Punjab University Management
Case study: Punjab University
In today's highly competitive and aggressive world, both Human Resources Management (HRM) and Total Quality Management (TQM) are considered essential for efficient and effective utilization of resources. It is an imperative subject for the managers of today to systematize the management of the available human resources through proper organanisation to develop high levels of competence and enhance sustained proficiency in performance at the work place. The contemporary paradigm shift and dynamism in the field of education calls for the attention of the human resources manager as well that of the total quality manager.
This case study is built on the foundation that a positive relationship exists between the practices of human resource management and the excellence exhibited in the management system. It is adopted from a research carried out by Prof. Jadoon Zafar and, Jabeen N. Prof. (2008), examining the relationship between the human resource management in Pakistani Public Universities and the Quality Assurance in those universities in Pakistan. Consequently, human resource management routines and procedures like human resource development, participation of employees, staffing, performance based compensation, and team based human resource system in these organizations will smooth the process of the accomplishment of total quality management tools and procedures which integrate “performance systems, evaluation, corrective measures, policies and standards for incessant improvement in performance”, (Zafar & Jabeen, 2008). For this reason, a co- alignment between human resource management practices and quality management systems can enhance creation of an environment for improving production and efficiency leading to employee satisfaction accompanied with and resulting from greater organizational performance. To supply support to the argument, the paper critically analyses the characteristics and span of HR practices presently being applied at Punjab University, which is among the top ranking public sector institutions of higher learning (universities) in Pakistan. The paper too examines critically the compatibility of the Total Quality Management initiatives taken by the HEC with these practices. The analysis enables a presentation of valuable propositions and policy areas of intercession from an HR viewpoint and suggestions for refurbishing the current routine system imbued with a lot of bureaucracy and suggests moving towards more sustainable quality driven system leading to superior proficiency in performance, more output due to a satisfied workforce (employees) in these universities, (Jadoon & Jabal, 2008).
Introduction
The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) was established in the year 2001 and since then it has actively been involved in a variety of initiatives, whose main intention is to reform the higher education sector, extending from faculty improvement to changes in the structure of governance and management of these institutions of learning. These programs as a whole combine to ensure achievement of quality in teaching as well as carrying out high quality research and academic inquiries in the institutions of higher education. Despite the fact that the quality being aimed at here may be looked at as being the ultimate end product of all the transformational initiatives, it is itself a serviceable area which requires that it be managed through development of a streamline system and culture encompassing quality at policy level and at the operational level too. HEC has advanced various measures in recognition of the significance of quality management in these institutions of higher education. A Quality Assurance was formed by the Chairman Higher Education Commission in 2003. The main aim for its formation was to steer quality assurance initiative. A detached division for quality assurance and learning improvement has also been constituted in HEC to devise and implement quality assurance system in higher education sector. A selection of ten public sector universities has been implemented, marking the first stage, for institution of quality assurance cells to put quality assurance policies and tools into operation in their respective universities. Punjab University falls in this category of selected universities. The division in charge of quality assurance has released guidelines and handed them to the universities for evaluation and appraisal of their academic programs as well as departments, (Halpern, 1997).
The criterion for ranking of universities has also been finalized and the first ranking of public sector universities has been made recently. The institution of quality assurance bureau at the national rank is also underway. These steps taken by HEC corroborate the dedication at the government level with external and internal assessment of performance of universities which previously did not exist in higher education sector of Pakistan. A silence crusade for connecting university funding with their feat is also underway. It is, therefore, the correct time to review how prepared the public sector universities are, from organizational and administration perspective, for being subjected to internal and external excellence evaluations and assessment. Quality management, being a cross-cutting practical area of management, influences every facet of organization. It is multi-faceted incident, which incorporates quality of faculty, students, services, staff, and physical infrastructure. However, human resources are at the heart of the processes which involve quality management. The proficient, dedicated, and motivated staff provides the core of quality management in any organization. Thus, human resource management is vital to the victorious execution of initiatives that guarantee high quality and attainment of quality objectives. Public sector universities in Pakistan characterize the chief provider of education in spite of the incursion of a variety of private sector universities within the country. Therefore, enhancing their efficiency and performance through quality assurance procedures by means of people as the key reserve of such improvement has become known as an exceptionally imperative subject in the Pakistani context. This paper examines and reviews the management of faculty and managerial/technical workforce of public sector universities with a meticulous allusion to the University of the Punjab from the standpoint of quality management. The objective of the paper is to assess the extent to which human resource management systems in public sector universities are oriented toward quality management. Punjab University being the oldest and principal public sector university largely replicates the organizational certainties of public sector universities. All the most important universities founded straight away after 1947 and during the early 1980s were sculpted on the comparable legal and organizational organization as that of the Punjab University. Therefore, scrutiny and assessment of management of faculty and personnel in Punjab University would yield the results and propositions that might be comprehensive to roughly all the main public sector universities of Pakistan.
