Quality Assurance in Organizational Learning

By

Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, , declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

Abstract

The field of human resources faces serious challenges as it attempts to deal with a dynamic and often hostile business environment. As organizations face an increasingly competitive marketplace, management is analyzing all facets of the organization to reduce operating costs. Because labor cost makes up a significant percentage of most organizations' operating costs, it is an area that constantly comes under scrutiny. It has traditionally been the responsibility of the human resource department to design and implement an employee relations program that will enable the organization to recruit, develop, and retain the best employees without significant concern about other business issues—a silo approach. There are some who believe the future of the human resource function will go the way of the dinosaur, that is, it will become extinct. They believe that individuals within the human resource unit have become a hindrance to the organization's ability to adapt to the changing workplace and that it has become at best an unneeded overhead expense. And with a silo attitude, that might very well be true. But there is increasing evidence that the human resource function is significantly changing and that it will continue to evolve (Barber, 1999; Heneman, 1999; Losey, 1999; Thacker, 2002). Organizations must still be able to recruit and retain competent employees in a tight labor market in order to serve their customers in an efficient and effective way; if human resource professionals are educated to view the big picture of corporate strategy, they can assist the organization in the implementation and development of its strategic plan. This study examines key human resource management strategies for volunteers in a non-profit organization that have a positive impact on volunteers' job satisfaction, high performance, and leads to increased volunteer retention and overall organizational performance. Prior studies have focused on the organization's perspective on volunteer management rather than the volunteer's viewpoint. This research was conducted as a case study exploring a "specific bounded" system, a large non-profit organization that provides programming and services to 18,000 members in 21 counties. The results showed that communication of the mission and vision of the non-profit organization, recruitment; training and volunteer development, performance management, volunteer relations, and recognition and rewards are key human resource management strategies that will improve volunteer job satisfaction, high performance, volunteer retention, and overall organizational performance. This research can serve as a roadmap for non-profit organizations to improve volunteer job satisfaction, high performance, volunteer retention, and overall organizational performance.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW10

Human Resource Management as a Function10

ISSUES IN HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT12

HRM COMPETENCIES AND CURRICULUM14

DIVERSIFIED MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES ...