The contemporary University and its future challenges, imposes a new vision of Higher Education characterized by the search for relevance and quality.
These demands produce constant changes and transformations in all the processes of the Higher Education Institutions, that is, in the Universities, both in the updating of equipment and technologies as well as in the methods and management styles that contribute to greater participation, commitment, motivation and creativity of all its human resources as an active subject of the required transformations and a decisive indicator of University Excellence.
It is highlighted that studying it is essential not only for its functions and its impacts, but also for the quality of its human resources and in particular for its teachers and students. Therefore, the need to improve Integrated Human Resources Management in Universities is imminent.
It is proposed that studies and research should be directed towards the selection processes for entering the organization, the promotion of teaching categories, the organization of work, performance evaluation, stimulation systems, training and development, among others.
Introduction
In the contemporary University and its future challenges, a new vision of Higher Education must be imposed, characterized by the search for relevance and quality. This includes the constant adjustment to the new demands of technological changes, associated with the growing development of new information and communication technologies and the nature of the prevailing conceptions of management in the current world.
In accordance with these requirements, constant changes and transformations take place in all the processes of the Higher Education Institutions, that is, in the Universities, both in the updating of equipment and technologies as well as in the management methods and styles that contribute to a greater Participation, commitment, motivation and creativity of all its human resources that participate in teaching-methodological activities and in support activities for teaching, as an active subject of the required transformations and a decisive indicator of University Excellence.
Therefore, the objective of this work is to highlight the need to improve Integrated Human Resource Management in Universities.
Development
In Cuban Higher Education, from the triumph of the Revolution and more specifically with the promulgation of the University Reform that clearly established the new paradigms in correspondence with social aspirations, profound transformations were carried out, and continuous improvement has been maintained.
Background of the work
The background to this work has been located since the creation of the Ministry of Higher Education (MES) in 1976, the management system has evolved from traditional planning and organization schemes, towards Strategic Planning and Management by Objectives, and work has been done for guaranteeing highly qualified teachers and staff both in their specialty, and from the pedagogical point of view and identified with the principles of the Revolution, whose main mission is the comprehensive training of the top-level specialists that the country needs.
During all the subsequent years, policies, legal norms and procedures have been established for the Management of Personnel in the Universities, which in their evolution have been perfected, among them, those related to the selection of new staff and the regulations on teaching categories, work organization systems, performance evaluation and improvement.
However, despite the undoubted advances in this direction as a result of the continuous improvement work, which has encompassed all university processes, limitations are still evident in Human Resources Management with teaching staff and support staff, They demand a scientific action aimed at guaranteeing quality in the fulfillment of the organization's mission, with greater rationality, efficiency and effectiveness.
In this sense, it is stated in the Strategic Planning of the UH for the 2010 period, that there are still deficiencies and insufficiencies related to the processes and functions in Human Resources Management, and the existence of the Following weaknesses:
Poor human resource management system.
There is no work strategy with the management teams.
Given the complex nature of the analyzed process, it is necessary to undertake a scientific improvement of the Human Resources Management processes in the Universities and an adequate Work Strategy with the Management Boards, and in practice to develop the different processes, procedures and techniques of Human Resources Management, through the application of models conceived on theoretical bases that reconcile the different aspects necessary to take into account, according to the particular characteristics of the Universities and of Higher Education as an organization.
Method used
The method used to carry out this work has been fundamentally the study and analysis of works of doctoral theses and diplomas previously developed, which deal with the topic addressed, as well as interviews with UH managers, and direct observations in the object of analysis and studies.
Evolution and trends of Human Resources Management in Universities and Higher Education Institutions.
In organizations in general, the efficiency and effectiveness of their results may depend, among others, on factors such as equipment or technology, however in Universities and in Higher Education in general, excellence is decided by professional quality, skills and attitudes of the staff working in it and in the first instance of the teachers who make it up.
In the Universities, according to their processes, different functions associated with Human Resources Management are developed, that is, the selection, hiring according to the established policy, the organization of work, training, remuneration, among others, and depending on the interests and objectives, in order to fulfill its mission, the functions are carried out to a greater or lesser extent. All these processes in Human Resources Management are highly nuanced by current trends in University Human Resources Management.
Starting from the existence of particular differences regarding the development of the social and political aspects characteristic of each country, the comprehensive influence of scientific technical development and existing globalizing trends is recognized, as well as considering knowledge as one of the starting points of development strategies.
According to several reviewed authors, it is proposed that as a summary… The change requires a willingness from universities to permanently reform their structures, programs and working methods, which implies assuming flexibility and innovation as work standards.
Among the most recognized trends as advanced in contemporary universities, in different UNESCO forums and materials, are considered:
- Overcrowding. Financing. Diversification. Internationalization. Trends in Training Trends in Scientific Research Trends in New Information and Communication Technologies (NTIC) Trends in the characteristic indicators of the management of university teaching staff Time devoted by teachers. Selection and recruitment. Categories and promotion policies. Demand for personnel and the organization of work. Performance evaluation. Reforms. Efficiency assessment. Quality assessment.
Each of these general trends has its influence on the main aspects related to Human Resource Management in the Universities and have their manifestation and influence in Higher Education and in the Universities specifically in our country, which would be interesting to develop and study. in future works.
Human Resources Management at the University
The relevance of the university in society is directly related to the expectations and claims that society expects from the university and that is why university institutions must study it not only for its functions, its impact, but also for the quality of its human resources and in particular that of its teaching staff. As Bok, D. (1992) points out… “The quality of HEIs is measured by the quality of their students and their teachers”.
