This study was conducted to analyze the competitiveness of a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) based on employees’ professional development and diversification into different professions. The FSL is the sole Government Laboratory？in Tanzania which serves the police force, judiciary system and the public？prosecution. A sample of 88 current employees of different professions (53 chemists, 26 technologists and 9 accountants) was used. The data was collected from the？year 2000 to 2015. Mathematical expressions were developed to quantifystagnation and total service time at specific development levels based on which？new？indices (professional development index, PDI; leadership competency index, LCI; and succession index, SI) were developed. The number of employees for support cadres was observed to increase faster in the last 5 years from 34.3% in？2009/2010 to 57.1% in 2014/2015, compared to chemists and technologists.？The？staff-to-line ratio (SLR) has been increasing since 2000, reaching above 0.8？from 2013 to 2015 indicating that the FSL was undergoing diversification and division of labor. The FSL workforcecomprised of mainly semi-skilled employees. Promotions have played a big role in employees’ professional development. In some cases employees were promoted to higher level before 3 years stipulated？by public service regulations, regarded as breach of procedures. However,？high？stagnation of employees at specific ranks was observed (up to 9-10 years) which causes frustrations, lost morale and engagement. Results indicated that most？of the service years are served in ranks A and B. Indices developed in thisstudy？form a baseline data for strategic analysis of FSL competitiveness in the future？and allow for proper human resource planning. Highest values of LCI and
References
[1]
Desimone, L.A. (2011) A Primer on Effective Professional Development. Phi Delta Kappan, 92, 68-71. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172171109200616
[2]
Akhigbe, O.J. (2013) Human Resource Planning: A Key Factor in Ensuring the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Organization. Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences, 4, 388-396.
[3]
Yalabik, Z.Y., Swart, J. Kinnie N. and van Rossenberg, Y. (2016) Multiple Foci of Commitment and Intention to Quit in Knowledge-Intensive Organizations (KIOs): What Makes Professionals Leave? The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28, 1-31.
[4]
Yalabik, Z.Y., Rossenberg, Y.V. Kinnie, N. and Swart, J. (2014) Engaged and Committed? The Relationship between Work Engagement and Commitment in Professional Service Firms. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26, 1602-1621. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2014.953972
[5]
Devi, S. and Basariya, R. (2017) Career Plateau of Employees and Its Causes. International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, 4, 3589-3592.
[6]
Gittell, J.H. (2002) Relationships between Service Providers and Their Impact on Customers. Journal of Service Research, 4, 299-311.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670502004004007
[7]
Gittell, J.H., Seidner, R. and Wimbush, J. (2010) A Relational Model of How High-Performance Work Systems Work. Organization Science, 21, 490-506.
https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1090.0446
[8]
Geare, A., Edgar, F. McAndrew, I. Harney, B. Cafferkey, K. and Dundon, T. (2014) Exploring the Ideological Undercurrents of HRM: Workplace Values and Beliefs in Ireland and New Zealand. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25, 2275-2294. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2013.876441
[9]
Iveta, G. (2012) HR-Planning and Mutual Connection with the Perspective Strategic Goals. Journal of Competitiveness, 4, 117-128.
[10]
Jackson, S. and Schuler, R. (1990) Human Resource Planning: Challenges for Industrial/Organizational Psychologists. American Psychologists, 45, 223-239.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.45.2.223
[11]
Feldman, D.C. and Weitz, B.A. (1988) Career Plateaus Reconsidered. Journal of Management, 14, 69-80. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920638801400107
[12]
Wang, S-L. and Wu, P.-Y. (2008) The Role of Feedback and Self Efficacy on Web-Based Lerning: The Social Cognitive Perspective. Computers and Education, 51, 1589-1598.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2008.03.004
[13]
Drucker, P.F. (1999) Knowledge-Worker Productivity: The Biggest Challenge. California Management Review, 41, 79-94
[14]
Swart, J., Kinnie, N., van Rossenberg, Y. and Yalabik, Z.Y. (2014) Why Should I Share My Knowledge? A Multiple Foci of Commitment Perspective. Human Resource Management Journal, 24, 269-289. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12037
[15]
Chan Kim, W. and Mauborgne, R.E. (1998) Procedural Justice, Strategic Decision Making, and the Knowledge Economy, Strategic Management Journal, 19, 323-338.
https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199804)19:4<323::AID-SMJ976>3.0.CO;2-F
[16]
Hislop, D. (2003) Linking Human Resource Management and Knowledge Management via Commitment: A REVIEW and Research Agenda. Employee Relations, 2, 182-202. https://doi.org/10.1108/01425450310456479
[17]
Lin, H.F. (2007) Knowledge Sharing and Firm Innovation Capability: An Empirical Study. International Journal of Manpower, 28, 315-332.
https://doi.org/10.1108/01437720710755272
[18]
Ravishankar, M.N. and Pan, S.L. (2008) The Influence of Organizational Identification on Organizational Knowledge Management (KM).The International Journal of Management Science, 36, 221-234.
[19]
Becker, T.E. and Kernan, M.C. (2003) Matching Commitment to Supervisors and Organizations to In-Role and Extra-Role Performance. Human Performance, 16, 327-348. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327043HUP1604_1
[20]
Shaban, A. (2016) Managing and Leading a Diverse Workforce: One of the Main Challenges in Management. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 230, 76-84.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.09.010
[21]
Kinnie, N. and Swart, J. (2012) Committed to Whom? Professional Knowledge Worker Commitment in Cross-Boundary Organizations. Human Resource Management Journal, 22, 21-38. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-8583.2011.00172.x
[22]
Jorgensen, F. and Becker, K. (2015) Balancing Organizational and Professional Commitments in Professional Service Firms: The HR Practices that Matter. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26, 23-41.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2014.925947
