Många är överens om att människan är organisationens viktigaste resurs och att HR är en roll som är starkt kopplad till att ta vara på denna. En vanligt förekommande tro är att HR är en funktion som enbart behövs i stora företag. I tidigare forskning och då vi tog kontakt med olika småföretag framkom det vanligt att HR-arbetet bedrivs av en person med andra huvudsakliga uppgifter, ofta av ägare. Detta ledde oss in på syftet att utforska upplevelsen av HR-arbete i småföretag sett från ägarens, personen som blivit tilldelad vissa HR-uppgifter och medarbetarnas perspektiv. Denna studie är intressant då tidigare forskning pekar på att småföretag inte undersökts till samma grad som stora företag. Det har även diskuterats om HRteorier och modeller är applicerbara i småföretag. Studien har en induktiv ansats och grundar sig i semistrukturerade intervjuer, vilket är en kvalitativ datainsamling, och har sedan analyserats på ett kvalitativt sätt genom en tematisk analys. Analysen resulterade i fyra huvudkategorier och tre underkategorier som definierar upplevelsen av HR-arbete i småföretag. Kategorierna som identifierades var organisationskultur, ledarskap, kommunikation och tillväxt med underkategorierna konflikthantering, ”vi och dem” och otydlighet. / People agree that employees is the greatest asset of the organization as well as HR is strongly related to taking advantage of these. A common belief is that HR is a function that only is applicable in big companies. In previous research and when we were in contact with a couple of small firms it emerged that it’s common that HR-activities usually is conducted by a person with other main tasks, usually the owner of the company. This led us to the purpose to explore the perceptions of HR-activities in small firms from a perspective of the owner, the person who is delegated some of the HR-activities and the employees. The study is interesting since previous research has not investigated small firms as much as big companies. It has also been discussed if HR-theories and models are applicable in small firms. The study is made on an inductive approach, made up of semi structured interviews, a qualitative collection of data, and has been analyzed in a qualitative way by a thematic analysis. The analysis resulted in four main categories and three subcategories that defines the perception of HR-activities in small firms. The categories that where identified where organizational culture, leadership, communication and growth with the subcategories conflict management, “we and them” and ambiguity.

<p>In the past, Human Research Development (HRD) professionals have faced barriers of gaining access to the data they need to conduct higher level evaluations. However, recent technological innovations have presented opportunities for them to obtain this data, and consequently, apply new approaches for the training evaluation process. One approach being used is the application of data analytics. Because organizations have begun to embrace its use, recent research activities in the literature have focused on the promotion of analytics versus the practical application of analytics in the organization.<b> </b>This study investigated how HRD professionals utilize data analytics in the training evaluation process. It contributes to the body of research on the practical application of analytics in determining training effectiveness. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Sociomateriality served as the theoretical framework for understanding how HRD professionals use data analytics in the training evaluation process. To address the research objective, a qualitative descriptive design was employed to investigate the phenomenon of lived experience, how HRD professionals use data analytics in the training evaluation process. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six (6) participants who were front and center in the organization’s transition to the analytics tool, Metrics That Matter (MTM), for evaluating training initiatives. The thematic analysis approach was applied. The study findings suggest three factors that influenced HR professionals to use human resource analytics, while revealing four ways they used those analytics in the training evaluation process. More importantly, findings from this study will provide training departments and HRD professionals recommendations for expanded job role and/or function descriptions, as well as best practices for incorporating data analytics in the training evaluation process.</p>

