Personnel Management in NGOs of Bangladesh

Abstract

Activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Bangladesh have gained momentum due to the failure of both governmental organizations (GOs) and for-profit organizations (FPOs) in achieving their mission and objectives, and thus their inability to fulfill needs of the beneficiaries/customers. Prima facie investigations show that little research has been done on the personnel management of NGOs in Bangladesh. In view of this situation, using a mixed method of survey of archival sources, quantitative review of job advertisements data, unstructured interview, and a case study, this research examines personnel management practice of NGOs, and explores basic characteristics in the three areas of personnel selection and recruitment, training and education, and compensation and motivation. The findings suggest that large NGOs implement systematic practices, possess adequate organizational structure, employ professional managers, and nurture pragmatic environments for their personnel management. The NGOs emphasize professionalism and career orientation and implement long-term, forward-looking approaches in their selection, recruitment, and remuneration. These management practices also follow national employment practices, attach importance to national wage and salary principles, policies, and scales for the GO/FPOs, but formulate their principles and systems keeping those in view. The international NGOs (INGOs) follow domestic practices, implement policies and practices of their own which is found to create confusion in the national job market. The small and mid-size NGOs, however, do not possess personnel management practices of their own, rather they follow and imitate larger members. The authors envision further research on this topic with a focus on both of its micro and macro aspects, and use of advanced methods and tools to develop a full model of NGO-human resources management (HRM) in Bangladesh. Keywords: Bangladesh, Personnel Management, NGOs, Job Advertisement, Job Notification, Recruitment, Remuneration, Selection