UNIVERSITY OF BENIN, BENIN CITY

in affiliation with the

DELTA STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, MOSOGAR

COURSE TITLE:
COURSE CODE:

ASSIGNMENT:
IN NOT MORE THAN 10 PAGES WRITE THE FOLLOWING
SKILLS AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT:
1. LISTENING SKILLS
2. COMMUNICATION SKILLS
3. CREATIVE SKILLS
4. TEAM BUILDING SKILLS

SUBMITTED BY:

......... JENNIFER
MAT. NO:
LEVEL: 400 LEVEL
DEPARTMENT:
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Personnel management in the educational context involves the strategic

management of human resources within educational institutions such as schools,

colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. It encompasses a

range of activities related to the recruitment, development, utilization, and

retention of staff members, all of whom contribute to the effective functioning

and success of the institution. The primary goal of personnel management in

education is to create an environment that supports the institution's mission,

enhances teaching and learning, and ultimately provides a high-quality

educational experience for students.

In the educational landscape, personnel management extends beyond traditional

human resource functions. It involves understanding the unique needs of

educational professionals, such as teachers, administrators, support staff, and

researchers. These professionals play vital roles in shaping the learning

environment and influencing student outcomes. Effective personnel

management in education entails creating a conducive work culture, providing

professional development opportunities, and addressing challenges that arise in

the context of education.

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The staffing component of management is referred to as personnel management.

It is concerned with all efforts that contribute to attracting, developing,

motivating, and sustaining a high-performing workforce in the library and

information centre, which will result in the organisation’s overall success.

Personnel management refers to the use of human resources to help the library

and information centre achieve their ultimate goals, which revolve around

connecting the right user with the right information material at the right time.

Personnel management is a corporate function that exists to offer the correct

people for the job and to manage the employee-employer relationship in

general. The proper application of the human component is an issue for

personnel management. Human Resource Management (HRM) is another term

for it. It is the part of management that deals with an organisation’s employees.

Employees, as a result, are a valuable asset to the company where they work

Personnel management is a multi-purpose activity that focuses on attracting,

developing, retaining, and managing competent workers. As a result, while

there is no universally accepted definition of personnel management,

researchers agree on its meaning, nature, scope, and purpose. Such as the

following:

 Personnel management is the process of finding, hiring, and keeping

satisfied personnel. It's a crucial aspect of management that deals with

workers at work and their relationships within the company.

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 Personnel management is the process of planning, organising, directing,

and controlling the hiring, training, remuneration, integration, and

retention of people in order to achieve corporate, individual, and societal

goals.

 Personnel management is the aspect of management that deals with

people at work and their relationships within an organisation. Its goal is

to bring together and develop the men and women who make up an

enterprise into a functional organisation, with a focus on the well-being of

individuals and working groups, so that they may contribute their best to

the firm's success. As a result, people management is nothing more than a

means of maximising the potential of employees so that they are satisfied

with their work and, thus, give their all to the organisation.

 Personnel management is the art of acquiring, developing, and

maintaining a competent workforce in order to achieve the organisation’s

functions and objectives with optimal efficiency and economy.

 Personnel management is the branch of management concerned with the

planning, organising, directing, and controlling of various operative

functions of procuring, developing, maintaining, and utilising a labour

force in order to achieve the company's objectives in the most cost-

effective manner; to provide the best possible service to all levels of

personnel; and to ensure that the community is properly considered and

served.

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Relevance of Essential Skills in Personnel Management

1. Listening Skills:

Effective personnel management in education relies on active listening to

understand the perspectives and concerns of various stakeholders, including

teachers, students, parents, and support staff. By attentively listening,

educational managers can address individual needs, foster a sense of belonging,

and create an environment where everyone feels valued.

Active listening skills includes maintaining eye contact, displaying affirmative

notes and appropriate facial expressions, avoiding destructive actions, asking

questions, paraphrasing, avoiding interrupting the speaker, not over talking, and

the ability to transition smoothly between the roles of speaker and listener.

The personnel managers have a unique position representing a bridge between

the employees and the organization. The way they do their job is highly

connected to the readiness and motivation of employees to pursue company

goals. To be successful at their job the personnel managers have to be very good

communicators. They have to know how to speak and listen well. Mastering

speaking is something that most of the successful managers and leaders pay

attention to. Everyone practices or at least tries to learn how to talk to

subordinates, to superior managers, how to talk at a meeting, how to hold a

presentation or a public speech.

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However, effective communication doesn’t consist only of effective speaking.