A dinâmica do cenário contemporâneo tem obrigado as organizações a se modificarem para sobreviver. No entanto, essas mudanças acontecem de forma contextualizada e são aplicadas de diferentes formas, nas várias dimensões organizacionais. A proposta deste estudo foi aprofundar o conhecimento sobre o modo como a Gestão de Recursos Humanos (GRH) vem respondendo ao processo de mudanças, no Brasil, considerado seu desenvolvimento recente. O objetivo foi caracterizar as práticas estratégicas de GRH em organizações privadas que atuam no País, buscando classificá-las, além de identificar os fatores determinantes desse posicionamento e comparar as práticas utilizadas em sistemas descritos na literatura internacional. No levantamento teórico proposto para esse objetivo, investigou-se a Gestão Estratégica de Recursos Humanos, a evolução e contextualização da área no panorama brasileiro e os diferentes tipos de GRH existentes. A pesquisa empírica foi quantitativa de cunho descritivo. Foram coletados dados com um questionário de práticas de gerenciamento de pessoas validado e reconhecido internacionalmente. Desse questionário, foram selecionadas práticas coerentes com os objetivos propostos e analisadas estatisticamente. Os dados revelaram a participação da GRH na estratégia organizacional; prevalência de práticas menos efetivas no gerenciamento do desempenho e da capacidade dos empregados da organização; e relações com os sindicatos limitadas às negociações coletivas. Isso mostra uma tendência das organizações pesquisadas para a perspectiva estratégica da gestão de pessoas. No entanto, nem todas as empresas podem ser descritas da mesma forma. Uma análise de agrupamento classificou a amostra em quatro diferentes grupos de GRH, que por suas características foram classificados como: 1. Operacional; 2. Estratégico; 3. Formalizado; e 4. Comunicativo. As características e proporções mostraram que ainda existem organizações que gerenciam seus empregados de forma meramente burocrática, mas muitas empresas já adotaram um posicionamento estratégico e muitas outras caminham para tal. A partir dessa classificação foi realizada uma comparação das médias de ações de GRH descritas na literatura que, em grupo, formavam práticas calculativas e colaborativas. Essa análise revelou que as empresas do grupo GRH Estratégico possuem as mais altas médias tanto em práticas calculativas quanto colaborativas. O segundo grupo com médias mais elevadas para as práticas calculativas foi o grupo da GRH Formalizada, e o segundo grupo com médias mais altas colaborativas é o GRH Comunicativa. Por fim, foram levantadas variáveis organizacionais que poderiam contribuir para a determinação do grupo estratégico. Entre elas destacam-se o setor de atuação e a formalização da estratégia organizacional. Esses dados retratam uma mudança no perfil de gestão de pessoas nas organizações presentes no Brasil, mostrando que a GRH está mais preocupada em contribuir com a competitividade empresarial. Além disso, diferentes achados sugerem a confluência de influências culturais e institucionais subsidiando as escolhas da área de gestão de pessoas, conciliando aspectos de diferentes naturezas e aproximando essas práticas da heterogeneidade da sociedade brasileira. / The present-day dynamic scenario has compelled organizations to change to survive. However, these changes happen in a contextualized way. The proposal of this study was to deepen the knowledge regarding Human Resource Management (HRM) in Brazil, regarding its recent development. This study\'s objective was to characterize strategic practices of HRM in private companies in this country, seeking not only to classify them, but also to identify these strategies determinant factors and to compare these chosen practices with systems described in international literature. The proposed theoretical set up for this objective investigated Human Resource Management, its evolution and contextualization in Brazilian context and the different HRM systems. The empirical research was quantitative of descriptive nature. Data was collected using a practice-and-people-management questionnaire internationally validated and recognized. Practices that were coherent with the prosed objectives were selected from this questionnaire and they were statistically analyzed. The data reveled the HRM organizational strategy; the dominant practices that are less effective in the performance and employee\'s capacity management; and unions participation in collective negotiations. This shows that the researched companies tend to a strategic HR perspective. Not all the companies can be described in the same way though. A cluster analysis classified the sample in four different HRM groups. 1. Operational; 2. Strategic; 3. Formalized; 4. Communicative. The characteristics and proportions showed that some organizations still manage their employees in a bureaucratic way, but many companies already adopted a strategic positioning and many more walk that way. Based in this classification, a mean comparison from certain HRM actions was made that, in group, generated calculative and collaborative practices. This analysis revealed that Strategic HRM companies have the highest mean values related to calculative and collaborative practices. The second group with highest mean values for calculative practices is Formalized HRM and the group with the second highest mean value with collaborative practices is the Communicative HRM. Finally organizational variables were tested to see which ones could contribute for the setup of the strategic group. Among them the occupation sector and strategy formalization are more prominent. This data shows a change in the human resource profile in organizations present in Brazil, showing that HRM is more concerned in add to the institutional competitiveness. Furthermore, these findings suggest a confluence of cultural and institutional influences supporting the choices made by human resource management area, adjusting aspects of different natures and approaching these practices to the heterogeneity so present in Brazilian society.

