MM Bagali...... HR academicians Research paper..... HR Education...... PhD Work..... Research work....

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HR Practitioner's perspectives on HR Education in B-Schools :
Issue of Rigor, Relevance and a Paradigm shift towards Knowledge and
Skills framework for HR students !
Bagali M M 1
Abstract
The concept of globalisation affects and effects anything and everything in the industrial scenario and one needs to
be in a constant touch, to understand it's happenings. The HR Practitioners are one such set of experts who are in
constant touch with their happenings and are often found to be genuinely informative and decisive in their approach
to their profession and to their organizations. Further, the perception of the HR Practioner's when it comes to
evaluating and hiring B-school graduates, views the graduate's skills, knowledge levels, competencies and
employability, with suspicion. This perception may have grown into a mental set and a practice, may have lead to
create a large pool of management graduates who are un-employable,and ifthey are,their employability to the higher
/ finer echelons of an industry are a rarity. Unfortunately, the Higher Education (H E) sector, especially the Faculty
of management education in India, has not paid much heed to these issues. The regulatory bodies have focused more
on granting approvalsrather thanimproving the employment issues ofmanagement graduates in the country resulting
into high proliferation and low quality of teaching-learning. Thus, this study hasbeen initiated,which looks into the
HR Practioner's perspective of HR Education, where things are not correct; which things are to be ratified; where
things are to be restructured.
A questionnaire has been developed and used to collect the data from the HR Practitioner, currently working in
various organizations, such as IT, ITeS, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, Hospitality, Consultancy,
Banking, Insurance and Financial Services predominantly based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The data collected, was
analyzed using statistical tools such as Frequency, Percentage, Coefficient of Correlation and Chi Square, by the
application of SPSS 20.0.1 software. The study stresses the need and sustenance for the development and use of HR
Practitioner's perspective in designing and development of HR management education, as an important component,
in the development of a holistic and industrially relevant syllabi, consisting of value added skills, practice and
attitudinal set.
Keywords:, HR education, HR Practitioners, Skills and Comptency, Management Education, Management Schools
1
Professor of Human Resources and Management, & Director (Research Projects and International Affairs), REVA
University, Bangalore. e: dr.mmbagali@gmail.com
! This is a part of the PhD work under my guidance in the HR area. The Topic of the PhD is "Management Educators and
Stakeholders on HR Education in B schools”, and is a submitted work

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Introduction
B-schools have been able to establish a sizeable presence for themselves, within the Collegiate Institutions
around the globe (Kumar and Jha, 2012). Quality based postgraduate management education contributes
to the society in many ways beyond just formal upgrading and up skilling. The research, training and
consultancy undertaken by the faculty in such B-schools, on businesses, people practices and organisations,
markets, and environment together contribute to an enlarging repository of knowledge and skills; this
ensures that teaching-learning process, being adopted by the concerned B-school, remains current and
relevant. This helps the organisations and companies to acquire a compact understanding of its strategies,
and the execution of that will ensure their success and longevity in the market. Subject , skills- comptency-
knowledge expertise of the Academician, along with their students', is sought by members of the business
community ranging from small family firms, to technology start-ups, to multinational corporations and
others (Kaul, 2011; Gupta and Gollakota, 2004).
HR Management Education contribution as an outcome endeavour
Hambrick and Mason (1984) suggested that organisations are reflection of their top managers. Building on
this work, Finkelstein and Hambrick (1996) argued the importance of human element in strategic choice
and firm performance. Infact, managers in-particular represent a unique organisational resource (Daily,
Certo and Dalton, 2000). The human element has grown in importance because knowledge has become a
critical ingredient to gain a competitive advantage, particularly in the new economy landscape (Grant and
Spender, 1996). CarlyFiorina, former CEOof Hewlett-Packard,emphasised this point - “The most magical
and tangible and ultimately the most important ingredient in the transformed landscape is its Human
Resources”. The best HR always comes from the best b-schools, and the best b-schools are always made
by the faculty who take the ownership in imparting the latest needed knowledge and training based on the
organisational needs.
The literature on organisational learning, for example points out organisations, in and of themselves, do not
create knowledge, people do (Argyris and Schon, 1978). Knowledge is created by individuals and the best
knowledge by best teachers and educators. An organisation cannot create knowledge on its own without
individuals. Individual learning is prerequisite for organisational learning (Kim, 1993). Individual learning
occurs simply by virtue of being human. As individuals learn, they increase their human capital and create
knowledge that potentially forms a foundation for organisational level learning and knowledge
accumulation. Knowledge stocks provide a foundation for understanding the role of human capital as a

