Unravelling the Relationship between Strategic Human Resource Management Practices and Quality Health Service Delivery Using Canonical Correlation Analysis

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices and the provision of quality health services in four Tanzanian referral hospitals. It adopted quantitative approach with an explanatory cross-sectional design. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 333 employees who were the units of inquiry as well as units of analysis. The canonical correlation analysis (CCA) results showed that there is a statistically significant relationship between SHRM practices and the provision of quality health services evidenced by the level of significance, magnitude of the canonical correlation coefficients and the effect size. The communality coefficients showed that important variables contributing to this relationship were professional development, performance evaluation and employee compensation, with supervision making moderate contribution to this relationship. The findings imply that appropriate application of SHRM practices enables employees acquire the competencies needed and develop attitudes and behaviour that influence their commitment and willingness to exert considerable efforts to influence the quality dimensions of responsiveness, reliability, tangibility, assurance and empathy directly or indirectly. Therefore, the referral hospitals should fully comprehend SHRM practices as a sine qua non for providing quality health services.

Key words: Strategic human resource management, human resources, referral hospitals, provision of quality health services