Introduction
Under the current conception of human talent as a competitive advantage, organizations' commitment to strengthening human management as a pillar of strategic and functional support has gained prominence, even among public sector organizations, implying a change from the bureaucratic and prescriptive paradigm to one of management with efficiency, flexibility and competence criterion (Calderón Hernández, 2004).
Traditionally, human resources management in public organizations has focused on the so-called "personnel management," ignoring its strategic role and contribution to institutional objectives (Calderón Hernández, 2004), leading to a revision of the human asset management model towards a value creation one, which "introduces a new set of values to public sector management" (Sanabria Pulido, 2015: 34).
In the Public Administration context in Colombia, efforts have been made over time to transform public management, as evidenced by the implementation of the Internal Control System (through Law 87 of 1993), the Administrative Development System (through Law 489 of 1998), and the Quality Management System (through Law 872 of 2003), as well as measures introduced in Law 909 of 2004 and its derivated regulatory decrees, consolidating human talent management through faculties such as the axis of the model applicable to the public sector, ratified in Decree 1083 of 2015, Single Public Sector Regulatory Decree, which compiles all the normative references applicable to Public Service in Colombia, to simplify and legally rationalize compliance.
All these considerations directed toward a model that harmoniously integrated previous systems and presented new elements, giving rise to the Integrated Planning and Management Model (MIPG, by its acronym in Spanish) for the Public Sector, adopted by Decree 1499 of September 11, 2017.
Aware of the normative provisions and guidelines of the national public Administration, the Universidad del Atlántico, as a public entity of the national order and with an autonomous character, has undertaken actions aimed at the implementation of such measures. For example, it has designed and consolidated a strategic direction process that led to the issuance of the 2009 - 2019 Institutional Strategic Plan, within which the so-called Modernization of University Management is contemplated as one of the strategic lines, with the development of human talent as one of its objectives (The Institutional Strategic Plan was adjusted in its name to the Institutional Development Plan for the period 2022 - 2031). On the other hand, the project for the implementation of an Integrated Management System was undertaken, under the guidelines of the NTCGP and the MECI, within which the management of human talent is characterized as a process of support for the strategic and missionary processes of the University (Universidad del Atlántico, Institutional Action Plan 2012 - 2014).
However, despite previous measures leading to a significant improvement in institutional conditions, the particular circumstances of the Universidad del Atlántico leading to the dismissal of previous administrative personnel and subsequent hiring of new staff within the organizational structure in 2007, are different from current conditions, facing the challenges that their autonomy implies versus the legal requirements applicable to the Colombian public sector, the increase in student demand, which by 2020 had increased by 66% (Universidad del Atlántico, Institutional Management Report 2021), the growth of missionary processes, the budgetary limitations, the needs of administrative workforce, etc.
Therefore, this article analyzes the human talent management process at the Universidad del Atlántico under the MIPG Integrated Planning and Management Model for the Colombian public sector to verify not only its level of compliance with the regulatory aspect but, also most importantly, the achievement of the primary objectives of human resources administration, namely: contribute to the achievement of the strategic and missionary objectives of the entity and optimize the quality of working life of its collaborators.
1. Theoretical Framework
1.1. Human talent management model for the public sector
For Sanabria Pulido (2015), four basic models have been raised in the evolution of human talent management in the public sector, namely:
Bureaucratic Model: Defined by meritocracy, division of labor, specialization, hierarchy, and adherence to regulations as paths to organizational efficiency. Its drawbacks included a lack of flexibility and stagnant performance.
Management Model: emerges as a new paradigm distanced from bureaucratic practices within the framework of the so-called "new public management". This model focuses on aspects such as effectiveness, creation of public value, and customer orientation.
Strategic Management and Results Orientation Model: framed within the paradigm of new public management. Focusing on aspects with present preponderance, such as harmonizing Human Talent Management with Strategic Direction, and emphasizing a skill-based system for supporting an institutional competitive advantage.
