A human resource risk management conceptual framework for academic staff retention in an Open Distance Electronic Learning university in South Africa

Abstract

The recruitment and retention of adequate and capable academics staff members with the right skills and knowledge in higher education institutions is a growing global problem. This is particularly the case in the African continent where academics leave their respective higher education institutions for a multitude of reasons, but mainly for better services. This suggests that higher education institutions in Africa may not be addressing the educational needs of students given the shortage of academics. This is a concern that requires urgent action. To date, there is a paucity of studies that have investigated academic staff retention in higher education institutions in the African continent. Hence, this study explored the perspectives of the academic staff of an ODeL institution in South Africa in relation to academic staff retention, including the risks associated with academic attrition. The aim of this study was to explore and develop an in-depth understanding of the factors that may influence academics staff retention at an ODeL institution in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. The rationale was to develop an HR risk management conceptual framework for academic staff retention in ODeL institutions in South Africa. To achieve this aim, the researcher adopted a qualitative approach and utilised interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a research design for critical reasons. IPA enabled the researcher to develop both an empathic and a critical understanding of the phenomenon on the academic staff retention and HR risk management by taking into consideration the principle of double hermeneutics.

Data were collected at an ODeL institution in South Africa using individual interviews (N=20) and focus group discussions with four participants per focus group (N=4x4)guided by semi-structured interview guides for each set of interviews. The interviews were conducted from 01 February 2017 to 30 June 2017 in the Pretoria (Muckleneuk) and Johannesburg (Florida) campuses. Each interview was audio-recorded and lasted for about 45 minutes.

The data of the study were analysed using IPA because of its stage-by-stage guide to analysis, which made the analytical process of the study data more manageable. The audio-recorded interviews were first transcribed verbatim, and the transcripts were then subsequently analysed. The analysis was conducted in parallel with the interviews until category saturation was achieved. The analysis was conducted in two phases. Phase one of the data analysis was the individual interviews and phase two of data analysis was the focus group discussions.

The outcome of the analysis was five superordinate themes: 1) defining academic staff retention, 2) determinants of academic staff retention, 3) human resource risk assessment, 4) human resource risk management, and 5) cultural influence. Each of these superordinate themes consisted of sub-themes. Following the analysis of the data sets of the individual interviews and focus group discussions, a conceptual framework entitled “Human Resource Risk Management” was developed using the researcher’s experience in academic staff retention HR risk, the extant literature on this subject and the findings of the study. This framework may serve as a useful guide for academic institutions, including those with an ODeL mode of delivery for recruiting and retaining academic staff.

Despite the practical useful utility of the findings, this study is not free from limitations. It used a criterion purposive sampling approach to identify and recruit participants. Although a reasonable number of academic staff members participated in the study, academic staff at the study sites may have been different from those at other ODeL institutions in the context of their experiences and perceptions regarding academic staff retention and HR risks. The study was conducted in one ODeL institution.

Given this, it is recommended for future studies on this subject to be conducted in multiple ODeL institutions using a mixed-methods design that may employ both probability and non-probability sampling approaches.

Go ngoka le go tswelela go tshola badiri ba ba lekaneng le ba ba bokgoni ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi ba ba nang le dikgono le kitso e e siameng mo ditheong tsa thuto e kgolwane ke bothata jo bo golang lefatshe ka bophara. Seno se bonagala thata mo kontinenteng ya Aforika moo batlhatlheledi ba tlogelang ditheo tsa bona tsa thuto e kgolwane ka ntlha ya mabaka a le mantsi, mme bogolo segolo e le ka ntlha ya ditirelo tse di botoka. Seno se supa gore ditheo tseno tsa Aforika di ka ne di sa samagane le ditlhokego tsa thuto tsa baithuti sentle ka ntlha ya tlhaelo ya batlhatlheledi. Seno se a tshwenya e bile se tlhoka go tsibogelwa ka bonako. Go fitlha ga jaana, go na le tlhaelo ya dithutopatlisiso tse di tlhotlhomisitseng go tswelela go tsholwa ga badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi mo ditheong tsa thuto e kgolwane mo kontinenteng ya Aforika. Ka jalo, thutopatlisiso eno e tlhotlhomisitse megopolo ya badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi mo setheong sa ODeL mo Aforikaborwa malebana le go tswelela go tsholwa ga badiri ba batlhatlheledi, go akarediwa le matshosetsi a a amanang le go koafala ga thuto.

