Final Report - HRM

A REPORT ON

CURRENT HR ISSUES

AND

SKILLS REQUIRED FOR HR MANAGERS

By:

Ankita Sharma (H11006)

Anusheel Shrivastava (H11009)

Himanshu Gupta (H11020)

Kriti Jain (H11026)

Guided by: Prof. Srimannarayana M

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Contents

1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................4

1.1. METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................................4

2. RESPONDENT DETAILS...................................................................................................................6

3. HR ISSUES....................................................................................................................................15

4. HR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS.......................................................................................................17

5. BENCHMARKING HR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE WITH THE HRM SYLLABUS.................................19

5.1 Indian Institutes...................................................................................................................19

5.1.1 XLRI, Jamshedpur.........................................................................................................19

5.1.2 MDI (Management Development Institute), Gurgaon.................................................21

5.1.3 TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), Mumbai..........................................................23

5.2 International Business Schools............................................................................................25

5.2.1 Carlson School of Management...................................................................................25

5.2.2 Michigan State University............................................................................................27

5.2.3 Lancaster University.....................................................................................................29

6. CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................................30

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Table of Figures

Figure 1: Profile of Respondents.....................................................................................................7

Figure 2: Geographical Orientation of Companies...........................................................................8

Figure 3: Organizational Strength...................................................................................................9

Figure 4: Management Level of Respondents................................................................................10

Figure 5: HR role of respondents...................................................................................................11

Figure 6: Gender of Respondents..................................................................................................12

Figure 7: Level at which respondents began their career...............................................................13

Figure 8: Field in which respondents began their career................................................................14

Figure 9: Graphical representation of major issues.......................................................................15

Figure 10: Graphical Representation of major skills required for a HR manager.............................17

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1. INTRODUCTION

This project aims at identifying the current issues and challenges that Human Resources faces, recognizing the level of knowledge required by aspiring HR managers and benchmarking the HR skills and knowledge with the syllabus of XLRI and three other Indian and international programmes.

The objectives of the project are:

1. To identify the issues and challenges HR faces

2. To find out the level of specific knowledge, and skills required for HR managers in making

3. To draw the profile of HR professionals, and4. To benchmark HR skills and knowledge with HR programmes in India and abroad

1.1. METHODOLOGY A questionnaire containing three parts, designed by Professor Srimannarayana, was administered to the respondents.

Part 1 – 42 HR issues

Part 2 – 63 Knowledge and Skills

Part 3 – General information required to draw the profile of HR professionals

In order to ensure objectivity of the data, the Professor had asked for the questionnaire to be administered on HR professionals with a minimum of two years of experience. Also, we were asked to approach at least two respondents who belonged to the following categories:

a) Manufacturing Organization

b) Senior Management Position

c) Public Sector Undertaking

On obtaining the responses (11 in number), the data was analysed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Through this process, the most relevant and critical HR issues, skills and knowledge areas were identified.

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The shortlisted issues, skills and knowledge were then compared and benchmarked with the syllabus of the two year HR programmes of XLRI and three other Indian and international institutes.

Based on the above comparison, certain suggestions have been made in order to align the course syllabus with the relevant HR issues and skills of the present day industry. The filled in questionnaires have been appended to the report.

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2. RESPONDENT DETAILSRe

spon

dent

No.

Indu

stry

Ow

ners

hip

Leve

l of

Man

agem

ent

Role

Year

s of

ex

perie

nce

in H

R

Year

s of

ex

perie

nce

in

field

s ot

her t

han

HR

R1 Engineering Public Lower Generalist 8 1

R2 Engineering Public Middle Training and Development

13 0



R5 CFL Lamp Manufacturer

Joint venture

Middle Generalist 13 19

R6 IT Private Lower Generalist 3 0.5

R7 Manufacturing Private Middle Generalist 2 1

R8 Processing Public Senior Generalist 15 20

R9 FMCG Joint Venture

Senior Generalist 15 5

R10 IT, ITES Private Lower Generalist 4 4

R11 IT, ITES Public Lower Recruitment 3 0

6

Sector Number of respondentsPublic 6Private 3Others 2

Figure 1: Profile of Respondents

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Geographic orientation Number of respondentsIndian Company