Public Service Model: focused on service in public management, considering that some aspects of the new public management minimize considerations for public entities attending citizens instead of clients, therefore, the main purpose is seeking the interest and citizen value.
As stated by Calderón Hernández (2004), the management of human resources in the public sector has focused on its legislative framework, concentrating on functional aspects in a bureaucratic and inflexible way, in which departments or personnel management units restrict themselves to an operational or advisory role, neglecting planning and strategic articulation with the organization.
Therefore, the obsolescence of the management model is one of the main challenges that human talent management in the public sector must face to become aware of the influence of people and organizational culture on organizational performance, and not just processes and the organizational structure as factors of interest.
The strategic management of human talent implies that personnel units must play a strategic role in organizational performance, beyond an operational role or execution of activities, which requires the support and commitment of senior management (Rojano, 2022).
In the traditional model of human resources management, given its functionalist nature, the processes and activities are developed without articulation between them since the important thing is to fulfill their purpose. The competency-based management model, on the other hand, being based on competencies as the axis on which all human management processes are articulated, is considered an integrated and interrelated system, based on a strategic vision and aiming at aligned and cohesive objectives.
The paradigm shift is inspired by the model changes being implemented in the private sector, which aim to modify the bureaucratic, regulatory, and linear style of administration, making management more flexible and decentralizing based on results.
In Colombia, the approach to the management of human talent in the public sector has pointed to a model that integrates the positive aspects of each of the models that Sanabria Pulido (2015) proposes. The cultural roots of the bureaucratic model in national public entities are indisputable; however, the initiatives undertaken to modernize management are also notable, aided by management trends in the private sector, the paradigm shift exposed by the new public management, and the consideration of citizen value as the central axis of public work.
1.2 Integrated Planning and Management Model MIPG
The Colombian Public Administration has made efforts to renew the public management of the entities that comprise it. That is why, from the same Political Constitution of 1991 (article 269), the principles of the administrative function are adopted and exposed as the basis and reference of its performance.
Over time, specific measures have been established regarding public management, such as the creation of the Institutional Internal Control System (through Law 87 of 1993), the Administrative Development System (through Law 489 of 1998), and the Quality Management System (through Law 872 of 2003).
The previous laws led to the provision of new tools, such as the Technical Quality Standard for Public Management NTC GP 1000 (established by Decree 4110 of 2004 and updated by Decree 4485 of 2009) and the Standard Model of Internal Control MECI (adopted by Decree 1599 of 2005 and updated by Decree 943 of 2014).
To advance the comprehensiveness of the management tools used in the public sector in Colombia, through Decree 2482 of 2012, the Administrative Development System and the Quality Management System are integrated into an Integrated Planning and Management Model, with the MECI as a control tool for the model but separated from it.
The most recent update of the Integrated Planning and Management Model MIPG achieves the articulation of the MECI within it, merging in a single tool the mechanisms of the Administrative Development System, the Quality Management System, and the Internal Control System. The previous measure is ordered in Article 133 of Law 1753 of 2015 and is instrumentalized by Decree 1499 of 2017 (which introduces the modifications in the Single Regulatory Decree of the Public Function Sector, Decree 1083 of 2015).
In such a way that the Integrated Planning and Management Model MIPG simplifies, integrates, and articulates the previous systems to make the processes executed within public entities more efficient (Administrative Department of Public Function, 2018).
2.2.1 Definition and Operation of the Integrated Planning and Management Model MIPG
As stipulated in Decree 1499 of 2017, the Integrated Planning and Management Model MIPG is a referential framework for the planning, execution, direction, monitoring, evaluation, and control of management in the organizations that constitute the Colombian public sector, under the criterion of integrity and quality in the service guaranteeing the fulfillment of the States' social aims.
This Model configures, therefore, a set of concepts, elements, guidelines, strategies, methodologies and techniques to be implemented by public organizations to improve their institutional management (Administrative Department of Public Function, 2018).