Maikaelelo a thutopatlisiso eno e ne e le go tlhotlhomisa le go tlhaloganya ka botlalo dintlha tse di ka tlhotlheletsang go tswelela go tsholwa ga badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi mo setheong sa ODeL kwa Gauteng, Aforikaborwa. Lebaka tota e ne e le go tlhama letlhomeso la mogopolo wa tsamaiso ya matshosetsi mo HR malebana le go tswelela go tshola badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi mo setheong sa ODeL mo Aforikaborwa. Go fitlhelela maikaelelo ano, mmatlisisi o dirisitse molebo o o lebelelang mabaka mme a dirisa tokololo e e ranolang tiragalo (IPA) jaaka thadiso ya patlisiso ya mabaka a botlhokwa. IPA e kgontshitse mmatlisisi go tlhaloganya ka botlalo tiragalo ya go tswelela go tshola badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi le tsamaiso ya matshosetsi a HR go etswe tlhoko ntlhatheo ya go ranola le go tlhaloganya se se batlisisiwang ka botlalo.

Go kokoantswe data kwa setheong sa ODeL mo Aforikaborwa go dirisiwa dipotsolotso tsa bongwe ka bongwe (N = 20) le ditlhopha tsa dipuisano tse di neng di na le bannileseabe ba le bane mo setlhopheng sengwe le sengwe (N = 4 x 4), go kaelwa ke dikaedi tsa dipotsolotso tse di batlileng di rulagane mo potsolotsong nngwe le nngwe. Dipotsolotso di dirilwe go tloga ka 01 Tlhakole 2017 go fitlha ka 30 Seetebosigo 2017 kwa dikhemphaseng tsa Pretoria (Muckleneuk) le Johannesburg (Florida). Potsolotso nngwe le nngwe e gatisitswe mo segatisamodumong mme e tsere sebaka se e ka nnang metsotso e le 45.

Data ya thutopatlisiso e lokolotswe go dirisiwa IPA ka ntlha ya kaedi ya yona ya tokololo ya legato-ka-legato, e e dirileng gore tirego ya go lokolola data ya thutopatliso e nne bonolo go dirisega. Tokololo e dirilwe ka magato a le mabedi. Legato la ntlha la tokololo ya data e ne e le dipotsolotso tsa bongwe ka bongwe mme legato la bobedi la tokololo ya data e ne e le ditlhopha tsa dipuisano. Dipotsolotso tse di neng di gatisitswe mo segatisamodumong di ne tsa kwalololwa jaaka di gatisitswe la ntlha, mme morago ga lokololwa kgatiso e e kwalolotsweng. Tokololo e dirilwe mmogo le dipotsolotso go fitlha go tlhaloganngwa tiragalo ka botlalo.

Dipoelo tsa tokololo e nnile meono e metlhano e megolo: 1) go tlhalosa go tswelela go tshola badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi, 2) diswetsi tsa go tswelela go tshola badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi, 3) tlhatlhobo ya matshosetsi a tsamaiso ya badiri, 4) tsamaiso ya matshosetsi a tsamaiso ya badiri, le 5) tshusumetso ya setso. Mongwe le mongwe wa meono eno e megolo o nnile le meonopotlana. Go latela tokololo ya data ya dipotsolotso tsa bongwe ka bongwe le dipuisano tsa ditlhopha tsa puisano, go ne ga tlhamiwa Letlhomeso la mogopolo wa Tsamaiso ya Matshosetsi a Tsamaiso ya Badiri go dirisiwa maitemogelo a mmatlisisi malebana le matshosetsi a HR a go tswelela go tshola badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi, dikwalo tse di gona mo setlhogong seno le diphitlhelelo tsa thutopatlisiso. Letlhomeso leno le ka dira jaaka kaedi e e mosola mo ditheong tsa thuto, go akarediwa tse di dirisang mokgwa wa ODeL, go ngoka le go tswelela go tshola badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi. Le fa diphitlhelelo di le mosola go ka dirisega, thutopatlisiso eno e sa ntse e lekanyeditswe. Go dirisitswe molebo wa go tlhopha sampole ka boitlhophelo jwa mmatlisisi go supa le go ngoka bannileseabe. Le fa go nnile le palo e e amogelesegang ya badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi ba ba nnileng le seabe mo thutopatlisisong, badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi kwa setsheng sa thutopatlisio ba ka ne ba farologane le ba ba kwa ditheong tse dingwe tsa ODeL ka ntlha ya maitemogelo le melebo ya bona malebana le go tswelela go tshola badiri ba batlhatlheledi le babatlisisi le matshosetsi a HR. Thutopatlisiso e dirilwe mo setheong se le sengwe fela sa ODeL. Ka ntlha ya seno, go atlenegisiwa gore dithutopatlisiso tsa isago tsa setlhogo seno di dirwe kwa ditheong tse di farologaneng tsa ODeL go dirisiwa thadiso ya mekgwa e e tswakantsweng e e ka dirisang melebo ya go tlhopha sampole go se na thulaganyo e e rileng le ka boitlhophelo jwa mmatliisi.