How to Write a Classification Essay in Human Resources Management: Get It Done in Few Steps

What is it? A classification essay means that you are writing an essay that classifies things. But what does it mean to classify? Classify means that you arrange a group of people or things into classes or categories according to shared qualities or characteristics. Alternatively, you can assign someone or something to a particular class or category.
For instance, you can classify macronutrients into proteins, carbohydrates, and fats; you can classify food by region: Italian, French, and Chinese; you can classify food by mealtime: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

The possibilities are limitless and after reading this article you will see that classification essays are a much easier writing assignment that you might have anticipated.

How to Write a Classification Essay in Human Resources Management and Why Do I Have to Do It?

Learning how to use classification is essential to developing critical thinking skills and learn new information.
In Piaget’s education theories, he demonstrated that in order to absorb a great deal of information you have to organize it in a way that makes sense to the student. Piaget called these classifications “schemas” and they help us make sense of new information as we are exposed to it.

As we get older and our thinking becomes more complex, we develop more and more of these categories to learn things. For example, if you ask a two-year-old to pick out only circles on apace, they are less likely to be successful than a four-year-old who can easily accomplish the task because they understand what a circle is because it is a well-known category for him.

Look at it as a categorization essay. Think about three different categories you can divide stuff into. For example, categorize football players: legends, unsung heroes, most players of all time. Another example – categorize vacation spots: summer sports, winter fun, and autumn holidays. The best way to pick a topic is to start with a broad idea that had diversity within it.

What Topic to Choose for a Classification Essay in Human Resource Management?

Modern scientists give different definitions of human resource management. And by the way, here is another example of classification.

• If we look at HRM as a practical activity, then this will mean all the actions of authorized persons in hiring, up boarding, and developing the company’s employees.
• If we look at the HRM as an academic discipline, then this will be a complex of knowledge that students should acquire in the learning process.
• If we look at the HRM as a branch of science, then this will be a combination of scientific approaches, knowledge, and research on human resource management.

Human resource management is crucial for a company to function effectively. It is a young complex discipline that deals with phycology, sociology, management, and economics.
Naturally, before choosing a topic it is imperative to choose whether you are going to write about big companies or smaller enterprises. Here is a list of topics that may inspire or motivate you.

• The Classification of Employees and Which of Them Form the Best Work Team;
• The Categories of Human Resource Activities;
• The Classification of Challenges of Human Resource Management;
• The Classification of HRM Functions;
• The Categories of HR Strategies;
• The Classification of Approaches to Evaluate HRM Effectiveness;
• The Classification of HR Management Software Systems;
• What Personality Tests are the Most Efficient to Learn About a Work Team?

Where to Start?

Brainstorm ideas! Brainstorming is an attempt to find a solution to a problem by stimulating creative activity. It is used to generate as many solutions as possible, including the most incredible and impossible ones. Then, from all invented options you can select those that can be implemented in practice.

The basic idea behind brainstorming is to weaken the control of your thoughts by letting them flow like an uncontrollable stream toward solving any problem. This approach goes beyond standard solutions that do not produce the desired result.

The main specifics of the classification essay is that a writer must focus on identifying categories and relevant explanations to why they are formed in that way. Thus, there are three steps to effective classification:

1. Sort things into distinct categories.
2. Make sure that all categories follow a single organizing principle.
3. Provide examples that fit into each category.

To illustrate, here is an example of classification of Functions of HR activities:

1. The acquisition of Human Resources: planning, analyzing jobs, recruitment, selection.
2. The development of Human Resources: appraising, training, developing.
3. The rewarding of human Resources: compensating (wages and salaries, incentives).
4. The maintenance of Human Resources: employee benefits, safety, and health, labor relations.

Introductory Paragraph

When we look at a classification essay oftentimes it is helpful to have a strong sense of what you are going to be writing about. The introductory paragraph must tell the reader what is going to be categorized, the purpose of the essay, the thesis statement which identifies the categories. And most importantly – why these categories are relevant.

When you need to answer an essential question with several paragraphs, you write a thesis. Your thesis will need a subject, which is a thing to form an opinion about. For example, if you are assigned to classify people by personality types to identify which personality types form the most productive and smooth team. The subject is people, their personality types, in particular. The classification will be:

• The director – a goal-oriented, risk-taking person, who is stress-resistant.
• The thinker – a detail-oriented, logical, practical and always prepared person.
• The socializer – a relationship-oriented, outgoing and enthusiastic person.
• The supporter – a task-oriented, stabilizing and cautious person.

The intro paragraph has four different parts in it:

1. The hook statement, which gets the reader’s attention. It can be a quote or short story that has a connection to the thesis. BrainyQuote is an excellent resource full of ‘hook statements’.
2. The elaboration, which explains the hook sentence to the reader. This a what you want the reader to get from the grabber.
3. The bridge, Which transfers from the hook and explanation sentence to the thesis and shows how they connect to the thesis.
4. The thesis is a roadmap to your paper and it gives the reader an idea of what each body paragraph is about.

