HR Practice: A rear view with Salome Gitoho
Foreword
May, 2020
Dr. Salome Gitoho has a passion for sharing her experiences as learning points for self and others. I first met Dr. Salome in a Human Resource Management (HRM) network forum, where we exchanged experiences in the changing role of HRM in Kenya and what we can learn from these experiences. The profession in Kenya has come a long way from what was an administrative function in the 80's to what it is today. HRM has gone through an evolution that in the book, HR from the outside in, the authors (Ulrich Younger, Brockbank, 2012) describe as the evolution of HR work in four "waves". The authors describe the evolution from Administrative, innovative design of HR practices, HR as a business partner and HR responding to external business conditions.
As we shared our experiences, it was clear that, in the evolution of HR, we operate from the same theoretical perspective in handling HRM issues but experiences are diverse and there is a lot more we can learn from other professionals.
The four waves of HRM are all important and must be managed effectively. Based on my own experience as a HRM expert, I endorse sharing real life experiences as a great learning opportunity that leads to solutions that make a positive impact in the work place. My experience spans over 25 years gained from four different multi- national organizations three of which I served as HR Director, a regional company as HR Director, CEO of a HR Consulting firm and in the Public sector as Chairperson of a Commission. In my career, I have benefited from the experience of other HR professionals and this book provides an opportunity for the reader to learn from Dr. Gitoho’s experiences.
Dr. Salome Gitoho, is passionate about mentoring and this book is an extension of this passion. She shares from her rich experience as a Leadership, Organizational Development and HR Consultant with several years’ experience. Her working career that spans the public, private, and Non-governmental organizations is reflected in this book thus bringing out the relevance of this book to diverse readers. In sharing some of her challenges at work, she brings out her personality as an individual who challenges herself to try out new solutions to a problem because she is not afraid of failing or being wrong. In sharing her experiences she is candid and real.
In the book, she freely shares her experiences and as an expert, provides an opportunity for the reader to reflect and learn from these experiences. She invites the reader to reflect and ask the question; “What causes the difficulties, and how can I change or improve the situation?” or “How can I provide solutions to real HRM situations?” We too often miss opportunities for learning, simply because we forget to reflect. Our experience and experiences of others serve as a basis for reflection and learning. Learning from experiences is one of the most fundamental and natural means of learning available to everyone and this book is an opportunity to reflect, learn and develop solutions to day to day HRM activities.
This book, is a journey of the life and times of an HR practitioner highlighting experience of the author through challenges in day to day HRM activities. The reader is given an opportunity to learn from specific experience in each of the difficult conversations that present a unique learning opportunity to the reader. An example is a real life situation where the author challenges the practice of recognising long service with total disregard for the performance and discipline record. She is met with resistance; we have always done it that way. The author goes ahead to draw lessons on HR practices that have become part of the corporate culture. Throughout the book, the lessons learnt are clear and presented as either; in hindsight what she could have done differently or bringing out the lesson from the experience.
As a leader and HR professional with depth and breadth of knowledge and experience in Human Resource Management, I find the experiences in this book a useful reflection in everyday lifelong learning through activities we engage in on a daily basis. The experiences serve as a trigger to formulate solutions that add value to our organizations. The examples will enable you, the reader, to easily transfer information from the book into the real world. It moves us away from theory to practice. In theory, many assumptions are made to explain the phenomenon and concepts, whereas in real life, there are no assumptions and conditions are always unique. This is demonstrated throughout the book and makes interesting reading for both HRM practitioners and non HRM practitioners who have to deal with Human Resource Management issues.
Theory and practice are important as Leonardo da Vinci quotes “He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast.” However, theory alone is not sufficient as Dr. Albert Einstein in a famous quote says: “In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.” This quote is well illustrated in this book.
Lyn C. Mengich,
Chairperson, Salaries and Remuneration Commission
Fellow, Institute of Human Resource Management
Nairobi 2020