STAFFING Introduction Organizations require the services of a large number of employees.

These employees occupy varies positions in the organization, which is created through the process of organizing. Each position of the organization makes certain specific contributions to achieve organizational objectives. Hence the person occupying the position should have sufficient ability to meet its requirement. Staffing has assumed greater importance in the recent years due to advancement of technology, increase in size of business, complexity of human behavior etc. Staffing is that part of the process of management which is concerned with obtaining, utilizing and maintaining a satisfactory and satisfied work force. It is the process of identifying, assessing, placing, evaluating and developing individuals at work. Staffing is a very important function of the management. No organization can be successful unless it can fill and keep filled the various positions with the right type of employees. Definition & Meaning Managerial function of staffing involves manning the organization structure through proper and effective selection, appraisal & development of personnel to fill the roles designed into the structure. Koontz & ODonell Staffing pertains to recruitment, selection, development and compensation of subordinates. Theo Haimann, Staffing is the function by which managers build an organization through recruitment, selection and development of individuals as capable employees. Mc Farland

By these definitions we can sum up that, staffing is a continuous and vital function of management. Since the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization significantly depends on the quality of its personnel and since it is one of the primary functions of management to achieve qualified and trained people to fill various positions, staffing has been recognized as a distinct function of management.

1. Explain the nature and significance of staffing function. Staffing is the process of filling all positions in the organization with adequate and qualified personnel. The staffing function assumed great importance due to increase in size of organizations, rapid advancement of technology and growing complexity of human behavior. In recent years there has been considerable development of knowledge in the field of staffing. The overwhelming role resources in organizations have been recognized. As a result management of human resources has become a vital area of management. 1. Staffing is an important managerial functionStaffing function is the most important managerial act along with planning, organizing, directing and controlling. The operations of these four functions depend upon the manpower which is available through staffing function. 2. Staffing is a continuous activityThis is because staffing function continues throughout the life of an organization due to the transfers and promotions that take place. 3. The basis of staffing function is efficient management of personnelHuman resources can be efficiently managed by a system or proper procedure, that is, recruitment, selection, placement, training and development, providing remuneration, etc. 4. Staffing helps in placing right men at the right job. It can be done effectively through proper recruitment procedures and then finally selecting the most suitable candidate as per the job requirements. 5. Staffing is performed by all managers Staffing is performed by all managers depending upon the nature of business, size of the company, qualifications and skills of managers, etc. In small companies, the top management generally performs this function. In medium and small scale enterprise, it is performed especially by the personnel department of that concern.

SIGNIFICANCE OF STAFFING Staffing provides man power which is the key input of an organization. It helps in discovering and obtaining competent personnel for various jobs It makes for higher performance by placing right persons on the right job It improves job satisfaction and morale of employees through objective assessment and fair compensation of their contributions

It facilitates optimum utilization of human resources and in minimizing costs of manpower It ensures the continuity and growth of organization through the development of organization It enables an organization to cope with the shortage of executive talent

2. Briefly describe the various steps in the process of staffing. 1. Human resource planning The purpose of human resource planning is to ensure that the personnel needs, of the organizations will be met correctly. Three elements of human resource planning are: o Forecasting the personnel requirements o Comparing the requirements to the inventory of potential candidates within the organization o Developing specific plans for how many people to recruit or whom to train 2. Recruitment In this step, management will attempt to identify and attract candidates to meet the requirements of anticipated or actual vacancies. The actual recruitment of potential employees is traditionally done through newspaper and professional journal advertisement. 3. Selection Following recruitment, those candidates who have applied for the position advertised must be evaluated and one chosen whose credentials match job requirements. The steps in selection process include completing an application form, interview and physical examination. 4. Induction and orientation Once selected, the employee must be integrated into the organization. The induction and orientation process includes introduction of the new employee to the work group and acquainting him with the organizations policy and rules. 5. Training and development Through training and development the organization tries to improve the employees ability to contribute to the organizations effectiveness. Training is concerned with improvement of the employees skills. Development is concerned with the preparation of the employ for additional responsibility.

6. Performance appraisal A system designed to measure the actual job performance of an employee compared to designated performance standards. 7. Employment decisions Employment decisions in the areas of monetary rewards, transfers, promotions and demotions will be made based on the outcome of the performance appraisal. 8. Separation Voluntary turnover, retirements, layoffs and terminations must also be a concern of management.