Sammanfattning Examensarbete, Human Resource Management, Ekonomihögskolan vid Linnéuniversitetet. Organisation, VT2012.   Bakgrund: Intresset för Talent Management har växt allt starkare bland svenska företag men det finns lite forskning som stödjer dess lönsamhet. HR och personalavdelningar har länge försökt att mäta ekonomiska effekter av de aktiviteter som är kopplade till företagens mänskliga resurser. Dessa mätningar förväntas ge HR-avdelningar ett större inflytande i företagen och skulle kunna ge Talent Management teoretisk legitimitet. Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att kartlägga i vilken utsträckning svenska företag följer upp de ekonomiska effekterna av Talent Management, hur och varför det görs eller inte görs. Syftet är även att, om de ekonomiska effekterna följs upp, undersöka om företagen kopplar dessa effekter till lönsamhet. Metod: För att besvara studiens syfte har ett abduktivt angreppssätt med en kvantitativ enkätundersökning valts som grund för uppsatsen. Enkäten skickades ut till Sveriges hundra största företag och har följts upp av kvalitativa intervjuer för att skapa en djupare förståelse för enkätresultaten. Resultat och slutsatser: Majoriteten av Sveriges hundra största företag mäter inte effekterna av Talent Management, vilket överensstämmer med tidigare studier inom området. Bristande kunskap är grunden till att företagen inte mäter effekterna och även om viss teori belyser vikten av att mäta de ekonomiska effekterna så anser endast häften av företagen att mätningar av förtjänsterna är viktiga. Mätning av Talent Management är inte prioriterat till den grad att företagen i studien har utarbetat användbara system för att kunna mäta de positiva ekonomiska effekterna. Studien visar avslutningsvis att det finns ett behov av praktiska och teoretiska exempel för hur talanginsatserna ska kunna mätas, inte bara ekonomiskt utan överhuvudtaget.

A dinâmica do cenário contemporâneo tem obrigado as organizações a se modificarem para sobreviver. No entanto, essas mudanças acontecem de forma contextualizada e são aplicadas de diferentes formas, nas várias dimensões organizacionais. A proposta deste estudo foi aprofundar o conhecimento sobre o modo como a Gestão de Recursos Humanos (GRH) vem respondendo ao processo de mudanças, no Brasil, considerado seu desenvolvimento recente. O objetivo foi caracterizar as práticas estratégicas de GRH em organizações privadas que atuam no País, buscando classificá-las, além de identificar os fatores determinantes desse posicionamento e comparar as práticas utilizadas em sistemas descritos na literatura internacional. No levantamento teórico proposto para esse objetivo, investigou-se a Gestão Estratégica de Recursos Humanos, a evolução e contextualização da área no panorama brasileiro e os diferentes tipos de GRH existentes. A pesquisa empírica foi quantitativa de cunho descritivo. Foram coletados dados com um questionário de práticas de gerenciamento de pessoas validado e reconhecido internacionalmente. Desse questionário, foram selecionadas práticas coerentes com os objetivos propostos e analisadas estatisticamente. Os dados revelaram a participação da GRH na estratégia organizacional; prevalência de práticas menos efetivas no gerenciamento do desempenho e da capacidade dos empregados da organização; e relações com os sindicatos limitadas às negociações coletivas. Isso mostra uma tendência das organizações pesquisadas para a perspectiva estratégica da gestão de pessoas. No entanto, nem todas as empresas podem ser descritas da mesma forma. Uma análise de agrupamento classificou a amostra em quatro diferentes grupos de GRH, que por suas características foram classificados como: 1. Operacional; 2. Estratégico; 3. Formalizado; e 4. Comunicativo. As características e proporções mostraram que ainda existem organizações que gerenciam seus empregados de forma meramente burocrática, mas muitas empresas já adotaram um posicionamento estratégico e muitas outras caminham para tal. A partir dessa classificação foi realizada uma comparação das médias de ações de GRH descritas na literatura que, em grupo, formavam práticas calculativas e colaborativas. Essa análise revelou que as empresas do grupo GRH Estratégico possuem as mais altas médias tanto em práticas calculativas quanto colaborativas. O segundo grupo com médias mais elevadas para as práticas calculativas foi o grupo da GRH Formalizada, e o segundo grupo com médias mais altas colaborativas é o GRH Comunicativa. Por fim, foram levantadas variáveis organizacionais que poderiam contribuir para a determinação do grupo estratégico. Entre elas destacam-se o setor de atuação e a formalização da estratégia organizacional. Esses dados retratam uma mudança no perfil de gestão de pessoas nas organizações presentes no Brasil, mostrando que a GRH está mais preocupada em contribuir com a competitividade empresarial. Além disso, diferentes achados sugerem a confluência de influências culturais e institucionais subsidiando as escolhas da área de gestão de pessoas, conciliando aspectos de diferentes naturezas e aproximando essas práticas da heterogeneidade da sociedade brasileira. / The present-day dynamic scenario has compelled organizations to change to survive. However, these changes happen in a contextualized way. The proposal of this study was to deepen the knowledge regarding Human Resource Management (HRM) in Brazil, regarding its recent development. This study\'s objective was to characterize strategic practices of HRM in private companies in this country, seeking not only to classify them, but also to identify these strategies determinant factors and to compare these chosen practices with systems described in international literature. The proposed theoretical set up for this objective investigated Human Resource Management, its evolution and contextualization in Brazilian context and the different HRM systems. The empirical research was quantitative of descriptive nature. Data was collected using a practice-and-people-management questionnaire internationally validated and recognized. Practices that were coherent with the prosed objectives were selected from this questionnaire and they were statistically analyzed. The data reveled the HRM organizational strategy; the dominant practices that are less effective in the performance and employee\'s capacity management; and unions participation in collective negotiations. This shows that the researched companies tend to a strategic HR perspective. Not all the companies can be described in the same way though. A cluster analysis classified the sample in four different HRM groups. 1. Operational; 2. Strategic; 3. Formalized; 4. Communicative. The characteristics and proportions showed that some organizations still manage their employees in a bureaucratic way, but many companies already adopted a strategic positioning and many more walk that way. Based in this classification, a mean comparison from certain HRM actions was made that, in group, generated calculative and collaborative practices. This analysis revealed that Strategic HRM companies have the highest mean values related to calculative and collaborative practices. The second group with highest mean values for calculative practices is Formalized HRM and the group with the second highest mean value with collaborative practices is the Communicative HRM. Finally organizational variables were tested to see which ones could contribute for the setup of the strategic group. Among them the occupation sector and strategy formalization are more prominent. This data shows a change in the human resource profile in organizations present in Brazil, showing that HRM is more concerned in add to the institutional competitiveness. Furthermore, these findings suggest a confluence of cultural and institutional influences supporting the choices made by human resource management area, adjusting aspects of different natures and approaching these practices to the heterogeneity so present in Brazilian society.

