HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OF MANAGERS

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Human resource management is essential in improving

employee productivity. Across the world, globalization has

elevated the importance of human resource management

development in organizations. These changes have led to the

notion of the human resource system as a strategic asset.

Many of the arguments about processes of globalization within

the HR function rest on the assumption that there has and

continues to be longitudinal change in the conduct of human

resource. In order to effectively deal with all these

changes, human resource professionals must develop

competencies that will allow them to carry out their roles

effectively, such competencies like: flexibility, teamwork,

communication, strategic planning, network building, client

service, orientation, organizational awareness, self

confidence, sharing of expertise, global and cultural

understanding among others(Emily, 2015).

Today’s organization operating environment is

characterized by constant change. The accelerated pace of

advances in technology, increase in competition, widespread

and growing unemployment create serious adjustment problems.

Diminishing resource supplies have also affected the way

business is conducted; education institutions have not been

spared either and companies have to adapt more prudent

management system. This complex and unstable environment is a

way of life, which will continue way into the future.

Organizations are open systems, studies carried out before

liberalization indicates that the reform process has led to

stiff competition in key sectors of the economy (Murage,

2005).

Armstrong (2002) asserts that all organizations exist to

achieve a purpose and they must ensure that they have

resources required to do so and they use them effectively. An

organization has to align its human resource function with

its overall strategic goals and objectives. Organization

culture, people and processes rather than capital or

technology can form the base of sustained competitive

advantage of a firm. It is important that a firm adopts

strategic human resource practices that make best use of its

employees. As a result of this, one key element of

organizational capacity, human resources management in

humanitarian operations, has been rising up the agenda of

both agencies and donors.

 People have been reported to hold the key to more

productive and efficient organizations. The way in which they

are managed at work has major effects upon product and costs

(Harrison, 2000). The consequences of not caring for the

employees include unsatisfied customers and stressed unhappy

work force and emphasized the need to balance the respective

needs of customers and those of employees. Harrison (2000)

asserted that when employees are well managed through HRM,

they would take care of customer needs. Furthermore, the

roles of the office head in managing human resource is a key

component in promoting an employee’s ability to perform the

job more effectively towards employee performance for the

success of office management. When the office head have

implemented the human resource management functions as the

strategic approaches more professionally to staff management,

the human resource can be a competitive advantage and a great

source of competitive strength for office. Armstrong (2012)

addressed that human resource management as strategic and

coherent approaches to the management of an organization’s

most valued asset.

Recruitment and Selection – are the fundamental roles of the

human resource department that the manager is in charge to

ensure the office obtains the most skillful and competent

person from a pool of applicant. The techniques and

procedures of recruitment and selection are successful if it

fits with organizational performance (Milikic, 2009).

Although, the manager evaluates the ability and competency of

the potential candidates from within and outside the office

to select them for future employment. It is believed that the

success of the program is mainly dependent upon the selection

of employee.

Training and Development – is one of core human resource

management functions which is to identify the key skills and

competence of an employee that need for training and

development to improve their skills for better performance.

There is a change needed through training and development to

improve and grow in competence. This can be done through on –

the training, off–then-job training, conference, workshop,

and seminars. According to Anderson (2000) training is a

process to change the behavior of employees at work through

the application of learning principles and necessary skills

both hard and soft to build employee abilities for better

performance. The principle requires to manage the systematic

development of the attitude, knowledge and skill behavior

pattern required by an individual in order to perform

adequately a given task or job in the office to achieve

effective performance, and to develop the abilities of the

individual and to satisfy current and future manpower needs

of an office.

Compensation and Benefits – is one of the main human resource

management functions. One of the researchers, Ahmed,

Tabassum, and Hossain (2005) found the pay and advantage

practice is profoundly connected with the organization’s

performance. The principal has top determine the compensation

strategy of the management is a crucial resource function

which is must be ensured internal equity as well as labor

market competitiveness. The CEO also needs to work out

innovative incentive schemes as to motivate employees that

can create and sustain a competitive advantage performance.

Staff and Performance Management – is one of the main pillars

of human resource management functions. Kleiman (2000)

addressed that the performance appraisal is an assessment of

employees’ job performance levels. A good and effective

performance appraisal will help to direct employee behavior

towards the goals of the company and it will also help to

monitor how good employee performance is. It is significant

for the CEO to oversee the performance appraisal process of

evaluating employee performance by setting performance goals,

determine the key performance areas, identifying critical

attributes for effectiveness performance. The system is to

provide guidance and approach for an employee to perform

tasks and what they need to be achieved, and it will help to

provide feedback, identify training need, area development,

and planning, and to provide inputs for management of pay

administration, rewards, and staff promotion. So performance

management is the most important function for the principle

that needs to be well managed and implemented for employee

performance in order to gain quality performance and company

goals.

Human Resource Management Practices

In an attempt to define HRM, Armstrong (2001) emphasized

that it is people working in an organization who individually

and collectively contribute to the achievement of its

objectives. The Human Resource(HR) is a living and active

input that operates the other factors of production. It is

people who create organizations and make them survive and

prosper. Hence, their special management cannot be neglected

as other components of the organization are likely to suffer.

