Developing the professional workforce: a focus on systems not individuals

Human Resource Development (HRD) is critical to quality of service delivery and the cost-effectiveness in the public health sector. This paper explores the HRD function across the four main divisions within the sector – metropolitan health services, base hospitals, district hospitals and community health centres from the perspectives of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Human Resource Directors (HRDs) and General Functional Managers (GFMs). Findings suggest that the responses from the GFMs from the metropolitan hospitals and the base hospitals often contradict the views of the CEOs and HRDs concerning the sophistication of strategic HRD. Second, across the four divisions the responses of the three groups of managers indicate only moderate utilisation of strategic HRD, particularly in terms of strategic integration, staff participation in the planning of the learning and development system, measurement and monitoring systems of learning and development. Third, the three levels of managers indicate neutral to low responses, particularly from the GFMs concerning management training in equal employment opportunity and harassment. Implications are drawn for HR practitioners.