| dc.description.abstract | The field of human resources management is rapidly undergoing transition as
organizations change. As a result HR is increasingly being viewed more in its rightful
strategic role rather than the traditional roles of employee advocacy, administration or
operations. Inevitably, HR has been recast into a business strategic partner responsible
for designing and implementing appropriate strategies necessary to help attain
organizational goals. This research project examines the impact of commitment HR
strategies on employee performance among insurance companies in Kenya in terms of
the skills they possess, the attitude they portray and the behaviour they exhibit when
performing their duties. Considerable reference is made to four critical perspectives in
the realm of strategic human resource management – best practice, contingency,
configurational – and resource-based view – to help define development and
implementation of HR strategies. Additionally, at least three generic strategies, namely
high performance work systems, commitment/control strategy and the Value Matrix
Approach are discussed as preceding effective development of HR strategies. To
design and implement effective HR strategies a four-phase process is required:
industry analysis, value chain analysis, identification of interdependent processes and
identification of key competencies followed by great effort and insight in order to
align these around best practices that have been shown to impact employee
performance. Data collected on 35 out of 45 insurance firms currently operating in
Kenya is statistically analysed and presents a scenario already hypothesized by the
researcher. The findings of the study confirm that progressive HR strategies have a
positive influence on employee performance. The study concludes that commitment
HR strategies have valuable applied implications for organizations, policy makers and
researchers. Of course, further improvement by way of research covering other
industries is needed in the area so as to effectively grapple with the continually
evolving complex human perspective in organizations. | en |
