A Review of Human Resource Development Climate in Indian Organisations PDF

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IRJMST Vol 6 Issue 6 [Year 2015] ISSN 2250 – 1959 (0nline) 2348 – 9367 (Print) A Review of Human Resource Development Climate in Indian Organisations Dr. Kritika Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Commerce, Maharashi Dayanand University, Rohtak Abstract With increasing globalization of economy, mar...

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IRJMST

Vol 6 Issue 6 [Year 2015]

ISSN 2250 – 1959 (0nline) 2348 – 9367 (Print)

A Review of Human Resource Development Climate in Indian Organisations Dr. Kritika Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Commerce, Maharashi Dayanand University, Rohtak Abstract With increasing globalization of economy, marketplace has become increasingly complex, highly uncertain, competitive and transformational. Today, doing business is like a war. What makes the ultimate difference is whether an organization is able to develop and establish competitive differentiator or not. Everything, including capital, technology, product design, and service deliverability can be copied by the competitors, except the talented people. Nobody can emulate a highly competent, charged/ motivated and committed workforce. Such talented people can provide an organization a sustained competitive advantage. However, managing people by any means is not easy. The present study examines the state of Human Resource Development Climate (HRDC) in Indian organisations as perceived by employees in general. The research has been taken in context of three dimensions of Human Resource Development Climate. These dimensions are General Climate, HRD Mechanisms and OCTAPAC (Openness, Confrontation, Trust, Autonomy, Proaction, Authenticity and Collaboration). A humble attempt has been made to present the entire contemporary conceptual framework of human resource development climate in a refreshingly new style so as to facilitate devising of appropriate strategies for the organization which will result in the delivery of a culmination of organizational goals and human resource goals for creating and delivering better value to the various stakeholders of an organization- including shareholders, customers and employees. Key words: Human Resource Development Climate, OCTAPAC, HRD Mechanisms Introduction The paradigm of employee management has undergone rapid transformation in the last decade, from comparative advantage to a state of continuous innovation, strategic intent and intelligence framework for competitive advantage. Today‟s employees, unlike their predecessors, as more demanding and have high aspirations. They demand early development of their skills and competencies. This implies that to be successful, organizations have to develop and seriously re-look at appropriate HRD strategies to tap the human potential within the organization and align it with their corporate strategic mission and objectives. Human Resource Development (HRD) is a series of organized activities, conducted within a specified time and designed to produce behavioural change. With increasing globalization of economy, marketplace has become increasingly complex, highly uncertain, competitive and transformational. Today, doing business is like a war. What makes the ultimate difference is whether an organization is able to develop and establish competitive differentiator or not. Everything, including capital, technology, product design, and service deliverability can be copied by the competitors, except the talented people. Nobody can emulate a highly competent, charged/ motivated and committed workforce. Such talented people can provide an organization a sustained competitive advantage. However, managing people by any means is not easy. It requires organizations to adopt proactive development programmes towards the attainment of corporate objectives by nurturing a development-oriented culture. Contemporary organizations have to create and sustain shared values and then it should be carefully interwoven with the business strategy of organizations. This simply International Research Journal of Management Science & Technology http://www.irjmst.com

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IRJMST

Vol 6 Issue 6 [Year 2015]

ISSN 2250 – 1959 (0nline) 2348 – 9367 (Print)

implies the crucial role of human resource development plays in an organization. In global business scenario, it is not enough to say that people are the strategic assets of an organization, but to believe that people are the greatest assets of customers of an organization. People are not just knowledge workers, but free agents, capable of bringing enormous value to an organization. And they know it. Human resources are the lifeblood of an innovative enterprise. Thus, human resource development is vital to achieving organizational excellence i.e. excellence in people, process and performance. Against this backdrop, a humble attempt has been made to present the entire contemporary conceptual framework of human resource development climate in a refreshingly new style so as to facilitate devising of appropriate strategies for the organization which will result in the delivery of a culmination of organizational goals and human resource goals for creating and delivering better value to the various stakeholders of an organization- including shareholders, customers and employees. Objective of the Study The objective of the study is to examine the state of Human Resource Development Climate (HRDC) in Indian organisations as perceived by employees in general. Human Resource Development The greatest resources of the world are the humans, without whom nothing could ever be a resource. Of what value, for instance, would gold or silver or other natural endowments be if there were no men? The Homo sapiens is, indeed, the resource of all resources. Resources may be wasted by neglect, depleted by consumption, destroyed by misuse or enhanced by developmental interventions. Obviously, no one will ever advocate neglect, depletion or misuse of this greatest of resources. And yet, humans have for long wallowed in these very predicaments-for reasons of either ignorance or failure of the chosen few to recognize and appreciate the potential of their fellow humans. The times are changing, now. The human potential and the need for conscious attempts to develop it are more readily acknowledged today than ever before in many parts of the world. Efforts are today to devise and implement methods of developing human resources. In 1970, Leonard Nadler published his neo-classic book “Developing Human Resources”, in which he coined the term „Human Resource Development‟ (HRD). It provided a conceptual umbrella under which the field began to unify, using the three-fold notion of training, education and education. It provided purpose and direction for the continued growth of the field; organized learning to provide the possibility of performance change. It further identified a core discipline from which a field of study could develop in the workplace. In 1989, there were signs of an emerging concern for economic impact. The field began to move from focusing to what is performed to what is produced. One of the forces in 1989 was an increased use of systems approaches in human resource development. Another shift in the field that took place was that the focus on individual learning was shifting to organizational learning as the primary activity and goal of the field. The scope of human resource development has broadened beyond training and organization development. The move was toward human resource development responsiveness and relevance. The word Human Resource Development can be broken up as under: Human Resource Development = „Human Resource‟ + „Development‟ „Human Resource‟ refers to the talents and energies of people who are available to an organization as potential contributors to the creation and realization of the organization‟s mission, vision, values and goals. „Development‟ refers to a process of active learning from experience, leading to systematic and purposeful development of the whole person: body, mind and spirit. Development combines the concepts of development (change and growth) and training (learning specific skills).

