Employee and management attitudes towards the human resource development function

Abstract

Human Resource Development (HRD) is a vital part of any organisation, and shapes the future of the organisation. The purpose of this study was to measure and analyse managerial and staff attitudes toward the HRD function in a mining organisation and to investigate whether the HRD Department created an environment of openness and approachability to direct and offer advice to employees, as well as, whether the HRD Department roles are aligned to assist and aid the organisation in achieving its strategic positioning goals within the mining markets. Finally, the objective was to propose measures to address the challenges identified through this study. A quantitative research method was applied. The study questionnaire evaluated the opinions of employees from Xstrata Alloys. A random sample was administered and questionnaires were individually sent out. A total of 113 responses were received from a total of 120 questionnaires that were distributed. The results revealed two conclusions: The principal conclusion was that the HRD function helps the organisation to accomplish business goals, improve operating efficiency and take care of employees' personal needs. The secondary conclusion was that the organisational positioning, design and reporting structures of the HRD department of Xstrata created challenges for the implementation of the strategic practices; the HRD practitioners did not assist in the creation of partnerships between Xstrata and its HRD Department to ensure strategic implementation; and the HRD practitioners' performance at a strategic level was lacking, therefore their contribution towards achieving the strategic objectives is a risk.