Derek Eldridge

Global Human Resource Management

This book presents Human Resource Management (HRM) as a tool for improving the performance of organizations in developing and transitional countries. It does this through the presentation of an integrated model of human resource management, informed by the practical realities of applying such a model in developing and transitional countries.

The significance of employee skill in flexible work organizations

Pressures for flexibility among enterprise employees have been explained in previous studies to be largely the result of exogenous factors driven by market pressures for improved product variety, quality and service. This paper derives new insights into the concept of flexibility based on the premise that manufacturing systems based on traditional hierarchical control have significantly given way to enterprise practices that stress a direct connection between employee skill enhancement, market outcomes and rewards. Through an analysis of the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WER98) the study provides a more substantive explanation of the variables associated with flexibility, which have become significant in the transition process towards modern enterprise practices. Flexibility is demonstrated to be not only market driven but also dependent on endogenous factors directly promoted by management that stress workforce participation, collaborative working and multifaceted skills development. We provide empirical support for these arguments from an analysis of WERS98.

Reconceptualising human resource planning in response to institutional change

The article aims to shift the basis of organisational human resource planning away from the traditional prescriptive approach to a systems based model that incorporates an emphasis on learning. A brief history of human resource planning is presented showing how it has evolved towards current needs and the specification for the new model. The new model is conceived in the context of increased environmental pressures on organisations and resultant management approaches. At the heart of the new approach is the process of transformation by which inputs to the model are processed in a way that involves all stakeholders in planning to produce viable outputs for managerial decision making.

Seeking a conceptual explanation of the growth of public sector management beyond current reform parameters

Argues that the debate concerning the growth of public employment has remained largely uninformed in a conceptual sense beyond the economic variables. Suggests that the time is now pertinent to identify the additional parameters affecting the situation if an enriched understanding is to evolve on the future role and management of the public sector in the developing state. Reviews the literature contributions that are significant in this respect, not only with the aim of putting the public sector developments of the last ten years in perspective but also to contribute to the current debate on the emergence of new administrative paradigms for developing States that provide a more balanced view of political, economic and social development.

Irrigation project management practices: some cultural explanations of organisational behaviour

A study of two irrigation organisations has demonstrated a significant degree of cultural influence on project management practices. All aspects, from the design of a project to the stages of operation and evaluation bear the impact of local cultural parameters. Institutional measures relating to the planning and management of projects thus need to take into account these parameters for an efficient delivery of project outcomes.

Paradox of public sector capacity building: lessons from the Matt2 UK-Bangladesh cooperation

This study focuses on the Government of Bangladesh and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) public sector capacity‐building project under collaborative public governance. It examines the efficiency and effectiveness of a foreign‐funded and multistakeholder‐led public sector capacity‐development initiative dubbed Managing at the Top Stage 2 (MATT2) project, and how it contributed to the human resource capacity development in Bangladesh. A combination of data from Government sources, in‐depth interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation and author analysis was adopted. The results showed the project to have been largely successful, despite some challenges.

Enhancing training capacity in a transitional economy: the case of the Romanian Institute of Management

Focuses on the development of the Romanian Institute of Management (IROMA) since political and economic liberalization in the country. Describes how IROMA, as the leading provider of training for industry and commerce, has faced up to the change process and built itself as a self‐financing body. Makes an assessment of how IROMA is conducting its new found role, the development of appropriate internal management structures and the performance of its training and consultancy staff. Gives attention to the emergence of a corporate mechanism that allows use of a cost‐centre approach which is client‐based but which can also cope with rampant inflation in the economy. Finally, makes proposals for an institution‐based programme for the development of training and consultancy skills.

A Strategic Approach to Employee Development in an Agricultural Bank

Investigates (through interviews) the link between business needs and staff development policies within the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan. Analyses the Bank′s corporate planning cycle with a view to suggesting improvements that focus more clearly on staff performance needs. The corporate planning cycle should involve a more client‐based analysis of need which can then be matched against the strategic aims of government and international donors. Targets on performance and employee development can emerge that draw on the ideas of managers at all levels and build their commitment to the strategic aims. The training function could move into a more strategic role.

Towards a More Culturally Compatible Concept of Civil Service Reform in Developing Countries

Civil service reform in developing countries may be inhibited unless a more culturally appropriate concept of management is developed. An Institutional Development Framework (IDF) may assist in the identification of possible reform strategies. A strategy is defined by a series of inter‐linked management and organisational components to each of which may be attached aims, values and/or skills enhancement ideas. Senior managers of the service should be responsible for drafting and reviewing the IDF as a shared learning experience. The IDF concept resulted from a study of civil service reform in the Solomon Islands.