Indian MNC

Figure 2: Geographical Orientation of Companies

8

[Type a quote from the document or the summary of an interesting

Organization Strength Number of organizationsLess than 500 3

Less than 5000 4Less than 10,000 110,000 and above 3

Figure 3: Organizational Strength

9

[Type a quote from the document or the summary of

Level of management Number of respondentsLower 6Middle 3senior 2

Figure 4: Management Level of Respondents

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MANAGEMENT [Type a quote from the document or the summary of an

HR role Number of respondents

Generalist 7

specialist 3

Figure 5: HR role of respondents

11

Gender Number of respondents

Male 9

Female 2

Figure 6: Gender of Respondents

12

Level at which career began Number of respondents

Executive/managerial 9

Others 2

Figure 7: Level at which respondents began their career

13

Field in which career began Number of respondents

Personnel/HR/IR 9

Operations 2

Figure 8: Field in which respondents began their career

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3. HR ISSUES

After receiving the responses of the questionnaires, the arithmetic means of each issue in the HR issues category were calculated. Then the mean of all the issue wise means was calculated. It was found out to be 2.935. Those issues whose mean was above 3.5 were identified as critical and those with mean between 2.935 and 3.5 were classified as important issues.

The following graph shows a clearer picture of the average number of responses:

Figure 9: Graphical representation of major issues

According to the responses, the following issues were identified as critical:

1. Performance Management

2. Career Plateuing

3. Recruitment

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The following issues were identified as important:

1. Strategic HRM

2. Training and developement

3. Global markets and competition

4. Human resource planning

5. Managing change

6. Managing high talented personnel

7. Measuring HR contribution

8. Selection of employees

9. Legal compliance

10. Motivating employees

11. Salary fixation

12. Changes in information technology

13. Employee relations

14. Ethics in workplace

15. Changing profile of workforce

16. Balancing work and family programmes

17. Changing attitude towards work

18. Handling employee grievance

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4. HR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

After receiving the responses of the questionnaires, the arithmetic means of each issue in the HR knowledge and skills category were calculated. Then the mean of all the issue wise means was calculated. It was found out to be 3.237. Those issues whose mean was above 3.6 were identified as critical and those with mean between 3.237 and 3.6 were classified as important issues. Among these, we have used the top 20 skills for benchmarking.

The following graph shows a clearer picture of the average number of responses:

Figure 10: Graphical Representation of major skills required for a HR manager

According to the graph, following HR knowledge and skills were identified as critical:

1. Integrity

2. Recruiting skills

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3. Conduct training needs assessment

4. Interpersonal skills

5. Decision making skills

6. Results orientation

7. Conflict resolution skills

The following HR knowledge and skill areas were identified as important:

1. Interviewing skills

2. Design performance appraisal system

3. Conduct training programmes

4. Conduct training evaluation

5. Knowledge of corporate social responsibility

6. Develop strategic HR plan

7. Negotiation skills

8. Develop career development programmes

9. Train line managers in HR

10. Develop overall HR policies

11. Measure HR contribution

12. Verbal communication skills

13. Written communication skills

14. Analytical skills

15. Problem solving skills

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5. BENCHMARKING HR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE WITH THE HRM SYLLABUS

a. Indian Institutes

i. XLRI, Jamshedpur

S No. Knowledge and skill areas Courses taught at XLRI

1. Integrity Managerial Ethics

2. Recruiting skills Selection

3. Conduct training needs assessment Training and Development

4. Interpersonal skills Managerial Communication

5. Decision making skills Personal Effectiveness and Self-Leadership

6. Results orientation No Core Course

7. Conflict resolution skills Collective Bargaining and Negotiation Process

8. Interviewing skills Managerial Communication

Selection


Performance Management and Appraisal

10. Conduct training programmes Training and Development

11. Conduct training evaluation Training and Development


Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship

13. Develop strategic HR plan Strategic Human Resource Management

Human Resource Planning

Advanced Manpower Planning

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14. Negotiation skills Collective Bargaining and Negotiation Process


Managerial Competencies and Career Development

16. Train line managers in HR Training and Development

17 Develop overall HR policies Strategic Human Resource Management

18. Measure HR contribution Measuring HR

19. Verbal communication skills Managerial Communication

20. Written communication skills Managerial Communication

21. Analytical skills Quantitative Techniques for Human Resource Management

Social Research Methods

22. Problem solving skills Strategic Game Theory for Managers

In the course of XLRI a subject focusing on developing result orientation of HR managers should be introduced. There should also be a subject which should entirely deal with development of interpersonal skills.