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potential source of firm's core competencies (Grant and Spender, 1996). Managing people based on their
human capital will allow an organisation to optimise knowledge creation - whether of new product ideas
and services or of improvements in business processes (Hitt, et al., 2001; Lepak and Snell, 1999).
Researchers have examined that, variations in HR practices is accompanied by differences in employment
system as well as differences of human capital (Lepak and Snell, 1999). Through a series of unique HR
practices firms may have access to valuable human resources that provide a source of competitive advantage
(Colbert, 2004).
Human capital theorists have typically argued that organisations can increase their human capital by
internally developing the knowledge and skills of their current employees and by attracting individuals with
high knowledge and skill levels from the external labour market. That is, organisations can try to make and
buy human capital. Human capital grows in two ways; a) when the organisation uses more of what people
know; b) when more people know more of what is useful to the organisation (Stewart, 1997). According to
resource based view of the firm, performance differences across the firm can be attributed to the variance
in firm's resources and capabilities. Resources that are valuable, unique and difficult to imitate can provide
the basis for firm's competitive advantages (Barney 1991). Organisation exists for a purpose and is a
deliberate arrangement of human and other resources with the aim of delivering needs, satisfying services
and products as effectively and efficiently as possible, which ultimately needs optimal workforce planning.
Becker (1964) originally pointed out that under norms of rationality organisations would prefer programs
that produce firm-specific skills that are non-transferable to other companies. Specific resources are unique
and difficult to imitate (Barney, 1991). Specificity of skills is associated with specificity of human capital.
In other words, it can be stated that human capital is most valuable when it is firm specific (Hatch and
Dyer, 2004;Hitt et al, 2001). Management institutes are often criticised for focusing more on theory and
on quantitative analysis while neglecting interpersonal relationship and quantitative finding. It is often
stated that management education should be experience-based, problem oriented and modified by feedback
and action learning servesthe purpose (Kaul, 2011;Shewtaand Kumar 2011;Kumar and Jha2012). MBA
graduates are deficient in global perspective, leadership skills, integration skills, recognising organisational
realities and implementing effectively, acting creatively and innovatively, thinking critically and
communicating clearly, understanding the role, responsibilities and purpose of business, understanding the
limits of models and markets (Datar, Garvin, and Cullen, 2010). In the absence of these skills, the MBAs
do not remain employable. This is furthered by the NASSCOM’s report (2012) indicating that not more
than 25 per cent of engineers and MBA graduates are employable. There is an clear observation that, soft
skills, hard skills, and employable skills are missing.

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To add to the problem, there is a decrease in placements of MBAs. This phenomenon began in 2008 when
getting lucrative jobs by MBA students nosedived (Rao, 2012; Sarkar 2011). Slowdown in the economy
has added to their problems as all B-schools in India, including the IIMs, are feeling the impact of global
slowdown in their placements. This problem has compounded with the increase of students in their
institutes. For instance, IIM-Indore is felt maximum heat as its batch size has increased from 240 in 2011
to 450 in 2012 (Rao, 2012). Getting the right number and quality of faculty members is a challenge for
Indian B-schools. Additionally, the quality of research of the Indian B-school faculty members is also not
up to the global standards (A white paperbased on the present study results, reviled that, majority of Indian
b-schools faculty papers are not cited nor refereed and appear in top business journals). Unfortunately, a
majority of B-school promoters are least concernedabout attracting, developing and retaining good faculty.
They usually develop cold feet when it comes to faculty development while they do not mind spending
lavishly on infrastructure, advertising, etc, which may not fetch much in the long run.
Promoting Employability of HR Students in Industry
Christopher (2010), in his project “Employability and emotional intelligence of the individual within the
school-to-work transition phase” has investigated the relationship between the employability (as measured
by the Southern African Employability Inventory) and emotional intelligence (as measured by the
Assessing Emotions Scale) of individuals within the school-to-work transition phase. He infers that there
is a positive relationship between employability and the emotional intelligence to the graduates giving the
clue that in addition to scholastic grades, some more skills also have a role to play in deciding the
employability of graduates.
Maxwell et al (2009), in their study of “Employers as stakeholders in postgraduate employability skills
development” intended to raise the important issue of the gap between the skills developed on postgraduate
programs and employers’ statedneedsof postgraduates and to narrowing the gap. Afterthe study they found
out Placement of full time employers pre-experience students prioritise “communication”, “independent
working” and then, equally, “problem solving”, “personal learning and development”, and “teamwork”,
while employers of part-time, post-experience students prioritise “communication”, “problem solving” and
“decision making” are core skills required to cater the needs of the employers which can be achieved if
there is input from the employer in curriculum as well as work place. This places more emphasis on the
involvement of the employers than just the contribution from the institutions. Gracia (2009), in herresearch
“Employability and higher education: contextualizing female students’ workplace experiences to enhance