International Research Journal of Management Science & Technology http://www.irjmst.com

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IRJMST

Vol 6 Issue 6 [Year 2015]

ISSN 2250 – 1959 (0nline) 2348 – 9367 (Print)

Thus, Human Resource Development is the integrated use of training, organizational development and career development efforts to improve individual, team and organizational effectiveness. Each one of the various activities that constitute human resource development could be carried out in different ways; some ways of doing them would make human resource development efforts more effective than some other ways of doing the same activities. For making human resource development resource development effective, besides choosing the right activities, one must pay adequate attention to their process, too. Process refers to the specific style, method or the way in which a particular activity is implemented. The process can make or mar any activity. The style, method or process of carrying out a human resource development activity is to be guided by the anticipated impact and ultimate concern for human dignity. Thus, human resource development is a set of inter-related activities, by which human potentialities are assessed, selectively upgraded and appropriately deployed for achievement of envisioned goals, which foster human dignity. The term used to describe an integrated and holistic approach to changing work-related behavior, using a range of learning techniques and strategies. Various organizations are engaged in developing human resources. The human resource development practices represent attempts to meet the in-house human resource development needs of various organizations. There are also organizations whose attempts are to provide human resources to other organizations. Organizations have an integrated human resource development role: development of its internal human resources for its own effectiveness in conjunction with its customers. People who join the organization, however, bring their personal values with them. The organization‟s ideology would be consequential only to the degree the individuals in the organization identify with the ideology, reflect it or share it. Congruence can be brought about by the organization through appropriate methods, including screening a candidate who matches the organizations ideology or rope in those who hold out a clear promise of being “scripted” through adequate and well-planned induction and socialization programmes. A combination of these strategies may also be practical: A part of the candidates is screened in for congruence and the rest be made congruent by in-house socialization or indoctrination. Human Resource Development is a process or processes of organized capability and competency based learning experiences undertaken by employees within a specified period of time to bring about individual and organizational performance improvement and to enhance national economic, cultural and social growth(Lynham and Cunningham, 2004). Human Resource Development is a process for developing and unleashing human expertise through organization development and personnel training and development for the purpose of improving performance(Swanson and Holton, 2001).Human Resource Development is any process or activity that, either initially or over the long term, has the potential to develop work based knowledge, expertise, productivity and satisfaction, whether for personal or group/team gain, or for the benefit of an organization, community, nation or ultimately the whole of humanity(McLean and McLean, 2001).Human Resource Development is a holistic concept, incorporating intrinsically social, cultural and spiritual dimensions to build capacity and empower people(Rogers, 2001).Human Resource Development is equipping people with relevant skills to have a healthy and satisfying life(The South Pacific Commission, 2001).Human Resource Development is the process of increasing the capacity of the human resource through development. It is thus a process of adding value to individuals, teams or an organization as a human system(The American Society for Training and Development). Human Resource Development is organized learning experiences provided by employers within a specified time to bring about the possibility of performance or personal growth(Giley and Eggland, 1989).Human Resource Development is fostering long term; work related learning capacity at individual, group and organizational level(Watkins, 1989).Human Resource Development is a process in which the employees of an organization are continuously helped in a planned way to : (1) acquire or sharpen their capabilities required to perform various tasks and functions associated with their present and future expected roles (2) develop their general enabling capabilities as individuals International Research Journal of Management Science & Technology http://www.irjmst.com

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Vol 6 Issue 6 [Year 2015]

ISSN 2250 – 1959 (0nline) 2348 – 9367 (Print)

so that they are able to discover and exploit their own inner potential for their own and/ or organizational development purposes and develop an organizational culture where superiorsubordinate relationships, teamwork and collaboration among different subunits are strong and contribute to the organisational health, dynamism and pride of employees(Dr. T.V. Rao, 1985). Human Resource Development Climate HRD climate is the perception that the employees have about the policies, procedures, practices, and conditions which exist in the working environment. HRD climate is characterised by the tendencies such as • Treating employees as the most important resources • Perceiving that developing employees is the job of every manager • Believing in the capability of employees • Communicating openly • Encouraging risk taking and experimentation Dimensions of Human Resource Development Climate Human Resource Development Climate has three dimensions. These dimensions are: 1. General Climate, 2. HRD Mechanisms and 3. OCTAPAC (Openness, Confrontation, Trust, Autonomy, Pro-activity, Authenticity and Collaboration. 1. 2. 3.

