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Human resource management at organizational level
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There are many aspects of human resource management. Some organizations may feel overwhelmed and unsure about where to start making improvements. This is particularly the case for organizations that do not have a team or department specifically responsible for human resource management.
Where there is no specific team, it is worth considering giving someone responsibility for aspects of human resource management as part or all of their role. There are many benefits of having a member of staff with ownership of human resource management. For example:
* The organization can be kept up-to-date on legal issues.
* A coordinated approach can be taken with regard to strategy, policy and practice. This helps to ensure that the organization has a fair and consistent way of treating its staff.
* Staff have access to good advice on issues relating to staff.
* Salaries are fair and consistent.
* Good policy and practice can be put in place.
* Job descriptions can be kept up-to-date staff and line managers then know what to expect and performance can be measured successfully.

Preparing to improve human resource Management

There are two important things to identify before considering human resource management:
1. The organization's vision, purpose, mission and values.
2. The organization's structure.
Vision, purpose, mission and values
Good human resource management depends on the organization having a clear vision, purpose, mission and values. The vision is needed to motivate staff. The purpose is needed to ensure that staff are all working towards the same goal. Whithout a mission, it is impossible for the organization to know what work needs to done, and job descriptions cannot be identified.
Valuer show how the organization will do its work and what kind of staff are needed to do it.
Vision is about how we would like the world to change for the better. For example: A world without hunger.
Purpose is about what the organisation exists to do, in order to contribute to the vision. For example: To help people to increase food production.
Mission is what the organisation commits itself to do and i dentifies the people the organisation serves, where they are and how they are served. For example: To reduce hunger in our country through training, enabling and supporting farmers.
Values relate to what the organisation stands for. They influence the way the organization acts and give the organisation its identity. Values often make an organisation different from other organisations that address the same issue. Example: commitment to God; commitment to learning; commitment to relationships; commitment to excellence.
Organisational structure
It is helpful to consider the structure of the organisation's staff. The best way to do this is to draw an organisational chart which shows where staff positions fit into the organisation and how they are line managed. This chart:
* Makes grading systems easier to develop and enables smooth recruitment processes.
* helps in understanding how many people are being managed by one manager. It is advisable that no more than eight people report to a single manager.
* helps to keep job titles consistent. For example, the title 'manager' may only be given to senior staff in the organisation.
* show where there may be gaps or overlap in positions within the organisation.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN RUNNING DEPARTMENT OF AN ORGANIZATION:

* How important are our staff to the success of our organisation? Do we view some staff as more important than others?
* How does our organisation show staff they ar valued?
* How do our staff fit within our organisation's vision, purpose, mission and values? Are we using and investing in staff in the right way?if not, how can we improve?
* What does our organisational structure look like? What can we learn from this?

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