A comparative analysis of strategic human resource management (SHRM) issues in an organisational context

Abstract

Purpose – This paper analyses the opinions of the Botswana National Library Service’s (BNLS)Headquarters (HQ)staff and staff of the Botswana public libraries on strategic human resource management issues, which were tested by six hypotheses. Design/methodology/ approach – The analysis was carried out by statistical means. The t-test was the method used for comparing the two groups’ mean scores. Analyses were repeated using the Chi-squared test. Findings – The study identified a number of issues where staff had differences of opinion: changing employees’ expectations about work, transformational leadership, job satisfaction, performance feedback and delegation of responsibility. The paper briefly discusses the issues where the status of the library influenced staff opinions. Research limitations/implications – It is to be noted that the data collected from HQ has to be used with caution because the number of respondents there was smaller than the respondents from public libraries. Practical implications – The author throws light on human resource management techniques in the everyday library environment. This paper may help policy makers to identify ways in which they can motivate their employees; it may help policy planners to identify their staff’s different requirements. Originality/value – This paper provides a useful and insightful application of a general human resource management tool to the specific organizational context of public libraries.