A Strategic Perspective on Human Resource Development in Nepal

Abstract

The PhD thesis work aims at examining the presence of strategic human resource development (HRD) characteristics instrumental to achieve theoretical HRD outcomes, in view of a long-felt need to manage the strategic factors of HRD. An exploratory and analytical research approach was adopted to study all commercial banks (N = 25) and national level development banks (N = 14) of Nepal through a survey (2012-2013) on incumbent supervisors and managers (N = 708) chosen through a proportionate, stratified probability sampling technique from (a) hierarchy-based strata, and (b) from both bank categories. Principal component analysis (PCA) analyzed 25 theoretically identified strategic characteristics in current HRD practices; the study — through the factor analysis — finally identified 19 relevant and influential characteristics factor-labeled by PCA into a two-factor framework based on regression analysis: namely, (a) Enabling-cum-facilitating Factors and (b) Implementation-cum-control Factors. Based on the findings enshrined in the strategic HRD (SHRD) framework, it devised strategic characteristics-based SHRD model which was further validated through an analysis of the qualitative data collected from a depth-interview based ‘key resourceful informant survey’ (KRIS). The SHRD model so developed should prove instrumental to HR managers in strategically managing their HRD function for achieving expected HRD outcomes in strategically steering modern day organisations amid rapidly changing, complex external environmental factors.

Keywords: Strategic human resource development, strategic HRD characteristics, factor analysis, HRD outcomes