Personnel management or human resource management?

Charmaine Fernando spoke to President of the Institute of Personnel Management, Sri Lanka,Lalith Wijetunge to find out.

Personnel Management has evolved over the years changing its rigid and authoritarian role of recruiting, disciplining and literally managing employees under strict regulations, penalizing where employees fail to comply. The word personnel denotes a distant indifference where the master holds the reins and dictates terms to workers who have no alternative but to fall in line or leave or rather get dismissed.

The tables have turned over time. Workers have been recognized as human resources and respected for the crucial role they play in building up businesses, contributing their mite towards income generation and profitability.

Today human resources are accepted as a valuable asset, by any profit generating entity as entire businesses are run based on their production output decision-making prowess and their capacity to plan, strategize, activate, monitor and output results.

The developed countries like USA, Australia, Singapore endorse that people drive businesses and therefore they have accepted it is no more personnel management but Human Resources Management.

Emerging countries like India, South Africa and Sri Lanka are still steeped in tradition and hold on to the name,Institute of Personnel Management.

Even the global body, is still adamant with the term he said.

Despite the name, IPM, Sri Lanka's leader in HRM, founded in 1959 and incorporated according to an Act in Parliament in 1976 and is the only HRM body enjoying incorporation in Sri Lanka, identifies its objective as Promotion and Development of principles, techniques and practices of HRM with a view to endure optimum utilization of HR at organizational and national level.

While IPM ensures a high level of professional standards and competence among membership and those aspiring to become members. He reiterated that the ultimate objective is to elevate standard of practices and in the process develop worldclass practitioners.

The membership of IPM count over 1000. What value additions would IPM bestow upon management prospects?

Continuous Professional Development Programs (CDPs), Trianing, Workshops, Seminars are some of the advantages of becoming an IPM member, he said.

Quite often experts are brought down from overseas to provide the exposure to its members. National HR experts, world renowned authors on HRM and Gurus are some.

IPM also maintains close collaboration with other institutions to provide its members with the required exposure into related work environs.

Professional Development programs also incorporate CIMA, OPA and other entities.

How do you identify and value the services of the HR Manager we inquired. He said, HR Manager is a change agent and strategic partner providing competitive advantage to any organization. His role is that of Educator, Manager, Morivator, Recruiter, Trainer, Decision-maker and is the Advisor to the Board on Human Resources on all crucial issues.

HR Manager also plays the vital role of analyzing potentialities, capacities, aptitudes, attitudes, aspirations of every employee for the purpose of maximising output, identifying talents, for harnessing optimum utility value of employees and for rewarding employees according to their contribution towards company profitability and value generation.

In the capacity of President of IPM what advice would you give students aspiring to become HR Managers? He said those aspiring to become HR professionals of the future should select the best professional institute to pursue HR studies without attending mushroom institutes at street corners. Validity of the qualification is crucial. The qualification should be accepted locally and globally. Properly designed systematic training programs must be followed to obtain the required standard of knowledge and proficiency. They have to be trained under qualified practitioners or professionals. Continued professional development is a must to update any HR professional on current global practices and to be at par with global counterparts.

Is IPM geared to meet all these requirements? He was certain about the fact. The latest building project which covers a massive fully air-conditioned space of 38,000sq.ft. which houses eleven lecture rooms, computerized environment, ergonomic furniture, an auditorium, a cafeteria, member's lounge, a modern library facility and every requirement a professional training centre may need.

This world class entity coupled with HR Management professionals as trainers offering internationally accepted qualifications and study programs is the obvious choice for students aspiring to take Human Resource Management head on in the future,he confirmed.