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understanding of employability development”, intended to study higher education use of Supervised Work
Experience (SWE) as a mechanism of employability skills development through exploration of female
students’ experiences of accounting SWE, and its subsequent shaping of their views of employment.
Findings of this study suggest that female students’ participation within the socio-cultural field of
professional accounting employment through SWE exposes them to a range of work-based gendered
experiences. It was also found that skills development should have the gender touch as females will face a
different set of problems after their graduation.
Apel (2008), in a conference paper, “Employability: Towards anempirical conceptpaper for the conference
activation policies on the fringes of society: a challenge for European welfare states Nuremberg”, studied
the relationship between the employability and universities to prepare policies for the future. The study
revealed, that they predicted the integration into employment is better when individual employability is
considered. This has thrown some light on requirement and insight into individual employment. Wilton
(2008), in his study of “Business graduates and management jobs: an employability match made in
heaven?” drawing on data drawnfrom a questionnaire survey of 1999 graduates, four yearsaftergraduation,
and a program of follow-up qualitative interviews, reported on the experiences of recent business and
management graduates. In particular this paper explored the relationship between skills developed on
undergraduate program and those subsequently used in employment, particularly in managerial careers.
Finally he could suggest that management education providers might well benefit from greater engagement
with recent graduates about their experiences in the workplace and the relevant skills that should be
developed on undergraduate Business and Management program. Such engagement might offer a more
focused template for skills training on undergraduate Business and Management programs, especially to
prepare graduates for managerial work.
Rationale for the Research Study
The field of higher management education with special focus on HR education, in India needs the inputs
from all its stakeholders, especially so with its HR Practitioners, who are in the cusp of the ever changing
face of the industry. The inputs of these Practitioners are needed now, as the traditional university structure
of educating and training tomorrow’s business leaders needs to bring in extensive changes. This has to be
done with an aim to provide HR management students with the best of knowledge, skill sets, attitudes and
the necessary talents to compete in this marketplace. The primary focus of any organisation are its People.
They provide the intellectual capital and the catalytic advantage to sustain and promote both themselves,
their organisations and the business itself. Hence,this researchstudy has beenplanned, i.e., HR Practitioner

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/ HR Professional as a stakeholder in the HR management education, brings in the much needed expertise
to support all the stakeholders in the process of updating the HR education.
HR Managementstudies is the need of the hour. Academia and its practice (i.e. Industry) are closely related
to each other, the concepts and applications of which has to be provided for learning and practice for
education and training. This has to be done on an unequivocal basis to the HR student, without which the
outcome, may not be complete, resulting in plethora of problematic issues for all the stakeholders, the HR
student, HR Academicians, the B-school and finally HR practitioners in the Industry.
The enquiry area
Unfortunately the higher education sector, especially the management arena in India, has not paid much
heed to the above mentioned issues. It has created its own niche structure and function, which has helped
in the past, but the same, causes damage to all concerned and has become a difficulty to be dispensed off
in the days to come. The regulatory bodies have focused more on granting approvals rather than improving
the quality of management education in the country in terms of rigor and relevance. This has resulted into
high proliferation of B-schools and low quality of teaching-learning-practice methodologies. Thus,
Management education in India is losing its ability to attract people, as evidenced by the sharp decline in
the number of MBA aspirants, as a large number of seats across the country remain unfilled in various
Business schools (B-schools). The scene being that such B-schools have prematurely opted for closure,
without understanding the causes norworking around their problems. Hence,this exploration into the issues
of management education of B-schools in India, from the HR Practitioner's perspective, and getting the
inner insights of corporate expectations and ground reality at one end, and the HR education framework
and limitations in b-schools, on the other, and how a synergy can be modelled.
The Design ofthe study: Methodology
Objective
To understand the HR Practitioner’s perception in terms of teaching and learning process of HR subjects,
evaluation & examination system, internships, the scope of HR, job / role exposure, job preparedness and
thereby understand the employability.
Hypothesis development