The job diagnostic survey will be used to gather data on job satisfaction and motivation from the chosen data set. This is a structured questionnaire which provides quantitative results. These results wil be used to calculate the motivation potential score for each individual. Statistical methods will then be used to evaluate the results. This information, together with theory such as Hertsberg's 2-factor theory and Hackman and Oldham's job characteristics model will be used to propose ways of enhancing the jobs of graduate South African engineers. This will improve their job satisfaction and motivation allowing companies to attract, retain and gain greater performance from them. / This research has three main purposes. Firstly, it examines the level of job satisfaction and motivation of engineers and actuaries in South Africa and compares this with other groups. Secondly it examines the role of job design in their job satisfaction and motivation. Thirdly, it recommends ways to increase the level of satisfaction and motivation. The research methodology was based on Hackman and Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model (JCM) and accompanying Job Diagnostic Survey. It states that high satisfaction, motivation and effectiveness will result from the presence of five job characteristics as long as certain intervening factors are also present. It was found that Job design, as proposed by the model, does contribute to satisfaction and motivation. Relative to other groups of employees, actuaries and engineers in South Africa are satisfied. Of those surveyed, civil engineers had the highest level of satisfaction and electrical engineers the lowest. Actuaries scored higher than engineers. The results of this research suggest organisations should increase feedback to employees and improve opportunities for growth. Further research should be done on the intervening factors and the effects of demographic differences within the two groups.

Women around the world are not making much progress up the corporate ladder but instead; many are frustrated and choosing to leave their jobs. The purpose of this study was to identify what challenges are facing senior level women in the corporate world, which would make them leave/desire to leave work and the role played by organisations in this situation. Interviews and survey research were done on a sample of qualified, experienced women over the age of 30, who are either in the corporate world or who have left. The study showed that women are leaving or have a strong desire to leave due to a combination of workplace and personal factors, and that South African organisations are not doing much to retain them. The implication of this is that they are going to continue losing high calibre women, if they do not implement effective retention strategies very quickly.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature and degree of occupational gender segregation across the functional fields in South Africa and to determine if existing “supply-side” explanations serve to explain the phenomenon through an attitudinal survey of the females in the sample. The UNISA first year MBL students were requested to complete the survey during their August Centre Visit at the SBL Sasol auditorium in Midrand. The survey consists of two sections. Section A determined the gender of the sample element and subsequently their functional field of occupation, which enabled the calculation of the Karmel and MacLachlan Index per functional field. The Finance, General Management, Information Technology, Operations and Production and Procurement, Buying and Logistics fields showed high levels of integration, while the Marketing, Sales and Customer Service field showed low levels of segregation in favour of women. Human Resources was strongly female dominant, while Research and Development was strongly male dominant. The “Other” field showed the highest level of segregation in favour of women. Section B contains the attitudinal Likert scale questions to measure the extent to which the various supply-side explanations determine the women’s career decisions. There seem to be certain explanation types, such as Exchange Utility and Reward, which serve as strong selection criteria and other factors that play a lesser role, such as Teaching Styles and Self-Image. Based on the averages the Occupational Sex-Typing, Self-Efficacy and Parental Influence explanations showed no agreement from any of the sample elements. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBL

The peaceful transition from apartheid to a democratised society is one of South Africa’s most impressive achievements. The attainment of these achievements has placed enormous pressure on the country to “shift to a higher gear”, i.e. increasing the number of players who contribute to the economic development of the country, thus building on its’ political success (Thomas, 1996). The ability to become competitive in the global economy will be determined by the capacity to increase the pool of suitably qualified people and the willingness to accept, value and empower the human talent of all South Africans.

<p>The aim of this thesis is to examine employees views on gender equality at a human resource company in Stockholm. Our results are obtained though interviews and observations. Our informants are, to the extent that it is possible, of different ages, job descriptions and statuses within the company.</p><p>We have focused on employees’ perceptions of the company in regard to its work on topics that effect gender/discrimination in the work place. Through out this thesis we argue that employees at the human resource company use a discourse which is dedicated to topics of equality, however the employees do not practice these values in any noticeable way. Rather they show an ambivalence as to how these questions should be managed. Thus a discrepancy between discourse and practice is constructed within the company. By applying Robert Connell’s theory on hegemonic masculinity in combination with Lisbeth Bekkengen’s analysis of “child orientated masculinity” to our research we argue that a normative masculinity is created at the company, which not only constructs a marginalized masculinity in its wake, but also prohibits gender equality from becoming common practice. Another factor that complicates work on gender equality is that informants choose not to see gender asymmetries as structural, rather they are lifted out of their context and viewed as individual.</p><p>Keyword: Human Resources, gender, equality, discourse, masculinity, practice, ethnicity</p>