Abstract:
The success of organisations both public and private, hinges on the quality and effectiveness
of its human resources. There is a dearth of studies that have addressed the relationship
between employing good HRM functions on the performance of Urban Local Authorities in
Zimbabwe. This study was conducted to address this knowledge gap. The primary objective
of the study was to establish the impact of HRM strategies on the performance of selected
Urban Local Authorities in Zimbabwe.The study was aided by the Best Fit Model, Resource
Based View, Stakeholder Theory and Human Capital Theory. A pragmatic research
philosophy was adopted and a cross-sectional survey design was used in the study. The target
population comprised of approximately 8582 municipal workers (lower level employees, top
executives, middle level managers and HR administrators) employed at City of Harare,
Bindura Town Council and Mutare City Council. Stratified random sampling was used to
select two hundred and seventy six (276) Municipal employees. The sampling method was
guided by the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table. Reliability was checked using Cronbach’s
alpha (α). Quantitative data were validated through exploratory factor analysis, convergent
validity and discriminant validity before carrying out structural equation modelling. Data
were analyzed using SPSS® version 21 and AMOS® version 21. Qualitative data were
presented using thematic analysis and NVivo software. The study findings indicated that
Human Resources Management strategies positively affect the implementation of policies in
Urban Local Authorities (ULAs) and service delivery. The research findings identified
internal and external factors which hindered successful implementation of HRM strategies in Urban Local Authorities. Internal factors identified were management leadership style,
organisational culture, attitude of employees and employee participation whereas external
factors included political, economic, social and technological aspects. The study also revealed
that ULAs faced HRM challenges like bureaucratic tendencies, lack of government support,
resource constraints and political interference when implementing HRM strategies. ULAs
were therefore recommended to prioritize implementation of HRM strategies and make better
use of HR information systems for enhanced institutional performance. It also recommended
the adoption of HR functions like Recruitment and Selection, Performance Management and
Reward Management for improved institutional performance.
