Competency Assessment and Human Resource Management Performance of County Extension Chairs

The purpose of this descriptive and correlational study was to examine perceptions of Ohio State University Extension county chairs regarding their human resource management competencies and performance of human resource management activities. The study also sought to describe the relationship between human resource management competencies and performance of human resource management activities of county chairs. County chairs were selected for study because they represent the first line of management most clientele and employees face. They also represent a group of Extension managers least likely to have formal education or specialized training in human resource management. The highest human resource management competencies perceived by county chairs were written comprehension, oral comprehension, written expression, information gathering, inductive reasoning, and problem sensitivity. The human resource management activities for which county chairs indicated the highest means were: developing and maintaining positive work environment, administering wages and benefits, ensuring safety and health at worksites, and selecting and hiring employees. The correlation between the summated competency and activity score was significant with a very strong relationship between the variables, r(86)=.71, p<.05