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H1 : There is no correlation amongst the gender, age group and the designations by the core HRcompetency
of the HR Practitioner.
H2 : There is no relationship betweenthe designations and the business competencies of the HRPractitioner
being hired.
H3 : There is no link between HR Practitioners designation and the choice of selection of fresh HR recruits.
H4 : Knowledge and skill sets amongst fresh HR recruits and type of the industry are not linked.
Geographical Area
The geographical area was predominantly Bengaluru based companies / industries which included IT,
ITeS, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Aerospace, Hospitality, Consultancy, Banking, Insurance and
Financial Services.
Sampling Design
Stratified random sampling was adopted as design for the present study. The samples are HR Practitioners,
working as designations like HR Executive, HR Officers, HR Asst Managers, HR Managers, HR Senior
Managers, HR Consultants & Senior Consultants, Associate Directors, from different types of industries /
companies, and another section is the Executive Committee members associated with HR Professional
Associations. The companies/organisations from which the study samples have been selected has been
given in exhibit no 1.
Exhibit No 1
Demographic data of the HR Practitioners
Sl No Parameter Frequency Percent
Overall 33 100 %
Age groups 28-32 8 24.24%
33-37 5 15.15%
38-42 11 33.33%
43-47 4 12.12%
48-52 2 6.06 %
53+ 3 9.09%
Gender Male 22 66.67%
Female 11 33.33%

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Educational
Background
MBA 18 54.55%
PGDM 4 12.12%
MBA, PhD 1 3.03%
MSW 9 27.27%
MSW, PhD 1 3.03%
Designation HR Executive 1 3.03%
HR Officer / Asst Manager 6 18.18%
Deputy Manager / HR Manager /
Consultant
12
36.36%
HR Sr Manager / Sr Consultant 8 24.24%
Assoc Director / Director 2 6.06%
Chairman / EC member 4 12.12%
Type of
Industry
Manufacturing 11 33.33%
IT 5 15.15%
ITeS 4 12.12%
BFSI 1 3.03%
Retail 1 3.03%
Hospitality / Beverages & related 2 6.06%
Consultancy 2 6.06%
Pharmaceuticals 2 6.06%
Aerospace 1 3.03%
HR Professional Association * 4 12.12%
* The logic of having inclusion from the Professional Association is to understand from their view point, the challenges of HR education and the frameworkfor future, as these Association, by
virtue of group of Professionals as Members from HR background, form the stakeholder for HR education promotion, perseverance and branding, per se.

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Exhibit No 2
Name of the Company / Organisation of HR Practitioners
Sl No Name of the Company / Organization Nature of Work / Type of company
1 Great Place to Work Institute Consultancy
2 ACE Micromatic Manufacturing
3 ACE Designers Manufacturing
4 JIT software Information Technology
5 L&T Information Technology
6 UB Group Conglomerate (Mix of industry verticals)
7 Shopper's stop Retail
8 IBM Information Technology
9 ING Vysya Banking & Insurance
10 ACE Manufacturing systems Manufacturing
11 JSW steel Manufacturing
12 Allergis Corp Information Technology enabled Services
13 Arvind Ltd Manufacturing
14 Target India Ltd Information Technology
15 Unitech India Information Technology
16 Equifax India Ltd Information Technology enabled Services
17 MyStudio Consultancy
18 SE Tech Ltd Information Technology
19 Federal Moghal Manufacturing
20 Fouress Engineering Manufacturing
21 Makino Manufacturing
22 Mylan Labs Pharmaceutical
23 Mahindra Aerospace Aerospace
24 Gold Finch Hotels / Resorts Hospitality /Service
25 Eisenk Ltd Information Technology enabled Services
26 ToyotaKirloskar Motors Manufacturing
27 AdvikPvt Ltd Manufacturing
28 Syngene India Pharmaceuticals
29 National Instituteof Personnel Management
(NIPM)
HR Professional Association

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30 MoreThan Human Resources (MTHR) HR Professional Association
31 Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD) HR Professional Association
32 Society for Human Resources Management
(SHRM)
HR Professional Association
Tool
The tool in the form of questionnaire was developed and used in the study. The tool consists of the
following parts, viz: the first part consist of socio-demographic data wherein the age, gender, and
educational qualification. The second part consists of HR education appraisal like the teaching and learning
processof HR subjects, evaluation & examination system, internships, the scope of HR, job / role exposure,
job preparedness and thereby employability, and also about the future directions, amongst the new entrants
to HR field.
Cronbach's alpha
The Cronbach's alpha value for the HR Practitioner's questionnaire is .729.
Method of Research work
The research design adopted for this study is Descriptive - Explanatory. The entire work was done in two
phases, i.e., pilot study and main study. This pilot study was conducted over a period of three months, on a
total of 05 samples. The tool was finalised as per the results of the pilot study, with the necessary changes
being added to the tool. For the main study, the researcher obtained prior permission, visited number of
companies/organisations. In each company, the HR Practitioners were approached and appraised about
rationale of the research work being done; and upon obtaining their time of convenience, the interviews
were conducted, at their convenience. The data collected was coded, entered into computer systems using
SPSS 20.0.1 version, was analysed using statistical tools like - Frequency, Percentage, Chi-square and
Coefficient of Correlation. This process took about a period of nine months.
Analysis ofResults