The purpose of the MIPG is to strengthen institutional capacity, focusing on the processes developed in public entities that are aimed at generating public value.
The Integrated Planning and Management Model operates through the operation of seven dimensions, namely:
I. Human Talent.
II. Strategic Direction and Planning.
III. Management with Values for Results.
IV. Evaluation of the Result.
V. Information and Communication.
VI. Knowledge and Innovation Management.
VII. Internal Control.
These operational dimensions point to phases of the administrative process within public organizations and are developed "through one or more Institutional Management and Performance Policies" (Administrative Department of Public Function, 2018). In such a way that they are interrelated and work jointly.
El MIPG considera la dimensión Talento Humano como su esencia, al plantearlo como el eje que permite la puesta en marcha de las demás dimensiones operativas, enmarcada dentro de las Políticas de Gestión Estratégica del Talento Humano y de Integridad.
2.2.1.1 Human Talent Dimension of the MIPG
The MIPG considers human talent as the most important resource available to public organizations and, therefore, as a critical success factor for achieving effective institutional management.
The Administrative Department of Public Function (2018) considers that the Strategic Management of Human Talent SMHT is the set of actions that contribute to the achievement of the organization's goals through the selection, development, and maintenance of the most competent human talent through strategic direction. For which the following objectives must be sought:
Strategic articulation between Senior Management and Human Talent Management.
Alignment of human talent practices with the institutional mission.
Long-term planning of human talent per the planning of the entity.
The strategic role of the human talent area.
For which, the Integrated Planning and Management Model MIPG proposes the implementation of a process constituted of stages shown in Graph 1.
Graph 1
Process of Strategic Management of Human Talent. Source: Own elaboration based on DAFP (2018)
Stage 1: Information availability, both institutional and about its human talent (regulatory framework, strategic direction, characterization of employees and jobs, etc.).
Stage 2: Diagnosis of the Strategic Management of Human Talent through the SMHT Diagnosis Matrix. The SMHT Matrix is a tool that allows the entity to assess the level of maturity of the different categories and components that make up the human talent management process. The different variables that make up the matrix are grouped by SMHT categories, the Deming cycle and the life cycle of the public servant (Planning, Entry, Development, and Retirement), with which it is intended to comprehensively and systematically cover the issues that are competence of the Human Talent area.
Stage 3: Design of actions for the Strategic Management of Human Talent SMHT through the preparation of the Action Plan.
Stage 4: Implementation of actions for the Strategic Management of Human Talent SMHT, or the Action Plan execution.
Stage 5: Evaluation of the Strategic Management of Human Talent SMHT.
3. Methodology
The research has a quantitative approach, with a descriptive and cross-sectional scope with a non-experimental design (Hernández-Sampieri & Mendoza, 2018; Arias Gonzáles, 2020) that allowed analyzing the variables determined by the Integrated Planning and Management Model for the diagnosis of human talent management at the Universidad del Atlántico, using direct observation of the processes carried out in the Department of Human Talent Management of the entity as primary sources and the information collected through the application of the diagnostic tool defined in the Operating Manual of MIPG. In the same way, secondary sources were used, such as documentary reviews, reports, and institutional databases.
The information collection instrument for the diagnosis and analysis of the human talent management process at Universidad del Atlántico is the Matrix for Self-diagnosis of Strategic Management of Human Talent (SMHT Matrix), which is a valid tool given that it was designed and stipulated for its regulatory application in public sector entities in Colombia by the Administrative Department of Public Function.
The SMHT Matrix is composed of the following elements:
Components: they indicate the phase of the human talent management process evaluated (Planning, Entry, Development or Retirement).
Categories: disaggregated for each component.
Variables: they indicate the requirements or management activities that will be evaluated within each category.
Qualification criteria: they establish the reference assessment against which the measurement of the variables or compliance with requirements will be compared.
The measurement is consolidated into a general score and scores for each variable, category, and component of the Diagnostic Matrix, ranging from 0 to 100, and classified into five levels, as represented in Graph 2.
