System Concept HRD:

HRD is mainly concerned with developing the skill, knowledge and competencies of people

and it is people-oriented concept. When we call it as a people-oriented concept the question of

people being developed in the larger or national context or in the smaller organizational context?

Is it different at the macro and micro level? HRD can be applied both for the national level and

organizational level.

HRD at Macro and Micro Level:

HRD as stated earlier is mainly concerned with developing the competencies of people.

When we all see it as a people oriented concept then several questions come to the mind like

should the people be developed in the larger and national context or in the smaller institutional

context? Are they different at the macro level and micro level? As things stand now, HRD applies

to both institutional (micro) as well as national (macro issues).The main objective however is to

develop the newer capabilities in people so as to enable them to tackle both present and future

challenges while realizing organizational goals. However, it is useful both at macro and micro

levels.

Macro level:

At the macro level HRD is concerned with the development of people for the nation’s well being.

It takes health capabilities skills, attitudes of people which are more useful to the development of

the nation as a whole. While calculating the national income and economic growth the

prospective HRD concept examines the individual’s potentialities, their attitudes, aspirations,

skills, knowledge etc. and establishes a concrete base for economic planning. However, HRD’s

contribution at macro level has not gained popularity as yet.

Micro Levels:

HRD is concern for development in the organizations at the grass root level. Small wonder then,

that HRD was well received by companies and managements as they realized its importance and

foresaw its future contribution for the individual and organizational development. Generally HRD

at micro level talks of the organizations’ manpower, planning, selection, training, performance

appraisal, development, potential appraisal, compensation, organizational development etc.

HRD’s involvement in all these areas is mainly with an objective to develop certain new

capabilities in people concerned to equip them to meet the present job challenges and to accept

future job requirements.

HRD from organizational point of view is a process in which the employees of an

organization are helped/motivated to acquire and develop technical, managerial and behavioral

knowledge, skills and abilities, and mould the values, beliefs, attitude necessary to perform

present and future roles by realizing highest human potential with a view to contribute positively

to the organizational, group, individual and social goals.

There are three aspects, viz.,

1. Employees of an organization are helped/motivated;

2. Acquire, develop and mould various aspects of human resources; and

3. Contribute to the organizational, group, individual and social goals.

The first aspect deals with helping and motivating factors for HRD.

These factors may be called â˜Enabling factors which include: Organization structure,

organizational climate, HRD climate, HRD knowledge and skills to managers, human resource

planning, recruitment and selection.

The second aspect deals with the techniques or methods which are the

means to acquire develop and mould the various human resources.

These techniques include: Performance, appraisal, Potential appraisal, Career planning and

Development, Training, Management development, Organizational development, Social and

Cultural programs, and Workers’ participation in management and quality circles.

The third category includes the outcomes contribution of the HRD

process to the goals of the organization, group, individuals and the society.

Definition:

“HRD is the process of determining the optimum methods of developing and

improving the human resources of an organization and the systematic improvement of the

performance of employees through training, education and development and leadership for

the mutual attainment of organizational and personal goals” (Smith)

“A set of systematic and planned activities designed by an organization to provide its

members with the opportunities to learn necessary skills to meet current and future job

demands” (Werner and DeSimone 2006)

(Swanson and Holton, n.d) has also quoted definitions of HRD offered by some authors

(McLagan; Gilley & England and Smith) as:

“HRD is the integrated use of training and development, career development and

organizational development to improve individual and organizational effectiveness”

(McLagan).

“HRD is organized learning activities arranged within an organization to improve

performance and personal growth for the purpose of improving the job, the individual, and

the organization” (Gilley and England),

“A series of organized activities conducted within a specified time and designed to

produce behavioral change” (by Nadler and Nadler 1970)

Human resource development in the organization context is a process by which the

employees of an organization are helped, in a continuous and

planned way, to:

1. Acquire or sharpen capabilities required to perform various functions associated

with their present or expected future roles.

2. Develop their general capabilities as individuals and discover and exploit their own

inner potentials for their own and/ororganizational development purpose.

3. Develop an organizational culture in which supervisor-subordinate relationships,

teamwork, and collaborations among sub-units are strong and contribute to the

professional well being, motivation, and pride of employees.

HRD is a process, not merely a set of mechanisms and techniques. The mechanisms

and techniques such as performance appraisal, counseling, training, and organization

development interventions are used initiate, facilitate, and promote this process in a

continues way. Because the process has no limit, the mechanisms may need to be examined

periodically to see whether they are promoting or hindering the process. Organizations can

facilitate this process of development by planning for it, by allocating organizational

resources for the purpose, and by exemplifying an HRD philosophy that values human beings

and promotes their development.

Benefits Of Human Resource Development To Your

Organization:

Systematic planning to support organizational mission

Increased capacity to achieve the organization’s goals <

Clear definition of each employee’s work responsibilities and link to organization

mission <

Greater equity between compensation and level of responsibility <

Defined levels of supervision and management support <

Increased level of performance and efficient utilization of employees skills and

knowledge <

Cost savings through improved efficiency and productivity <

Increased ability to manage change

Important:

Significance of Human Resource Development

Human resource are the assets which do not find a place for mentioning in the balance

sheet of a company. It is important like other resources of production like a material,

machines, money etc.

Any investment made on training and development of people is sure to show the results in

the years to come.

IMPORTANCE OF HUMANR ESOUR CE DEVELOPMENT

Human Resource is the most Important and vital Factor of Economic Development

or it can be said that humans are the agents of development. some of the importance of

Human Resource or Human Capital are.

1)Country Develops if The Human Resource is Developed:

To enhance economic development the state constructs roads, buildings bridges,

dams, power houses, hospitals, etc. to run these units doctors, engineers, scientist, teachers,

are required.So if the state invests in a human resource it pays dividend in response.

2) Increase in Productivity:

The batter education, improved skills, and provision of healthy atmosphere will result

in proper and most efficient use of resources (non-natural & natural) which will result in

increase ineconomic production.

3)Eradication of Social And Economic Backwardness:

Human Resource development has an ample effect on the backwardness economy and

society.The provision of education will increase literacy which will produce skilled Human

Resource.Similarly provision of health facilities will result in healthy Human Resource which

willcontribute to the national economic development.

4) Entrepreneurship Increase:

Education, clean environment, good health, investment on the human resource, will all

have its positive effects. Job opportunities would be created in the country.

And even business environment will flourish in the state which creates many job

opportunities.

5) Social Revolution:

Because of Human Resource development the socio economic life of the peoples of a

country changes drastically. Over all look changes thinking phenomena changes, progressive

thoughts are endorsed in to the minds of peoples.

Some other benefits are: Growth of organisation:

Growth of organisation is associated with the development of its workforce. In changing

situation HRD must be viewed as the total system interrelated and interacting with other

systems at work: production, finance, and marketing.

Development of work culture:

The need of HRD is felt as it improves the efficiency of employees, checks monotony at work,

better communication, development of mutual cooperation and creativity of all the members

comes into limelight.

