Key Human Resource Research Articles

An Integrated Approach to Improve Maternal Mental Health and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Crisis.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to disruption of normal life across the globe, severely affecting the already vulnerable populations such as the pregnant women. Maternal mental health and well-being is a public health priority and the evidence about the impact of COVID-19 on mental health status of pregnant women is gradually emerging. The findings of the recently published studies suggest that increased risk perception about contracting COVID-19, reduced social support, increase in domestic violence, disruption of antenatal care, and economic consequences of COVID-19 mitigation strategies can lead to adverse mental health outcomes in antenatal period. There is a significant increase in antenatal depression and anxiety since the onset of COVID-19 and social determinants of health (e.g., younger age, lower education, lower income) are associated with these poor outcomes. In this paper, we propose an integrated approach to improve the mental health and well-being of pregnant women. Physical activity and/or mind-body interventions like yoga can be practiced as self-care interventions by pregnant women. Despite social distancing being the current norm, efforts should be made to strengthen social support. Evidence-based interventions for perinatal depression should be integrated within the health system and stepped, collaborative care using non-specialist health workers as key human resource be utilized to improve access to mental health services. Use of digital platforms and smartphone enabled delivery of services has huge potential to further improve the access to care. Most importantly, the COVID-19 related policy guidelines should categorically include maternal mental health and well-being as a priority area.

Designing a Model for Developing Key Human Resource Competencies in the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, competency has emerged as a major issue which plays a significant role in responding to challenges facing organizational management in a rapidly changing environment. In this regard, the competency-based approach puts emphasis on individuals and highlights the importance of human resources to achieve organizational goals. The Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a human-centered organization; that is to say, most of the services provided to the target communities rely on the capabilities of human resources. Therefore, the current study aimed to design a model for the development of key human resource competencies in the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran. METHODS: This applied qualitative study was conducted based on an exploratory approach and used mixed-type data. Data collection was performed in two qualitative and quantitative phases. The first phase was conducted based on grounded theory, while a quantitative research method was used in the next phase. The statistical population of the study in the qualitative section included managers and human resource experts of the Red Crescent Society, as well as university professors and experts, who were selected using purposive sampling and were interviewed until saturation data (25 interviews). The statistical population of the quantitative section included 8,451 managers and employees of the Red Crescent Society of all provinces of Iran. The sample size was calculated at 361 cases using Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination table. FINDINGS: In the present study, among the seven principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the five principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, and voluntary service were regarded as infrastructure requirements for the development of human resource competencies and were axially coded in causal conditions. Thereafter, the relationship between these principles and human resources competencies in the Red Crescent Society was determined using PLS software. CONCLUSION: As evidenced by the obtained results, the employment of appropriate strategies for evaluating and developing key human resource competencies resulted in the following consequences: human resource efficiency, provision of desirable social services, community health improvement, enhancement of human values, reinforcement of trust and public participation, and improvement of the financial capacity of the Red Crescent Society. The results indicated that competency development among Red Crescent staff is positively and significantly correlated with the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.

Strategic Human Resources and Strategic Change in Organizations: Analyzing theMediating Role of Behavioural Ambidexterity

Background & Purpose: In today's competitive and dynamic environments, it is essential to provide the necessary conditions and preparations for implementing strategic changes that maintain the survival and sustainable productivity of organizations. Accordingly, this study has studied the role of strategic human resources in implementing strategic change in an organization. It has also examined the mediating role of Behavioural ambidexterity in this relationship. Methodology: The present research method is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of data collection. Its statistical population consists of 248 employees of Iran Industrial Plans Management Company. Based on simple random sampling, 146 correct questionnaires were returned. SPSS and Smart-PLS software were used to analyze the data. Findings: Strategic human resources, both directly and indirectly (through the mediation of behavioral ambidexterity), have a significant effect on strategic change in the studied company. Conclusion: Developing key human resource capabilities can enhance their ability and willingness to engage in participatory behavior and innovative performance, thus facilitating and accelerating the implementation of planned strategic changes in the organization.

Clinical trials — the personal perspective of the research physician?

