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 nations 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 individuals potentialities, their attitudes, aspirations, skills, knowledge etc. and establishes a concrete base for economic planning. However, HRDs 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. HRDs 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 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 organizations goals
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Clear definition of each employees work responsibilities and link to organization mission
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Greater equity between compensation and level of responsibility

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Defined levels of supervision and management support

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Increased level of performance and efficient utilization of employees skills and knowledge
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Cost savings through improved efficiency and productivity

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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. IMPORTANCEOF 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. E ach country is now moving towardsg l o b a l p r a c t i c e s . ( e . g : J I T S . ( J u s t I n T i m e w i t h S m i l e ) . H R D p r o f e s s i o n a l s h a s t o m e e t c u l t u r a l Challenges. 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, simple rules, Retention of an employee, Leadership by exampl e s , c l e a r conscience, 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 members 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 Supervisors 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 managements 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 StructureAn organizations structure is actually a snapshot of a work process, frozen in time so that it can be viewed. The structure enables the peoples 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 CultureOrganisational 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 employees 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 managements 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 organisations 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 organisations 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, risktaking, participation, bureaucracy, equity, employees 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 employees performance. Its purpose is to provide an accurate picture of post and future employees 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 employees 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 ones skills, abilities in meeting the requirements of the job which one is holding currently. Potential appraisal is different from performance appraisal which shows an employees 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) supervisors 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 doesnt 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 organizations 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 managers 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 & selfrenewing 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 employees 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 employees 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 selfrenewing 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 dimensions Individual Training Feedback Individual present role Individual in regard to likely future roles Potential appraisal in the and HRD subsystems Mechanism Career planning Rewards Training Rewards Training and development Feedback and Potential appraisal

and development coaching performance Performance appraisal performance coaching Performance appraisal Feedback and Performance appraisal Training Training Organization development Training Training Team rewards and

performance coaching Dyadic relationships Teams & teamwork Collaboration Self-renewing capability and health of organization among Feedback Organization development Organization development Performance appraisal different units/teams performance coaching

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 organizations 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
and

of

HRD

are:-

1.Training

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

development

OD 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

development

It 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 organisations 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 Companys 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 participants 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 workers 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 - Supervisors 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 managers

Well-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.