Human Resource and Industrial Relations
PROJECT TITLE: Impact of NPM and HR on Traditional Industrial Relations Systems
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page 3 Introduction
Pages 4-8 Literature Review
Pages 9-13 Traditional Industrial Relations System
Pages 14-18 Traditional Public Sector Model
Pages 19-21 Analysis and Findings
Page 22 Recommendation
Page 23 Conclusion
Page24 Bibliography
In many Commonwealth Caribbean Countries since the early 1960’s, there have been attempts at Public Sector Reform by replacing the traditional system of Public Administration with what is commonly known as New Public Management and to this day, the successful implementation of such structural adjustment attempts have evaded most Governments who have dared to try. It was evident, however, that there were differences in the way each country attempted to introduce NPM. Jamaica and Barbados, for example, adhered rigorously to the primary tenets of NPM and Trinidad and Tobago by implementing some measures but not others. Human resource management (HRM) is a term which is now widely used but very loosely defined. It should be defined in such a way as to differentiate it from traditional personnel management and to allow the development of testable hypotheses about its impact. Based on theoretical work in the field of organizational behaviour it is proposed that HRM comprises a set of policies designed to maximize organizational integration, employee commitment, flexibility and quality of work. Within this model, collective industrial relations have, at best, only a minor role. Despite the apparent attractions of HRM to managements, there is very little evidence of any quality about its impact or that of New Public Management. However, the purpose of this paper is to review and analyze some of the different approaches to Human Resource Management, New Public Management and Industrial Relations initiatives used in Trinidad and Tobago and the extent to which the introduction
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page 3 Introduction
Pages 4-8 Literature Review
Pages 9-13 Traditional Industrial Relations System
Pages 14-18 Traditional Public Sector Model
Pages 19-21 Analysis and Findings
Page 22 Recommendation
Page 23 Conclusion
Page24 Bibliography
In many Commonwealth Caribbean Countries since the early 1960’s, there have been attempts at Public Sector Reform by replacing the traditional system of Public Administration with what is commonly known as New Public Management and to this day, the successful implementation of such structural adjustment attempts have evaded most Governments who have dared to try. It was evident, however, that there were differences in the way each country attempted to introduce NPM. Jamaica and Barbados, for example, adhered rigorously to the primary tenets of NPM and Trinidad and Tobago by implementing some measures but not others. Human resource management (HRM) is a term which is now widely used but very loosely defined. It should be defined in such a way as to differentiate it from traditional personnel management and to allow the development of testable hypotheses about its impact. Based on theoretical work in the field of organizational behaviour it is proposed that HRM comprises a set of policies designed to maximize organizational integration, employee commitment, flexibility and quality of work. Within this model, collective industrial relations have, at best, only a minor role. Despite the apparent attractions of HRM to managements, there is very little evidence of any quality about its impact or that of New Public Management. However, the purpose of this paper is to review and analyze some of the different approaches to Human Resource Management, New Public Management and Industrial Relations initiatives used in Trinidad and Tobago and the extent to which the introduction