Personal tools

Unit 4 - Managing People II

Document Actions
  • Send this
  • Print this
  • Content View
  • Bookmarks

Introduction


Welcome to the last unit of this module! In this unit we will cover the content of what would make up many traditional courses on HR Management – namely the key components of HR Management which we introduced at the beginning of Unit 1: recruitment, utilisation and development of staff. Why, you may well ask, only now and only in one unit?

You will have noticed by now that the entire course has a very particular approach and perspective. We do not consider Public Health primarily a technical exercise; instead we have a strong orientation to health systems development. The same is true for our approach to Human Resource Development and Human Resource Management. Very often courses on HR Management are technical in orientation, concentrating primarily on personnel administration. The inherent assumption is that by getting all the technical details right, HR Management will work.

We have been quite open about the fact that we have a different perspective. We have spent a great deal of time discussing the contextual issues of HR Management because we firmly believe that if we do not understand and act upon those issues, our technical knowledge will not help us. We also believe that if we do not understand and act upon the fact that this field is about people and that people, as individuals and in groups, are complex and defy technical solutions, we will not improve HR Management. That is the reason why only one unit deals with recruitment, utilisation and development of staff.

Clearly, given the time and space constraints, we had to be very selective. In choosing the topics, we aimed to introduce you to new concepts or to give you a different perspective on knowledge you may already possess.

The unit consists of four study sessions:

Study Session 1:    Staff Recruitment and induction

Study Session 2:    Skills Development in the Health Sector
Study Session 3:    Staff Supervision and Support
Study Session 4:    Performance Management

 Intended learning outcomes of Unit 4

 


By the end of this unit you should be able to:
  • Explain the concept and purpose of staffing norms.
  • Discuss the concept and purpose of job analysis.
  • Prepare for and implement an interview process for new staff.
  • Develop an induction programme for new staff members.
  • Explain the key concepts and mechanisms of the South African Skills Development Strategy.
  • Understand how the strategy affects your organisation.
  • Design and implement a training needs assessment.
  • Design and implement a training evaluation.
  • Explain the concept of a mentor.
  • Facilitate the development of mentorships in your organisation.
  • Differentiate a developmental approach to supervision from traditional approaches.
  • Consider the feasibility of a team-approach to supervision.
  • Understand the components of performance management.
  • Identify weaknesses in an appraisal system and suggest well-founded ideas for overcoming them.
  • Conduct appraisal interviews.

 

To go to the next page in the course click here: Staff Recruitment and induction 

Copyright 2007-2008, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. jarrett. (2007, August 08). Unit 4 - Managing People II. Retrieved May 19, 2013, from UWC Free Courseware Web site: http://freecourseware.uwc.ac.za/freecourseware/school-of-public-health/managing-human-resources-for-health/managing-human-resources-for-health/unit-4/unit-4-managing-people-ii. All Rights Reserved.