Developing potentialities:

The focus of HRD manager essentially is on enabling people to self-actualise through a

systematic approach by which their existing talents are further developed.

Growth of employees:

HRD is associated with growth of employees. It helps employees to know their strengths and

weaknesses and enable them to improve their performance. The management should provide

adequate opportunity for the development of human resource management for the

development of their talents so that their development will benefits the organisational

growth.

HRD is associated with the following objectives:

Work Opportunity:

HRD provides an opportunity and a systematic framework for the development resource in

the organisation for full expression of their talents.

Development of Traits:

HRD is associated with the development of total personality so that these can show and use

their talent for the benefit of the organisation.

Ability development:

HRD makes capable employees. Thus they can develop their capability by which they can do

their present job easily.

Creative Motivation:

 HRD manager motivates employees and improve their level of performance.

Good Relation:

HRD manager stresses the need of coordination which is used for the benefits of himself and

for the benefits of those who come in his/their touch.

Develop team spirit:

HRD manager develops the spirit of teamwork; team work for it is used for the effective

cooperation and coordination of each employee which ultimately checks industrial unrest.

Organisational Growth:

HRM manager is responsible for developing health, culture and effective work plan which

always result in more profitability.

Human Resource Information:

HRM manager in general keeps all records to employees working in his organisation; these

can be used at any time when these are needed.

Conclusion: 

The organisational effectiveness can be reflected through better quality, higher

productivity, cost reduction, higher profits and more EPS (earning per shares) and more

market price of shares. This explains the increased role of HRD managers in modern

industrial organisations which are working in the most uncertain social, political,

economical, technological and international complex and competitive environment.

Scope;

Features of Human Resource Development HRD

The nature / scope / characteristics or features of HRD are as follows :-

1. Training and Development

HRD involves training and developing the employees and managers. It improves their

qualities, qualifications and skills. It makes them more efficient in their present jobs. It also

prepares them for future higher jobs.

2. Organisational Development (OD)

HRD also involves Organisational Development. OD tries to maintain good relations

throughout the organisation. It also solves problems of absenteeism, internal conflicts, low

productivity and resistance to change.

3. Career Development

HRD also involves career planning and development of employees. It helps the employees to

plan and develop their careers. It informs them about future promotions and how to get

these promotions. So HRD helps the employee to grow and develop in the organisation.

4. Performance Appraisal

HRD conducts Performance Appraisal, Potential Appraisal, etc. It informs the employees

about their strengths and weaknesses. It also advises them about how to increase their

strengths and how to remove their weaknesses.

5. Multidisciplinary

HRD is multidisciplinary. That is, it uses many different subjects. It uses education,

management, psychology, communication, and economics. HRD uses all these subjects for

training and developing the employees.

6. Key Element for solving problems

Now-a-days an organisation faces many different problems. These problems are caused due

to the economic, technological and social changes. These problems can be solved only by

knowledge, skill and creative efforts. This knowledge, skill, etc. is achieved from HRD.

Therefore, HRD is a key element for solving problems in the organisation.

7. Continuous in Nature

HRD is not a one time affair. It is a continuous process. Development of human resources

never stops. This is because continuous changes happen in the organisation and

environment.

8. Integrated use of sub-systems

HRD system involves the integrated use of sub-systems such as performance appraisal,

potential appraisal, career planning, training, etc.

9. Placement

HRD places the right man in the right job. Placement is based on performance appraisal,

potential appraisal, training, etc. Proper placement gives satisfaction to the employee, and it

increases the efficiency.

10. Promotions and Transfer

HRD also gives promotions and transfers to the employees based on performance appraisals,

etc.

11. Motivation by Rewards

HRD also motivates the employees by giving them rewards for performing and behaving

better, suggesting new ideas, etc. Financial and non-financial rewards are given.

Role of HRD professional:

With change in the organizational environment the role played by the HRD

professionals has also undergone a change. At present the HRD Professionals acts as:

Strategic adviser to help the decision makers on issues related with HRD.

They also play the role of an HR systems designer and developer by assisting the HR

management in designing and developing HR systems in an organization to increase

its performance.

They also act as organizational change agents by helping the management in

designing and implementing change strategies to transform the organization. The

result is more efficient work teams, intervention strategies, quality management and

change reports.

The role of organization design consultant is also played by them when they advised

the management on work systems design and efficient use of available human

resources.

HR professionals work as instructional designer or learning programme specialist

when they identify the needs of the employees and develop and design the required

learning programmes.

They also prepare materials and other learning aids for these programmes.

An HRD professional dons the role of career counselor when he assists individual

employees in assessing their knowledge and skills to development realistic career

development plan for the employee.

The role of a coach or a performance consultant is played by them when they advised

line managers about the appropriate intervention designed to improve the

performance of the group or an individual.

HRD Professionals act as researchers when they assess the human resource

development practices and programmes with the help of appropriate statistical

procedure to find out their effectiveness and then they communicate the results to

the top level management.

Responsibilities of Human Resource

Development:

Fairness in the workplace

One important managerialresponsibility is making sure that all managers and staff apply

personnel policies on a day-to-day basis and distributetasks and responsibilities fairly

and equitably amongemployees. When developing an integrated human

resourcemanagement system, you should review your organization's job classifications

and related salary scales to ensure thatsalaries are appropriate to the level of

responsibility and arecompetitive when compared with local economic conditions.

Setting Work Priorities:

You should also review your organization's personnel policies, update them as needed,

and make the updatedinformation available to all staff. One of the steps you can take

instrengthening an HRD system is to make sure that all staff has a currentand up-to-date

job description that provides them with information abouttheir general duties and

responsibilities. The job description provides thesupervisor with a starting place in

developing a work plan with theemployee.

Encouraging Good Performance:

An important element of a workplanning and performance review system is holding joint  

work planning and performance review meetings on aregular basis. This system allows

both the supervisor and theemployee to evaluate performance and to plan ahead

fortraining or other career development activities, if needed. Awork planning and

performance review system can improveindividual staff performance and increase staff

motivation. If you use the system as the basis for creating a staff development plan, it

will also help you align staff development efforts more closely with your

organization'sgoals.

Providing Meaningful Work:

Communicating to employeesthat their work matters is an important element in an

HRDstrategy. Engaging in systematic planning and taking stepsto make sure that

people's day-to-day work directly supportsthe priorities of the organization is critical to

meeting yourorganization's objectives. These objectives represent thestrategic areas in

which your organization has decided tofocus in a given year, as identified during your

organization'sannual planning process.

Staff Development Responsibility

Making staff development apriority is an importance component of a

comprehensiveHRD system. A well-managed program of training and staff development

can broaden the skills and competencies of your staff and reap many pay-offs. Formal,

organizedtraining is only one vehicle for staff development. Other staff development

strategies include:

On-the-job learning through mentoring relationships;

Cross-functional assignments;

Membership in task forces and committees;  

Additional job assignments;

Technical presentations and discussions at staff meetings.

 These can all provide the challenge and opportunity neededfor personal and

professional growth as well as increase theknowledge that people have in common and

expose them tonew ways of thinking and doing.

