Human capital management practices adopted by the National Social Security Fund

Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine the extent to which the Kenyan National Social Security Fund (NSSF) had adopted the Human Capital Management (HCM) practices. The HCM practices that were explored include: resourcing, retention and flexibility strategies, talent management, learning and development, management succession planning, performance and reward management strategies. The study used the case study design that was based on a target population of 98 management staff in the human resource and administration department. A sample of forty eight (48) officers was selected. The sample included eight senior officers who were selected on the basis of their status and position in the said department, while the rest were selected through the stratified sampling technique. Data collection instruments used by the study were an interview guide and a questionnaire. However, a substantial amount of data was collected through documentary analysis. A response rate of 82.5% was achieved by the questionnaire technique, while six of the eight senior officers sampled were interviewed. Both content and quantitative analysis were used to analyze data which was then presented in frequency tables, bar graphs, percentages, rank ordering, and mean scores and standard deviation. Overall, the findings of the study indicate that the organization has implemented HCM practices, but to a negligible extent. Some of the HCM practices adopted by the organization include: enhancing the organization’s capacity through staff training and development; setting of clear performance standards; explaining its mission, vision, and values to employees; outsourcing of non- core activities; and flexibility of staff mortgage and car loan schemes. However, the rest of the practices have either not been adopted or are adopted to a negligible extent. The study suggests that there is need for further research particularly in the area of human capital measurement owing to the fact that, there is hardly any literature available on it. Key Words- Human capital management, competitive advantage, digital technology, digital economy, human capital advantage, intangible assets and human capital planning