4. Results
After the application of the diagnostic tool, it was determined that the total qualification for the human talent management process at the Universidad del Atlántico was 61.5, as illustrated in Graph 3.
The score obtained, according to the scale stipulated in the MIPG´s Operating Manual, indicates that the process of human talent management at the Universidad del Atlántico is at a level of maturity of Transformation, for which its implementation has advanced but that there are gaps to improve, and actions are required to position it at a strategic level and reach a maturity level of Consolidation.
By disaggregating the result obtained, the Matrix allows a qualification by components of the human talent management process. Graph 4 records the qualifications achieved, where the Management Planning component is the only one that is at a Transformation level. The other components are at a High Operational Basic level, according to the measurement scale of the Model, with the Personnel Entry component being the one that presents the most weaknesses in its maturity.
Results of the Human Talent Planning Component
Regarding the Planning component, Graph 5 details the qualifications for its categories, finding the greatest weaknesses in the Strategic Planning and Institutional Arrangement categories.
In the Regulatory and Environmental Knowledge category, a score of 80 was obtained, which indicates that the entity knows and applies the regulations that regulate it and has implemented strategic planning processes at the institutional level, although with flaws in its articulation with strategic planning of Human Talent, which would increase the level of maturity of this category.
The result obtained in the Information Management category reveals that the organization has information mechanisms regarding its staff and data collection through specific diagnoses, being the category with the best evaluation within this component.
The Manual of Functions and Competences category also obtained a score of 80, since the institution has a manual of functions, profiles, and competencies for existing positions in the administrative plant. However, the functions manual was approved in 2007 and to date, there has not been a review of the positions to revalidate their relevance, which would have an impact on the improvement of institutional processes.
On the other hand, the qualification obtained in the Institutional Arrangement category points to deficiencies in the administration of human talent from a strategic level, with opportunities for improving interactions between the Senior Management of the educational organization and the Human Talent management that transcends the formal elements of planning in both spheres.
Finally, within this component, the category with the lowest score was Strategic Planning. The reason for this result is that, despite plans existing in different areas of Human Talent (Institutional Training Plan, Occupational Health and Safety Plan, Induction and Reinduction Program, and Work Environment Intervention Plan), these blueprints are not structured within a Strategic Human Talent Plan, which for the Integrated Planning and Management Model MIPG, is the fundamental basic tool for Strategic Human Talent Management.
Therefore, this is one of the critical points on which the entity must work to improve the performance of its human talent management. Especially considering that, within what is evaluated in this category, there is no evidence that there is a planning of the performance evaluation process and a Work Well-being Plan.
The reasons why there is no defined performance evaluation process are due to inconveniences at the legal level (gaps in the Administrative Career Statute of the Universidad del Atlántico) and negotiation with the Administrative Career Surveillance Commission of the entity (related to university autonomy) that transcend the will of the Department of Human Talent Management and must be resolved at the managerial level of the institution.
Concerning the Work Well-being Plan, the Department schedules activities in this area and measures their compliance. However, there is no documented plan as such because the Office of the Vice-Rector for University Well-being is working on the design of a plan that covers the entire university community, including administrative employees. Therefore, the Department must ensure the articulation of the plan that is being projected with its strategic planning.
Results of Personnel Entry Component
According to the qualification obtained at the component level, Personnel Entry is the area in which the human talent management process of the Universidad del Atlántico presents the most weaknesses. The relevant aspects in each component category are detailed below, according to the qualification obtained, recorded in Graph 6.
The measurement of the Employment Provision category indicates shortcomings since there is no Annual Vacancy Plan or a verification mechanism for the preferential right of administrative career employees to oversee freely appointed and removed positions. In addition, of the 133 administrative career positions, 82 (62%) have been provisionally filled, and the average time to fill vacancies temporarily is over 10 years. Therefore, the absence of implementation of mechanisms for the definitive provision of career positions through competition is evident.