The example of the introduction of this topic:

Simone Biles said: “The floor exercise is a way to express your personality”. Everyone has a unique character inside but only a few can become a piece of the puzzle of a work team. Even though it is extremely difficult to fit a human personality into scholarly criteria, the classification in that essay is workable and with it, it is easier to identify people who will harmonize, complement each other making a company successful. These employees facilitate a strong environment encouraging each other to get better.

Body Paragraphs

All body paragraphs will include information about certain categories: an explanation of the criteria, discussions of its strengths and weaknesses, examples that support the category.
Before writing main body paragraphs look at your claims and supports. If two claims or supporting pieces of evidence look similar to you then it is better not to include one of them, but to combine them into one paragraph, which will be juicier and more distinct.

Continuing the example about personality types, here two of the body paragraphs.

The “Director” personality type is one of the rarest ones. These people are gifted with vibrant and limitless imagination, they are determined, ambitious, curious, often secretive but in a good way. These people demonstrate their desire to know more and share their knowledge and experience. But on the other hand, they can carry their confidence too far and be arrogant and judgmental at times. However, despite the fact that these can start a forest fire in the group out of their self-importance, they are an integral part of the team and can definitely contribute to the growth of the company. The most famous examples of “director” personality type are Margaret Thatcher, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk.

There is, however, the opposite – the “Socializer” type. On the one side, such people can seem to be “entertainers” that slow the work process and distract their colleagues, but without them, the atmosphere in the company is tense and arid. These people are endlessly curious, energetic and enthusiastic, find common ground with others effortlessly, know how to cheer up and relax. The misconception about them is partly true – they find it hard to focus, have poor practical skills and always seek freedom, hate being restrained by rules and bans. It is basically a challenge for them to live in a world of laws, bills, and hierarchy. A “socializer” can be recognized in Robin Williams and Russell Brand.

Concluding Paragraph

In the case with the classification essay, the conclusion includes a brief summary of each category and recommendations of one category over the others, if necessary. It can be written in three steps:

1. Generalize in one or two sentences what you proved in your paper. Feel free to begin with transition words like ‘To sum it up’ or ‘To conclude’. Look through the main body to refresh your memory of what you proved.
2. So what? Why is this information important to HR managers? Make sure not to answer the question with the question itself and use this phrase “This information is important to know because…”
3. Think of what can people or students do with this information to improve their lives even a tiny little bit.

Remember to make a connection with an introduction. With such links in place, you are to get a more comprehensive essay.

Below is the example of a classification essay conclusion on ‘What personality types form the best work team?’:
There is no doubt that these are just general outlines and it is impossible for a person to fit into these frames for a hundred percent. Ultimately, a leader that can inspire and teach his or her coworkers will lead the team towards cooperation and prosperity of the organization. Diversity matters – as everyone gets to learn a little bit from everyone. A team with similar personalities will not move forward and can it can lead to mediocrity. Keeping in mind that personal traits matter as much as practical skills a HR manager will be able to assemble a dream team.

The Peculiarities of the Essay in Human Resource Management

First of all, there is a difference between standard and international HRM. In particular, a company which acts on the international level need to overcome obstacles in the form of cultural boundaries. That is why besides traditional functions of HRM like selecting, training and developing employees, evaluating and dismissing, HR manager of international level need to overcome these obstacles as well. In this regard, they work to cooperate with three types of employees: native country employees, citizens of the country in which the country’s subsidiary is found, employees working in the subsidiary, who are from a different country. Therefore, doing business on the international level is a lot more advanced.

So, when writing an essay do not be fearful of using special language, use your knowledge from the classes. The use of specified languages shows professionalism and maturity. Do not be too generic, choose a narrow topic (here is how to narrow a topic), use academic English (here are some tips to avoid overusing ‘that’ in your writing).
Use transition words that underline the fact that you are writing a classification essay:

• this type of…
• several kinds of…
• in this category..
• classified according to…
• is categorized by…
• can be divided into…
• Proofread your creation. To ensure that there no mistakes in the text read the text aloud, give it to your friends or relatives to receive feedback, check it with different kinds of apps, such as Grammarly or Hemingway editor.
• Be reasonable at the number of categories. Based on the required essay length you should include no more than four to six categories so that there is no trouble in choosing examples and writing distinct descriptions for them.

Summary

Writing a classification essay in such a discipline as Human Resource Management seems like a sky-high summit, but with this guide, things can get a little bit more clarified. Making a plan, brainstorming ideas, conducting thorough research and following all the recommendations on writing an introduction, main body and conclusion will inevitably bring you to success.