Logical and Analytical Framework
The paper is founded on the ground that there subsists a positive connection between HRM and quality enhancement aspects. Hence, a configuration between both the mentioned aspects is essential for boosting production and performance of an organization. To scrutinize that relationship in the context of Punjab University the logical and analytical outline is based on the following:
1) The models and apparatus of quality management embrace an all-inclusive management philosophy. This philosophy is commonly branded as Total Quality Management (TQM), which influences every facet of institution
2) The approach and procedures of human resource management are decisive to the achievement of quality management initiatives implying that conventional and bureaucratic kind of system of managing people requires that it be radically modified
3) Quality-oriented human resource systems guarantee that the assortment, development, incentive (motivation), and retention of proficient employees who are willing and enthusiastic to work in a team setting at all levels of organization
4) The fact that culture of the organization affects the management of HRM and at the same time, the management of HRM affects the culture
5) Quality proposals (in form of initiatives) and processes will only be sustainable if they are backed by a system wide cultural change and organizational development (OD)
6) Cultural change means transformation of mind-sets and worth in institutions as well as in society though this is without doubt a sluggish process.
Method of Inquiry
For the paper to attain good ground and to place the discussion into an appropriate perspective, materials used include information from both primary and secondary sources. Keen observation of organizational dynamics has been crucial in collection and understanding of the historical events taking place at Punjab University and which are related to the topic of inquiry. In addition, consultation with concerned officials at the Punjab University was of much help in helping the researcher to come up with a more interesting analysis of the topic of inquiry. The researcher did not only take advantage of the modern technology to communicate with the officials but the researcher did also find a lot of helpful information in journals and materials published by and about the university. This helps in resting study and assessment of human resource system of Punjab University with exceptional reference to its appropriateness to the quality assurance scheme of the Higher Education Commission, (Hofstede, G. 1991).
An Overview of Punjab University
Punjab University was started way back in 1882 basically set up for the purposes of teaching and examination. These two roles did not change throughout its existence form establishment till today. Since its days of formation, the university carried out all the tasks that entailed conducting examination together with Degree, Matriculation, Intermediate, and Postgraduate Diploma. Along the way, in its years of operation, there was a massive swell-up of population leading to serious constraint to the university. Despite this constraint, the university was able to win through and emerge victorious with the resources that were available. The need to relieve the university of the excessively mounting pressure was however not overridden as independent Boards of Secondary Schools were established to handle the matriculation and Intermediate examinations. Other new universities were initiated within various geographical limits to share the accountability. The establishment of universities continued with an end result of having several established universities in the recent years. A good example is in Lahore where we have six new public sector universities existing beside Punjab University. Punjab University however is still the largest of all the public sector universities in the country. Internally, the university has expanded greatly. Its academic programs, constituent colleges and departs have expanded tremendously leading to a record of 78 departments with thirteen faculties and six constituent colleges ands the number of students has also grown beyond 26000. The university system is the oldest examining body and therefore by its design it makes use of the annual structure despite the fact that the semester system has been existent since 1960s' in various departments.
Organizational Structure and Quality Assurance
Punjab University remained in the public sector since the time it was established in 1882. At the present, the Act which it is governed by (Punjab University Act 1973) lays down the legal as well as the administrative framework by which it should operate. The law stipulates that Punjab is an independent institution which gets its funding from the federal government. The governor of the university, who is also the Chancellor of the institution, is the ostensible head of the University. The duty of the governor includes appointing the Vice-Chancellor, appointing the Deans and nominating one Dean on the Syndicate in addition to conferring degrees on successful graduates. All these he does at the recommendation of Chief Minister. The Higher Education Commission is headed by a technocrat and it is principally a funding dispensing agency in the higher education quarter, which is now performing a role as a central point for setting up and execution of higher education transformations in the country. Despite the fact that public sector universities are not under the administrative control of HEC, it shoves its improvement agenda through its financial support power. Since public universities are autonomous, they gain advantage over others in terms of academic autonomy. Nonetheless, matters concerning administration and financial issues are presided over by the rules of the government adopted by the consortium.