HRD Professionals will face challenges in the coming

time are…

A/ Technology (skill):

Whatever changes world has seen in last 100 years more than those changes world

is seeing in lastten years. ATM machine has replace pay order in a bank .Same way, new

technology is changing old technology of the training world also. Web COURSE, Video

Conferences and E- LEARNING are the best examples in the distance learning.

B/ Culture (Attitude):

World has become a small global village. We find cultural changes in each country and

benchmarking on a global scale is the only way to compete internationally. Each

country is now moving towardsglobal  practices.   (  e .g:   J ITS.

(Just   In Time with Smile) .HRD professionals  

has to meet culturalChallenges.

C/ Values (Behavior):

Principle centric leadership is a trend in business houses and corporate governance. World

wide valuesare coming in to formality.( e.g. Trust, Creditability, Time ,Simple rule, are the

exemplary values seenon the front side of the business world.)

D/ Knowledge.(Including information)

Knowledge enhancement for a HRD Professional will be a biggest challenge as he

has to understand the new philosophy, which is demonstrated by the world at

different places. (E.G. Leadership in top management is dramatically changing.)

Knowledge on leadership was different in the year 2000 and leadership is differently

demonstrated in the year 2007.. (Nelson Mandela, Bill Gates, Jack Welch)

E/life style and trends.( Habit)

New generation is a smart and fast and transparent generation. Life style of

knowledge worker is change (e.g. Call centre).HRD Professionals have to understand new

habits first than start imparting training to bring a change in the habits of knowledge

workers.

F/ Global practices.( Time)

Dignity  of   individual ,  s imple rules,  Retention of  an employee,  Leadership by 

examples,  clearconscience, Relationship with employees, stake holders, Vendors,

suppliers, customers and society –at large are the new practices. Global rules are to be

learnt well by a HRD Professional to conduct an effective session.

G/ Environment:

The only context –invariant and time- invariant attributes of a successful

corporation are an open environment; Meritocracy and fairness and justice, speed,

Imagination, accountability and excellence in the execution is a current environment.

HRD professional has to inspire knowledge workers to perform in the above

environment.

HRD Climate & Its Elements:

The HRD climate of an organisation plays a very important role in ensuring the

competency, motivation and development of its employees. The HRD climate can be

created using appropriate HRD systems and leadership styles of top management.

The HRD climate is both a means to an end as well as an end in itself.

The term ‘climate’ is used to designate the quality of the internal environment

which conditions in turn the quality of cooperation, the development of the

individual, the extent of member’s dedication or commitment to organisational

purpose, and the efficiency with which that purpose becomes translated into results.

Climate is the atmosphere in which individuals help, judge, reward, constrain, and

find out about each other. It influences morale and the attitudes of the individual

toward his work and his environment. 

Climate is the composite or generally prevailing weather condition of a region, as

temperature, air

HRD CLIMATE AND ORGANISATIONAL CLIMATE HRD climate is an integral part of organisational climate. It can be defined as

perceptions the employee can have on the developmental environment of an

organisation. This developmental climate will have the following

characteristics (Rao and Abraham, 1986):

— A tendency at all levels starting from top management to the lowest

level to treat the people as the most important resource 

— A perception that developing the competencies in the employees is the

job of every manager/supervisor 

— Faith in the capability of employees to change and acquire new

competencies at any stage of life 

— A tendency to be open in communications and discussions rather than

being secretive (fairly free expression of feelings) 

— Encouraging risk-taking and experimentation 

— Making efforts to help employees recognize their strengths and

weaknesses through feedback 

— A general climate of trust 

— A tendency on the part of employees to be generally helpful to each

other and collaborate with each other 

— Team spirit 

— Tendency to discourage stereotypes and favouritism

— Supportive personnel policies 

— Supportive HRD practices including performance appraisal, training,

reward management, potential development, job-rotation, career

planning, etc.

What is needed to Develop Organisational Climate in Organisation 

Top to Bottom effort : -

Organisation is considered to be complete organisation after including top authority to

bottom line of workers. And whenever we talk about development at organisational level effort is

needed from top level to bottom level. Top authority should not have thinking in their mind that

their task is to only take decisions but they should also emphasized on proper implementation of

decision by adopting various controlling technique. Bottom level workers should have loyal mind-

set towards their organisation. Bottom level workers have to work with dedication. They should

have realisation that organisation is their organisation. 

Motivator role of Manager and Supervisor : -

To prepare Human Resource Development Climate, Manager and Supervisor’s responsibilities

are more or we can say that they are the key players. Manager and Supervisors have to help the

employees to develop the competencies in the employees. To help the employees at lower level

they need to updated properly and they need to share their expertise and experience with

employees. 

Faith upon employees : -

In the process of developing HRD Climate employer should have faith on its employees

capabilities. Means whatever amount is invested that should be based on development of

employees. Top management should trust the employees that after making huge effort to develop

employees, employees will work for the well being of organisation and for human being also.

Free expression of Feelings : -

Whatever Top management feels about employees they have to express to employees and

whatever employees think about top management it must be express in other words we can say

that there should not be anything hidden while communication process. Clear communication

process will help to establish the HRD Climate.

Feedback : -

Feedback should be taken regularly to know the drawbacks in system. This will help to gain

confidence in employees mind. Employee will trust on management and he can express his

opinion freely which is very good for HRD Climate. Feedback will help to remove the weakness.

Helpful nature of employees : -

Whenever we talk about 100% effort then we have to talk about employees effort too. Nature of

employees should be helping for management and for its colleagues. They should be always read

to help to customers too. 

Supportive personnel management: -

Personnel policies of organisation should motivate employees to contribute more from their part.

Top management’s philosophy should be clear towards Human Resource and its well being to

encourage the employees.

Encouraging and risk taking experimentation : -

Employees should be motivated by giving them authority to take decision. This concept is risky

but gradually it will bring expertise in employees to handle similar situation in future. It will help

to develop confidence in employees mind. Organisation can utilize and develop employees more

by assigning risky task.

Discouraging stereotypes and favouritism : -

Management need to avoid those practices which lead to favouritism. Management and

Managers need to give equal importance. Those people who are performing good they need to

appreciated and those who are not performing good they need to be guided. Any kind of partial

behaviour should be avoided. 

Team Spirit : -

There must be feeling of belongingness among the employees, and also willingness to work as a

team. 

Components of HRD Climate:-

The organizational climate consists of:-

Organisational Structure-

An organization’s structure is actually a ‘snapshot’ of a work process, frozen in time so that it can

be viewed. The structure enables the people’s energy to be focused towards process achievement

and goal achievement. Employee must have a clear definition of not only the work structure but

also the role used to organize the work. If the structure and the role is not clear, people will not

know what the work process is, who is responsible for what, whom to go for help and decision,

and who can Assist in solving problems that may arise.

Organisational Culture-

Organisational culture is the pattern of beliefs, knowledge, attitudes, and customs that

exists within an organisation. Organizational culture may result in part from senior management

beliefs or from the beliefs of employees.