Background. The organization of clinical trials (CTs) requires the participation and coordination of healthcare providers, patients, public and private parties. Obstacles to the participation of any of these groups pose a risk of lowering the potential for the implementation of CTs. Researchers are a key human resource in conducting of CT. Their motivation for participation can have a significant impact on the recruitment and retention of patients, on the quality of the data collected, which determines the overall outcome of the study.
 Aims to assess the factors affecting the inclusion of Russian physicians-researchers in CT, and to determine their role in relations with patients-participants.
 Materials and methods. The study was organized as a part of the Russian multicenter face-to-face study. A survey was conducted of researchers from 10 cities of Russia (20172018). The participation in the survey for doctors was anonymous and voluntary.
 Results. The study involved 78 respondents. Most research doctors highly value the importance of research for science (4,84 0,39), society (4,67 0,46) and slightly lower for participating patients (4,44 0,61). The expectations of medical researchers are related to improving their financial situation and attaining new experience (n = 14; 18,18%). However, the opportunity to work with new technologies of treatment and diagnosis (n = 41; 52,56%) acted as a motivating factor. According to the questionnaire, the vast majority of research doctors (n = 29; 37,18%) believe that the main reason for patients to participate in CT is to receive quality and free medical care. The most significant obstacle to the inclusion of participants in CT was the side effects of the study drug (n = 38; 48,71%).
 Conclusions. The potential of clinical researchers in Russia is very high. The patient-participant acts for the research doctor as the subject of the study, and not the object, so the well-being of the patient is not indifferent to the doctor. However, the features of the functioning of our health care system form the motivation of doctors-researchers (additional earnings, professional self-development) and the way they perceive the motivation of patients (CT as an opportunity to receive quality medical care).

New development: Competency assessment system and practice in government—the South Korean experience

ABSTRACT Many advanced countries have introduced competency assessment to define the necessary abilities for effective job performance—linking key human resource management and leadership development activities to ensure organizations have competent employees. Competency management is the subject of considerable attention worldwide, but the concept is not well researched. This article reviews the South Korean government’s competency assessment system and explains how it can be adapted to develop civil servants.

Managers' disruptive innovation activities: the construct, measurement and validity

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present results of a study that operationalizes the construct of disruptive innovation activities (DIA) at managerial level and to examine its validity.Design/methodology/approachA sequential mixed method approach is adopted in this study where a Likert-type scale to measure DIA is developed basing on the interviews of thirteen managers and conceptualization of disruptive innovation at manager level. Later, the scale validity and reliability are examined through quantitative data from 390 managers. The data are analyzed using IBM SPSS 23 and AMOS 21.FindingsThe findings of the study indicate that managers' DIA are spread across four phases of the disruptive innovation process, i.e. initiation, introduction, evolution and convergence. Furthermore, the reliability measures, exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analysis and subsequent convergent and discriminant validity tests support the DIA scale. Nomological validity of DIA is also presented which demonstrates its predictive validity.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations include research methods used in this study, such as cross-sectional design and nonprobabilistic sampling technique. Implications for future research are also provided.Originality/valueDespite highlighting the importance of managers regarding disruptive innovation outcomes, prior research lacked to provide empirical foundations to understand the phenomenon from managerial perspective. This study fills this gap in the literature by providing a measure of DIA at manager level and distinguishing it from similar constructs. The construct validity of DIA can help measure an organization's disruptive potential in terms of its key human resource. Moreover, the DIA scale can be used to substantiate the alignment of the managerial activities with the innovation roles in organizational settings and to develop more relevant incentive plans.

Staff engagement within the NHS is a journey not a single event

ABSTRACT Staff engagement is the emotional commitment an employee as to the organization and its goals. Within the National Health Service (NHS), higher levels of engagement are associated with better staff performance and improved patient outcomes. However, it is often uncertain how management teams should improve staff engagement and what strategies to explore to increase this metric. Here, I provide a local commentary of staff engagement within the NHS, discussing key human resource and working environment barriers and enablers.

