People as a Resource

In Chapter 13 we shall discuss in some depth the management of resources – financial, physical and human. In the educational system, it is human resources which consume the most investment. In many ways we should treat people as any other resource, selecting the best for the purpose we wish to accomplish, and maintaining, improving and adapting the resource as we would a building or piece of equipment to ensure that it meets our needs. However, there is one important difference: people are thinking resources who, whether we like it or not, will decide jointly with their managers and colleagues on how their time, energy, knowledge and skill will ...