Strategic Human Resource Management in Higher Education

This book explores the practices and policies of human resource management (HRM) in higher education institutions (HEI), while also analyzing the governance and structural challenges. It explains the assessment of university as an organization, outlining the distinction between universities and firms from an HRM point of view by analysing various objectives, parameters and outcomes.  The book broadly probes the relevance of HRM systems in HEIs in India and their potential impact. It also examines whether existing HRM practices and policies in HEIs in India drive motivation and enable employees to perform their functions to achieve the highest possible levels of excellence. It explores whether the enhanced motivation of employees consistently impacts students, their placements, progress to higher education, and quality teaching and research output. To strengthen the research output, to better understand the functioning of HRM practices in foreign HEIs and for comparative reasons, the book also studies HEIs in the United States against a diverse set of HEIs in India. It concludes by highlighting the impact of India’s National Education Policy 2020 and its scope to transform and professionalise the higher education system in the country.  The book is indispensable for researchers in education management and policy studies and those in governing positions in higher education institutions. It is also a valuable resource for regulatory and government bodies, and policy-formulating think tanks in South Asia which have a similar education system as India.

Education and universities are vital to a nation’s progress. What is often overlooked, because it is not visible, is the complex governance and management that lies behind every successful classroom or laboratory. Jai Mohan Pandit and Bino Paul’s new book fills this lacuna with a comprehensive analysis of the human resource management strategies that are crucial to running a successful higher education institution.

           - Kaushik Basu, Carl Marks Professor of International Studies, Cornell University, USA; former Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India and former Chief Economist of the World Bank

 

A vibrant higher education sector forms a core element of India’s journey to becoming a developed nation over the next 25 years. Drawing upon his own considerable experience as an administrator in leading economic institutions, Dr. Pandit, co-authored with Prof. Bino Paul, has illuminated critical human resource dimensions that need to be addressed by institutions in both the public and private sectors.  This is pioneering work based on detailed research that needs to be absorbed and acted upon by all forward-looking institutions at both CEO and Board level.

             - Shri Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, New Delhi, India 

The book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the HRM practices in the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) particularly in the context of NEP 2020 in India. The comparison of HRM practices in USA and India attempted in this book also provides useful insights for promoting substantial growth and global competitiveness among Indian HEIs.  

          - Ravindra H. Dholakia, Former Professor, IIM Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad, India 

 

Universities and institutions of higher education are unique organisations, different from normal production units or corporate houses.  They are also highly human resource intensive, producing valuable human capital.  Hence human resource management in institutions of higher education requires special skills, techniques and distinct approaches different from those commonly practiced in other organisations.  In India, the problems are further complicated due to the existence of a variety of higher education institutions.  Reviewing the current practices in India and abroad with respect to multiple dimensions of institutions of higher education, Dr Jai Mohan Pandit and Professor Bino Pal outline the components of a desirable form of strategic management of human resources.  This is an extremely timely and useful book not only for higher education leaders but also for all those who are interested in the dynamics of human resource management in higher education and are involved in the implementation of the new National Education Policy.

              - Jandhyala B G Tilak, Former Professor & Vice-Chancellor, National University of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi, India

Jai Mohan Pandit is the Registrar at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), a deemed-to-be university in Mumbai. He holds a doctoral degree in Management and Labour Studies with a specialization in Strategic Human Resource Management in Higher Education from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. Dr Pandit is a Fulbright Fellow. He was selected in 2017 to visit some of the best Higher Education Institutions in the United States of America, including Howard University, the University of Maryland, George Washington University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Notre Dame. The National Productivity Council also selected him for a specialized training programme in Balance Score Card in Fiji in 2007.   Before joining IGIDR in 2010, he was with the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), Delhi, as Secretary, Head, Administration & Finance. Dr Pandit has also worked with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Delhi, as Head, Human Resource Planning & Systems for around eight years. He also worked for seven years as a Senior Academic Administrator with the Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics (CDE, DSE) at the University of Delhi.  Dr Pandit is a dynamic and efficient academic administrator with extensive professional experience spanning three decades in academic and research institutions. His areas of expertise include Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM), Professional Management Systems, Governance and Academic Administration, Gender Diversity, International Collaborations and e-Governance. He has proven his leadership capabilities by adapting, envisioning and creating successful outcomes in challenging situations and diverse environments. 

 

Bino Paul is the Deputy Director/Pro Vice Chancellor of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). After a Master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of Calicut, Kerala, he pursued M Phil in Planning and Development and Ph D in Economics from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB). Bino has been teaching and researching Labour Economics, Sustainability Transition, Social Network Analysis, Micro Data Analytics, and Science, Technology and Society for over two decades of his academic career. He published several scholarly papers in reputed journals like Scientific Reports (Nature), Sustainable Development, Sustainability, Science, Technology and Society, Journal of Small Business Management, Journal of Workplace Learning, Journal of Social Structure, European Journal of Comparative Economics, Economic and Political Weekly, Indian Journal of Labour Economics, International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, and Indian Journal of Human Development. He has been a popular research guide. Over 15 years, he successfully guided 24 Ph D and 30 M Phil candidates. Prof Bino was the Dean of SMLS during 2015-2018. And he has been part of the governance of diverse academic bodies. He was part of the team who got the German Patent (Utility Model) for innovation in microdata curation. As an educationist, he co-founded Post Graduate and Under Graduate Analytics and Sustainability Studies programmes at TISS.