Research On Human Resource Management For Faculty At The University Of Cameroon

This thesis attempted to contribute to the extant body of research on human resource management practices(HRMPs)associated with university teachers among higher education institutions in developing countries,with its focus on Cameroon.The study argued that if there could be any significant performance in higher education institutions,effective human resource management practices associated with university teachers could be one of the key contributors.A search into the available literature concerning human resource management practices associated with university teachers in university institutions in Cameroon gave very meager information.However,this did not mean that the sector explored by the study had nothing in place in terms of human resource management practices.The main aim of this research was to explore the human resource management practices associated with university teachers and employed by higher education institutions in Cameroon to identify the type of HRM practices they employed,how such practices were employed,and highpoint on constraints that evolved in the execution of such type and methods of human resource management practices.After conducting a review of relevant literature,the study employed a qualitative research approach,based on an embedded case study to explore the human resource management practices associated with university teachers and employed by a sample of four higher education institutions in Cameroon.These four HEIs,used as research units for the case study,included the University of Yaounde 1(UY1),the Catholic University of Central Africa(CUCA),the PKFokam Institute of Excellence(PKFIE),and the Saint Therese Catholic University Institute of Yaounde(STCUIY).The data collection was conducted in Cameroon from January to March 2019,based on three techniques,including using face-to-face semi-structured interviews,document review,and observation.67 participants partook in the interviews,including higher education officials from the Ministry of Higher Education(MOHE),leaders/managers,and faculty members from the four HEIs.Document analysis consisted of reviewing policy-related documentation,yearbooks,and various reports from the MOHE,and the four HEIs,while observations involved attendance in statutory meetings in each of the four higher education institutions where matters related to faculty recruitment,advancement,and incentives were among the items included in meetings' agendas.A theoretical framework was developed from existing HRM theories to guide the study,namely the “Integrative Strategic Talent(HR)Management Framework for HEIs”.This derived theoretical framework assisted the researcher in the selection of themes,setting up of interview questions,analysis of the data collected,as well as the discussion of the findings of this study.The analysis of the data revealed that the four Cameroonian HEIs selected in the study had human resource management practices in place.Apart from some cases,they were engaged in most of the human resource management practices covered under this research,including recruitment and selection,training and development,performance management and appraisal,compensation,promotion.Nevertheless,these were at varying levels of efficiency and effectiveness.Whereas these higher education institutions had some knowledge on formal human resource management practices,their managers and leaders did not act on that knowledge,especially for some crucial human resource management practices such as human resource planning,training,and development,performance appraisal academic promotion,etc.This did not contribute to the ineffectiveness of their academic concerning improved teaching and research performance and productivity.However,the findings were less supportive of the theoretical framework that guided this research.This was because the theoretical model guided towards the employment of strategic-effective and efficient human resource management practices,i.e.,the alignment of mutually integrated HRMPs with strategic objectives to achieve the institutions' set goals and objectives to enhance performance and productivity among faculty members.However,the findings revealed that the selected higher education institutions mostly engaged in non-strategic human resource management practices that were not aligned with institutional strategic objectives and that were not mutually integrated nor mutually dependent to achieve superior performance and productivity.This often brought on numerous constraints,which coupled with the challenging economic times they were faced with within the country as a(Sub-Saharan)African country,affected the teaching and research performance and productivity of their faculty members negatively.It remains to say that the findings and discussion of the study were grounded on the information provided by the 67 participants-interviewees who partook in this research and the data collected from document review and observations.The research has contributed to the extant knowledge on human resource management practices by bringing to light the type and methods of HRM practices associated with university teachers,engaged in by the Cameroonian higher education institutions selected in the study,as well as the problems and challenges encountered in the deployment of such HRM practices.The study has thus highlighted how such issues affected the teaching and research performance and productivity of university teachers,and institutional success and effectiveness as a whole.It has also contributed to the extant human resource management theories by adding a theoretical framework to the current human resource management models,which may be improved upon for future research.Recommendations were given to help to promote the practicing of effective HRM within higher education institutions that partook in this study,and the higher education sector in Cameroon as a whole.This may enhance higher performance and productivity among university teachers and allow HEIs to achieve superior performance to participate in enhancing national development through delivery of innovative research outputs,highly skilled and innovative human capital,and efficient support to development.