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ii. MDI (Management Development Institute), Gurgaon

S No. Knowledge and skill areas Courses taught at MDI

1. Integrity No Core Course

2. Recruiting skills Recruitment and Selection

3. Conduct training needs assessment Coaching and Mentoring, Talent Management andCompetency Framework

4. Interpersonal skills Oral Communication and Presentation Skills

5. Decision making skills No Core Course


7. Conflict resolution skills Leadership and Managerial effectiveness, Bargaining

8. Interviewing skills No Core Course


Performance Management, Organizational Planning &Design

10. Conduct training programmes No Core Course

11. Conduct training evaluation Talent Management and Competency Framework

12. Knowledge of corporate social responsibility Strategic HRM-I

13. Develop strategic HR plan Business strategy formulation and implementation

14. Negotiation skills Negotiating Skills and Collective


No Core Course

16. Train line managers in HR No Core Course

17 Develop overall HR policies Organizational Planning & Design, HR Systems and Processes

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18. Measure HR contribution No Core Course

19. Verbal communication skills Oral Communication and Presentation Skills

20. Written communication skills No Core Course

21. Analytical skills Statistics for Management

22. Problem solving skills No Core Course

Suggestion: Considering the importance of integrity in skills required for an HR manager, a subject should be introduced focussing on ethics and integrity. Courses should be introduced to develop skills like decision making, problem solving and result orientation. Apart from this more focus should be on aspects of training and recruitment like conducting training programs, training line managers, interviewing skills. Other areas where subjects need to be introduced are written communication skills and career development.

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iii. TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), Mumbai

S No. Knowledge and skill areas Courses taught at TISS

1. Integrity Corporate Governance and Business Ethics

2. Recruiting skills Employee Resourcing

3. Conduct training needs assessment Training Process, Delivery and Effectiveness Measurement

4. Interpersonal skills Understanding Self and Facilitating Relationship

5. Decision making skills No Core Course


7. Conflict resolution skills Development Experience, Social Conflict and change



Performance Management and Development

10. Conduct training programmes Training Process, Delivery and Effectiveness Measurement

11. Conduct training evaluation Training Process, Delivery and Effectiveness Measurement


No Core Course

13. Develop strategic HR plan Management of Human Resources: Conceptual and Strategic Perspectives

14. Negotiation skills No Core Course


No Core Course

16. Train line managers in HR Training Process, Delivery and Effectiveness

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Measurement

17 Develop overall HR policies No Core Course


19. Verbal communication skills Business Communication and Presentation Skills

20. Written communication skills Business Communication and Presentation Skills

21. Analytical skills Business Statistics and Quantitative Techniques

22. Problem solving skills No Core Course

Suggestion: To fulfil the skills required by future HR managers, subjects on enhancing decision making and result orientation, and problem solving skills must be included. HR related subjects like developing HR policies, HR measurement, and career development should be introduced. Other areas to which more emphasis should be laid on are collective bargaining/negotiation and corporate social responsibilities.

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b. International Business Schools