Organizational culture can be supportive or unsupportive, positive or negative. It can

affect the ability or willingness of employees to adapt or perform well within the organisation.

The most effective work culture is one that supports the organizations HR strategies by

aligning behaviors, processes and methods with the desired results. It is not just achieving

results but the methods through which they are achieved that are critical to long-term success.

Before any HR strategy is designed there must be a clear understanding of the

organisation, its current values, its structure, its people as well as its goals and vision for the

future.

HR Processes-

The HR system of an organisation should be comprehensive enough to take care of employees

from the time they join till the time they leave HR. Their demands must not be ignored, but a

feeling of belongingness be created. Process should be very clear and impartial, so that

employee’s faith in organisation. From recruitment to retirement whole process should be

according to employees expectation and ability of employer. 

ELEMENTS OF HRD CLIMATE

The elements of HRD climate can be grouped into three broad categories —

1) General climate,

2) OCTAPAC culture and

3) HRD mechanisms

The general climate items deal with the importance given to human

resources development in general by the top management and line manager

The OCTAPAC items deal with the extent to which Openness,

Confrontation. Trust, Autonomy, Proactivity, Authenticity and Collaboration are

valued and promoted in the organisation.

The items dealing with HRD mechanisms measure the extent to which

HRD mechanisms are implemented seriously.

These three groups were taken with the following assumptions: 

a) A general supportive climate is important for HRD if it has to be

implemented effectively. Such supportive climate consists of not only top

management line management’s commitment but good personnel policies and

positive attitudes towards development. 

b) Successful implementation of HRD involves an integrated look at HRD and

efforts to use as many HRD mechanisms as possible. These mechanisms include:

performance appraisal, potential appraisal, career planning, performance rewards

feedback and counselling, training, employee welfare for quality work life, Job-

rotation, etc. 

c) OCTAPAC culture is essential for facilitating HRD. Openness is there when:

employees feel free to discuss their ideas, activities and feelings with each other.

Confrontation is bringing out problems and issues into the 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. Proactivity is

encouraging employees to take 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. 

Importance of looking at the organisation climate are:

Looking at the organizational climate, which means taking a closer look at

what is happening in and around in the HR scenario of the various organization. It is

essential to work on because directly or indirectly this environment affects the

organization and the employee.

Importance are:

• Environmental factors of HR are prime influencing elements of change in HR

strategy.

• It gives HR professionals time to anticipate opportunities in HR area and time to

plan optional responses to these opportunities.

• It helps HR professionals to develop an early warning system to prevent threats

emerging out from HR scenario, or to develop strategies, which can turn a threat.

• It forms a basis of aligning the organisation strengths to the changes in the

environment.

• It enables the entry of the latest national/international HR developments.

Measuring HRD Climate

Economic condition –

An organisation’s economic condition influences its culture in several ways. The

more prosperous an organisation is the more it can afford to spend on research and

the more it can afford to risk and be adventurous.

Leadership Style : - 

An organisation leadership style plays a profound role in determining several aspects

of its culture. An authoritarian style may make the organisation’s culture

characterized by high position structure, low individual autonomy, low reward

orientation, low warmth and support and so on, or it may be opposite, like goal

directed leadership.

Managerial assumption about human nature : - 

Every act on the part of the management that involves human beings is predicated

upon assumptions, generalizations and hypotheses relating to human behaviour.

There are two theories of behaviour (Theory X and Theory Y).

Managerial values and ethos: - 

The feeling of managers about norms and values what is good and what is poor as

management practice. There are few dimensions on which it can be checked. They

are – self-awareness, risk-taking, participation, bureaucracy, equity, employee’s

security and growth.

Organisation size : - 

An small organizations there are few levels of management, these are generally more

amenable to democratic and participative functioning than big organisations. More

open communication system in small organisations. Hence these organisations have

a different type of climate than what are in big organizations.

WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO HRD CLIMATE? 

The following factors may be considered as contributing to HRD climate: 

1) Top Management Style and Philosophy: A developmental style a belief in the

capability of people a participative approach openness and receptivity to suggestions

from the subordinates are some of the dimensions that contribute to the creation of a

positive HRD climate.

2) Personnel Policies: Personnel policies that show high concern for employees,

that emphasise equity and objectivity in appraisals policies that emphasise sufficient

resource allocation for welfare and developmental activities, policies that emphasise

a collaborative attitude and trust among the people go a long way in creating the

HRD climate. 

3) HRD Instruments and Systems: A number of HRD instruments have been found

to generate a good HRD climate. Particularly open systems of appraisal with

emphasis of counselling, career development systems, informal training mechanisms,

potential development systems etc. contribute to HRD climate.

4) Self-renewal Mechanisms: Organisations that have built in self-renewal

mechanisms are likely to generate a positive HRD climate. 

5) Attitudes of Personnel and URD Staff : A helpful and supportive attitude on the

part of HRD and personnel people plays a very critical role in generating the HRD

climate. If the personal behaviour of any of these agents is not supportive, the HRD

climate is likely to be vitiated. 

6) Commitment or Line Managers: The commitment of line managers to the

development of their subordinates is a very important determiner of HRD climate. If

line managers are willing to spend a part of their time for their subordinates, it is

likely to have a positive impact.

HRD matrix:

The HRD matrix shows the interrelationship between HRD instruments, processes,

outcomes and organizational effectiveness.

HRD Instruments: These include performance appraisal, counseling, role

analysis, potential development, training, communication policies, job

rotations, rewards, job enrichment programmes, etc. These instruments may

vary depending on the size of the organization, the internal environment, the

support and commitment of the top management, the competitive policies etc.

HRD Processes: The HRD instruments lead to the generation of HRD

processes like role clarity, performance planning, development climate, risk-

taking, dynamism in employees. Such HRD processes should result in more

competent, satisfied and committed people that would make the organization

grow by contributing their best to it.

HRD Outcomes: HRD instruments and processes make people more

committed and satisfied, where they tend to give their best to the organization

enthusiastically.

Organizational Effectiveness: The HRD outcomes influence the

organizational effectiveness, which in turn, depends on a number of variables

like environment, technology, competitors, etc.

A Schematic Presentation of Linkages between HRD Instruments,

Processes, Outcomes and Organizational Effectiveness

HRD Mechanisms or Subsystems:

Many HRD mechanisms are available to develop the competencies of employees and

improved the overall organizational climate. The major ones are discussed below:

1. Performance Appraisal: performance appraisal have become increasingly important

tools for organizations to use in managing and improving the performance of

employees, in making timely and accurate staffing decisions and improving the overall

quality of the firms products and services. The appraisal process is the formal way of

evaluating the employee’s performance. Its purpose is to provide an accurate picture

of post and future employee’s performance. To meet this performance appraisal are

set. The targets are based on job related criteria that best determine successful job

performance. Where possible actual performance is measured directly and objectively.

