HRM PRACTICES AND FACULTY PERFORMANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: SPECIAL REFERENCE TO CHENNAI

Abstract

The higher education sector in India is undergoing transformative change driven by global competition, regulatory reforms, and evolving student expectations. Human Resource Management (HRM) practices are increasingly recognised as pivotal levers for enhancing faculty performance and, by extension, institutional excellence. This study investigates the influence of HRM practices — namely recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation management, faculty empowerment, and work-life balance — on the performance of faculty members in higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A descriptive and analytical research design was adopted. Using stratified random sampling, data were collected from 385 faculty members across 20 HEIs in Chennai through a structured, validated questionnaire. Statistical tools including descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis, ANOVA, and structural equation modelling (SEM) were employed. The findings reveal that training and development (β = 0.412, p < 0.001), performance appraisal (β = 0.368, p < 0.001), and compensation management (β = 0.291, p < 0.01) are the strongest predictors of faculty performance. A significant positive correlation was found between overall HRM practices and faculty performance (r = 0.782, p < 0.001). The model explains 68.4% of the variance in faculty performance (R² = 0.684). The study provides actionable insights for HEI administrators and policymakers to design evidence-based HR strategies that nurture faculty potential and elevate institutional quality.