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Exhibit No 3
Distribution of Designations and total work experience amongst HR Practitioners
Category of Organization /
Company / Association
Total work experience of HR Practitioners
Total0 - 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 21 -25 26 +
Manufacturing n 3 2 4 0 0 2 11
% 50.0% 20.0% 57.1% 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 33.3%
IT n 1 2 2 0 0 0 5
% 16.7% 20.0% 28.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 15.2%
ITeS n 0 1 0 1 2 0 4
% 0.0% 10.0% 0.0% 33.3% 66.7% 0.0% 12.1%
BFSI n 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
% 0.0% 10.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.0%
Retail n 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
% 16.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.0%
Beverages /
Hospitality /
Group
n 1 0 0 1 0 0 2
% 16.7% 0.0% 0.0% 33.3% 0.0% 0.0% 6.1%
Consultancy n 0 1 0 1 0 0 2
% 0.0% 10.0% 0.0% 33.3% 0.0% 0.0% 6.1%
Pharmaceutical n 0 0 1 0 1 0 2
% 0.0% 0.0% 14.3% 0.0% 33.3% 0.0% 6.1%
Aerospace
Industry
n 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
% 0.0% 10.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.0%
HR Professional
Body
n 0 2 0 0 0 2 4
% 0.0% 20.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 12.1%
Total n 6 10 7 3 3 4 33
% 18.18% 30.03% 21.21% 9.09% 9.09% 12.12% 100.0%

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Based on the comparison of HR Practitioners on their years of total work experience, we have nearly 31%
with 6 to 10 years of work experience. These are followed by 22 % of the HR Practitioners with 11 to 15
years of work experience, and 20 % of the HR Practitioners, who possess 0 to 5 years of work experience
was observed. In Comparison, amongst the HR Practitioners, based on their industrial sector, the majority
of them came from Manufacturing sector at 34 % of the sample population, followed by IT based HR
Practitioners with 16 %. Lastly, ITeS based HR Practitioners came at around 12 %.
Exhibit No 4
Gender and core HR competency of HR Practitioner
Core HR
Competency
Male Female
Total Tests of Significance
1 n 2 1 3
CC=.354; p=.449
% 9.1% 9.1% 9.1%
2 n 6 4 10
% 27.3% 36.4% 30.3%
3 n 5 1 6
% 22.7% 9.1% 18.2%
4 n 3 4 7
% 13.6% 36.4% 21.2%
5 n 4 0 4
% 18.2% 0.0% 12.1%
6 n 2 1 3
% 9.1% 9.1% 9.1%
Total
n 22 11 33 X2
= 47.36;
p=.449
% 66.7% 33.3% 100.0%
1= Core & general HR knowledge / Industry specific HR skill set / Attitude - humble & honest / Decision making / problem solving; 2 = Office skills / soft skills /
Adaptability / quickly learn / connect to people & process / adv knowledge; 3 = Passionate about HR / Need for human touch / skill to deal with numbers & process /
CAPA; 4 = connect with business & people / KSA ofHR / Technology & numbers / exposure to all industry; 5 = Command over language / Tech savvy / in touch with
latest happenings in market / Talent mgmt / Futuristic LD practice; 6 = problemsolving / positive aggression / ability to complete the work / loop & cover it end to end
/ Channelizing ofwork
Gender wise comparison revealed that out of the total 33 HR Practitioners, as many as 67 % of them are
male and 33 % are female. The majority of the male HR Practitioners were found at 28 %. Lastly, they