Impact of key HR practices (human capital, training and rewards) on service recovery performance with mediating role of employee commitment of the Takaful industry of the Southeast Asian region

Purposecurrent study intends to examine key human resources practices (human capital, training and rewards) that influence employee commitment and service recovery performance (SRP) of Takaful industry agents in Southeast Asian region. The Takaful industry is facing stiff competition with conventional insurance industry in Malaysia and Indonesia as the Southeast Asian region has a large Muslim population. SRP is crucial in insurance industry specifically in the Islamic Insurance (Takaful) industry and plays a vital and key role in sustainable competitive advantage for value addition for firms in future to acquire market.Design/methodology/approachThe data was collected from 350 front line agents of the Takaful industry operating in Malaysia and Indonesia on convenience sampling technique. Data was analyzed by using PLS-SEM to examine the relationship between constructs.FindingsThe results show that human capital, training and reward significantly influence commitment of employee which further influenced SRP to be improved. Mediation effect was also found to be influential and statistically positive and significant by employee commitment between key HR practices (human capital, training, rewards) and SRP.Originality/valuecurrent study contributed to the body of knowledge in explaining relationship of human capital to employee commitment and SRP, further, inconclusive findings between training and rewards was also explained in the Takaful industry of the Southeast Asian region.

Line Managers’ Performance of Strategic Human Resource Roles: Creating Value, Not Rhetoric

Line managers’ (LMs) role has been restructured in modern business as they are undertaking the responsibilities of key human resource management (HRM) functions. Although HRM roles of LMs have got wide recognition in academic research, factors influencing their performance of strategic HRM roles remained relatively under developed, especially in Bangladesh. Based on the perspective of Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory, we propose that LMs’ strategic HR roles performance are influenced by their ability, motivation, and opportunity. A survey with self-administered questionnaire was applied for collecting data from a sample of 170 participants drawn from LMs employed at private banking organizations in Bangladesh. The technique of partial least squares structural equation modelling was utilized for testing the study model. The findings highlighted that LMs’ ability and motivation significantly related to their performance of strategic HR roles while opportunity provided to LMs had non-significant relationship with their strategic HR roles. Despite the findings produced mixed support, this research has key implications for practitioners as well as academicians. The present research is believed to serve as a standard in comprehending the AMO factors influencing LMs’ execution of strategic HR roles which remains largely unexplored in the Bangladesh context.

Development a Model for the Evaluation and Improvement of Key Human Resource Competencies Using the Grounded Theory

INTRODUCTION: The Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a human-centered organization. Therefore, the competencies of its employees must be improved to make it possible for them to have their best performances. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate and identify the factors that affect the development of key human resource competencies in the Iranian Red Crescent Society and design an appropriate model for its evaluation. METHODS: The present applied qualitative research used an exploratory approach. The statistical population of this study consisted of managers and experts in the field of human resources of the Red Crescent Society who were selected using the snowball sampling method. Moreover, the required data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and we reached saturation after 26 interviews. The collected data were analyzed using the Straussian version of grounded theory. Finally, the collected data were analyzed in the MAXQDA software (version 10). In total, 72 concepts, 568 sub-concepts, and 19 categories were identified in this research. FINDINGS: Five out of the seven fundamental principles of the Red Crescent Society and the International Committee of the Red Cross, including the principle of humanity, voluntary service, neutrality, impartiality, and independence are among the foundational factors and necessities of the development of human resources competencies and were axially coded in causal conditions. Improvement and development of individual, organizational, social, and professional competencies were the four main categories of this research that were selected as the main strategies for the development of human resource competencies. CONCLUSION: According to the results of data analysis, employing appropriate strategies for the evaluation and development of key human resources competencies can have beneficial consequences. More specifically, these categories include human resource efficiency, provision of desirable social services, enhancement of the community health, improvement of human values, increase of public trust and participation, and improvement of the financial position of the organization.

The positive and negative impact of appearance on various spheres of life – the opinions of women and men of different ages

The aim of the article is to present the results of a study addressing the issue of the positive and negative influence of appearance in the context of private and professional life. The publication is based on qualitative research on attitudes towards the appearance of women and men of different ages. The way of thinking about appearance depends on the conditions of the gendered age – i.e. the gender and age of the respondents. For women, appearance plays an important role in both the public and private spheres, while men have placed greater importance on it in the public sphere. While women still seem to attribute a greater role to physical appearance, more and more men are beginning to see this as a key aspect in interpersonal relationships. On the basis of the research we can observe the coexistence of two models of “femininity” and “masculinity”: patriarchal and androgynous. Sometimes in the same generation there are contradictory internal attitudes towards appearance. In the youngest generation, the process of unifying attitudes towards appearance is noticeable – attractive appearance is perceived by young men and women as one of the key human capital resources.

