In recent years, managers of both private and public organizations in developing countries have been struggling to double production and improve service delivery in their organizations. Successful organizations in the western world were, however, identified with the use of Information Technology (IT). The paper examined the magnitude of IT and its application in human resource management. Four organizations from private and public sectors were selected from all. Two organizations from each sector, members of staff, Human Resource (HR) professionals and managers of these organizations were targeted. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the staff and unstructured interviews were designed to gather data from the HR practitioners and managers of these organizations. A statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. In general, about 76.9% of the participants said that IT application in HR functions enhances organizational productivity. The selected organizations could boast of basic IT facilities, but their numerical strength still remains a challenge especially among organizations in the public sector. Organizations in both sectors must invest more in IT and its related accessories as a means of solving problem of inadequacy. Internet connectivity and company website were lacking in some organizations across both sectors and should be considered so as to improve upon the human resource functions and quality service delivery in the deprived regions of Ghana. Staff motivation, wage and salaries, strategic management and organizational leadership were mentioned as factors when put together with IT would augment productivity in any given economy.

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Unemployment is a growing concern for today’s economies. Governments gear various policies to increase business productivity and expansion to create new job places. However, little research was conducted on how informal sector leadership contributes to resolving this crisis worldwide. This study seeks to identify the SME leadership styles that foster business development and job creation in Ghana. The study targets the leadership styles of artisans and manufacturers of local goods. Mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) where both questionnaire and interview were used to gather information from a total of one hundred and twenty respondents; sixty proprietors were artisans and the remaining were managers of local factories. The paper adopts SPSS and the Pearson correlation in the data analysis. The study determined emotional intelligence and ethical leadership regarded as emerging leadership styles the best for informal sector growth. However, bureaucratic leadership, autocratic and laissez-faire leadership referred to as traditional leadership styles had no positive influence on growth indicators within the informal economy. The results also reveal that most SMEs fold up before the fifth year of their establishment, deepening the unemployment situation in the research communities. The paper further confirms the inadequate resources of most SME leaders to take up leadership training. Therefore, the study recommends that government should periodically organize and finance workshops and seminars to facilitate SMEs access to leadership training and development in Ghana.

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