The University is an open system with wide exchange with the environment and integrated by a set of processes according to Musa, J. (1997) are grouped according to the role that corresponds to them in:
• Relevance processes that are those of professional training, postgraduate, research and extension.
• Existence processes that consider the management of human resources and the assurance of financial and material resources.
To fulfill the mission entrusted to the university with a strategic vision, continuous improvement of the different processes is required, and in particular that of Human Resources Management, so as to guarantee internal coherence as a system, through strategies, policies, procedures, techniques and actions that are planned and carried out at the University.
At the University, its staff has a leading place due to the role it represents as an active subject in the transformations required and is therefore decisive, achieving the improvement of the management carried out with the segment of workers to achieve greater relevance, quality and competitiveness of the Universities, in accordance with the demands of the different processes involved.
On the other hand, the management of university teaching staff and their management cadres have their own characteristics that make it differ significantly from the treatment given to staff from other segments (workers, clerks, etc.) and organizations. These differences have been addressed in various works, including by a group of CEPES authors (1992), considering that they are mainly due to their particularities, which are:
• Multiple and varied functions in your work content.
• Knowledge specialization imposes limits on administrative authority.
• Inaccurate work contents, having a generally wide margin to decide personally on the specific forms and contents of their work, given the creativity levels of these personnel.
• The selection and promotion processes are fundamentally in the hands of the teachers themselves through commissions or courts.
• Permanent updating is in the first instance an individual responsibility.
• The control and evaluation procedures are more flexible, based on confidence in the fulfillment of duties and obligations.
Other works in groups of experts developed in the Human Resources Directorate of the MES, suggest that the most essential functions of University Human Resources Management are the following:
• Guarantee fully trained teaching staff that enable the strategic objectives of the different university processes and the mission of the organization to be met with effectiveness, efficiency, efficacy and quality.
• Guarantee the prepared reserve that allows for the periodic and timely renewal of its managers and the natural renewal of the teaching staff in the different categories, which ensures continuity in the quality development of the results of the university processes.
• Contribute to the improvement of management methods and styles based on greater leadership and that promote increased participation, commitment, motivation, creativity and competitiveness of teaching staff.
• Guarantee a satisfactory work environment and the working and living conditions essential for the best performance of their duties.
• Diagnose the insufficiencies and promote the organizational and structural improvement required at the different levels, in correspondence with the strategic objectives and the internal and external dynamics.
• Contribute to perfect the organizational culture, the strengthening of ethical and moral values and the sense of belonging.
Aspects to be investigated, studied and developed in Human Resources Management in Universities.
In order to temper these times, the Universities and the Institutions of Higher Education have in their professors the first order agents to guide and develop the processes of transformation of the sciences and of their own organizations. For this reason, it is of strategic importance to improve the Management of its Human Resources and, in particular, that developed with university teaching staff, which due to its own characteristics, makes it differ significantly from the treatment given in other organizations.
Among the important aspects that must be investigated, studied and developed in Human Resources Management in Universities, is the precise definition of the functions of each segment of workers involved, that is, what are and should be the characteristics, competencies, functions that are considered to have the teaching staff, the teaching technician, the administrative staff and the rest of the worker segments.
These studies must be fundamentally linked to the personnel selection processes for entering the organization, the promotion of teaching categories, the organization of work, performance evaluation, existing stimulation systems, the training and development of teaching staff, and the rest of the important segments in the teaching-methodological and research process.
The precision in the functions that correspond to the subjects involved in the different processes of the management of the teaching staff (managers, courts, teachers, organizations, among others) and the rest of the staff.
Conceptualize the processes of Human Resource Management and teaching staff in particular, according to the particularities of the organization and each University.
The integration of strategies for the development of Human Resources Management processes and of teaching staff in particular, in correspondence with the requirements of the different university processes, the particular characteristics of each University and its environment.
Coherence to guarantee the systemic nature between the processes that make up Human Resources Management and teaching staff in particular.
All of which must be constituted in manifestations of analysis and studies.
Expected results.
The expected results are to continue the work that has begun between the School of Accounting and Finance and the Human Resources Department of the University of Havana.
Conclusions
1. The work shows that despite the undoubted advances in the management of university personnel, the need to improve Integrated Human Resource Management in Universities prevails because limitations are still evident with teaching staff and support personnel.
2. It is exposed that within the diagnosed documents, the Strategic Planning of the UH for the 2010 period is taken into account, where the existence of deficiencies and insufficiencies related to: poor human resources management system, and There is no work strategy with the management teams.
3. It is highlighted that the relevance of the university in society is directly related to its expectations and claims, and for them it must be studied not only for its functions and its impacts, but also for the quality of its human resources and particular by its teachers and its students.
4. It is proposed that studies and research should be directed towards the selection processes for entering the organization, the promotion of teaching categories, the organization of work, performance evaluation, stimulation systems, training and development, among others..
Bibliography
1. Bok, D. Quality in Higher Education Institutions. Mexico: Ediciones SA 1992.
2. Chiavenato Idalberto, Human Resources Administration. Bogotá: Editorial McGraw-Hill Iberoamericana. 1993.
3. Collective of authors. Particularities of Work in CEPES Universities. 1992
4. Gómez Mejías Luis R, Balkin Davis and Cardy Robert L. Human Resources Management. 1996.
5. Lau Rodriguez Cristina B. A model of Human Resources Management for the Tourism Sector of Cuba. University of Havana, Cuba, 2001.
6. Musa, J. The University an open system. New Vision Editions, Buenos Aires. (1997
7. Naomi Levis Mayra. University Teaching Personnel Management Model. Thesis in Option to the Degree of Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences. Eastern University. Cuba. 2000.
