Exploring the Role of HR Practitioners in Pursuit of Organizational Effectiveness in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

This paper focuses on how HR professionals view their role in contributing to organizational effectiveness in the HE sector. Drawing on interview data, we trace how rival definitions of organizational effectiveness relate to two emergent conceptions of rationality. Firstly we identify instrumental forms of rationality based on assessments of how well (or efficiently) organisations achieve pre-ordained objectives. Secondly, we identify stakeholder satisfaction models of organisational effectiveness, which concern the extent to which competing needs of stakeholders are satisfied and, thus, presuppose a more dialogic view of rationality. Our findings suggest that HR professionals do support attempts to re-orientate their institutions towards a top-down form of organisation, which would privilege high-level objectives and efficiency. This we argue implies a move away from a more traditional view of universities as discursive and participatory organisations, where effectiveness is regarded as meeting the varied needs of stakeholders, such as academics, students and the wider society, in a balanced way. However, whilst the HRM professionals largely favour such a shift, they acknowledge limitations to the extent that is practical or even entirely desirable.

The employment situations and career prospects of postdoctoral researchers

“…Within this second ambiguity, the rather small but nevertheless crucial role of the HRM departments becomes noticeable. The main challenge these HRM practitioners face is how to bridge the gap between managerial (moving in a strategic direction) and academic (maintaining academic freedom and autonomy) objectives (Mansour et al , 2015).…”

The Role of Human Resource Management in the Context of Jordanian Higher Education: A Study of the Literature

“…Managing HR is a necessity in all types of organizations including HEIs (Smeenk et al 2009;Guest and Clinton 2007). HEIs have been subject to rising 'managerialism', scrutiny and performance monitoring, to not only improve service provision and student satisfaction (Gornall et al, 2014) but also to obtain better outcomes such as cost-cutting and improving effectiveness in general (Mansour et al, 2015).…”

“…Equally important, it can influence how employees work, perform and become productive (Menon, 2015). Within academic institutions, HRM is increasingly applied as part of 'New Managerialism', aiming at improving the effectiveness of the institution, managing costs, and exerting more control over the work of individuals, including academic employees (Mansour et al 2015;Forrester 2011). Smeenk et al (2009) argue HRM application in HEIs can influence the behavior of individuals, their job quality and therefore the performance of the entire institution.…”

Social media data used in the measurement of public services effectiveness: Empirical evidence from Twitter in higher education institutions

“…Among these measures, effectiveness has attracted most academic attention, giving rise to a lively debate on how public service effectiveness can be measured and managed (e.g. Arena et al, 2010;Boyne, 2003;Duzˇevic´and Č eh Č asni, 2015;Evans, 2013;Forbes and Lynn, 2005;Hodgson et al, 2007;Laegreid et al, 2006;Mansour et al, 2015;Osborne et al, 2015). One of the more recent contributions by Osborne et al (2015), in particular, highlights that, for public bodies, it is of primary concern to rely on measures of effectiveness (rather than on measures of efficiency only), since they can be used to create value for users and ensure long-term sustainability.…”