DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

&
TRADITIONAL PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Definition
Personnel Management - Personnel Management is thus basically an administrative
record-keeping function, at the operational level. Personnel Management attempts to
maintain fair terms and conditions of employment, while at the same time, efficiently
managing personnel activities for individual departments etc. It is assumed that the outcomes
from providing justice and achieving efficiency in the management of personnel activities will
result ultimately in achieving organizational success.
Human Resource Development - uman resource management is concerned with the
development and implementation of people strategies, which are integrated with corporate
strategies, and ensures that the culture, values and structure of the organization, and the
!uality, motivation and commitment of its members contribute fully to the achievement of its
goals.
HRM is concerned with carrying out the SAME functional activities traditionally
performed by the personnel function, such as HR planning, job analysis, recruitment and
selection, employee relations, performance management, employee appraisals,
compensation management, training and development etc. But, the HRM approach
performs these functions in a qualitatively DISTICT !ay, when compared with
Personnel Management.
Main Differences "et!een Personnel Management an# HRM
Personnel management is workforce centered, directed mainly at the
organiation!s employees" such as finding and training them, arranging for them to
be paid, e#plaining management!s e#pectations, justifying management!s actions etc.
$hile on the other hand, HRM is resource-centered, directed mainly at
management, in terms of devolving the responsibility of HRM to line management,
management development etc.
%lthough indisputably a management function, personnel management has never
totally identified with management interests, as it becomes ineffective when not able
to understand and articulate the aspirations and views of the wor&force, just as sales
representatives have to understand and articulate the aspirations of the customers.
Personnel Management is basically an operational function, concerned primarily
with carrying out the day-to day people management activities. $hile on the other
hand, HRM is strategic in nature, that is, being concerned with directly assisting an
organiation to gain sustained competitive advantage.
HRM is more proactive than Personnel Management. $hereas personnel management is
about the maintenance of personnel and administrative systems, HRM is about the
forecasting of organiational needs, the continual monitoring and adjustment of
personnel systems to meet current and future re'uirements, and the management of
change.
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$% Points of Difference "et!een Personnel Management & HRD
S' o' Dimension
Personnel
Management
Human Resource
Development
(eliefs & Assumptions
(. Contract )areful delineation of
written contracts
%im to go *beyond
contracts!
+. Rules ,mportance of devising
clear rules-mutuality
*)an-do! outloo&"
impatience with *rule!
.. )ui#e to management
Action
Procedures *Business / need!
0. (ehaviour Referent 1orms-custom 2
practice
3alues-Mission
4. Managerial Tas* vis--vis
+a"our
Monitoring 1urturing
5. ature of Relations Pluralist 6nitarist
7. Conflict ,nstitutionalied 89-emphasied
STRATE)IC ASPECTS
:. ,ey Relations ;abour Management )ustomer
<. Initiatives Piecemeal ,ntegrated
(=. Corporate Plan Marginal to )entral to
((. Spee# of Decision >low ?ast
+IE MAA)EMET
(+. Management Role @ransactional @ransformational leadership
(.. ,ey Managers Personnel-,R
>pecialists
Aeneral-business-line
managers
(0. Communication ,ndirect 8irect
(4. Stan#ar#isation High Be.g. *parity! an
issueC
;ow Be.g. *parity! not seen
as relevantC
(5. Pri-e# management s*ills 1egotiation ?acilitation
,E. +E/ERS
(7. Selection >eparate, marginal tas& ,ntegrated, &ey tas&
(:. Pay Dob 9valuation Bfi#ed
gradesC
Performance / related
(<. Con#itions >eparately negotiated Harmoniation
+=. +a"our Management )ollective bargaining
contracts
@owards individual
contracts
+(. Thrust of relations Regularied through
facilities 2 training
Marginalied Bwith
e#ception of some
bargaining for change
modelsC
++. 0o" categories & gra#es Many ?ew
+.. Communication Restricted flow ,ncreased flow
+0. 0o" Design 8ivision of ;abour @eamwor&
+4. Conflict Han#ling Reach temporary truces Manage climate 2 culture
+5. Training & Development )ontrolled access to
courses
;earning companies
+7. 1oci of attention of
interventions
Personnel procedures $ide ranging cultural,
structural 2 personnel
strategies
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