The Definition and Concept

Human Resource Management

Human resource management was mainly about selecting, placing, orienting,

evaluating and retaining people who were staff members of an organization. It is essential

for finding the right person for the right job at the right time and ensuring an

appropriately trained and satisfied workforce. Bucher and Krotee (2002) defines human

resource management as the process of accomplishing organizational objectives by

finding, acquiring, developing and keeping the right people to form a qualified

workforce.

Successful sport leagues, clubs, associations, retailers and venues all rely on good

human resources, both on and off the field to get their jobs done. According to Hoye,

Smith, Westerbeek, Stewart and Nicholson (2006), it is a central feature of an

organization’s planning system such as strategic planning, financial planning or

managing organizational culture and structure. It can both drive organizational success

and is a consequence of good management and planning. Besides, it involves a process of

continual planning and evaluation and is best viewed as part of a cycle in which an

organization aims to meet its strategic plan.

The Essentials of Human Resource Management

Most of human resource management in sports organization aims to provide an

effective, productive and satisfied workforce. Based on this statement, it refers to the

design, development, implementation, management and evaluation of systems and

practices used by employers to recruit, select, develop, reward, retain and evaluate their

workforce (Hoye, Smith, Westerbeek, Stewart and Nicholson, 2006).

Bucher and Krotee (2002) added that recruitment, selection, hiring, training,

motivating, and other consideration become the responsibility not only of management,

but of all staff members. It is because various individuals and groups understanding,

accepting each other and working together may lead to the ultimate achievement of the

organization’s goals and the development of high level performance.

Recruitment

Tan Kwang How (2001) describes recruitment as the process of finding and

attracting capable applicants in sufficient members and encouraging them to apply for

employment within the organization. It can be best define as the process by which an

organization tries to find the person most suited to the job that has been designed (Hoye,

Smith, Westerbeek, Stewart and Nicholson, 2006). The greater the pool of applicants, the

greater the chance the organization will find a suitable candidate.

Selection

The process of choosing from those applicants who are best suited for the

positions available is called selection. Hoye, Smith, Westerbeek, Stewart and Nicholson

(2006) refer it as the process condensing the candidates that applied for the position

during the recruitment phase to a short-list. This phase will usually include at least one

interview of the short-listed candidates, which will supplement the application form and

curriculum vitae submitted by the applicants in order to determine whether they are

appropriate in light of the job analysis and which the applicants is the best person for the

job.

The Needs for Recruitment

According to Tan Kwang How (2001), recruitment is an essential process to

ensure the company hires only competent, motivated and productive employees. It is

because the quality of the organisation’s human resource depends on the quality of its

recruits.

The Recruitment Process

After the planning phase, recruitment is considered as the second phase of the

core functions in human resource management. The human resource planning is

essentially about assessing and forecasting the staffing needs of organization. It will show

both present job openings and those expected in the future (Tan Kwang How, 2001). For

example, an organization must assess whether current staffing needs will be adequate to

meet future demand, whether staff turnover is predictable and can be accommodated,

whether the ratios of paid, full-time, part-time, casual and volunteer staff are appropriate

or adequate, whether specific capabilities will be required in the future that the

organization is currently lacking. (Hoye, Smith, Westerbeek, Stewart and Nicholson,

2006)

According to Tan Kwang How (2001), once openings have been identified, the

organisation will make a decision on whether there is a need for recruitment or to use

alternative ways to meet the demand. The recruitment process begins if there are no other

appropriate alternatives to choose.

Various Sources of Recruitment

Effective recruitment requires accessing a variety of different sources depending

on the job. The most important consideration in making decision of recruitment is to

determine whether to recruit qualified candidates from within the organisation or from

external sources such as universities or other organisations.

Recruiting candidates from within the company gives several advantages. First

and foremost, the employer knows their employees very well so that the company saves a

great deal of effort in trying to check references and going through the screening and

interview process. Therefore, the employees may have the opportunity to prove their

strength and capabilities. Besides, internal candidates are familiar with the way the

company operates so that there is no need to conduct any orientation program. Two

important tools that can aid in internal recruitment are the skills inventory and a

procedure of job posting and job bidding.

On the contrary, not all job vacancies can be filled through internal recruitment

especially when the organisation is expanding and new jobs are created, or the new job

requires specialised skills that are not present among the current employees. There are

also times in which the organisation plans to recruit young university graduates from

outside with the intention to obtain new blood with new ideas. The common methods

used for external recruitment are walk-ins and write-ins, open house and employee

referrals, and advertising.

When the sources of recruitment have been identified, appropriate methods are

used to obtain a pool of recruited individuals. A manager will initiates an employee

requisition form to the recruiter in the beginning of the recruitment process. Employee

requisition form is a document that specifies the details of the job. Then, the recruiter will

review the job description and job specification in order to know the characteristics of

both the job and the people who will fill them.

Job Analysis

Once an organization decides that a new staff member is required or a new

position is to be created, the organization must undertake a job analysis, in order to

determine the job content (primary and implied tasks), requirements (skills,

competencies, qualifications and experiences) and context (reporting relationships and

job characteristics). According to Tan Kwang How (2001), job analysis is the systematic

process of studying and collecting information relating to the operations and

responsibilities of a specific job.

There are various approaches can be used in job analysis such as questionnaires,

interview and observation. Selection of a method of job analysis depends on what the

information will be used primarily for and the approach most practical for the

organization.

Once the job analysis has been completed in as much detail as possible, the

organization ready to develop a job description and a job specification.

Job Description

Hoye, Smith, Westerbeek, Stewart and Nicholson (2006) define the job

description as a document that covers the job content and context. It provides information

regarding the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of the job.

Job Specification

Job specification is a statement of the minimum acceptable human qualities

necessary to perform a job properly (Tan Kwang How, 2001). It is best described as a

document that covers the jobs requirements, especially skills and knowledge base.

References:

1. Hoye, R., Smith, A., Westerbeek, H., Stewart, B. & Nicholson, M. (2006). Sport

Management Principles and Applications. Great Britain: Elsevier Butterworth-

Heinemann.

2. Tan Kwang How (2001). Recruitment & Selection in Malaysian Organisations.

Malaysia: McGraw-Hill.