Journal of Organization and Human Behaviour

Sanjeev Chaddha ¹, Navjayot ²

Affiliations
1 Management Development Centre, Mahatma Gandhi State Institution of Public Administration, Govt. of Punjab, Chandigarh, IN
2 Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Chandigarh, IN

Abstract

The historical role of human resources has changed since its inception in the early 1900s. Noted thinker L. F. Urwick says, “Business houses are made or broken in the long run not by the markets or capital, patents or equipments, but by men”. Human resource today is a strategic partner in planning and attaining organisational policies and goals. Today’s business climate puts the obligation on the Human Resource (HR) department to accept the challenge of doing more with less, while contributing value toward business objectives. Human resources also seeks to address the rapidly changing conditions affecting the type of employees required and their changing needs, therefore HR planning has become an integral part of all organisations. Manpower study is a process that sets the stage for a true transformation in human resources strategy and services. It links HR systems and services to organisational objectives while focusing on the needs of the internal customers in the areas such as employee retention, training, employee compensation, and virtually any process or practice within the organisation that affects its people. This study was undertaken for a state technical university to analyse the manpower situation, therein. The team carried out detailed study of HR department of the university and its present functions. The study also analysed various HR functions of the university like recruitment, promotion, performance appraisal, career advancement etc. to evaluate the standing of the university on this count. Pareek and Rao’s model was extensively used to analyse the data. On detailed analysis it may be safely concluded that the university HR department did not have well differentiated structures appropriate for HRD nor was the integration of all HR functions being carried out. The review of HRD practices as per the Pareek and Rao’s Model applied to the university, gives a bleak picture of the policies and practices being followed therein.

Keywords

HR, Manpower Audit, Human Resources, Manpower Study, HRP, Human Resources Planning, Manpower Planning, Organisation Development.

Full Text

     

Sanjeev Chaddha ¹

Affiliations
1 Professor & Head, Management Development Centre, MGSIPA, Govt. of Punjab, Chandigarh, India., IN

Abstract

The world today is in the midst of one of the biggest health hazards, which has the potential to change the entire world order. The COVID-19 pandemic, which started in December 2019 from the Wuhan province in China, has spread to over 185 countries and resulted in the closure of over 90% of all schools, colleges, and universities, impacting more than 1.75 billion students till the end of July 2020. The speed with which the disease has spread, the closure of higher educational institutions, and the transition to online teaching has been swift. Needless to say, the pandemic has transformed the centuries-old blackboard-chalk teaching model to one driven by technology. This pandemic has critically disturbed the country’s education sector, which has a far reaching impact on the country’s economic, social, technological, and cultural future. Whether online education, as a substitute for the classroom, will be efficacious or not, only time will tell. A number of challenges have emerged because of the pandemic, and subsequent closure of the educational institutions. These challenges in the education sector range from insufficient online infrastructure, lack of resources, untrained teachers, unwilling stressed parents, issues in online examination, quality of course materials, and so on. It has impacted virtually all nations across the globe, more so developing countries like India. The Indian government only spends 4.6% of its GDP on education, which is lower than even some sub-Saharan countries like Kenya, Togo, and Zimbabwe, and hence, the resources required to have a foolproof online educational infrastructure may not be available immediately to a large section of the country’s population. Even at the best of times, access to education is a critical challenge faced by the youth of India, and the current situation has the potential to further aggravate the problem. Perhaps, it is not only just a question of imparting continuous and uninterrupted learning during the pandemic. Today, the most important challenge faced by educational administrators is to focus on the holistic development of the students. Having the right kind of digital infrastructure, developing a purposeful and well-defined online course supporting both the teacher and the student, taking the parents into confidence, creating an online format for testing and evaluating the students, and stressing on extra-curricular activities without being physically present in the educational institutions are some of the key issues that the education sector worldwide is facing. This disruption in the delivery of education is pushing policymakers to figure out how to drive engagement at scale, while ensuring inclusive e-learning solutions and tackling the digital divide. Learning is a continuous and ever-evolving process, and therefore, the educational institutions in India, ranging from schools to universities, can use this present threat as an opportunity to blend classroom education with digital education for all future learners.

Keywords

COVID-19, Impact, Education, Primary, Secondary, Challenges, Opportunities, Threats

Full Text