Employee Turnover Intention in the Milieu of Human Resource Management Practices: Moderating role of work-life balance

This study has been carried out in the pursuit of exploring key human resource management (HRM) practices and work-life balance in the Indian hospitality industry in relation to its impact on frontline employee's turnover intention. A total of 271 responses were collected from frontline employees through questionnaire. Using partial least square (PLS) path modelling the hypotheses were tested. Results indicated that better perception of HRM practices has negative influence on frontline employee intention to quit. Work-life balance acts as a significant moderator in the relationship between certain HRM practices namely training, career growth opportunity and compensation and turnover intention.

Job design, Human Capital Resources and NPD performance: Evidence from High-Technology MNCs

The competitiveness of high-technology firms ultimately depends on the success of new product development (NPD). Job design is one of the key human resource strategies to enhance self-managed proje...

A Landscape Analysis of Human Milk Banks in India

To evaluate the existing status of human milk banks in India with reference to infrastructure, human resources, funding mechanisms, operating procedures and quality assurance. A pretested questionnaire was administered to 16 out of 22 human milk banks across India, operational for more than one year prior to commencing the study. 11 (69%) milk banks were in government or charitable hospitals; only 2 (12.5%) were established with government funding. 8 (50%) had a dedicated technician and only 1(6%) had more than five lactation counsellors. Milk was collected predominantly from mothers of sick babies and in postnatal care wards followed by pediatric outpatient departments, camps, satellite centers, and homes. 10 (63%) reported gaps between donor milk demand and supply. 12 (75%) used shaker water bath pasteurizer and cooled the milk manually without monitoring temperature, and 4 (25%) pooled milk under the laminar airflow. 10 (63%) tracked donor to recipient and almost all did not collect data on early initiation, exclusive breastfeeding or human milk feeding. Our study reports the gaps of milk banking practices in India, which need to be addressed for strengthening them. Gaps include suboptimal financial support from the government, shortage of key human resources, processes and data gaps, and demand supply gap of donor human milk.

WWF (Pakistan): A Major Shift Towards a New Appraisal and Compensation System

Hammad, the newly appointed Director General of World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan ( WWF- Pakistan), was musing over the decision regarding a major overhaul in some of their critical work practices. This decision was in response to the recent feedback received from the employees regarding the areas which needed to be improved in the organization. According to the given scenario, the majority of their employees were quite dissatisfied and demotivated over some of their human resource areas. Although Hammad was quite clear headed about the idea that a change was needed to take place in some of their key human resource practices, there were certain pros and cons involved in these decisions, which he wanted to discuss with his Senior Manager, Tahir. They both had their unanimous decision on the fact that if they wanted to retain a motivated and hardworking staff, their existing appraisal and compensation system needed to be aligned with the overall mission and organizational values of WWF. Whether they were ready to make this change, and how this change will reflect on their current system, were the main issues they wanted to address.

Dynamic talent management capabilities and organizational agility—A qualitative exploration

AbstractToday's business environment is becoming increasingly dynamic, and the concept of agility is gaining attention in the corporate world and in academia. The objective of our research is to explain how talent management (TM) can shape talents as key human resources, according to company‐specific agility needs, and thus contribute to gaining competitive advantage in dynamic firm environments. We approach this task by viewing it from the perspective of dynamic capabilities. A total of 24 semistructured interviews were conducted with senior TM professionals working in German companies differing in terms of size, age, structure, industry, and ownership. As a result, we identified three different types of dynamic TM capabilities promoting organizational agility to various extents. By rooting our qualitative study in the research fields of TM and agility in the under‐researched theoretical realm of dynamic capabilities, we contribute to the theoretical as well as the empirical discussion by addressing the specific challenges of an increasingly dynamic environment. As a result, we provide a contextualized viewpoint from which to explain the process inherent in dynamic TM capabilities that continuously shape talent and organizational agility.

Benefits of Age Management in Agribusiness

The labour market is differentiated by age and the individual’s position in it is determined by age. Effective use of all workers’ potential should therefore be a key human resource management strategy for all businesses regardless of the sector. One of the measures is taking into consideration the workers’ age in agribusiness, i. e. applying age management. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the application of age management and to identify and evaluate its benefits for farming enterprises. The data was obtained by quantitative research at selected agribusinesses in the Czech Republic (n = 259). The research has shown that 25.1 % of the respondents applies age management and its application is influenced by the company size and the number of 50 + employees. Of this 41.5 % of agribusinesses spend 2–5 % of their costs on applying age management. The research has also identified two factors (stabilization and quality of processes) categorizing the benefits resulting from age management. It can therefore be summarised that age management is an opportunity how to effectively utilize human potential of all ages and to maintain and improve company’s performance with respect to future demographic trends.