General Climate: The general climate deals with the importance given to human resources development in general by the top management and line managers. HRD Mechanism: Quality of Work Life and Performance Appraisal. OCTAPAC: The OCTAPAC items deal with the extent to which are Openness, Confrontation, Trust, Autonomy, Pro-activity, Authenticity and Collaboration valued and promoted in the organization.

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Openness is there when employees feel free to discuss their ideas, activities and feelings with each other.  Confrontation is bringing out problems and issues in open with a view to solving them rather than hiding them for fear of hurting or getting hurt.  Trust is taking people at their face value and believing what they say.  Autonomy is giving freedom to let people work independently with responsibility.  Pro-activity is encouraging employees to take an initiative and risks.  Authenticity is the tendency on the part of people to do what they say.  Collaboration is to accept interdependencies to be helpful to each other and work as teams Human Resource Development Climate Human Resource Development Climate emphasis on  Making efforts to help employees recognize their strengths and weaknesses  Creating a general climate of trust  Collaboration and autonomy supportive personnel policies, and  Supportive HRD practices  An optimal level of development climate is essential for facilitating HRD activities Literature Review Human Resource Development Climate HRDC, as a sub-set of organizational climate, is the perception of employees about employee development environment or the psychological impact of an organization‟s employee development policies, practices and procedures. An organization's HRDC relates to the visible characteristics of International Research Journal of Management Science & Technology http://www.irjmst.com

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Vol 6 Issue 6 [Year 2015]

ISSN 2250 – 1959 (0nline) 2348 – 9367 (Print)

HRD corporate culture (Wexley & Latham, 1991). Research findings show that employee perception of the work environment drives work attitudes and performance (Parker, et al., 2003). The perception of employees is very important because of its attitudinal and behavioral consequences (Schneider et al., 2000) with impact on organizational success. The significance of HRDC cannot be over-emphasized. A study by Abraham (1989) indicates that a good HRDC rather than HRD practices by themselves are actually responsible for organizational performance. Other things being equal, an organization with a better HRDC, competent and committed employees could outperform an organization that scores low on these counts. Some studies have actually linked climate and performance (Denison, 1990; West et al., 1998; Burke & Litwin, 1992; Kangis & Williams, 2000) claim that when employees perceive greater involvement in decision-making, information sharing and management support as favorable, it results in greater corporate effectiveness. Pattnayak (1998) posits that HRDC‟s impact on individual performance is visible in three ways i) by defining the stimuli that confronts the individual, ii) by placing constraints on the individual‟s freedom of choice and iii) by providing source of reward and punishment. Athreya (1998) maintains that HRD system that supports a positive HRDC leads to a more effective existing systems and enables organizations to be more receptive to new HR practices (Athreya, 1998). In a study by Mohanty, et al., (2012) HRDC was found to have a positive influence on job performance of the employees of private insurance companies in Odisha. It should, however, be noted that an appropriate HRDC can only be created through good HRD practices and processes. HR practices contribute to organizational effectiveness through HRDC and HRD outcomes such as: competency, motivation and commitment development (Rao, 1986). Dimensions of Human Resource Development Climate General Climate General climate provide the views on the top management and line managers‟ support for HRD. It centres on the attitudes and the behaviors of superiors/supervisors towards employee development. It deals with the practical concerns that top management and other managers/supervisors have regarding the growth and development of subordinates–whether these are genuine or not. The general climate deals with what the bosses at the top are doing rather than what they are saying, that is, the level of top management‟s sincerity and determination in taking appropriate actions towards workforce development. It focuses on an actual support for development and not just a pledged or verbal support–what is being done and not what is being promised. It assesses the belief of top management in human resource development and examines the existing superior-subordinate relationship as perceived by individual organizational members. HRD Mechanism HRD mechanisms dimension deals with HRD sub-systems such as, performance management, potential appraisal, training and development, career planning and development, reward management, quality of work life, self renewal mechanisms, etc. This element examines the implementation of HRD sub-systems such as training, employee appraisal and feedback, career planning, rewards and employee welfare. While it is important to develop HRD strategies attention should be given to how the strategies are implemented and not their sophistication parse. HRD Mechanisms focuses on the practicalities of the HRD sub-systems and the main issue is how each employee perceives the implementation based on his/her experience within the organization. Issues of organizational justice, fairness, trust, respect, etc. are also covered by this element of HRDC. OCTAPAC OCTAPAC culture refers to the degree of openness, confrontation, trust, autonomy, pro-activity, authenticity and collaboration that exist in the organization. The OCTAPAC element examines the International Research Journal of Management Science & Technology http://www.irjmst.com

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IRJMST

Vol 6 Issue 6 [Year 2015]

ISSN 2250 – 1959 (0nline) 2348 – 9367 (Print)

psychological state of the organization‟s de...