Defining HRM for Sri Lanka

There is a growing awareness and enthusiasm on people management in Sri Lankan organisations. This is evident by the increasing number of activities related to Human Resource Management (HRM) taking place on many fronts.

Yet, we have a long way to go in unleashing the true potential of our productive workforce, in the wake of economic expansion and the development drive. One key element in such an endeavour is to have clarity of what HRM is all about.

We see hundreds of different ways of describing HRM. Some are oversimplistic while some others are highly scholastic. What could be the best way to approach HRM in defining it related to local needs?

A think tank from the Institute of Personnel Management (IPM) took the initiative of developing a suitable definition of HRM for Sri Lanka. This move is significant as IPM being the pioneering and premier HR institute in Sri Lanka, moves towards a Charter status.

Best fit

Our approach was specific and straightforward. We looked at what was available in terms of HRM definitions, identified key salient points and listed them and brainstormed its relevance to Sri Lanka.

That was one aspect. On the other hand, we also brainstormed on how to accommodate the socio-cultural and religio-political dimensions influencing management practices in Sri Lanka. Our aim was to find the best fit.

Based on the brainstorming session we had as a team and feedback obtained from professionals and professors, the following definition emerged.

A strategic and integrated approach in acquisition, development and engagement of talent, using relevant tools, with proper policies, practices and processes in creating a conducive climate to achieve organisational excellence and societal well-being (IPM, 2014).

What we meant by 'strategic' is working towards achieving overall goals and specific objectives of the organisation. It is essentially aligning with the broad organisational priorities.

It highlights the strategic significance of HRM and the holistic role it should play. 'Talent' refers to three Cs going in line with Ulrich (2009)- competence, commitment and contribution.

He in fact puts it as an equation. Talent = Competence x Commitment x Contribution.

The multiplication sign in the equation symbolises the collaborator and combined nature of the three vital aspects. 'Competence' essentially refers to the knowledge (head), commitment refers to action (hands) and contribution is related values (heart).

What we do with talent occupies a significant segment of our definition.

Techniques

Acquisition refers to hiring (recruitment, selection and placement). Engagement means a range of aspects such as involvement, attachment and extra effort.

There is a reference to the term 'relevant tools' in our definition. What we meant was to incorporate testing methods and assessment techniques which should be linked to organisational needs.

We consciously included the term 'conducive climate' in our HRM definition.

This means a supportive environment within the organisation. HR has a critical role to play in creating such a climate. Climate refers to those aspects of the environment that are consciously perceived by organisational members.

Perception is essentially an understanding based on the information obtained by senses such as eyes and ears. Hence, climate is something people see, hear and feel.

Culture

That is why we see a difference when we enter a hospital, police station or a restaurant. In summary, climate is what we see and feel when we enter an organisation, whereas, culture is something much deeper.

The end result of all HR endeavours has twin aspects, organisational excellence and societal well-being. What we mean by organisational excellence is its overall performance with continuous improvement.

It obviously, includes financial results, customer satisfaction, process efficiency and people development, the four perspectives of a typical balanced scorecard.

HR professionals cannot function in isolation ignoring social realities. This is more relevant to a developing country such as ours, where issues such as poverty, unemployment and ethnic tensions cannot be ignored. That's why we included societal well-being as a key outcome of HRM. It highlights the need to support people outside the organisation and protect the environment as well.

Defining HRM clearly was one step towards delivering sustained results. We need to put the act together, in ensuring the awareness, appreciation and application among Sri Lankan HR professionals.

The writer is the Acting Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Management.

He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Division of Management and Entrepreneurship, Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma, USA.