Without people, organizations could not function. Yet people

also need the organizations so that they can maintain their

living standards, by working in these organizations. Jackson

(2009) explained that, employees work in exchange for

compensation. Hence there is committed and skilled workforce,

using an array of cultural, structural and personnel

techniques. It is clear that human resources management is an

important part of today’s business management. Barass J.M

(2004) asserts that all organizations, schools being no

exception cannot do without human and material resources.

These resources complement each other in organization

development and must be managed.

Pfeffer as cited by Wangui (2010) suggested a number of

human resource management practices, termed as best

practices, which he believed could improve organizational

performance. These are namely; selective hiring, extensive

training, employment security, diffusion of information, team

working, reduction of status differences, performance related

and incentive pay. Guest (2002) argues that a relationship

exists between the use of appropriate human resources

management practices and positive employee attitudes among

them job satisfaction and commitment. He further claims that

these practices equip employees and enable them to function

autonomously and responsibly.

Human resource management is the management of various

activities designed to enhance the effectiveness of an

organization’s workforce in achieving organizational goals.

To get work done, organizations need to attract people to

apply for jobs and retain those who do their jobs well. After

applicants have applied for a job offer, the process of

selection occurs. Employers world over want to select

employees who will be able and willing to learn new tasks and

continually adapt to changing conditions. As job requirements

change, existing employees must be able to develop new

competencies, become proficient in new jobs and even change

their occupations. Training and development practices enable

employees to develop themselves and remain employable

(Jackso, 2009).

Performance must also be measured and employees must

receive usable feedback so that they can correct performance

deficiencies. In addition, employees work in exchange for

compensation, monetary or otherwise. Employers on the other

hand offer incentives and other forms of rewards to motivate

employees to perform to their best. They must further provide

a healthy and safe workplace and also give an ear to their

employees’ grievances. Human resource management encompasses

a wide area and it can be said that good human resources

management practices add value to a job and increase the job

satisfaction. The review also covers literature on the

dependent variables of this research conceptual framework.

Notwithstanding the technological advances and new systems

now available in the workplace the most important factor in

the production of goods and services is the human factor. The

other factors of production are only useful when they are

operated by competent well motivated employees.

Human resource management must change as the business

environment in which it operates changes. Human resources

management as defined by Armstrong (2000) is a strategic and

coherent approach of rhe management of an organization’s most

valued assets, the people working there who individually and

collectively contribute to the achievement of its goals.

Human resource management which seeks to obtain competitive

advantage through the strategic deployment of highly

committed and skilled workforce using an array of cultural,

structural and personal techniques.

Human resources management practices and systems have

been linked to organizational competitiveness, increased

productivity higher quality of work life and greater

profitability. In a global economy, competitiveness means the

ability to take the most advantageous position in a

constantly changing market environment. In order for this

linked to be accomplished between human resource management

and organizational success, the role of human resources

management must be strategic instead of operational, aligning

the human resource function with the strategic needs of the

organization.

The integration of human resources management with

business strategy is rare even among the large organizations.

Many management teams have had difficulty transforming human

resource management into a strategic function, leaving the

human resources department in most companies focused on

administrative and clerical tasks. Many organizations tend to

focus on the administrative aspects of the HRM function, due

to difficulties they face on the integration of HRM to

organizational goals. As a result, they ignore the long term

perspective of HR planning and set their sights too low,

ending up with HRM strategies that are too functional, too

operational, too narrow and too genetic. In the end, such

strategies fail to energize their managers in making

necessary changes to achieve competitiveness through people

and often fade away or are replaced before they achieve any

real impact.

HRM strategies need to be integral to organizational

strategies; they need to pay attention to multiple levels for

strategy implementation, including organization, development,

recruiting and staffing, rewards performance, and employee

relations; they should provide for innovative ways to

differentiate organizations in competitive markets and they

must establish an achievable implementation of plan. The new

strategic role for the HRM function entails two major

aspects. First, the function should provide enough input into

the organization’s strategy about whether it has the

necessary capabilities to implement it. Second, it has the

responsibility to ensure that the HRM programs and practices

are in place to effectively execute the strategy. The key

functions of HRM differ from one organization to the other

and from one country to another, but includes ,mainly the

employment process, management of movement of employees in

the organizations, employees motivations, reward management,

performance management, personnel administration, training

and development, exit management and employee welfare.

Over the last 20 years there has been a growing interest

in people management practices. In part this reflects the

accumulating evidence that workers hold the key to enhanced

organizational performance. Thus many of today’s

organizations are re- evaluating their human resource

management (HR) practices in an attempt to tap worker’s

discretionary efforts and improve organizational performance.

In many instances, the growing interest has been

accompanied by a change in the nature and title of the

personnel function, with former personnel managers now

referred to as human resource managers, and workers

considered as ‘valued employees’ deserving respect and

dignity from senior managers. Where such changes have

occurred it is not uncommon to find human resource managers

occupying strategic roles within organizations, alerting

directors and other senior persons of the implications of

change from a human capital perspective. Additionally, it

also examined the mediating role of HRM effectiveness on the

direct relationship.

With this, this paper sought to identify the role played

by managers as Human Resource Managers in the organization.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to find out the resource management

practices of the managers ----------

Specifically, tis study sought to answer the following

questions:

1. What are the demographic characteristics of the

respondents as to age, sex, educational attainment and

type of company?
 2. What are human resource management practices of the

managers in ---------- as perceived by the respondents

when taken as a whole and when grouped according to

age, sex, educational attainment, company size and type

of company?

3. Are there significant difference in the human resource

management practices of managers in ------ as perceived

by the respondents when grouped according to age, sex,

educational attainment, company size and type of

company?

Hypothesis

Set at 0.05 alpha level, this study hypothesized that

there is no any significant differences in the human resource

management practices of school heads in the ---------as

perceived by the respondents when grouped according to age,

sex educational attainment, office size and type of office.

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework of the Study

The study was modeled on Burns and Stalk Contingency

theory developed by Tom Burns and G.M Stalker in Britain and

Paul Lawrence and Jay Lorsch in the United States in 1906

which focuses on how management systems might change in

response to demands of rapidly changing environment (Perez,

2009).

According to contingency theory the characteristics of

the environment affect an organization’s ability to obtain

resources; and to maximize the likelihood of gaining access

to resources. There is no one best way to organize;

organizational structures depend on the environment in which

an organization operates.

Changes in organizational environment include changes in

the technology, which can lead to creation of new products

and result in the obsolescence of existing products; the

entry of new competitors and in stable economic conditions.

In general, the more quickly the organizational

environment is changing the greater are the problems

associated with gaining access to resources and the greater

is manager’s need to find ways to coordinate the activities

of people in different departments top respond the

environment quickly and effectively.

According to Matthis and Jackson (2010) human resource

management is the strategic and operational management of

activities in an organization. From the statement above; the

human resource management is seen in terms of two managers’

functions, namely; the operational and strategic forms which

the former focus refers to the personnel activities which

include controlling attendance, ensuring employee health and

safety, administering rules and regulations to comply with

the labor laws. The strategic focus involves human resource

planning, forecasting, recruiting more people, employing

people with new skills and competencies. This researcher

stipulated that human resource management has moved from the

traditional role of personnel management into strategic

management where all employees, especially, the managers

should be involved in problem–solving, corporate culture

promoting and leadership styles management. Moreover, the

human resource policies aimed at supporting the mission and

objectives of the company or office and making it a

competitive environment. The appropriate use of human

resource management practices positively impacts the level of

employer and employee commitment and performance (Purcell,

2004). Practically, human resource management functions are

well managed by managers such as hiring new people, employee

training and development, competitive compensation, and

performance appraisal can encourage the employees to work

better in increasing productivity and performance.

 Independent Dependent Output

Variable Variable

Perceived
Age, Sex
Resource
Educational Proposed Training
Management
Attainment, Type Program
Practices of
of Company
Company Managers

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Study

Chapter 2

Research design

The descriptive survey method of research was used in

this study to determine the human resource management

practices of managers in public and private offices.

Locale of the Study

This study was conducted in the -------

Respondents of the Study

The researcher utilized the employees in -------

Sampling Technique

These study used to complete enumeration technique. A

complete enumeration–based survey is often preferred for

certain types of data, solely because it is expected that it

will provide complete statistical coverage over space and

time. It may also be preferred in cases where little effort

is saved by sampling, such as if the data population is small

or the variable to be measured cannot be time-sampled

realistically (http://www.fao.org/).

Research Instrument

In gathering data of the study, a researcher-generated

questionnaire validated experts was utilized. This was given

to the respondents to obtain the necessary, reliable and

valid information. Part 1 is about the profile of the

respondents while Part 2 is the questionnaire proper in which

the total employees in the offices.

For interpretation, the following scale was used:

 Numerical Rating Narrative Description

4.21 – 5.00 Very Highly Practiced

3.41-4.20 Highly Practiced
2.61-3.40 Moderately Practiced
1.81 -2.60 Slightly Practiced
1.00-1.80 Not At All

Data Gathering Procedure

Permission to conduct study was secured from the Chief

Executive Officer (CEO). Upon the retrieval of the

accomplished rating scale, the data were computed by getting

the mean score of each office, computerized, and interpreted.

Data Analysis

The results of the gathered data were analyzed and

interpreted by the researcher with the professional help of

the statistician. The data gathered for the study were

subjected to descripted and inferential analysis. For

descriptive statistics, frequency count and percentage were

used to measure the profile of the respondents while Mann

Whitney and Kruskal Wallis were utilized to show significant

difference between the human resource management practices of

managers as perceived by employees. The result were

interpreted at alpha level of 0.05 using the SPSS version

23.0 to analyze the data.