Human capital in public research laboratories: a method proposal for assessing actual and target scores

Abstract

PurposeThis work aims to propose an alternative method of human capital calculation for research laboratories of public university, taking into account some drawbacks of the methods currently applied in this field.Design/methodology/approachThis method is implemented via a linear program extracted from Data Envelopment Analysis based on slack movement. This is the formulation of Copper et al. (2000), which is used as the starting point for developing the proposed method through important transformations.FindingsThe proposed method is supported by an illustration related to a Moroccan public university. This illustration showed that 57 per cent of the laboratories and all the research activities that they perform are in deficit with respect to target scores.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed method has technical limitations related to scores equal to 1 and to variables when those are numerous. To solve them, it is possible to use peer benchmarking system for the first limitation, and methods of regrouping the variables when those are numerous for the second limitation. Equally, the proposed method does not associate slack with important factors like governance and the impact analysis of research on innovation, competitiveness, and societal aspects. Likewise, it does not use the slack to measure individual efficiency at the same laboratory. Future research can fill these gaps.Practical implicationsThis work allows making appropriate budgetary and research policy within university, through budgeting process and management control by using raw and adjusted target values as well as actual ones. Also, the highlighting of the excessive slacks leads the university to take actions to reduce them, according to the most loss-making research activities.Originality/valueThe proposed method is original, since it fills a deficit in terms of human capital target values calculation and of the slack movement concept in relation to the efficient frontier. Additionally, it transforms the Data Envelopment Analysis program into a program that eliminates the slacks linked to the inputs, the radial movement related to the outputs and treats only the outputs and slacks related to these outputs.

The influence of human, organizational and relational capital of universities on their performance: a developing economy perspective

“…This supports the idea that human capital score is a benchmark for evaluating quality of research. The present study has taken a different perspective to the same thought by proposing that research facilitation contributes to the creation of human capital (Boutchich, 2020;Maltseva et al, 2018). Many studies (Nguyen, 2016;Townsend et al, 2015) have overlooked the role of human capital in converting a researcher's skill into knowledge, motivation into research and research into enhanced performance.…”

“…EFA of human capital, organizational capital and relational capital empirically assisted in the emergence of the sub-dimensions of these three constructs, which were also consistent with the literature review (as highlighted in EFA tables). The sub-dimensions of human capital that emerged were as follows: focus on quality research, corporate like governance in universities in terms of benefits and perks, retention policies for competent academicians and a work environment promoting pluralism (Ahmadi et al, 2012;Alleman and Haviland, 2017;Boutchich, 2020;Farid et al, 2008;Maltseva et al, 2018). Similarly, factor analysis of organizational capital mainly brought out two latent factors: infrastructure enabling knowledge creation and a culture of knowledge sharing in universities (Abualoush et al, 2018;Akhavan and Khosravian, 2016).…”

Research Governance in Public University: Proposal of a Composite Index

“…At this level, it should be remembered that the adjusted composite index of research excellence proposed by the European Commission has been revised to eliminate the inputs and keep only the outputs in this index (Vertesy, 2018). The transformed program is as follows (El Kadiri Boutchich, 2020b):…”

“…Thus, in the absence of a composite index within university’ laboratories, it is legitimate that they adopt the methods aforementioned notably these of managerial nature. This assertion is based on the fact that research laboratories today are considered to be enterprises or industrial organizations (El Kadiri Boutchich, 2020b). This assertion is equally legitimized because it is the governance entrepreneurial approach that is most coveted by research laboratories, compared to the state-centered approach and autonomy approach (Abdeldayem & Aldulaimi, 2018).…”

“…First, the institutional methods involve certain biases. Second, parametric methods require several tests and are difficult to specify, manipulate, and interpret when they take a nonlinear form (El Kadiri Boutchich, 2020b). Finally, the index methods are approximate and do not make it possible to identify the main components of the composite index.…”