Training and Development
Training is an imperative instrument of quality management through which dexterities of employees are grinded and built up to contribute successfully towards permanent progress of the system. Hence, quality management sees training as a mode of approach or strategy but not as an intermittent event (Ferketish and Hayden, 1992). Three types of such instruction including standard skill orientation education, precise job connected training plus organizational development (OD) training intending to focus on organizational change are required to sustain the quality management scheme (Jadoon & Jabeen, 2000).
Labor Relations
Trusting association between labor unions and management is a vital constituent of quality management. Quality management scrutinizes labor union as cohorts in organization wide quality enhancement. However, many of its practices such as cost reduction, redesigning of jobs, and reorganizing face opposition from unions. Resistance to change is always there especially from those who are affected by it or who have dread of unknown. Labor opposition to some of the actions taken for quality upgrading is palpable. Nonetheless, there is no other way to reduce resistance than construction of mutual trust between union and management in terms of execution of quality management systems, (Inayatullah & Gidley, 2000). The associations between administration and faculty are in general affable, although there is a deficiency in real mutual trust underneath the surface.
Public Sector Universities towards Quality Oriented HRM
The management and HR dynamics of Punjab University elucidated in this paper basically reveal the clerical realities of other universities of Pakistan. For this cause, recommendations and propositions made in this section are germane to all the mature and big public sector universities of Pakistan. For sustainable and effect oriented organization of quality assurance in public sector universities, the following steps are suggested towards revolution of their human resource structure for unremitting and sustainable development in teaching, academic inquiries, and control and management: 1. An elemental streamlining is desirable to improve on the managerial aptitude of the top managerial stratum of the institution. The role of the Registrar should be constrained to academic supervision only while modern sections/offices with expert personnel should be established to execute specific managerial tasks for example strategic planning, human resource management, information services, financial management, and governance, security etc. The leaders of these offices/departments ought to be appointed through open competition and they should report directly to the Vice-Chancellor. 2. University should disassociate itself from the NBPS and should build up its own professional cadre with a competitive salary, an open system of recruitment and selection and performance evaluation system. The refurbishing of existing system of supervising employees in the University should be taken as a holistic venture for which services of HR experts should be hired. Straight away, as a primary step, a position of Director, Human Resources may be created in Grade 20, and all the HR services should be placed under him/her. The present holder of this post should be a permanent officer. 3. The Treasurer's office calls for a transformation as a finance office that contains all the apparatus of financial development and management, and is proficient to recommend financial services to the students, academic, and departments of the university. The available office of the Treasurer at present is accounts and audit oriented, and it is not competent to assists the university in making decisions relating to the financial issues. This office ought to be operated by the staff having acquaintance and proficiency in financial management.
Conclusion
The assessment of the present HR practices at Punjab University evidently indicates that the university is ahead of other institutions of higher learning in the among the public sector universities in attending to the concerns emphasized in this paper. However, to augment production, competence and quality resulting in organizational efficacy and employee contentment requires that there be an assurance of total transformation of its bureaucratic and culture centered on to quality culture. Cultural change involving change of attitudes is a slow process. The process has already begun which needs to be pushed forward with well articulated OD involvements and transformation strategies. For continued exertion of the efforts, augmentation of institutional aptitude of Punjab University in the area of governance and administration should be placed on top of the reform agenda.
Reward and incentive arrangement based on code of equity and fairness will be the pre-requisite for achievement of any quality program. In the years ahead, Punjab University has to keep up its aggressive position by controlling the waste, sharing the resources, reducing internal competition, focusing on integration and increasing collaboration among various departments and faculties. Competence and motivation are required to guarantee at least success of any quality of initiatives at any level. Thus, it would be right to make a conclusion that human resource management is essential and should be placed at the heart of quality assurance systems and then it must be given top precedence in developing and implementing high quality plans and initiatives.
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