Abstract
Personnel administration is a part of general business administration and an integrative element of the process management of an enterprise. However, personnel administration has not been researched and discussed with priority in context with personnel management or the development of human resource management (HRM) but rather has been assumed to be an operative element of the enterprise. The objectives of personnel administration therefore were set in rationalization and automation of internal administration processes. The necessary digitalization and has been realized by stronger operative oriented sciences (e.g., commercial information technology). The scientific research in personnel management rather concentrated in findings of organization theory (Kupsch & Marr, 1985), the instruments of leadership or even in the basic definition of the concept of personnel management as multidisciplinary and operation oriented business task (Remer, 1978). The personnel work has passed different stages of development within the last decades and depending on the time period the terms as well as the focal points of personnel work have been expanded and redefined. Table 1 shows an overview after Scholz (2000).
TopIntroduction
Personnel administration is a part of general business administration and an integrative element of the process management of an enterprise. However, personnel administration has not been researched and discussed with priority in context with personnel management or the development of human resource management (HRM) but rather has been assumed to be an operative element of the enterprise.
The objectives of personnel administration therefore were set in rationalization and automation of internal administration processes. The necessary digitalization and has been realized by stronger operative oriented sciences (e.g., commercial information technology).
The scientific research in personnel management rather concentrated in findings of organization theory (Kupsch & Marr, 1985), the instruments of leadership or even in the basic definition of the concept of personnel management as multidisciplinary and operation oriented business task (Remer, 1978). The personnel work has passed different stages of development within the last decades and depending on the time period the terms as well as the focal points of personnel work have been expanded and redefined. Table 1 shows an overview after Scholz (2000).
Table 1. Stages of development of personnel work (Source: Scholz, 2000)
| Developing phase | Exemplary focal points |
| Until 1960 | personnel administration | payroll accounting, participation |
| From 1960 | personnel structuring | institutionalization, identity of personnel department, personnel planning |
| From 1970 | personnel development | personnel activation, career planning |
| From 1980 | personnel strategy | added value by personnel work |
| From 1990 | personnel interfunctionality | improvement of competition position |
| From 2000 | personnel competency integration | professionalization of all fields of personnel work, decentralized competencies, “personnel vision” |
Key Terms in this Chapter
Directive: Operation and action recommendation with lower commitment than SOPs. Directives describe process paths, which should be normally followed during the implementation of the process. Deviations in justified circumstances are allowed.
Human Resource Information System (HRIS): Specifically developed software for human resource management (HRM) (e.g., software packets, which document, support, and analyze the HRM data). The human resource administration system (HRAS) is a sub-system of HRIS.
Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs): Instructions that make sure the uniform, predictable, and integrated dealing of replaceable process individuals within working structures.
Process Integration: The process integration specifies the degree of the theoretical and actual commitment of processes within structures.
Process Types: Definitions which distinguish from another by characterizing the degree of standardization and integration.
Guideline: Operation and action orientation with lower commitment than directives. Guidelines provide an operation framework in which the process should move. Deviations are not usually sanctioned.