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came in at 19 % .Chi-square test revealed no difference between these groups of frequencies (X2
=47.36;
p=.449), which helps us to infer that this is non-significant. Further, Contingency coefficient revealed that
a significant association (CC=.354; p=.449), indicating that at 30 % of the HR Practitioners, we have the
highest core competency in " Office skills / soft skills / Adaptability / Quickly learn / Connect to People &
Process / Ability to develop Advanced HR knowledge'. This was followed by around 22 % of the HR
Practitioners with "Connect with business & people / KSA of HR / Expertise in Technology & Numbers
needed / Exposure to all types of Industries". Lastly with 19 % of the HR Practitioners with "Passionate
about HR / Need for human touch / Skill to deal with Numbers & Process in HR / Application and follow
up of CAPA". Other competencies came in at minimum of 12 % with "Command over languages / Tech
savvy / In-touch with latest happenings in Market / Expertise in Talent Management".
Exhibit No 5
Previous
work
experience
in HR
students
Type of the Organization Total
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
a n 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 9
% 9.1% 40.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 50.0% 0.0% 0.0% 100.0% 27.3%
b n 10 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 17
% 90.9% 20.0% 50.0% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 50.0% 100.0% 0.0% 51.5%
c n 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
% 0.0% 0.0% 25.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.0%
d n 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 6
% 0.0% 40.0% 25.0% 0.0% 100.0% 50.0% 0.0% 50.0% 0.0% 0.0% 18.2%
Total
n 11 5 4 1 1 2 2 2 1 4 33
% 33.33 15.15 12.12 3.03 3.03 6.06 6.06 6.06 3.03 12.12 100.0%
CC=.738; p=.000X2
= 39.425 ; p=.000
HR Practitioners, types of organisation, and previous work experience in HR students
1= Manufacturing; 2 = IT; 3 = ITeS; 4 = BFSI; 5 = Retail; 6 = Beverages / Hospitality / Group ; 7 = Consultancy; 8 = Pharmaceutical; 9 = Aerospace ; 10 = HR
Professional body.
a= NA; b = If they have some experience in HR area, it is good / any functional area is ok; c = R&S / PMS experience will be good to have; d = LD / RS / HR General
work would be good too.

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The results revealed that nearly 34% of the total population is found in the manufacturing sector, followed
by HR Professionals from IT sector with 16% of the population. Around 13% of the population are from
the ITeS and the HR Professional associations. Chi-square revealed a difference between these groups of
frequencies (X2
=39.425; p=.000), helping to infer that the highest number of HR Practitioners are from the
manufacturing sector, which are considered as a good learning ground, having both the work issues
handling people and also the application of technology basedHRsystems. Contingency coefficient revealed
that a association exists amongst the frequencies (CC=738; p=.000), indicating that at 52%, HR
Practitioners preferred recent passed HR postgraduates and opined that “If they have some experience in
HR area, it is good / any functional area is ok”; This was followed by nearly 28% of the HR Practitioners
informing that it is not a must that the HR graduates must be in possession of a valid HR based work
experience. Lastly, at around 19%, HR Practitioners opining that “LD / RS / HR general work would be
good too” in the newly passed HR postgraduate.
Exhibit No 6
HR Practitioners amongst the designations and the HR Professional body membership
HR Professional
Body
Membership
Designations of HR Practitioners Total
a b c d e f
NHRD n 1 3 4 6 2 0 16
% 100.0% 50.0% 33.3% 75.0% 100.0% 0.0% 48.5%
NIPM n 0 1 7 2 0 1 11
% 0.0% 16.7% 58.3% 25.0% 0.0% 25.0% 33.3%
SHRM n 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 25.0% 3.0%
ISTD n 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 25.0% 3.0%
MTHR n 0 2 1 0 0 1 4
% 0.0% 33.3% 8.3% 0.0% 0.0% 25.0% 12.1%
Total
n 1 6 12 8 2 4 33
% 3.03% 18.18% 36.36% 24.24% 6.06% 12.12% 100.0%
CC=.678; p=.108; X2
= 28.063; p=.108

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a= HR Executive; b = HR Officer / Asst manager HR; c = Dep manager HR / HR Manager / HR consultant; d = Sr HR Manager / Sr HR Consultant; e = Assoc Director
HR / Director HR; f = Chairman / EC Member / Associate member.
The results reviled that, fem Professional Association, the HR practitioners, who participated in the study
included- NHRD-16; NIPM-11; SHRM-1; ISTD-1; MTHR-4, thus, making an significant number, to
understand the rigour and relevance and appropriateness of HR teaching; training; and readiness of HR
students for todays World of work.
Exhibit No 7
HR Practitioners amongst the work experience based groups and the changes in HR field
Changes in HR field
Work experience based groups (in years)
Total
a b c d e f
1 n 0 2 1 1 0 0 4
% 0.0% 20.0% 14.3% 33.3% 0.0% 0.0% 12.1%
2 n 1 2 4 0 0 2 9
% 16.7% 20.0% 57.1% 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 27.3%
3 n 3 4 2 2 3 0 14
% 50.0% 40.0% 28.6% 66.7% 100.0% 0.0% 42.4%
4 n 0 2 0 0 0 2 4
% 0.0% 20.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 12.1%
5 n 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
% 33.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 6.1%
Total
n 6 10 7 3 3 4 33
% 18.18 30.30 21.21 9.09 9.09 12.12 100.0%
CC=.689; p=.074; X2
=29.772; p=.074
1= HRD - HRM /TD - LD / Recruiting practice / compensation / HR work is tech based; 2 = Technology in HR / Numbers in HR
/ Many new HR techniques & process have come up;3 = More jargons / concepts / techniques / Titles & designations / concept of
HR business partner;4 = People's change perception of HR practices / Doc / Laws & regulations have changed; 5 = HR has become
fast & monotonous / concepts, processes have changed / HR has become agile & fast.
a = 0 - 5 yrs; b = 6 to 10 yrs; c = 11 to 15 yrs; d = 16 to 20 yrs; e = 21 -25 yrs; f = 26 + yrs