5.2.1 Carlson School of Management

S No. Knowledge and skill areas Courses taught at Carlson

1. Integrity HRIR in Practice: Strategy, Execution, and Ethics

2. Recruiting skills Staffing, Training, and Development

3. Conduct training needs assessment No Core Course

4. Interpersonal skills Managerial Communications

5. Decision making skills Innovative HR Leadership in the Context of Change and Uncertainty


7. Conflict resolution skills Dispute Resolution: Labour Arbitration


9. Design performance appraisal system Compensation and Benefits

10. Conduct training programmes Staffing, Training, and Development

11. Conduct training evaluation Staffing, Training, and Development


No Core Course

13. Develop strategic HR plan No Core Course

14. Negotiation skills Labour Relations and Collective Bargaining


Employee Development: Creating a Competitive Advantage

16. Train line managers in HR No Core Course

17 Develop overall HR policies Organizational Theory Foundations of High-

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Impact HRIR

18. Measure HR contribution Organizational Development, HR Metrics, and the Balanced Scorecard

19. Verbal communication skills Managerial Communications


21. Analytical skills Using Data and Metrics in HRIR

22. Problem solving skills Operations Management

According to future requirements, strategic planning related subjects should be included. To cater to the training requirements, training conduction related subjects are needed. Other areas of focus should be development of result orientation, interviewing skills, knowledge of corporate social responsibilities.

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5.2.2 Michigan State University

S. No. Knowledge and skill areas Courses taught at Michigan

1. Integrity No core course

2. Recruiting skills Staffing Organizations

3. Conduct training needs assessment

Training & Development

4. Interpersonal skills No Core Course

5. Decision making skills Organizational Development and Planned Change

6. Results orientation Organizational Development and Planned Change

7. Conflict resolution skills Negotiations & Conflict Resolution, Grievance Administration & Arbitration

8. Interviewing skills Staffing Organizations


Compensation and Benefit Systems

10. Conduct training programmes

Training & Development

11. Conduct training evaluation Training & Development


No Core Course

13. Develop strategic HR plan Human Resource Strategies and Decisions

14. Negotiation skills Collective Bargaining, Negotiations & Conflict Resolution


High Performance Work Systems

16. Train line managers in HR Organizational Behaviour for the Management of Human Resources

17 Develop overall HR policies Human Resource Strategies and Decisions


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19. Verbal communication skills No Core Course


21. Analytical skills Quantitative Methods for HR & LR

22. Problem solving skills Quantitative Methods for HR & LR

Suggestion: Considering current scenario, subjects related to integrity and corporate social responsibility must be introduced. Courses improving interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills are also required. In addition to this a subject dealing with HR metrics is also required.

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5.2.3 Lancaster University

Sl. No Skills Courses at Lancaster University1. Integrity Knowledge management II2. Recruiting skills Human Resource Management II3. Conduct training needs assessment Human Resource Management II4. Interpersonal skills No Core Course5. Decision making skills No Core Course6. Results orientation No Core Course7. Conflict resolution skills No Core Course8. Interviewing skills Human Resource Management II9. Design performance appraisal system Human Resource Management II10. Conduct training programmes Human Resource Management II11. Conduct training evaluation Human Resource Management II12. Knowledge of corporate social responsibility No Core Course13. Develop strategic HR plan Human Resource Management I14. Negotiation skills No Core Course15. Develop career development programmes Human Resource Management I16. Train line managers in HR No Core Course17. Develop overall HR policies The Management of

Organisational ChangeHuman Resource Management I

18. Measure HR contribution Human Resource Management I19. Verbal communication skills No Core Course20. Written communication skills No Core Course21. Analytical skills Quantitative Methods in

Management22. Problem solving skills No Core Course

Lancaster University does not have any courses on Interpersonal, Verbal and Written communication. Moreover, the courses do not develop decision making, result orientation, conflict resolution, negotiation and problem solving skills. Like other universities benchmarked it also does not provide any ‘knowledge of corporate social responsibilities’.

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6. CONCLUSION

Most programmes benchmarked in this article lack in a course which focuses on integrity. XLRI, TISS and Carlson SoM have included courses which focus on integrity; this is the highest rated value by the respondents in the survey. Therefore, it is evident that the course structure in these schools is much more aligned to industry requirements.

Except XLRI, no other business schools provide any courses for developing interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills. Therefore, students of XLRI have an advantage in this respect.

Most schools also lack core courses on developing negotiation and conflict resolution skills as compared to XLRI. None of the business schools have a course which equips students with the skill of result orientation, rated 6th by the respondents. Our suggestion would be to introduce a course which could inculcate such abilities in students.

Business schools also need to introduce courses on corporate social responsibility to enable students better understand today’s business environment.

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