Human Capital Management Assessment In Kenya
With a total headcount of sixteen employees that successfully serve 2,900 poor clients in Kenya, Century DTM knows a thing or two about efficiently leveraging human capital. But this young, progressive MFI has aggressive growth objectives. Its newly acquired deposit taking license requires Century to hire for a number of roles in different departments including Human Resource Management, Treasury Management, and IT, among others. Additionally, Century set up its first deposit taking branch in Nairobi and is striving to expand its branch network in rural Kenya. The organization’s leadership understands the human capital risks that might slow the growth of this dynamic organization and, therefore, the need to engage a Human Capital Management (HCM) expert to help design a path to sustainable growth.
Laura Norris, an accomplished leader, Human Resources (HR) consultant, and member of Bankers without Borders’ HR Reserve Corps, brought over twenty years of HCM expertise to Century and volunteered to implement Grameen Foundation’s Human Capital Management Assessment. After remotely completing some preparatory work, Laura traveled from Minnesota to Nairobi to conduct a series of interviews with Century’s leadership and field staff, and to delve into the culture and operations of the organization. “I met the most wonderful, passionate team at Century DTM who truly share and live Grameen Foundation’s mission and spirit to serve the poor. I met people truly committed to offering a way out of poverty to many families. From a Human Resources professional perspective, it was an enriching experience to learn that an organization half a world away shares many of the same organizational issues we face in the US. This was a wonderful experience and I hope to have another assignment in the future.”
At the conclusion of this engagement, Laura presented Century’s leadership with a report that analyzed the organization’s current state of business practices and strategic challenges, as well as a summary of the current state of Human Capital Management practices and identified gaps between those practices and what is needed to support its mission and business strategy. The report offers specific, practical and feasible recommendations that can help Century increase the performance and effectiveness of its workforce, its internal processes, and the implementation of its business strategies.
Century is currently applying some of Laura’s recommendations and exploring the possibility of engaging BwB for phase 2 of the assessment, to receive technical assistance in such implementations. “I will be happy to do another project with Laura” says Pauline Githugu, Century’s CEO, “Laura gave us more value than we had expected and was a great guide. I asked for a volunteer from Bankers without Borders and I got more than I bargained for. We had our Human Resources streamlined, managed to simplify a very complex process of acquisition of a new core banking system, and I gained a new friend in the process! Bankers without Borders is just the thing required to give a boost to the next level especially when the purse is tight. Thank you BwB Team!”