17. 17
Comparison amongst the designations of the HR practitioners has revealed that the largest group at 31% of
the HR Practitioners were found with 6 to 10 years of the work experience category. This was followed by
22% of the population having 11 to 15 years of work experience. Lastly, at around 19% of the population
possessed 0 to 5 years of work experience. Chi-square revealed a non-significant difference between these
groups of frequencies (X2
=29.772; p=.074), helping to infer that the largest group of HR Practitioners are
from the 6 to 10 years of work experience group; followed by other groups. Contingency coefficient
revealed that a non-significant association (CC = .689; p = .074), at 42.4% of the HR Practitioners,
mentioned the changes in HR scenario as " More jargons / concepts / techniques / Titles and designations /
concept of HR business partners". This was followed by 28% of the population mentioning " Technology
in HR / Numbers in HR / Many new HR techniques & process have come up". These were followed by "
HRD- HRM/ TD - LD / Recruiting practice / compensation / HRwork is tech based"and "People's change
perception of HR practices / Doc / Laws & regulations have changed" at around 12.% each.
Discussion
A. Main findings in the study
1. At 31% of the HR Practitioners, we have the highest core competency in " Office skills / soft skills
/ Adaptability / Quickly learn / Connect to People & Process / Ability to develop Advanced HR
knowledge'.
2. This was followed by 22% of the HR Practitioners with "Connect with business & people / KSA
of HR / Expertise in Technology & Numbers needed / Exposure to all types of Industries".
3. Lastly with 20% of the HR Practitioners with "Passionate about HR / Need for human touch / Skill
to deal with Numbers & Process in HR / Application and follow up of CAPA".
4. At 52%, HR Practitioners preferred recent passed HR postgraduates and opined that “If they have
some experience in HR area, it is good / any functional area is ok”;
5. One third of HR Practitioners informing that it is not a must that the HR graduates must be in
possession of a valid HR based work experience.
6. Around 34% of the total population found in the age group of 38 to 42 years, followed by age group
of 28 to 32 years with 25% of the population.
7. The highest number of HR Practitioners are from the 38 to 42 years of age groups, which are
considered as a good productive age group, which has both the work experience and skill sets, the
drive to achieve and forms the balance between the youngsters who come in fresh from B-schools
on the one hand and the senior professionals on the other hand.

18. 18
8. One third of the HR Practitioners opining that “Able to run the business / technology & latest
updates in HR / U/s business totally”, are to be noticed in new HR graduate.
9. HR Practitioners affiliated themselves to close to fifty percent to NHRD and one third to NIPM
with around 49% and 34% respectively.
10. At around 43% of the HR Practitioners, mentioned the changes in HR scenario as " More jargons /
concepts / techniques / Titles & designations / concept of HR business partners".
11. One fourth of the Practitioners, believed 28% of the population mentioning " Technology in HR /
Numbers in HR / Many new HR techniques & process have come up".
12. These were followed by " HRD - HRM / TD - LD / Recruiting practice / compensation / HR work
is tech based" and "People's change perception of HR practices / Doc / Laws & regulations have
changed" at around 12.% each.
B. Hypothesis Test
Hypothesis 1 : There is no correlation amongst the gender, age group and the designations by the core HR
competency of the HR Practitioner. This hypothesis has not been accepted.
Hypothesis 2 : There is no relationship between the designations and the business competencies of the HR
Practitioner being hired. This hypothesis has been accepted (at p=.000 level).
Hypothesis 3 : There is no link between HR Practitioners designation and the choice of selection of fresh
HR recruits. This hypothesis has been accepted (at p=.000 level).
Hypothesis 4 : Knowledge and skill sets amongst fresh HR recruits and type of the industry are not linked.
This hypothesis has not been accepted.
Ambiguities in vision, mission, purpose, and core values of majority of the Indian B-Schools have further
worsened the prospects of management education in the country. It has been observed that there are
fundamental flaw in strategic perspectives on managing especially the private B-Schools. Governing bodies
of most of the private B-Schools have been constantly focusing on unmindful expansion while neglecting
market realities, societal needs and stakeholders’ interests. Business education in India has grown mostly
as a channel to make quick profits rather than nurturing managers with required skills, ability, aptitude and
knowledge (Chaturvedi, 2012).
No wonder, the industry complains of unavailability of competent managers despite a large number of
management graduates joining the labor market every year. The society looks at the B-Schools with
suspicion in terms of their abilities to create solutions to social problems. The students, on the other hand,

