Texas A&M HR expert creates best practices for wholesale industry

Jia Wang, professor of human resource development, partnered with Texas A&M’s industrial distribution program to develop best HR practices for wholesale distributors.

“We initiated the study in response to the industry needs,” Wang said.

She and her team spent two years working with 18 wholesale distribution companies in the U.S. assessing their current human capital development practices. Afterwards she provided individualized assessment reports and suggested strategies for optimizing employee development practices.

“Wholesale distributors are facing serious HR challenges in digital times,” Wang said. “Think about e-commerce, it has completely changed the way companies are doing business.”

She said because of the rise of e-commerce, there are higher customer service expectations. The way to increase customer experiences is to develop their employees by innovating their HR development practices.

“In the distribution industry, historically, the focus is on sales because it is the core of the industry,” Wang said.

This can make company employees feel like they are just parts of a machine.

“How do we engage people, maximize their potential and optimize their performance, while making them feel appreciated and cared about?” Wang questioned.

By increasing the focus on finding better approaches to train, develop and motivate employees, her research has the power to help distribution companies achieve business success through human capital.