Effective listening is even more important for those who want to hold a

managerial position. In order to organize and lead the employees the manager

needs to understand them. Simply, if you do your best to understand others, they

will also spend more energy and attention to understand you. If you do not do

your best in understanding others, they will not either. Understanding will

enable you fully use the experience, knowledge, skills, motivation and passion

of your people. By listening actively (listening to understand) you will also

build more humane relationships and connect more deeply. This will create

stronger relationships basing on trust and mutual understanding which lead to

stronger, more connected and more effective teams.

2. Communication Skills:

Clear and effective communication is crucial in personnel management to

convey expectations, policies, and objectives clearly. Educational managers

with strong communication skills can facilitate collaboration among staff, share

the institution's vision, and ensure that all stakeholders are informed and

engaged.

Communication involves four aspects: written, verbal, nonverbal and visual

communication skills. They're a crucial part of every interaction as they help

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you express your message clearly and receive vital information to help you

excel in your role.

In many instances, effective communication can help solve problems or stop

them from developing in the first place. Employees turn to the personnel

department when there is a problem with their job or they have a personal

problem that could affect their job performance. In these situations, a personnel

executive must know what questions will draw out responses that paint the full

picture and how to communicate a possible resolution to the problem.

If there is a problem between two employees, it is up to personnel manager to

negotiate a solution. Skilled negotiation takes excellent verbal and nonverbal

communication skills. Employees feel comfortable opening up when they sense

that they are speaking to someone who cares and listens thoughtfully. When

personnel managers exude trustworthiness, it puts employees at ease and helps

them feel confident that their concerns will be resolved. Likewise, special

sensitivity and tact are required during employee performance evaluations or

layoffs.

During training sessions, an effective HR professional can have a direct bearing

on how well employees learn new skills by making performance goals clear and

designing employee training tools that are clear and easy to follow.

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It’s also important to have solid written communications skills. Management

often communicates with personnel via email, instant messaging, newsletters

and reports.

3. Creative Skills:

In the rapidly changing landscape of education, creative personnel management

is essential for developing innovative strategies to attract and retain talented

educators, design flexible learning environments, and adapt to emerging trends.

Creative educational managers can find novel solutions to challenges and

inspire their teams to embrace innovation.

A creative person can come up with better ideas and select people who are

better at helping him in his plans. He can see things from a new perspective,

have a different vision and is better at inspiring people by their talents. Some of

the most frequently used skills of a manager are −

 Making efficient use of the time at hand.

 Addressing a prospect’s needs and desires.

 Improving a product’s appeal for the customers.

 Use cost-cutting methods to increase working efficiency.

 Improve the focus, motivation and productivity of the staff.

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  To identify new, profitable ventures and business opportunities.

While many managers will be able to address the demands of the first 5

responsibilities, it is the last point which makes it so tough for the managers to

function. That is exactly where creative problem solving steps in. A creative

manager will be able to observe the areas in which people need services.

Using that observation, they can find innovative ways to market products and

motivate their customers to take decisions. Problems that need creative problem

solving are ‘open-ended’ in nature, i.e. these problems have more than one

solution.

4. Team Building Skills:

Educational institutions are inherently collaborative environments. Effective

team building helps create cohesive teams of educators who work harmoniously

towards common goals. Educational managers with team-building skills can

foster a sense of unity, facilitate knowledge sharing, and promote a positive

work atmosphere that benefits both staff and students.

You can’t build a dependable team without being a reliable team player

yourself. The workers in your team should have trust that you’re available to

guide them when needed. And when they do, they’ll reciprocate the same level

of respect and commitment.

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So lead by example. Cultivate the same attributes and attitudes within yourself

that you want to see in your team. For example:

 Be mindful of how your words and actions affect the team.

 Take responsibility for your tasks.

 Receive feedback with positivity and grace.

 Offer to assist your team members when required.

 Participate actively in team meetings and activities.

CONCLUSION

In summary, personnel management in the educational context involves the

strategic management of human resources to support the institution's goals. The

skills of active listening, effective communication, creativity, and team building

are pivotal in ensuring that educational managers can lead their institutions

towards success.

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References:

Hackman, J.R., & Wageman, R. (2005). A theory of team coaching. Academy

of Management Review, 30(2), 269-287.

Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R.T. (2009). An educational psychology success

story: Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning.

Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365-379.

Lucas, S.E. (2012). The importance of communication skills in young children.

Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, 15(2), 47-49.

Robinson, K. (2011). Out of our minds: Learning to be creative. Capstone.

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