Fostering Effective Workforce Diversity Management in Nigerian Organizations: The Challenge of Human Resource Management

The paper provides a conceptual understanding and significance of diversity and especially workplace diversity in Nigeria, drawing on previous studies. Naturally, the practice of human resource management (HRM) cannot be divorced from the socio-cultural, economic, political and legal environments of the nation. As the giant of Africa, with a population of about 180 million, about half of whom are of working age, Nigeria is an attractive market for multinationals from across the globe, and simultaneously fast becoming a melting pot of cultures and a nation where businesses should be booming but for the gross mismanagement, corruption and inept leadership. One of Nigeria’s most critical challenges, therefore, is the effective management of its workforce diversity, a litmus test for the maturity of HRM. The role and the capacity of function HRM in managing workplace diversity in Nigeria is critically assessed and based on an integrated conceptual framework, the challenges of managing workplace diversity in Nigeria is discussed and future research directions are indicated

Of Predators and Preys: Corporate Psychopathy and Employee Burnout as Parallels

Different personalities constitute modern workplaces. One of such personalities is the corporate psychopath, whose presence poses manifold threats to organizational existence. This study examines the personality of the corporate psychopath and specifically investigates the relationship between corporate psychopathy and employee burnout. A total of 104 respondents within a university setting in Nigeria completed measures of corporate psychopathy to establish the existence of the traits in their managers; a self-report measure of employee burnout was also completed. Corporate psychopathy correlates positively and significantly with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and decreased personal accomplishment. Results indicate that corporate psychopathy is an underlying factor of employee burnout. Enhanced whistleblowing structures and ethical regeneration are proffered to mitigate the consequences of corporate psychopathy in the face of cultural complexes that fan its flames

Work-Family Conflicts: Assessing a South African Sample of Urban Employees

The article explores the scope and impact of employees’ work responsibilities on the family life and vice-versa. It describes the coping styles adopted by a sample of urban employees and the efficacies of these styles. A semi-structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews were the means of collecting data from 48 respondents who were either dual career couples or single parents. The findings reveal that virtually all the respondents experience serious work-family conflicts, especially with managing their time, domestic chores, and stress. The challenge is for the employer, the employee, trade unions and partners to support each other to alleviate work-family conflicts. The findings are important given the focus of South African government on emancipating and empowering women through legislation and the setting up of national women. The contributions of women would be undermined, if family-work conflicts such as identified here were not addressed

Benchmarking of human resources management

This paper reviews the role of human resource management (HRM) which, today, plays a strategic partnership role in management. The focus of the paper is on HRM in the public sector, where much hope rests on HRM as a means of transforming the public service and achieving much needed service delivery. However, a critical evaluation of HRM practices in the public sector reveals that these services leave much to be desired. The paper suggests the adoption of benchmarking as a process to revamp HRM in the public sector so that it is able to deliver on its promises. It describes the nature and process of benchmarking and highlights the inherent difficulties in applying benchmarking in HRM. It concludes with some suggestions for a plan of action. The process of identifying “best” practices in HRM requires the best collaborative efforts of HRM practitioners and academicians. If used creatively, benchmarking has the potential to bring about radical and positive changes in HRM in the public sector. The adoption of the benchmarking process is, in itself, a litmus test of the extent to which HRM in the public sector has grown professionally