Effective Management of HR in Higher Education

Discuss, with an example, how effective management of human resources contributes to the building of a higher education institution.

  The process of management comprises a large number of elements, material or human etc. Every element is a small part, maybe even a tiny one, but it, alongwith others, helps to make the process a whole. Of course, the total management system is complex and complicated. The growth and success of the system depends on the strength and development of individual elements and aspects.

 The management of educational system is concerned with the management of institutions, where human beings, as well as materials, are brought together for achieving educational objectives. It is more concerned with human beings, their interactions and interrelations than with physical elements. Inter-human relationship is the keynote of educational administration, which is mainly a social enterprise.  

 Educational management in brief, is a human enterprise controlled and affected by a large number of historical, philosophical, sociological, political and psychological factors. Moreover, education being a lifelong process, its management system deals with the entire human life, ranging from childhood to adulthood. Thus, it is coexistent with human life and complex with multifarious elements. We present to you here, the status of this management process in the field of education in relation to Indian conditions.

 Human resources constitute the most important part of an institution. Human resources assume a predominant role. In the management of institution, it is essential to match the individual's skills with specific jobs to fulfill specific needs.  The process of human resource management is linked with the policy of recruitment, promotion, etc. 

 The effectiveness of the higher education system depends upon the competence and capabilities of people who man the various educational services. The most important amongst these resources are the "teachers". It is the teachers who, at the operational level, are involved in developing knowledge, attitudes, values and skills among students. Unless teachers are competent and motivated, the education system cannot function. Even in self-learning, teachers play an important role. Apart from providing guidance, they help in strengthening the learner's motivation to learn.

 Besides teachers, educational supervisors, the local and regional educational administrators, heads of institutions like vice-chancellors of universities and directors of the institutions, principles of colleges heads of research units, heads of training institutions and educational planners and administrators at the national and state levels. Each of these functionaries requires different kinds of skills, knowledge and conceptual understanding to perform their functions. An effectively managed education system should have an effectively managed human resources function.

 There is also a need to develop supervisory and managerial capabilities of educational personnel at various levels. The orientation given by Academic Staff Colleges to the university teachers is an attempt in this regard. However, to make the process of human resource development more systematic one must look into the following aspects:

 i) At every level there is a need to ensure the placement of right people through a good system of selection. Firstly, a good system of selection has to be based on accurate identification of capabilities (knowledge, understanding, skills), required to perform functions associated with a position. Secondly, the mechanism has to identify the indicators of these stills.

 ii) While performance appraisal deals with performance of a person on the job assigned to him/her and to assess the efficiency, capabilities of a person to perform new roles and handle higher responsibilities.  Such an assessment helps in placing the right kind of people in the right positions.