3. Explain the types of recruitment and chalk out their advantages and disadvantages. Recruiting is the process of attracting applicants with certain skills, abilities and other personal characteristics to job vacancies in an organization. Internal Recruitment - is a recruitment which takes place within the concern or organization. Internal sources of recruitment are readily available to an organization. Internal sources are primarily three - Transfers, promotions and Re-employment of exemployees. External Recruitment - External sources of recruitment have to be solicited from outside the organization. External sources are external to a concern. But it involves lot of time and money. The external sources of recruitment include - Employment at factory gate, advertisements, employment exchanges, employment agencies, educational institutes, labour contractors, recommendations etc. Advantages Cheaper and quicker to recruit Disadvantages Limits the number of potential applicants No new ideas can be introduced from outside the business

Internal Recruitment

People already familiar with the business and how it operates Provides opportunities for promotion with in the business can be motivating Business already knows the strengths and weaknesses of

May cause resentment amongst candidates not appointed

Creates another vacancy which needs to be filled

candidates Outside people bring in new ideas Larger pool of workers from which to find the best candidate People have a wider range of experience Longer process

External Recruitment

More expensive process due to advertisements and interviews required Selection process may not be effective enough to reveal the best candidate

4. Write a short note on benefits of training and development. Training is organizational effort aimed at helping employees to acquire the basic skills required for the efficient execution of the functions for which they are hired. Development, on the other hand, deals with activities undertaken to expose employees to perform additional duties and assume positions of importance in the organisational hierarchy. Benefits of training and development: Increased job satisfaction and morale among employees Increased employee motivation Increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in financial gain Increased capacity to adopt new technologies and methods Increased innovation in strategies and products Reduced employee turnover Enhanced company image, e.g., conducting ethics training (not a good reason for ethics training!) Risk management, e.g., training about sexual harassment, diversity training

Since so many individuals work in the same organization, it is the responsibility of management to lay down structure of relationship in the organization. Authority without responsibility is a dangerous thing and similarly responsibility without authority is an empty vessel. Everybody should clearly know to whom he is accountable; corresponding to the responsibility authority is delegated to the subordinates for enabling them to show work performance. This will help in the smooth working of the enterprise by facilitating delegation of responsibility and authority.

DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY Introduction A manager alone cannot perform all the tasks assigned to him. In order to meet the targets, the manager should delegate authority. Delegation of Authority means division of authority and powers downwards to the subordinate. Delegation is about entrusting someone else to do parts of your job. Delegation of authority can be defined as subdivision and sub-allocation of powers to the subordinates in order to achieve effective results. Delegation means devolution of authority on subordinates to make them to perform the assigned duties or tasks. It is that part of the process of organization by which managers make it possible for others to share the work of accomplishing organizational objectives. Delegation consists of granting authority or the right to decision-making in certain defined areas and charging the sub-ordinate with responsibility for carrying through the assigned tasks. Definition & Meaning 1. In the words of F.G. Moore "Delegation means assigning work to others and gives them authority to do it." 2. Louis A. Allen has said "Delegation is the dynamics of management, it is the process a manager follows in dividing the work assigned to him so that he performs that part which only he, because of his unique organizational placement, can perform effectively and so that he can get others to help him with what remains". 3. E.F.L. Brech has also said "Delegation is a process of sharing a few or all of the four elements of the management process, i.e. command, planning, co-ordination and control". 4. According to O. S. Miner, "Delegation takes place when one person gives another the right to perform work on his behalf and in his name and the second person accepts a corresponding duty or obligation to do that is required of him." In delegation, an attempt is being made to have meaningful participation and cooperation from the subordinates for achieving certain well-defined results. Due to delegation, the routine responsibilities of the superior are reduced. As a result, he concentrates on more urgent and important matters. Secondly, due to delegation, subordinate becomes responsible for certain functions transferred to him. Delegation is a tool, which a superior manager uses for sharing his work with the subordinates and thereby raising his efficiency.

