QUESTION 1 [50 MARKS]

As an HR manager in the Gauteng Department of Education, you have been tasked to examine how strategic human resource management (SHRM) and selected HR strategies can be used to improve performance in your organisation (aligned with the applicable legislative mandate). Write an analysis, where you focus on the following:

• The mission statement and a set of prioritised goals for the function and main subfunctions of the organisation (you may refer to training in this instance);
• Organisational structure; and
• A proposed formal budget to address the issue of resource allocation

QUESTION 2 [25 MARKS]

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists. Not so good when people obey and acclaim him. Worse when they despise him. But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done his aim fulfilled they will say: ‘We did it ourselves” – Lao Tsu.

Identify a prominent leader who you admire in your organisation or elsewhere. Critically reflect on the leadership theory that best suits their leadership approach and style by:

• Describing their background;
• Identifying at least one leadership approach (as per your study guide theory);
• Critically reviewing two leadership theories that reflect their leadership style; and
• Conclude by identifying what you recommend they would need to do to improve as leaders.

QUESTION 3 [25 MARKS]

“Organisational culture and organisational design are the most influential determinants of innovation and its subsequent success in an organisation…organisations able to innovate are more capable to deliver new services, improve processes in a faster way to fit [citizen’s] needs and capitalise on opportunities better than non-innovative organisations” (Abashiti et al., 2019).

“Making incremental changes or working within your existing system can lead to better, more efficient processes … practising incremental changes drives a culture of innovation and efficiency” (Carrol, 2019).

Incremental development in organisations is not only inevitable but also logical. HR professionals know that it is impossible to know about all the influences that could affect the future of the organisation and know that strategies must be implemented in stages. This is known as the process of incremental development. Based on your understanding of the above, provide a case study example of how new ideas and policies were implemented in your organisation and the impact of organisational culture in the adoption or rejection of such change.

Answers on Above Questions on Human Resource Management

Answer 1: Human resource management is an important department in any organisation because it is responsible for managing the employees in a way that leads to the attainment of organisational goals. In the given case scenario, the HR manager of Gauteng Department of Education has a significant role to play in enhancing the overall performance of the organisation, by utilising appropriate human resource strategies, and making strategic decisions with respect to the management of human resources in the organisation. An analysis of the ways in which SHRM and HR strategies can be used to improve the performance of Gauteng Department of Education is performed in this part of analysis.