Using a wide variety of techniques, specialists select an appropriate method to

measure an employee’s actual performance against the previously set targets. The

process is used to strengthen the effort performance linkage. Appraisals help an

organization communicate its expectations regarding performance and connection

between performance and reward to employees. They increase employees’ confidence

and employees’ feedback that their efforts are being adequately rewarded. The

feedback is offered through an evaluation interview. Here the rater tries to give both

positive and negative sides of the employee performance. To be useful, raters or

supervisors should use HRD orientated appraisals as a mechanism to:

a. Uncover difficulties faced by the subordinate while handling assigned task and

try to remove these hurdles.

b. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of subordinates and help the

subordinates overcome the obstacles in the way.

c. Encourage subordinates to meet problems head-on, accept responsibilities and

face challenges with confidence and courage.

d. Plan for effective utilization of the talents of subordinates.

2. Potential Appraisal: the term ‘potential’ refers to the abilities possessed by an

employee but not put to use currently or the abilities to assume challenging

responsibilities in future assignments. The term ‘performance’ refers to one’s skills,

abilities in meeting the requirements of the job which one is holding currently. Potential

appraisal is different from performance appraisal which shows an employee’s current

performance in his existing role. If the employee is required to play a completely

different set of roles at the higher levels, potential appraisal needs to be carried out at

regular intervals. “The objective of potential appraisal is to identify the potential of a

given employee to occupy higher positions in the organizational hierarchy and

undertaken higher technologies.” The appraisal is carried out on the basis of (i)

supervisor’s observations; (ii) performance data relating to various previous roles played

by an employee; (iii) performance on roles in simulating to a new position. A good

potential appraisal system helps management to pick up a suitable candidate for a given

job and offer additional training, if necessary.

3. Career Planning: a career is a sequence of positions held by a person in the course

of a lifetime. Career planning is a process of integrating the employees’ needs and

aspirations with organizational needs. Career programmes and HR programmes are

linked to the degree that they help each individual meet individual and organization

requirements.

In the HRD system, the long term growth plans of a company are not kept secret. They

are made known to the employees. Major changes are discussed at all levels to

promote understanding and commitment among employees. The immediate concern of

employees would be to find out where do stand in such a road map. Do they have any

chance to grow while building the organization brick by brick? Since managers have

information about the growth plans of the company, they need to transmit their

information to their subordinates. The subordinates should be assisted in planning

their careers within the company. It is, however, not necessary that each one of them

would scale new heights every year but atleast they are aware of the opportunities

and get ready for greater challenges ahead. Career planning doesn’t guaranty

success. But without it, employees are rarely prepared to encash the opportunities

that come their way.

4. Training and Employee Development: Training has gained importance in present

day environment where jobs are change rapidly. Training is a learning experience

designed to achieve a relatively permanent change in an individual that will improve

the ability to perform on the job. Employee development on the other hand is a future

oriented training process, focusing on the personal growth of the employee. Both

training and development focus on learning. Training programmes should not be

designed as quick fixes for organizational problems, nor should they depend on

faddish techniques just because they are popular now and are followed by our next

door neighbor. Instead, training should be planned to meet the specific needs of the

organization and its employees. To survive and grow in a competitive environment,

organizations have to motivate their employees to get ready for all kinds of future

challenges.

5. Organisation Development:

Organizations are never perfectly static. They keep on changing. Employees’ skills and

abilities, therefore, require continual upgrading. The future is uncertain when full of

surprises. It is not easy to fight the force of change without adequate preparation and

training. A systematic planned way of managing this change is through the process of

OD.

OD may be defined as a change effort that is planned, focused on an entire organization

or a large subsystem, managed from the top, aimed at enhancing organizational health

and effectiveness and based on planned interventions made with the help of change

agent or third party who is well versed in the behavioral science.

6. Rewards:

People do what they do to satisfy needs. They choose to behave in way which will

maximize their rewards. The most obvious reward is pay but there are many others.

Intrinsic rewards come from their job itself such as feelings of achievement, pride in

doing a job etc. Extrinsic rewards come from a source outside the job including pay,

promotion and benefits offered by management. Reward could be linked to performance

as well to motivate high achievers to do well. If rewards are allocated completely on

non-performance factors such as seniority, job titles etc. then employees are likely to

reduce their efforts. Now days organizations also use team based rewards to motivate

empowered work teams to exceed established targets.

7. Employee welfare & quality of work life (QWL): The term employee welfare

means “the efforts to make life worth living for workmen”. It includes various services,

facilities & benefits offered to employees by the employers, unions & govt. The purpose

is to improve the living standards of workers & thereby improve the quality of work life.

Employees voluntarily extend a number of benefits to employees in the hope that these

indirect compensation plans motivate employees to perform better. Over the years, the

types of benefits offered have been expanding in line with competitive pressures,

changing job market trends, employee expectations, union demands & legislative

requirements.

Quality of work life (QWL) efforts are systematic efforts by organizations to give

workers a greater opportunity to affect the way they do their jobs & the contributions

they make to the organization’s overall effectiveness. It is a way of empowering

employees by giving them a greater ‘say’ in the decision making process. QWL means

having good working conditions, good wages & benefits, good leadership & interesting,

challenging jobs. QWL efforts include the following:

Employee involvement: Here employees are given the opportunity to participate in

the decisions that affect them & their relationship in the company.

Quality circles: These are small group of employees who meet regularly to find,

analyse & solve quality & other work-related problems of a particular

department/section/area.

Socio-technical systems: These are interventions in the work situation that redesign

the work, the workgroups & the relationship between workers & the technologies they

use to perform their jobs.

Co-determination: In this method, representatives of workers meet mgt in a formal

way to discuss & vote important decisions that affect the lives of workers.

Self-managed work teams: These are employee groups (also called autonomous

workgroups) with a high degree of decision-making, responsibility & behavioural

control for completing their work. The team is usually given the responsibility for

producing an entire product or service.

Suggestion programmes: It is a formal method for generating, evaluating &

implementing employee ideas.

Open door policies: Where open door policies exist, employees are free to walk into

any manager’s office with their problems & seek solutions to such problems.

HRD system focus on employee welfare & QWL by continually examining employee needs

& meeting them to the best possible extent.

8. Human resource information system: Human resource information system (HRIS)

is a method by which an organization collects, maintains & reports information on people

& jobs, the information is generally stored in a central human resource data bank,

preferably in a computer containing the following details:

Personal data: Identification, education, reserved category, place of origin, etc.;

Recruitment data: Entry date, grade in aptitude tests, grade in leadership tests;

Experience data: Placement history, promotions, tasks performed grade wise;

Appraisal data: Appraisal on each job, ratings of behaviours in a group, commitment

to overall goals, etc.;

Training data: Nature of training received at each level, current training assignment,

etc.;

Miscellaneous: Health status, personal problems, security needs, record of

incentives received, absence & sickness data, etc.;

This information is put to use whenever there is a need to identify employees for certain

special assignments.

Each of the subsystems described contribute to the achievement of overall HRD goals.

Performance & potential appraisal helps an employee develop his role capabilities &

prepare himself for future changes. Training improves his learning abilities. Feedback &

performance coaching helps him correct mistakes & improve interpersonal relationships.

OD promotes the collaborative spirit & self-renewing skills. Rewards & welfare amenities

enrich the life of employees & help them carry out the assigned tasks with zeal &

enthusiasm. It should be remembered that the subsystems discussed above should not be

viewed in isolation. They are all inter connected & independent parts. When viewed in

isolation, they do not offer the synergistic advantages of a well developed HRD system.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF SUBSYSTEMS TO HRD

GOALS

The subsystems described already, contributes to the achievement of overall HRD goals

performance appraisal helps an individual to develop his current role capabilities. Potential

appraisal focuses on identifying the employee’s likely future roles with in the organization.

Training helps an employee to improve his job knowledge and skills. It enables an employee

to do his current job more efficiently and prepare himself for a higher level job .It bridges

the gap between job requirements and employee’s skills, knowledge and behavior .Feedback

and performance coaching helps the development of the individual as well as interpersonal

relationships. Organization development aims at developing team spirit and self-renewing

skills. Welfare amenities, rewards and incentives improve the quality of life of employees and

make the work place a stimulating one for employees .The contribution of these HRD

subsystems to various development dimensions is shown in the bellow table.

The HRD mechanisms described above should not be viewed in isolation .They are designed

to work together in an integrated system, although they may cast in an organization that

does not have an overall HRD plan .the collective benefits of integrated mechanisms may not

accrue to an organization ,when these are viewed in isolation . each subsystem is inter-linked

to other subsystems and offer rich benefits to an organization when they are well integrated.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF HRD SUBSYSTEM TO

DEVELOPMENT DIMENSIONS

Development

dimensionsHRD subsystems Mechanism

Individual Training Career planning Potential appraisal

and development

Feedback and

coaching

performance

Rewards

Individual in the

present role

Performance

appraisal

Training Feedback and

performance

coaching

Rewards

Individual in regard

to likely future roles

Potential appraisal

and development

Training Performance

appraisal

Feedback and

performance

coaching

Dyadic relationships Feedback and

performance

coaching

Performance

appraisal

Training

Teams & teamwork Organization

development

Training Team rewards

Collaboration

among different

units/teams

Organization

development

Training

Self-renewing

capability and

health of

organization

Performance

appraisal

Organization

development

Training

Principles in Designing HRD Systems

In order to realize the benefits of integrated HRD systems, top management must invariably

observe certain principles which are categorized below:

Management Support: HRD requires consistent support from managers working at various

levels. They must formulate the HRD policies keeping organizational requirements in mind

and implement these wholeheartedly.

Focus of the HRD System: The system must be designed keeping various contextual

factors such as size, technology, skill levels, support for function, in mind. It must focus on

developing human resources at various levels (problem solving capabilities leading to

increased employee productivity) and commitment. It must take the organization forward by

anticipating changes and preparing people for future challenges. It must be properly

integrated with other long range functions such as corporate planning, budgeting, etc. Line

managers must be actively involved in all the above steps.

Structure of the HRD System: The system must have a distinct identity of its own, headed

by a senior manager taking care of the implementation process. The HR department created

for this purpose must have proper linkages with outside systems as well as internal

subsystems. The system must be reviewed periodically so as to find out the progress and

effectiveness of the programme.

Functioning of the System: The system must provide for appropriate feedback from

various departments at regular intervals. It is better to quantify the various aspects of HRD

and arrange for storage of data in computers. Internal experts and external consultants

could be judiciously used to offer training to various departments/ persons. Various aspects

of HRD should be introduced in a gradual way, after a thorough review of the organization’s

size, its needs and level of sophistication. Each stage should be planned carefully, with

subsequent phases built one over the other.

HRD Function:

HRM

The types of tasks that might come under the human resources management category

include compensation, payroll issues, benefits management and day-to-day employee

relations. Human resources professionals from this category would be involved in any

dispute that an employee has with management. They would also be involved in hiring and

firing. These types of tasks can be described as routine and administrative.

HRD

By contrast, human resources development concerns itself with strategic thinking about the

workforce. Therefore training needs, industrial psychology and driving productivity gains

would all be the province of HRD. Professionals working in this area do sometimes concern

themselves with the individuals’ needs in an organization, but they more often consider the

workforce needs of the company as a whole.

Parallel Functions

In a large organization, HRM and HRD functions will be carried out by different

professionals. In the work life of an employee, HRM and HRD may seem to have parallel but

separate functions. A new employee may be recruited by an HRM officer, but then receive a

training plan from an HRD executive. He may deal with HRM when choosing a benefits plan,

but then meet with HRD for his performance review.

Collaboration

In order for a large organization to function productively, HRD and HRM must collaborate

closely. HRM executives, working closely with employees, may notice a trend in needs for

training, or a particular dissatisfaction with workplace conditions. These issues can then be

taken up and addressed at a strategic level by HRD personnel. In the same way, in order for

a strategic HR change to be implemented, HRD executives may brief HRM staff on changes

to be made in hiring practices, for example.

The main functions of HRD are:-1.Training and development

Training and development is aimed at improving or changing the knowledge

skills and attitudes of the employees. While training involves providing the

knowledge and skills required for doing a particular job to the employees,

developmental activities focus on preparing the employees for future job

responsibilities by increasing the capabilities of an employee which also helps

him perform his present job in a better way. These activities start when an

employee joins an organization in the form of orientation and skills training.

After the employee becomes proficient, the HR activities focus on the

development of the employee through methods like coaching and counseling.

2.Organization developmentOD is the process of increasing the effectiveness of an organization along

with the well being of its members with the help of planned interventions that

use the concepts of behavioral science. Both micro and macro changes are

implemented to achieve organization development. While the macro changes

are intended to improve the overall effectiveness of the organization the micro

changes are aimed at individuals of small groups. Employee involvement

programmes requiring fundamental changes in work expectation, reporting,

procedures and reward systems are aimed at improving the effectiveness of the

organization. The human resource development professional involved in the

organization development intervention acts as an agent of change. He often

consults and advising the line manager in strategies that can be adopted to

implement the required changes and sometimes becomes directly involve in

implementing these strategies.

3. Career developmentIt is a continuous process in which an individual progresses through different

stages of career each having a relatively unique set of issues and tasks.

Career development comprises of two distinct processes. Career Planning and

career management. Whereas career planning involves activities to be

performed by the employee, often with the help of counselor and others, to

assess his capabilities and skills in order to frame realistic career plan. Career

management involves the necessary steps that need to be taken to achieve

that plan. Career management generally focus more on the steps that an

organization that can take to foster the career development of the employees.