1. State the benefits of delegation of authority. The following are the advantages of delegation of authority. i) It avoids wastage of time: Present-day management is a complicated process. A manager has to perform various functions as a matter of routine work. It is not possible for him to give proper attention to all matters coming to him. Delegation helps him in transferring the less important subject to his juniors and attends to more important works. It helps in training the new incumbents: The lower units that use the delegated power, get a spontaneous feel of their future responsibility. They become aware of the works at the higher level to which they may be promoted. Delegation also helps in developing the managerial personnel within the organization. It avoids over-work: Delegation shifts some portions of the responsibility and work from the shoulders of the manager. To quote Beach : "The over worked manager who learns the art of delegation, is at one and the same time able to relieve himself of some of his burden, increase the competence of his men, and raise the level of accomplishment of his unit. It develops increased sense of responsibility: Delegation generates an increased sense of responsibility in the subordinate personnel. It also increases their working capacity and helps in enhancing their unspotted caliber which could be helpful for management. Delegation also helps in avoiding any kind of act at a higher level which may, otherwise undermine the powers vested in the lower level units. It avoids delay: Delegation helps in taking timely and accurate decisions. The personnel at lower level, being delegated, act quickly which serves the organization with due economy, efficiency and rapidly.

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2. Explain the elements of delegation of authority.

1. Authority
In context of a business organization, authority can be defined as the power and right of a person to use and allocate the resources efficiently, to take decisions and to give orders so as to achieve the organizational objectives. Authority must be well- defined. All people who have the authority should know what is the scope of their authority is and they shouldnt misutilize it. Authority is the right to give commands, orders and get the things done. The top level management has greatest authority. Authority always flows from top to bottom. It explains how a superior gets work done from his subordinate by clearly explaining what is expected of him and how he should go about it. Authority should be accompanied with an equal amount of responsibility. Delegating the authority to someone else doesnt imply escaping from accountability. Accountability still rest with the person having the utmost authority.

2. Responsibility
It is the duty of the person to complete the task assigned to him. A person who is given the responsibility should ensure that he accomplishes the tasks assigned to him. If the tasks for which he was held responsible are not completed, then he should not give explanations or excuses. Responsibility without adequate authority leads to discontent and dissatisfaction among the person. Responsibility flows from bottom to top. The middle level and lower level management holds more responsibility. The person held responsible for a job is answerable for it.

3. Accountability
Accountability means giving explanations for any variance in the actual performance from the expectations set. Accountability cannot be delegated. For example, if A is given a task with sufficient authority, and A delegates this task to B and asks him to ensure that task is done well, responsibility rest with B, but accountability still rest with A. The top level management is most accountable. Being accountable means, being innovative as the person will think beyond his scope of job. Accountability in short, means being answerable for the end result. Accountability cant be escaped. It arises from responsibility.

3. Explain the steps in the process of delegation of authority. The steps involved in delegation are given below 1. Allocation of duties The delegator first tries to define the task and duties to the subordinate. He also has to define the result expected from the subordinates. Clarity of duty as well as result expected has to be the first step in delegation. 2. Granting of authority Subdivision of authority takes place when a superior divides and shares his authority with the subordinate. It is for this reason; every subordinate should be given enough independence to carry the task given to him by his superiors. The managers at all levels delegate authority and power which is attached to their job positions. The subdivision of powers is very important to get effective results. 3. Assigning of Responsibility and Accountability The delegation process does not end once powers are granted to the subordinates. They at the same time have to be obligatory towards the duties assigned to them. Responsibility is said to be the factor or obligation of an individual to carry out his duties in best of his ability as per the directions of superior. Therefore, it is that which gives effectiveness to authority. At the same time, responsibility is absolute and cannot be shifted. 4. Creation of accountability Accountability, on the others hand, is the obligation of the individual to carry out his duties as per the standards of performance. Therefore, it is said that authority is delegated, responsibility is created and accountability is imposed. Accountability arises out of responsibility and responsibility arises out of authority. Therefore, it becomes important that with every authority position an equal and opposite responsibility should be attached. Therefore every manager, i.e., the delegator has to follow a system to finish up the delegation process. Equally important is the delegatees role which means his responsibility and accountability is attached with the authority over to here.

4. Contrast between authority and responsibility Basis 1. Meaning Authority It is the right of the manager to command his subordinates. It arises due to the position of superior. It flows from top to bottom. It has longer period as compared to responsibility. Authority is power. Responsibility It is the obligation of the subordinate to complete the assigned work. It arises due to superior-subordinate relationship. It flows from bottom to top. It gets completed with the completion of the task so has the shorter period. Responsibility is the duty.

2. Origin

3. Flow 4. Period

5. Nature

6. Delegation Authority can be delegated to others. Responsibility cannot be delegated.