will critically review some of the problems which led many to characterize tourism and hospitality employment as generally unrewarding and unappealing, whilst also considering examples of good practice, important policy responses and models of HRM which may offer cause for greater optimism in the way people are managed within the tourism and hospitality industry

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Associate Professor – Joy Chowdhury is an eminent Leadership Development professional, a motivator and an emotional intelligence coach. A learning and development professional with a rich experience of more than 14 years in the training industry, Joy is a management Graduate with a Masters in Psychology. A strategic leader and project management consultant in areas of learning and development, Joy had been a Guest Lecturer with multiple universities across Europe and the US. Interactions with people from various countries have enriched him with more understanding of cultural differences and Psychological perspectives of the same. He has had fruitful stints with Infosys, IBM and Cerner Corporation.