Positive aspects of Roles and Functions of the Human Resource

Department

Recruitment of Employees

This is one of the most fundamental roles of the HR department. This is because

this function ensures that the Company under consideration selects the most skillful

and competent person from a sea of applicants at that time. This function involves

evaluation of ability and competency of potential employees in relation to what the

Company needs. This role falls under the Staffing role of management. If this

function is performed well, then the organisation will increase value consequently

being on the right pathway to achieve its organisational and departmental goals and

objectives

Improvement of Compensation Packages

One of the major functions of the HR department is to motivate employees. This can

be done through rewards especially for those who have done well. The HR

department needs to evaluate performance of employees and those who have

exceeded expectations should be compensated for their actions. Research has shown

that rewarding employees for good performance is the number one incentive for

keeping up this trend. These compensation packages can come in the following ways;

- Holiday Offers

- End of Year Bonuses

- Equities

- Awards

- Salary Increments

- Provision of Flexible Working Hours

- Straight forward Promotion Schemes and Career Developments

Planning in the Organisation

The Human Resource Department is placed with the responsibility of ensuring

that it plans adequately for all the organisation’s future engagements that will

involve people. One important aspect of this is planning for employees in the

organisation. It is important that the organisation ensures that all the employees

under its wing are just enough to increase value to the organisation.

The Department must ensure that staff members are not too many because if they

exceed this amount, then the organisation stands too lose. It must plan adequately to

ensure that staff members are not too few either, otherwise they will be overworking

those who are already in place The HR department is also bestowed with the

responsibility of planning future organisational goal in relation to people or

clarifying these same goals to staff members. This function of the department

ensures that people in the organisation have a general direction which they are

working towards. Organisations that have a clear direction are always more

effective; those members of staff will be more result oriented rather than just

working for the sake of it

Negative Aspects of Functions and Roles of the Human Resource Department

There are a number of problems that arise as the department goes about its

activities

Problems in Recruitment

The department may sometimes be unable to adequately coordinate and incorporate

all the employees needed in the Company’s operations. Such a practice showed that

the HR department had exercised bad judgement in its staffing function. Problems

in Remuneration

In the process of trying to motivate members of staff to perform better, the Human

Resource may make deals that eventually cause problems.

Problems in Planning

Sometimes the HR Department can employ people who may not contribute towards

organisational principles.

HRD versus Personnel Function:

The traditional personnel function is a service oriented activity, responding to

the needs of the organization as and when they arise. On the other hand, HRD has

productive functions which do not merely respond to organizational requirements

but anticipates them and prepares the people and the organizations to face future

challenges with confidence. HRD is wider in scope as it tries to develop the whole

organization instead of focusing attention on people alone. Instead of concentrating

on maintenance factors (wages, incentives, day to day plans, operating procedures

etc.) it tries to focus on motivating factors (job enrichment, developing potentialities

of people, creating autonomous work groups, fostering innovation and creativity,

developing trust etc). Personnel function, traditionally is viewed as the primary job of

personnel department HRD, however, is the responsibility of all managers in the

organization. The personnel function views higher morale and improved job

satisfaction as the causes of improved performance. HRD on the other hand regards

job challenges, creativity and opportunities for development as the main motivating

forces.

Points of difference HRD and Personnel:

Personnel Function:

1) Maintenance oriented

2) An independent function with independent sub functions

3) Reactive functions responding to events as and when they take place.

4) Exclusive responsibility of personnel department

5) Emphasis is put on monetary rewards

6) Improved performance is the result of improved satisfaction and morale

7) Tries to improve the efficiency of people and administration.

Points of distinction: (1) orientation (2) Structure (3) Philosophy (4) Responsibility (5)

motivators (6) Outcomes (7) AIMS

HRD (Human Resource development):

1) Development oriented

2) Consists of inter dependent parts.

3) Proactive function, trying to anticipate and get ready with appropriate responses.

4) Responsibility of all managers in the organization.

5) Emphasis is on higher order needs such as – how to design jobs with stretch pull

and challenge how to improve creativity ad problem solving skills, how to empower

people in all respects etc.

6) Better use of human resources leads to improved satisfaction and morale.

7) It tires to develop the organization and its culture as a whole.

HRD Process:

A frame work for the HRD process:

1) Need assessment

2) Design

3) Implementation

4) Evaluation

Need assessment phase:

HRD intervention are used to address to some need or gap with in org. A need either a

current deficiency ,such as poor employee performance or a new challenge that demands a

change in the way the organisation operates. Identifying needs involves examine an

organisation ,its environment, job tasknad employee performance. This information can be

used to;

Establishing HRD priorities

Defining specific tranning and objective

Establishing evaluation criteria

Designing phase:

This phase involves the designing the hr programme or intervention.if the

intervention involves some type of training or development programme, the

fillowing activity are typically carried out during this phase;

Selecting the spefic objective of the programme

Developing an appropriate lesson plan for the programme

Accuring/deloping the appropriate material for the trqainne to use.

Selecting who deliver programme

Selecting the most appropriate method /methods for conducting programme

Selecting and developing programme contain

Scheduling the trainng programme

Once the assessment has been completed, it is imp to translate the issue identified in

that phase in to clear objective of HRD programme. this should also facilitate the

development of clear lesson plan concerning the what should be done in HRD programme.

Selecting the proper person to deliver the HRD programme is also an imp decision and it can

be difficult to depend on the available resources.if org.have the hr professional, then its fully

depend on hr professional. If org. Dose not have the hr expertise, then its depend on the

senior mgr, supervisor, co-worker or out side consultant. Using these individual arise the

cause of host issue, from of their cost issue willingness, ability and availability to trained.

The design phase also involve selecting and developing the contain of programme. this

means choosing the most appropriate setting programme. Like ; on the job , in class room,

online or some other method. The technique used such as lecture , discussion ,role play,

stimulation. The material used such as books, job aids, web based, film ,video , Microsoft

PowerPoint, etc.

Scheduling the programme may not be easy as it looks. Issue to be resolve including lead

time to notify potential participant, programme length, location, covering participant,

regular job duty etc.

Implementation phase:

The goal of this phase is to implement both the above phase( need assessment & design).The

programme should be deliver to using the most appropriate methods. Delivering programme

always face many challenges such as executing the programme as planned ,creating an

environment that enhances learning , and resolving the problem that may arise like ; missing

equipments, conflict between participants etc.

Implementing /delivering the programme

Evaluation phase:

This is the final phase of HRD process. This is where the effective of the HRD intervention is

measured. Careful evaluation provides information on participant’s reaction on the

programme.how much they learned weather they use what they learned back on the job ,

weather the programme improve the organisations effectiveness. HRD professional are

increasingly being asked to provide the evidence of successes of their efforts using a variety

of ‘ hard’ and ‘soft’ measure , that is both bottom line impact , as well as employee reaction.

This information allows managers to make better decision about various aspect of the hr

effort such as;

Continuing to use a particular technique or vender in future programme

Offering a particular programme in future

Budgeting and resources allocation

Using some other hr /managerial approach; (like employee selection or changing work

rule) to slove problem

Determining the programme effectiveness-

Keep/change provider

Offer it again?

What are the true cost?

Can we do it another way

It is imp that HRD professional provide the evidence that HRD programme improve

individual and organisation effectiveness.

Role of line Mgr & Supervisor in HRD:

A supervisor plays multiplinary role at one time like -

1. As a Planner - A supervisor has to plan the daily work schedules in the factory. At the

same time he has to divide the work to various workers according to their abilities.

2. As a Manager - It is righty said that a supervisor is a part of the management team of

an enterprise. He is, in fact, an operative manager.

