Staffing - Meaning, Definition, Characteristics and Importance in Management

Staffing

Meaning of Staffing 

Staffing is concerned with recruitment, selection, placement, utilization, and development of employees. Staffing is the art of acquiring, developing, and maintaining satisfactory workforce. It is the process of obtaining and maintaining competent people to fill all positions from the top management to the operative (or lower) level. Staffing is recognized as a specialized managerial function that makes available right employees in the right posts and roles. It is a continuous function as it is performed throughout the life of an organization. 

Definition of Staffing 

Definitions on staffing as given by eminent management experts:

• According to Koontz & O'Donnell, "The managerial function of staffing involves manning the organization structure through proper and effective selection, appraisal and development of personnel to fill the roles designed into the structure."
• According to J. L. Massie, "Staffing is the process by which managers select, train, promote and retire subordinates."
• According to W. Haynes, "Staffing is the process of analyzing the jobs of an organization in terms of manpower needs, recruiting and selecting candidates to fill them."
• According to Dalton Mc Farland, "Staffing is the function by which managers build an organization through the recruitment , selection, placement and development of individuals as capable employees." 

Staffing Process

Thus, staffing plays a vital role in human resource planning. It ensures best utilization of manpower in the organization. Staffing is the key to all other managerial functions. It helps to maintain a satisfactory workforce in an enterprise.

Nature (or Characteristics) of Staffing 

The following are the basic characteristics of staffing:

1. People-oriented:- Staffing deals with efficient utilization of human resources in an organization. It pro motes and stimulates every employee to make his full contribution for achieving desired objective of the organization. 

2. Development-oriented:- It is concerned with developing potentialities of personnel in the organization. It develops their personality, interests, and skills. It enables employees to get maximum satisfaction from their work. It assists employees to realize their full potential. It provides opportunities to employees for their advancement through training, job education, etc. 

3. Pervasive function:- Staffing is required in every organization. It is a major sub-system in the total management system that can be applied to both profit making and non-profit making organizations. It is required at all levels of organization for all types of employees. 

4. Continuous function:- Staffing is a continuous and never-ending process. It requires constant alertness and awareness of human relations and their importance in every operation. 

5. Human objectives:- It develops potentialities of employees so that they can derive maximum satisfaction from their work. It creates an atmosphere where employees willingly cooperate for the attainment of desired organizational goals. 

6. Individuals as well as group-oriented:- Staffing is concerned with employees both as individuals and a group in attaining goals. It establishes proper organizational structure to satisfy individual needs and group efforts. It integrates individual and group goals in such a manner that the employees feel a sense of involvement towards the organization.

7. Developing cordial working environment:- It develops a cordial environment in the enterprise where each employee contributes his best for the achievement of organizational goals. It provides a very comfortable physical and psychological working environment.

8. Interdisciplinary nature:- Staffing has its roots in social sciences. It uses concepts drawn from various disciplines such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and management. It has also borrowed principles from behavioural sciences. It is a science of human engineering.

9. Integral part of general management:- Staffing is an integral part of the general management. It in very much a part of every line manager's responsibility. Every member of the management group (from top to bottom) must be an effective personnel administrator. It renders service to other functional areas of management.

10. Science as well art:- Staffing i is a science of human engineering. It is an organized body of knowledge as art consisting of principles and techniques. It is also an art as it involves skills to deal with people. It is one of the creative arts as it handles employees and solves their problems systematically. It is a philosophy of management as it believes in the dignity and worth of human beings.

Nature (or Characteristics) of Staffing 

Importance (or Necessity) of Staffing 

The importance of staffing has been so widely recognized that nearly all organizations realize the need for establishing a strong personnel department to ensure better industrial relations. The importance of staffing can be realized from the following points:

1. Achievement of organizational goals:- Employees are the common denominator of progress. The effective utilization of skills and talents of employees help in the attainment of organizational goals. 

2. Effectiveness of operations:- Proper staffing helps to increase the effectiveness of employees by their wholehearted collaboration. It creates enthusiasm among workers and motivates them in a particular direction.

3. Satisfaction from work:- It helps employees to utilize their potentialities for attaining maximum individual Satisfaction from their work. It offers proper monetary incentives, economic and social security to employees. I protects them against the hazards of life such as illness, old-age problems, unemployment, etc.

4. Basis of success of any enterprise:- Staffing is the key to success of any enterprise. It becomes important for achieving the objectives of the organization. Personal aspect of management is applied by all managers throughout the organization. Qualified personnel are usually employed in different departments for attaining the objectives of an organization. 

5. Important task of management:- The handling of employees is an integral part of every line manager's responsibility. Managing the human component is t the central risk, as all else depends on how well it is done. The personnel department renders assistance to other functional departments to perform their functions.

6. Nervous system of the organization:- Staffing is the nervous system of the organization. It is a two-way channel of information reaching out to every part of the organization. It is a live channel and is used in every action. It is inherent in the dynamism of the structure of the organization.

7. Dealing with human beings:- The human factor is the most difficult to manage because emotions, feelings, needs, and outlooks differ from man to man. The human resource manager is the controller of human factors and he tries to ensure optimum use of human resources. Thus, human resource management performs the toughest job of dealing with the human part of the organization. 

8. Professional growth:- This contributes to the professional growth by providing maximum opportunities for personal development of each employee. It enhances the knowledge and skills of people and helps to develop them for promotion. It utilizes human resources for the benefit of mankind. It motivates employees to work efficiently and secure their willing cooperation.

Importance (or Necessity) of Staffing 

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