The Information Management category had a better score since there are records of the management of the employment history of public servants in a physical file of resumes and a personnel information system. However, improvements can be made with a better use of technologies for the treatment and traceability of information.
Regarding the Meritocracy category, the low score obtained is due to the absence of competition for the final provision by meritocracy of administrative career positions. Regarding the provision of free appointment and removal positions, given their nature, it is up to Senior Management to designate their holders. However, as is usually characteristic of Colombian public entities, political factors sometimes take precedence in the appointment of officials to positions of free appointment and removal above the merit and competencies of those who aspire to occupy said positions.
The Performance Management category was the one that obtained the lowest rating in this component because there is no evidence of performance evaluation for the reasons mentioned above in the analysis of the Planning component.
On the other hand, the Institutional Knowledge category was the best scored within the Personnel Entry component because there are records of institutional induction of appointed public servants, although its effectiveness could be improved if the process was structured within the Strategic Talent Plan Human, as mentioned in the analysis of the Planning component.
Finally, the Inclusion category had a low rating given that there is no evidence of compliance with the provisions of Decree 1499 of 2017. However, this situation occurs at a general level in public entities given the recentness of the issued standard, especially in autonomous entities such as official universities.
Results of Personnel Development Component
Graph 7 shows the discrimination of the qualification obtained in the Personnel Development component.
In the Institutional knowledge category, compliance with the provisions related to the reinduction of personnel was evaluated, of which there are records of institutional reinduction activities, although, as explained in the Planning component, said activities are not framed within the Strategic Plan to be designed by the Department.
For the Information Management category, the result obtained indicates a high level of maturity because the entity has information through process indicators, as well as records of its training and well-being activities. However, the quality of the information could be improved if the current indicators were expanded to include measurement of the impact of the process activities carried out.
The Performance Management category had a low rating, reiterating that it is a critical point at the institutional level, since no performance evaluation activities have been carried out on employees and, therefore, no individual improvement plans have been established.
Given that there is an Institutional Training Plan, formulated and executed according to the applicable regulatory provisions, in the Training category a rating was obtained that indicates a good level of compliance, although it negatively impacts that the Plan does not have guidelines from the Senior Management of the entity and that is not formulated within the strategic planning of Human Talent.
Regarding the Well-being category, there is evidence of the execution of activities oriented to the well-being of the personnel. However, there is an absence of a Work Well-being Plan, as well as a lack of definition of incentives (pecuniary and non-pecuniary) that motivate work performance. The difficulty of establishing incentives is weighed by the fact that performance evaluation activities are not carried out as evidence of the development of employees.
In the Human Talent Administration category, there are contrasts in the level of compliance with the criteria stipulated in the MIPG Diagnostic Matrix, since there are sub-processes that are very well positioned, such as payroll administration and settlement, and others that present a low valuation, such as the development of flexible hours in the entity. In this category, the management and processing of the administrative situations of the personnel was also evaluated, which is developed under the pertinent legal and regulatory criteria, but with the observation that its registration can be improved to facilitate its statistical management.
Regarding the category Organizational climate and cultural change, compliance with the obligation to measure the work climate in the aspects determined in the model is evidenced and the results are used for the diagnosis of areas of intervention and the design of actions for its implementation. On the other hand, mechanisms have also been established for the prevention of workplace harassment, such as, for example, the formation and operation of the Labor Coexistence Committee. However, the mechanisms for staff participation in the strategic and operational evaluation of the university could be improved.
The Occupational Health and Safety category was the one that obtained the highest rating within the component, indicating a consolidated level of maturity in compliance with the standards provided by law on the Occupational Health and Safety Management System, as well as in the execution of prevention and health promotion activities. However, the evaluation of the category could be improved if the Occupational Health and Safety Plan were consolidated within the Strategic Plan for Human Talent Management.