19. 19
are reluctant to undertake management education due to seemingly uncertain employment opportunities
after graduation (Kumar and Jha, 2012).
Despite phenomenal expansion of Management education across the globe during last few decades, the B-
schools of the world need to focus on eight unmet needs of the MBA programme as espoused by Datar,
Garvin & Cullen (2010) in the following framework, so that the academicians and the students, remain
relevant in the times to come:
1. Gaining a globalperspective:Identifying, analyzing and practicing how bestto manage when
faced with economic, institutional and cultural differences across the countries.
2. Developing leadership skills: Understanding the responsibilities of leadership, developing
alternative approaches to inspiring, influencing and guiding others; learning such skills as
conducting a performance review and giving critical feedback; and recognizing the impact of
one’s actions and behaviors on others.
3. Honing integration skills: Thinking about issues from diverse, shifting angles to frame
problems holistically; learning to make decisions based on multiples, often conflicting,
functional perspectives; and building judgment and intuition into messy, unstructured
situations.
4. Recognizing organizational realities and implementing effectively: Influencing others and
getting things done in the context of hidden agenda, unwritten rules, political coalitions, and
competing points of views.
5. Acting creatively and innovatively: Finding and framing problems; collecting, synthesizing
and distilling large volumes of ambiguous data: engaging in generative and lateral thinking;
and constantly experimenting and learning.
6. Thinking critically and communicating clearly: Developing and articulating logical,
coherent, and persuasive arguments; marshalling supportive evidences,; and distinguishing
facts from opinion
7. Understanding the role, responsibilities and purpose ofbusiness: Balancing financial and
non-financial objectives while simultaneously juggling the demands of diverse constituencies
such as shareholders, employees, customers, regulators and society
8. Understanding the limits of models and markets: Asking tough questions about risk by
questioning underlying assumptions and emerging patterns; seeking to understand what might
go wrong; learning about the sources of errors that lead to flawed decision making and the
organizational safeguards that reduce their occurrence; and understanding the tension between

20. 20
regulatory activities aimed at preventing social harm and market-based incentives designed to
encourage innovation and efficiency.
Conclusion
India, has seen structured investments and systematic efforts in the higher education field especially
management education. Outcomes of such initiatives are at times predictable and at times do not convey
sense. During these times of uncertainties, younger HR Academicians must be taken in and groomed by the
senior HR Academics in terms of teaching, training, research and other activities, so that the young teacher
feels confident and takes ownership of the task given as on today and also in the future. So also, there are
capacities which are underutilized, causing loss in revenues and on the other, the industry is deprived of
skilled management graduate, leading to a scenario, in which there is excessive thrust on quantity, rather
than quality, which the management education, has be addressed and over-hauled from the HR
Academician's perspective.
Globalisation affects and effects anything and everything it touches in the industrial scenario. The HR
Practitioners are one such set of industry expertswho are in touch with their happenings and are often found
to be genuinely informative and decisive in their approach to their profession and to their respective
organisations. The perception of the corporate houses and their HR Practitioners, when it comes to
evaluating and hiring B-school graduates, views the graduate's skills, knowledge levels, competencies and
employability, with suspicion. This perception may have grown, over the years into a mental set thus
becoming a practice. This practice may have lead to the creation a large pool of management graduateswho
are un-employable.
To conclude, the study stresses the need and sustenance for the development and use of HR Practitioner's
perspective in designing, and development of HR management education, as an important component, in
the development of a holistic and industrially relevant syllabi, consisting of many value added skills,
practice and attitudinal set. Also up-date the HR student in their respective functional area of choice. This
would culminate in helping the HR Education, in persevering with all its stakeholders needs, well into the
next decade.
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