Managing Family and Career: Australian Women’s Labour Force Transitions after Maternity Leave

The increase in women’s return to paid work after maternity or parental leave in advanced societies has garnered much scholarly attention, particularly on women’s participation positively contributing to the labour market and economy. Moreover, the link between supporting employees with caregiving responsibilities, attracting, retaining and developing talent, and business competitiveness is now well-documented. However, women’s pregnancy, maternity or parental leave, and return to paid work remain key legal, policy and Human Resource Management challenges for many organisations. This dilemma between policy implementation and how organisations mishandle women’s return to work, is exemplified in the findings from the Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner’s 2013 National Review into discrimination related to pregnancy, parental leave and return to work. This article is concerned with two questions: How do women manage the combination and juggle of their paid work, caring and return to work? How are gendered inequities are sustained and reproduced in the return to work, despite access to the best available maternity or parental leave policy? This article addresses these questions by examining data from a completed longitudinal qualitative study on women’s return work in higher education and retail sectors in Australia in the 21st century. Drawing on women’s experiences across three interviews over two years, this article argues that access to the best available policy is not enough to manage multiple uncertainties at the return to work. Household, child care and workplace culture and practices are paramount and require a considered approach to support women’s return to work.

Human Capital Investment as a Catalyst for Sustainable Economic Development in Nigeria

Human capital development presupposes investments, activities, and processes facilitating the generation of technical and expert knowledge; skills, health or values that are embodied in people. It implies maintaining an appropriate balance and key massive human resource base and providing an encouraging environment for all individuals to be fully engaged and contribute to organizational or national goals. Human capital development is necessary in order for National development to occur. In addition, human capital development teaches people how to utilize the advantages of diverse thinking styles (analytical and intuitive) so that they achieve the best holistic practical solutions. Human capital development and training are basically the same. This paper aims to examine the meaning of human capital development in relation to nation-building. The authors also took a cursory look at the concept of business education and its roles for sustainable development for nation-building. The study examined human capital investment as a catalyst for sustainable economic environment in Nigeria. The broad objective of the study is to analyze the effect of human capital investment on the Nigerian economy from 1986 to2017. The data used for the study were sourced from the central bank statistical bulletin and national bureau of Statistics. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) techniques were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study reveal that there is a positive relationship between government expenditure on health and real gross domestic product. The adjusted coefficient of determination (R2) shows that 97.3% of variations in the real gross domestic product is being accounted for by government expenditure on education, government expenditure on health and gross capital formation while the remaining 2.7% is accounted for by variables not included in the model. The study suggests that Nigerian policymakers should pay more attention to the health sector and increase its yearly budgetary allocation to it. Nevertheless, the key to achieving best results lies not in ordinarily increasing particular budgetary allocation but rather in implementing a public expenditure and revenue and ensuring the usage of the allocated fund as transparently as possible.

Asia: A Lucrative Destination for Investment Banking

Purpose: The study aims to identify the reasons for the increase in the number of captive operations in urban Bangalore, which earlier was confined only to middle office and back end office but now venturing into front end office. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study includes 50 respondents, employees in the leading foreign-based investment banks operating in urban Bangalore, applying the snowball sampling method through a structured questionnaire. Business model, strategy, database, customized product, market research, operating cost, and employment are the variables. SPSS has been used to test the hypothesis through One-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance). Findings: Employment, operating cost, and analytical skills are the key human resource factors impacting the performance. Business models, strategies, and customer database, are the significant factors of asset management. Attractive business avenues, eminent personnel, customer database are the formative factors of quality management. Job roles, portfolio seeding, segment business are the most highly influencing performance factors in offering excellent service to the clients by these banks as they are significant at 0.001 per cent level. Originality/Value: Investment banking reflects being one of the distinct segments which facilitates in capital formation, financial consultancies, advisory services, security trading, custodian services, investment management services, corporate actions, etc. This sector has transformed into a promising one in boosting the economy and financial services post-globalization. Most of the Asian nations are promising to be a silver line for the US and UK based Investment banks operating in Bangalore.