Regarding the Values category, the fact that the institution has established a Code of Ethics affects the good rating received, as well as the identification of institutional values within the design of its strategic direction and adoption of regulatory provisions regarding anti-corruption. in national public entities. Although disclosure mechanisms could be improved for more effective outreach.
The Contractors category is the critical point within the Development component. The evaluation criteria of the Diagnostic Matrix stipulate that a percentage of more than 30% of contractors concerning the entity's officials indicates a low level of compliance. Currently, there are 440 contractors for the provision of services at the Universidad del Atlántico, which, concerning the 169 active officials, far exceeds the proportion previously indicated, thus being one of the critical points on which the administration of the entity must review. It should be noted that this is a situation that usually occurs in national public sector entities.
Currently, a negotiation process is underway between the university administration and the union organizations of the entity to discuss issues such as expansion of the personnel plant, regularization of the personnel reinstated by judicial sentences, definitive provision of positions through competition, and improvement of working conditions. Due to the above, a rating is obtained that indicates an adequate level of compliance with the Collective Negotiation category, although the rating must be reassessed once the negotiations are completed, the decisions made, and their implementation are analyzed.
Finally, the Public Management category presents an intermediate score given that, although there are accountability mechanisms on the part of managers, there are weaknesses in the recruitment processes for the provision of free appointment and removal positions, in opportunities for administrative career employees to perform said positions and in the application of formal instruments (management agreements) to measure the management of managers.
Results of Personnel Retirement Component
Regarding the Retirement or Disengagement of Personnel component, Graph 8 specifies the qualifications for its categories, finding the greatest weaknesses in the categories of Human Talent Administration and Knowledge Management; likewise, strength was also found in the Information Management category.
The Information Management category obtained an excellent rating given that there are mechanisms to collect and dispose of information related to the retirement of employees.
In the Human Talent Management category, there is a low level of compliance given that there are no records of analysis of causes of reasons for retirement that serve as input for the future provision of positions. Although there is low staff turnover in the entity given that the few recent terminations have been due to the recognition of the retirement pension of the employees.
Regarding the Assisted Termination category, although support activities have been carried out for employees terminated due to retirement, there is no evidence of support activities for employees who are terminated for reasons other than pension. In addition, the activities carried out are not framed within an assisted termination program.
Lastly, the qualification received in the Knowledge Management category indicates that the entity has begun the study of mechanisms that facilitate the transmission of knowledge left by public servants who are about to retire, although they have not yet been implemented.
Conclusions
Synthesizing the results found, it can be concluded that the critical starting point for determining improvement actions at the Universidad del Atlántico is the shortcomings between the articulation of strategic planning at the level of the entity's Senior Management and the planning of the management of human talent process advanced by the Department of the same name, whose scope is more of an administrative or operational type, the need to empower the administrative unit to recognize its importance and managerial support for a greater impact of its action is imperative.
It is important that, from the management level, the conception that what is essential is the execution of actions limited to regulatory compliance with the obligations and responsibilities of the administrative unit is overcome and be aware of the influence that the department has when leading the process that seeks to reconcile organizational needs with the well-being and contribution of the competences of its workforce.
Although aspects related to human talent have indeed been taken into consideration within the institutional strategic direction, it is appreciated that many provisions are documented on paper, but their follow-up is limited to verifying their compliance at a merely formal level. Therefore, efficiency and effectiveness indicators must be identified and applied. In the same way, it is necessary to integrate the process approach that the institution has designed, within the framework of the implementation of its Integrated Management System, and the organizational structure that was adopted in 2007.
In conclusion, the Integrated Planning and Management Model MIPG for Colombian public sector entities is an excellent reference to be considered beyond its regulatory prescription. In the particular case of Universidad del Atlántico, its application can serve as a starting point for the implementation of actions aimed at complying with regulatory guidelines and strengthening the entity's human resources as a strategic advantage that contributes to compliance with the mission goals; and, on the other hand, the University staff would also benefit from the realization of a better way to develop their competences in an integral way that guarantees their quality of working life.