Understanding Human Relations

Introduction to Human Relations

• Module covers definition, evolution, behavioral science influence, and challenges in Human Relations.
• Human Relations helps improve performance and solve organizational issues through employee relationship approaches

Background

• Dynamic organizations face unique challenges impacting work productivity and potentially leading to strikes.
• These challenges often stem from internal issues like employee conflicts or management-employee disagreements

Importance of Human Relations

• Essential for managing organizations by fostering better employee relationships through understanding.
• Helps reduce miscommunication and misinterpretation.
• Aims to prevent misunderstandings between management and employees

Defining Human Relations

• Focuses on human aspects like character, personality, behavior, and mental well-being, rather than merely "human" or "inter-human" connections.

• Encompasses humane or personal relations, emphasizing communication, persuasion, and mutual satisfaction

• Example 1: A civil servant mentioning acquaintance with a governor isn't Human Relations.

• Example 2: Husband sharing a bonus for family happiness and planning it together with the wife is Human Relations

Evolution of Human Relations

• Emerged around 1850, emphasizing employee needs and how these needs affect productivity.
• Managers previously saw workers as commodities to be bought, sold, and exploited via long hours, low pay and tough working conditions
• Frederick Taylor introduced "scientific management" theory to boost productivity by specializing tasks.

Scientific Management Theory

• Aims to eliminate antagonism between superiors and subordinates by focusing on collaborative methods to boost production.
• Focuses on control and discipline over worker's efforts
• Accused of viewing worker's solely as economic tools

Scientific Management Growth

• Managers recognized the uniqueness of individual workers
• By the 1920s, workers were increasingly viewed as complex individuals with measurable skills that can be trained and improved
• Testing for tasks, promotions, and job placements became popular

Paradigms Shifts

• 1897-1904: US labor union membership rose from 400,000 to 2 million
• 1920s: Labor unions were widely recognized by managers and corporations
• The new paradigm shift focused on workers being seen as humans, leading managers to re-evaluate their traditional leadership styles
• Hawthorne Studies in mid-1920s by Elton Mayo focused on the impact of lighting, ventilation, and fatigue.

Post-Hawthorne Shift

• Hawthorne studies found value for both morale and individual motivations as key production drivers
• Interactions among colleagues within social structures were found to significantly influence activity within a workplace
• By the 1930s and again after WWII, industries show more appreciation for the connection between employee morale and productivity

Influence of behavioral science

• McGregor’s Theory X vs Theory Y, and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs became important developments.
• Human relations rapidly evolved into the 1940s and 1950s
• Carl Rogers, Kurt Lewin, Daniel Bell, C. Wright Mills, and Chester I Barnard contributed to theoritical and experimental perspectives

Scope of Human Relations

• Broadly, it involves persuasive communication that fosters mutual happiness and satisfaction.
• Narrowly, it targets persuasive communication in a professional workplace to drive collaborative enthusiasm, aiming for productive and satisfying teamwork.
• Aims to remove communication barriers, clarify misunderstandings, and grow positive aspects of human behavior, according to Norman R.F. Maier.

Human Relations Definition

• RF Maier: Persuasive communication among people in a formal organization to achieve goals
• Hodgett: Where management brings workers into contact in such a way that the objectives of both groups are achieved
• Human Relations at Work: Process of management and workers interacting toward goals.

Key to Human Relations

• Motivation within employees, to fulfill their needs like family well-being and personal progress
• Leaders should think situationally and build environments that help them be happy
• Success is achieved through persuasive communication that is reciprocal (not passive)

Focus in Human Relations

• Continuous improvement and satisfaction
• Oriented to inner peace
• Frequently applied in management and leadership

Behavioral Studies Influence

• Human relations and organizational performance are primarily determined by the employees themselves.
• Manager must study employees so they can fully utilize workers strengths
• People differ in many ways and have a unique intellect.
• People have emotional make up.

Heredity and Environment

• Heredity (genetics) determines the fundamental characteristics of an individual's character and personality from birth, influenced by parental traits.
• Environment shapes character, by deciding whether inherent qualities grow or stay dormant.
• Interactions with social environment impact existing attributes

Mental Dynamics

• Psychological makeup consists of thought, emotions, instincts, and sensory experiences. One may dominate.
• Objective thinking: Those who think rationally work to objectively interpret the world.
• Objective-thinking use truth.
• Those who value emotions will value senses more.
• Dominant intuition: These people capture general importance without any details.

Extroversion and Introversion

• Jung separates personalities based on their focus.
• Extraverts are outer focused, value their environment, prioritize collective interests and are outgoing.
• Introverts are inner-focused, value themselves, and tend to be quiet and reserved.
• Ambiverts have mixed qualities from both (majority).

Understanding the workforce

• Both managers and executives must understand if how people think, feel, and behave
• Understanding employees will greatly assist with conflict resolution
• Success in addressing worker issues equates to success within human relations efforts which is valuable to management

Challenges in Human Relations

• Growing in complexity because of the changing world
• Managing diversity, maintaining ethical standards/social responsibility, and adapting across international lines became key challenges

Managing Diversity

• Diversity found everywhere needs to be encouraged
• Organizations look to promote equitable diversity
• Through HR discrimination should be eliminated and good communication is encouraged across all cultures

Ethics and Social Responsibility

• Businesses are now expected to do a standard practice and be ethical
• Ethic and social responsibility are now key for organizational well-being
• HR should be used to promote ethical behavior through employee relations

International and Cultural Challenges

• Multinational companies spread diverse values
• HR strategizes this diversity, to build a good network through communication and acceptance of values

HR Goal

• Not be seen as threats, diversity should be seen as keys to unlock greater success