Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore the application of modern human
resource management practices by women SME owner/managers in Kenya. The
objectives of the study were two: to examine to what extend the women SME
owner/managers applied human resources management practices in their
organizations and to establish if the application of human resource practices
affected employee job performance.
Methodology
To realize the research objectives, a cross-sectional survey design was adopted.
The target population constituted women SME owner/managers from different
parts of Kenya, who had been identified for entrepreneurship training in Nairobi in
2013. About 100 women owner/managers from all sectors were sampled for the
study. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire. The data was
analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and qualitative
methods.
Results and Implications
The results showed that recruitment, selection methods and rewards affected
employee’ performance most in the SME’s owned/managed by women. Results
suggest that many women owner/managers do not apply most of the modern
human resource management practices because they lack the capacity to do so.
Since the study identified gaps of management skills and knowledge among the
women owner/managers, it recommends empowerment of women in order to fill
the gaps through training or the support of consultants. Empowering women
SME owner/managers would be a step in making important strides in the right
direction of empowerment of women in Kenya.
