HUMAN RESOURCE

MANAGEMENT
& QUALITY ASSURANCE
IN PUBLIC SECTOR UNIVERSITIES
OF PAKISTAN:
THE CASE OF PUNJAB UNIVERSITY

Dr. ZafarIqbal
Jadoon
Dr. Nasira Jabeen
Welcome! 
They say…

“If you’re planning for one year,

grow rice.

If you’re planning for 20 years,

grow trees.

If you’re planning for centuries,

grow human resource.”

-Ancient Chinese Proverb

INTRODUCTION
 Quality initiatives of the Higher Education
Commission (HEC) of Pakistan

 Quality Management

 Human resource management systems in

public sector universities

 The case of Punjab University

LOGICAL & ANALYTICAL
FRAMEWORK
 Positive relationship between human
resource (HR) management & quality
improvement aspects
 Total Quality Management (TQM)
 Change in traditional bureaucratic systems
 Quality orientation in HR systems
 Organizational culture
 Organizational development (OD) &
cultural change
 Change in attitudes & values slow process
METHOD OF INQUIRY
 Primary and secondary sources

 20 years experience with Punjab University

 Human Resources Development Centre

(HRDC)

 Consultations with colleagues

PUNJAB UNIVERSITY SNAPSHOT
 Established in 1882

 Massive examinations burden on it initially

 Creation of separate Boards and universities

relieved pressure over time

 Still largest university in Pakistan

 Massive internal expansion

 Move from annual to semester system

O&M STRUCTURE OF PUNJAB
UNIV.
 Punjab University Act 1973

 Syndicate

 Senate

 Administrative division - key persons

 Teaching / research division - key persons

 Management through committee system

STRUCTURE & QUALITY
ASSURANCE
 Punjab University autonomous institution
 Role of Higher Education Commission (HEC)
 HEC quality initiatives & New Public
Management (NPM) movement
 Quality management reforms
 Structure and culture go together
 How does Punjab University measure up?
 Quality management - competition &
customer centred
 Quality oriented HR system critical
STRUCTURE & QUALITY
ASSURANCE
 Egalitarian, democratic structure envisaged
 Three layers of hierarchy
 Major statutory bodies of the university
 Additional committees
 Involvement of professors
 Important officers
 Getting teachers on board is vital
 Question of misallocation of resources
 Missing skill set?
 Important administrative departments absent
CULTURE & QUALITY
ASSURANCE
 Holistic approach to culture change takes
time
 Only through culture change is quality
management possible – role of HR
 Culture of Punjab University – power &
politics
 Non-cooperation due to power culture
 Major restructuring of human resource
management (HRM) functions required
 Analysis of status quo
HRM & QUALITY ASSURANCE
 HRM consists of:
– Human resource strategy
 Strategic alignment & internal co-alignment with
operations for continuous quality improvement
 No tradition of strategic planning in Punjab
University
 No HR strategy
– Job design and job description
 Quality management requires job enlargement &
enrichment
 Loose job descriptions in Punjab University
Calendar but lack of leadership
 Incentive based management of employees needed
HRM & QUALITY ASSURANCE
– Human resource planning
 Zero-tolerance for waste
 Planning based on facts and data
 Haggling and political processes in Punjab University
– Recruitment and selection
 Hiring for learning potential, initiative, problem
solving skills & ability to work in groups
 Office of Registrar at Punjab University
 Improvement in merit based hiring
 HEC vs. Punjab University on hiring – one routed
advancement in academic career major problem
 PhD vs. teaching, research & administration
 Punjab University internal hiring fiasco
HRM & QUALITY ASSURANCE
– Training and development
 Training is strategy
 Generic, specific and OD trainings
 HRDC pioneering initiative for faculty & staff
training
 HRDC & Quality Assurance Cell nexus
– Performance Appraisal
 Valuable vehicle for feedback & employee
participation
 ACRs at Punjab University – control tools
 Need for output focused, development oriented,
tangible performance appraisal linked to incentives
 Clear hard and soft performance indicators required
HRM & QUALITY ASSURANCE
– Compensation
 Skill rather than job based compensation for quality
 Group vs. individual incentives
 Aim to reduce free riding and unhealthy rivalry
 National Basic Pay Scales (NBPS) not quality
oriented
 Call by HEC for Tenure Track system
 Punjab University incentives for Best Teacher & for
research
– Employee relations
 Academic Staff Association (ASA) a Punjab
University labor union is an obstacle in quality
assurance unless it chooses not to be
QUALITY HRM IN PUBLIC
UNIVERSITIES
 Perform fundamental restructuring at the top
 Do away with NBPS – professionalize HR
 Improve financial planning & management
 Break deadlock with HEC – avert job market forces
 Define workload of faculty, deans, heads – use zero-
base budgeting
 Manage transition to semester system
 Recognize administrative duties as workload for
faculty
 Expand in-service training & development
opportunities
 Adopt a code of ethics
 Agree on measurable performance indicators & link
performance with promotions & compensation
CONCLUSION
 Punjab University ahead of other public
universities
 Total shift to quality culture required
 Governance and management on top of
change agenda
 Compensation and incentives rewarding
performance important
 Internal collaboration necessary in face of
future competition
 Human resource management system at the
nucleus of quality assurance systems
Creating Competitive Edge Through People

 Organizations in Future will Lead only on

the
Basis of the Quality of Their Human
Resources
 HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
AND QUALITY ASSURANCE
IN PUBLIC SECTOR UNIVERSITIES
OF PAKISTAN:
THE CASE OF PUNJAB UNIVERSITY

Dr. Zafar Iqbal Jadoon

Dr. Nasira Jabeen