3. As a Guide and Leader - A factory supervisor leads the workers by guiding them the

way of perform their daily tasks. In fact, he plays a role of an inspirer by telling them.

4. As a Mediator - A Supervisor is called a linking pin between management and

workers. He is the spokesperson of management as well as worker.

5. As an Inspector - An important role of supervisor is to enforce discipline in the

factory. For this, the work includes checking progress of work against the time

schedule, recording the work performances at regular intervals and reporting the

deviations if any from those. He can also frame rules and regulations which have to be

followed by workers during their work.

6. As a Counselor - A supervisor plays the role of a counselor to the worker’s problem.

He has to perform this role in order to build good relations and co-operation from

workers. This can be done not only by listening to the grievances but also handling the

grievances and satisfying the workers.

Therefore, we can say that effective and efficient supervision helps in serving better work

performance, building good human relations, creating a congenial and co-operative

environment. This all helps in increasing productivity.

Therefore, a supervisor should be concerned with performing the

following functions -

1. Planning and Organizing - Supervisor’s basic role is to plan the daily work schedule

of the workers by guiding them the nature of their work and also dividing the work

amongst the workers according to their interests, aptitudes, skills and interests.

2. Provision of working conditions - A supervisor plays an important role in the

physical setting of the factory and in arranging the physical resources at right place.

This involves providing proper sitting place, ventilation, lighting, water facilities etc.

to workers. His main responsibility is here to provide healthy and hygienic condition

to the workers.

3. Leadership and Guidance - A supervisor is the leader of workers under him. He

leads the workers and influences them to work their best. He also guides the workers

by fixing production targets and by providing them instruction and guidelines to

achieve those targets.

4. Motivation - A supervisor plays an important role by providing different incentives to

workers to perform better. There are different monetary and non-monetary incentives

which can inspire the workers to work better.

5. Controlling - Controlling is an important function performed by supervisor. This will

involve

a. Recording the actual performance against the time schedule.

b. Checking of progress of work.

c. Finding out deviations if any and making solutions

d. If not independently solved, reporting it to top management.

6. Linking Pin - A supervisor proves to be a linking pin between management and

workers. He communicates the policies of management to workers also passes

instructions to them on behalf of management. On the other hand, he has a close

contact with the workers and therefore can interact the problems, complaints,

suggestions, etc to the management. In this way, he communicates workers problems

and brings it to the notice of management.

7. Grievance Handling - The supervisor can handle the grievances of the workers

effectively for this he has to do the following things :-

a. He can be in direct touch with workers.

b. By winning the confidence of the workers by solving their problems.

c. By taking worker problems on humanitarian grounds.

d. If he cannot tackle it independently, he can take the help and advice of

management to solve it.

8. Reporting - A supervisor has got an important role to report about the cost, quality

and any such output which can be responsible for increasing productivity. Factors like

cost, output, performance, quality, etc can be reported continually to the

management.

9. Introducing new work methods - The supervisor here has to be conscious about the

environment of market and competition present. Therefore he can innovate the

techniques of production. He can shift the workers into fresh schedules whenever

possible. He can also try this best to keep on changing and improving to the physical

environment around the workers. This will result in

a. Higher productivity,

b. High Morale of Workers,

c. Satisfying working condition,

d. Improving human relations,

e. Higher Profits, and

f. High Stability

10.Enforcing Discipline - A supervisor can undertake many steps to maintain discipline

in the concern by regulating checks and measures, strictness in orders and

instructions, keeping an account of general discipline of factory, implementing

penalties and punishments for the indiscipline workers. All these above steps help in

improving the overall discipline of the factory.

Line managers:

Who are front line managers?

Front line managers are managers who are responsible for a work group to a higher

level of management. They are normally in the lower layers of the management hierarchy

and the employees who report to them do not themselves have any managerial or

supervisory responsibility.

Front line managers are usually promoted from the ranks of employees and are unlikely

to have formal management education. Typically their management responsibilities would

include:

* people management

* managing operational costs

* providing technical expertise

* organisation work allocation and rotas

* monitoring work processes

* checking quality

* dealing with customers/clients

* measuring operational performance. 

In many organisations front line managers now carry out activities which were

traditionally within the remit of HR such as coaching, performance appraisal, involvement

and communication, and discipline and grievances. In many cases they also carry out

recruitment and selection in conjunction with HR.

The role of front line managers

The people and performance research carried out by a team at Bath University1 found

that front line managers played a pivotal role in terms of implementing and enacting HR

policies and practices. They found that where employees feels positive about their

relationship with their front line managers they are more likely to have higher levels of job

satisfaction, commitment and loyalty which are associated with higher levels of performance

or discretionary behaviour. Discretionary behaviour is defined as that which goes beyond the

requirements of the job to give that extra performance which can boost the bottom line.

The areas where front line managers make a significant difference to people

management practices are:

* performance appraisal

* training, coaching and guidance

* involvement and communication

* openness – how easy is it for employees to discuss matters with their front line

manager

* work-life balance

* recognition – the extent to which employees feel their contribution is

recognised. 

These are all areas where, although the process may be designed by HR, it cannot be

delivered by HR. The front line manager role is crucial in a number of respects:

* in enabling the HR policies and practices, or bringing them to life

* in acting upon advice or guidance from HR

* in controlling the work flow by directing and guiding the work of others. 

To do this successfully, this part of the front line managers role must be given at least as

much recognition as other operational areas and they must be allocated time within their

work schedule to carry out the people management side of the job. 

The qualities and skills needed from front line managers

The Bath research found that front line managers exercise a strong influence over the

level of discretion that an individual has over how they do their job. Some managers can

permit and encourage people to be responsible for their own jobs whereas others can stifle

initiative through controlling or autocratic behaviour.

To encourage the kind of discretionary behaviour from employees associated with higher

performance, front line managers need to:

* build a good working relationship with their staff. They need to lead, listen, ask,

communicate, be fair, respond to suggestions and deal with problems

* help and support employees to take more responsibility for how they do their

jobs by coaching and guidance

* build effective teams. 

Many of the qualities and skills which are associated with higher quality front line

management are around the behaviours of front line managers. It is not enough to

educate front line managers in the behaviours required; organisations must also ensure

they are developing the environment and culture in which front line managers are

actively encouraged and permitted to exhibit the behaviours above. The Bath research

found that organisations which had a strong shared culture with guiding principles for

behaviour which were embedded into practice over time were more successful.

Managing front line managersWell-managed front line managers are more likely to go on to lead high performing

teams. The Bath research found that the relationships front line managers experienced

with their managers and with senior management generally made a significant difference

to their willingness to display discretionary behaviour in their own management

activities.

Generally front line managers are more likely to display the positive behaviours

associated with higher levels of performance from those they are managing if:

* they have good working relationships with their own managers

* the are provided with good career opportunities and supported to progress their

careers

* they experience a positive work-life balance

* they are allowed to participate and feel involved in decision making

* there is an open organisational culture which enables them to air a grievance or

discuss matters of personal concern

* they are given a sense of job security.