What to do about HR. Drysdale. L (1998) What to Do About HR Prime Focus November Volume 4 Number 5 pages 28-29

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1 What to do about HR Drysdale. L (1998) What to Do About HR Prime Focus November Volume 4 Number 5 pages What to do about HR Lawrie Drysdale The role of Human Resources (HR) in schools is in crisis we know it is crucial yet it is seldom done well. This stems from a lack of understanding about what it is and how it should be implemented. Current Practice The responsibilities for HR functions have evolved and reflect the nature and structure of schools. In many cases the principal or assistant principal handle most HR activities - what is left over, is either distributed among staff or is not done at all. In larger primary schools, where HR activities are performed by various staff members, functions are often tied to established job descriptions, privileges and political positions of power. Career structures and pathways to promotion and advancement are often based on delegation of these responsibilities to teachers. The distributed nature of HR responsibilities also reflects the large number of people who drive or control the curriculum and administration of the school. The professional nature of the staff means many people have autonomy and manage their positions within their specialised areas. Despite this, or because of it, the typical primary school treats most HR functions on a piece meal, ad hoc, perfunctory basis. There are four major problems with the current approach: 1. There is a lack of training in HR. With increased accountabilities at the school level, many school administrators are learning HR on the job. 2. Administrators and teachers do not have the understanding, skills or specialist

2 knowledge of the area to do the job competently. 3. Teachers do not have the position power or authority to implement the kind of changes necessary despite the leadership training they sometimes get. 4. Teachers and administrators do not have the time or resources to carry out their responsibilities The result is criticism of HR in schools, which include: impotent, incompetent, costly, irrelevant, and ineffectual. The Challenge of the New Context It is clear that the knowledge and skills involved with HR are becoming more and more complex and specialised. On one hand there are issues of understanding, interpreting and working within the legal and legislative framework which encompasses most HR activities; and on the other there is the challenge of helping people to become more effective, committed and satisfied. All of this is overlaid by a turbulent environment that has ushered in a spate of de and re words decentralisation, delayering, deregulation, restructuring, re-engineering, rethinking - that have added to the complexity. The requirements have outgrown the current structures and capabilities of people. Defining the HR role in schools There are two dimensions of HR that need to be keep in balance: the traditional HR functions and a new facilitating role based on outcomes (Ulrich1998). Traditional HR activities have long been the main focus of HR managers. This dimension of HR centres on what is done the activities and functions. The activities of development and implementation of policies and programs such as recruitment, induction, performance management, staffing, compensation, equal opportunity, workplace safety, have long been the province of HR. This dimension is essential but not sufficient in moving an organisation towards excellence. Alone, these activities don t always add value. The new focus of HR is on outcomes, much the same way that outcomes are important to issues of student learning, curriculum and finance in schools. Today, HR requires more than just managing human resources. Job advertisements for HR

3 specialists in industry reflect this new dimension - leading and facilitating change. HR specialists are required to develop new initiatives to meet present and future needs, work with and support people at every level; drive change and promote continuous learning principles; customise training and development, create internal solutions, and build a new organisational culture that supports both human values and increased effectiveness. These new activities reflect the emphasis on outcomes: commitment, coordination, and competence (Beer 1993) The dual role of HR is outlined in table 1. In the first column, the management role of HR reflects the necessity to provide a maintenance and custodial function that enhances stability and organisational effectiveness. Here to emphasis is on effective policy and practice. In the second column, the leadership role focuses on outcomes that reflect the purpose of HR to achieve committed and effective people by facilitating and supporting people through the change process. Both these dimensions can be seen as two sides of the one coin. Although distinctive the roles should complement be interdependent. Table 1 Two Dimensions of HR Management Role (Police/Rule maker) Leadership Role (Educator/Designer) Focus on activities Focus on outcomes Outcomes orientated Commitment Competence Coordination Scan the environment for emerging trends; Anticipate and facilitate change Audit and diagnose school culture, structures, processes, and capability; Seek competitive advantage by continuous learning and adaptation; Enhance intellectual capital through empowerment and teams

4 What Needs to Happen. If it is to be taken seriously, HR needs to be elevated to a pre-emanate position within the school in terms of status, and strategic planning activities. Administrators should develop strategies to gain more resources to support HR. Those responsible for HR will need to provide a coordinated and integrated approach to HR activities that provide both a management and leadership role to ensure quality, efficiency and effectiveness. HR should represent the concerns of staff as well as school management to ensure commitment and performance. HR should be aimed at ensuring the organisation s capacity for change in both the short and long term. How Should it be Structured? How HR should be structured is not easy given the size and nature of most primary schools. Primary schools are typically small, under-resourced and locked into their current entrenched structures. There is no one model of how HR should be structured or implemented. Examples of effective centralised and decentralised HR structures exist in industry. The answer will lie with individual schools. The best answers are likely to be the creative and innovative approaches. At the very least schools should consider the following options. 1. Examine the possibility of outsourcing some or the majority of HR operations to an external organisation that has the expertise to support you. This may be shared with other schools. 2. Employ people responsible for these tasks on a full or part-time basis. P-12 schools will obviously have a huge advantage with resources and school size. 3. Network and form alliances with other schools to share HRM functions and staff. 4. Continue to operate HR as decentralised function but provide more training for those involved. Use HR consultants as trainers. 5. Appoint and train a team who is responsible for the coordination, integration and

5 monitoring of HR activities and functions. 6. If the school can afford a person or team to oversee HRM, make sure they or the team adds value by adopting the twin roles of HR management and leadership. 7. Learn and understand best practice HR management. Evaluate the current HR structure in the school and audit the HR activities currently carried out - match these against best practice and develop an implemetation strategy. Human resources are a school s major source of competitive advantage. In education, people are the product. The question is, What are we going to do to improve HR. References: Ulrich, D. (1998) A New Mandate for Human Resources Harvard Business Review January- February Berr, M (1993) HRM Course Overview Note Harvard Bushiness School, Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston