Review of Human Resource Management PDF

# REVIEW OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ## **Lesson 1** ### **What is Human Resource Management?** According to The Harvard Model of Human Resource Management, created by Michael Beer, Human Resource Management is a strategic approach to the employment, development, and wellbeing of the people work...

# REVIEW OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ## **Lesson 1** ### **What is Human Resource Management?** According to The Harvard Model of Human Resource Management, created by Michael Beer, Human Resource Management is a strategic approach to the employment, development, and wellbeing of the people working in an organization. Human resources management involves all management decisions and actions that affect the relationship between the organization and its employees - in other words, its human resources. HRM refers to the management of all decisions within an organization that are related to people. It concentrates on making the most of the human resources that are at the disposal of the organization and enhances the performance of employees to achieve the organization's objectives. HRM ensures the seamless and effective application of policies and processes in the business. HRM is there to keep the balance between employee needs and satisfaction and an organization's profitability and capability to reach its objectives. ### **Desired Learning Outcomes** At the end of the topic, you will be able to: 1. Know the concepts, principles, and nature of HRM. 2. Differentiate HRM and Personnel Management. 3. The attributes of HRM. 4. The benefits of HRM. 5. The functions of HRM. ## **Let's Discuss!** In practice, however, HRM is a tool used to try to make optimum use of human resources, to foster individual development, and to comply with government mandates. Larger organizations typically have an HRM department and its primary objective is making company goals compatible with employee goals. For a company to attain its goals, it must have employees who will help it attain them. Human Resource Management is an approach to managing human beings in any organization. Since an organization is a body of people, their acquisition, development of skills, motivation for higher levels of attainments, as well as ensuring maintenance of their level of commitment are all significant activities. Human Resource Management is a process, which consists of four main activities, namely acquisition, development, motivation, and maintenance of human resources. Scott, Clothier, and Spriegel have defined Human Resource Management as the that branch of management which is responsible on a staff basis for concentrating on those aspects of operations which are primarily concerned with the relationship of management to employees and employees to employees and with the development of the individual and the group. Human Resource Management is responsible for maintaining good human relations in the organization. It is also concerned with the development of individuals and achieving integration of goals of the organization and those of the individuals. Northcott considers human resource management as an extension of general management, that of prompting and stimulating every employee to make his fullest contribution to the purpose of a business. Human Resource Management is not something that could be separated from the basic managerial function. It is a major component of the broader managerial function. According to Edwin B. Flippo - Human resource management is the planning, organizing, directing and controlling of the procurement, development, resources to the end that individual and societal objectives are accomplished. This definition reveals that human resource (HR) management is that aspect of management, which deals with the planning, organizing, directing, and controlling the personnel function of the enterprise. ### **What are Attributes of HRM?** The attributes of Human resource management can be emphasized as follows: 1. **Innate in Management.** Human Resource Management is innate in the process of management. This function is performed by all the managers throughout the organization rather than by the personnel department only. If a manager is to get the best of his people, he must undertake the basic responsibility of selecting people who will work under him. 2. **Universal Function.** Human Resource Management is a universal function of management. It is performed by all managers at various levels in the organization. It is not a responsibility that a manager can leave completely to someone else. However, he may secure advice and help in managing people from experts who have special competence in personnel management and industrial relations. 3. **Basic to All Management Areas.** Human Resource Management permeates all the functional areas of management such as production management, financial management, and marketing management. That is every manager from top to bottom, working in any department has to perform the personnel function. 4. **People Centered.** Human Resource Management is people centered and is relevant in all types of organizations. It is concerned with all categories of personnel from top to the bottom of the organization. The broad classification of personnel in an industrial enterprise may be as follows: * **Blue-collar workers** - those working on machines and engaged in loading, unloading etc. * **White-collar workers** - those working as clerical employees * **Managerial and non-managerial personnel** - * **Professionals** - such as Accountant, Company Secretary, Lawyer 5. **Personnel Activities or Function.** Human Resource Management involves several functions concerned with the management of people at work. It includes manpower planning, employment, placement, training, appraisal, and compensation of employees. For the performance of these activities efficiently, a separate department known as Personnel Department is created in most of the organizations. 6. **Continuous Process.** Human Resource Management is not a "one shot" function. It must be performed continuously if the organizational objectives are to be achieved smoothly. 7. **Based on Human Relations.** Human Resource Management is concerned with the motivation of human resources in the organization. The human beings can't be dealt with like physical factors of production. Every person has different needs, perceptions, and expectations. The managers should give due attention to these factors. They require human relations skills to deal with the people at work. Human relations skills are also required in training performance appraisal, transfer, and promotion of subordinates. ### **What are Objectives of Human Resource Management?** The primary objective of HRM is to ensure the availability of competent and willing workforce to an organization. The specific objectives include the following: 1. **Human Capital:** Assisting the organization in obtaining the right number and types of employees to fulfill its strategic and operational goals. 2. **Developing Organizational Climate:** Helping to create a climate in which employees are encouraged to develop and utilize their skills to the fullest and to employ the skills and abilities of the workforce efficiently. 3. **Maintaining Performance Standards:** Helping to maintain performance standards and increase productivity through effective job design; providing adequate orientation, training and development; providing performance-related feedback; and ensuring effective two-way communication. 4. **Harmonious Employer/Employee Relationship:** Helping to establish and maintain a harmonious employer/employee relationship. 5. **Safe and Healthy Work Environment:** Helping to create and maintain a safe and healthy work environment. 6. **Meeting Economic, Psychological, and Social Needs of Employees:** Developing programs to meet the economic, psychological, and social needs of the employees and helping the organization to retain the productive employees. 7. **Ensuring Compliance with Laws:** Ensuring that the organization is in compliance with provincial/territorial and laws affecting the workplace (such as human rights, employment equity, occupational health and safety, employment standards, and labor relations legislation) to help the organization to reach its goals. 8. **Well-Trained and Motivated Employees:** To provide organization with well-trained and well-motivated employees. 9. **Employee Satisfaction:** To increase the employee satisfaction and self-actualization. 10. **Quality of Work Life:** To develop and maintain the quality of work life. 11. **Communicating HR Policies:** To communicate HR policies to all employees. 12. **Maintaining Ethical Policies and Behavior:** To help maintain ethical policies and behavior. The above stated HRM objectives can be synthesized under four specific objectives: 1. **Societal Objectives:** Seek to ensure that the organization becomes socially responsible to the needs and challenges of the society while minimizing the negative impact of such demands upon the organization. The failure of the organization to use their resources for the society's benefit in ethical ways may lead to restriction. 2. **Organizational Objectives:** It recognizes the role of HRM in bringing about organizational effectiveness. It makes sure that HRM is not a standalone department, but rather a means to assist the organization with its primary objectives. The HR department exists to serve the rest of the organization. 3. **Functional Objectives:** Is to maintain the department's contribution at a level appropriate to the organization's needs. Human resources are to be adjusted to suit the organization's demands. The department's value should not become too expensive at the cost of the organization it serves. 4. **Personnel Objectives:** It is to assist employees in achieving their personal goals, at least as far as these goals enhance the individual's contribution to the organization. Personal objectives of employees must be met if they are to be maintained, retained, and motivated. Otherwise, employee performance and satisfaction may decline giving rise to employee turnover.. The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) conducted fairly an exhaustive study in this field and identified nine broad areas of activities of HRM: 1. Human Resource Planning 2. Design of Organization and Job 3. Selection and Staffing 4. Training and Development 5. Organizational Development 6. Compensation and Benefits 7. Employee Assistance 8. Union-Labor Relations 9. Personnel Research and Information System An efficiently functional HRM aids the workforce of an organization to contribute efficiently and effectively towards the overall achievement of an organization's goals. To understand HRM, the functions of HRM must be taken into consideration. ### **The functions of HRM are:** 1. Managerial 2. Operative 3. Advisory ### **Managerial functions include:** 1. **Planning:** The planning function of HRM ensures the best fit between employees and jobs while avoiding manpower shortages or surpluses for the organization. There are four key steps of the HRP process: Analyzing present human resource supply, forecasting human resource demand, balancing projected the human resource demand with supply, and aligning the first three steps to the organizational goals. 2. **Organizing:** Organizing is the function of HRM that involves developing an organizational structure to ensure the accomplishment of the organizational goals. The structure is usually represented by an organization chart, which provides a graphic representation of the chain of command within an organization. 3. **Directing:** This includes activating employees at different levels and making them contribute maximum towards organizational goals. Tapping maximum potentialities of an employee via constant motivation and command is a prime focus for this function of HRM. 4. **Controlling:** Post planning, organizing, and directing, performance of an employee is to be evaluated, verified, and compared with organizational goals. If performance is found to be deviating from the plan, control measures are to be taken. ### **Operative function Includes:** 1. **Recruitment and Selection:** Recruitment and selection creates a pool of prospective candidates and selects the right candidates from that pool. 2. **Job Analysis & Design:** This HRM function includes describing nature of the job, including the requisite qualifications, skills, and work experience for a specific position within an organization. This function is crucial in helping to combining tasks, duties, and responsibilities into a single work unit to achieve organizational goals. 3. **Performance Management:** Checking and analyzing employee performance is another important function that HRM performs. According to Deloitte's Global Human Capital Trends study, 79% of executives rate redesign of performance management system and practices to incorporate elements like continuous feedback, goal-setting, and employee-driven communication as a high priority. 4. **Learning & Development (L&D):** This HRM function allows employees to acquire new skills and knowledge to perform their job effectively. L&D also prepares employees for taking up higher levels of responsibilities. According to the Association for Talent Development (ATD), organizations that offer comprehensive training programs have 218% higher income per employee than organizations without formalized training. 5. **Compensation Management:** HRM also includes determining pays for different job types and compensations, incentives, bonuses, and benefits related to a job function. According to Jobvite, most people (19%) left their jobs for compensation reasons. 6. **Policies:** HRM functions by drafting, revising, publishing, and implementing the organizational policies, which are essential for the fair treatment for all the employees. 7. **Employee Welfare:** This function takes care of numerous services, benefits, and facilities provided to an employee for their wellbeing. According to a study by MetLife, 51% of employers say using health and wellness benefits to maintain employee loyalty and retain talent will become even more important in the next 3 to 5 years. 8. **HRMS:** This function involves recording, maintaining, and retrieving employee-related information including employment history, work hours, earning history etc. ### **Advisory function includes:** 1. **Top Management Advice:** One of the critical HRM functions is to advise the top management in formulating policies and procedures. The advisory function of HRM also advises the top management on appraisal of manpower. This function also involves advice regarding maintaining high-quality human relations and improving employee morale. 2. **Departmental Head Advice:** Under this HRM function, HRM advises the heads of various departments on policies related to job design, job description, recruitment, selection, appraisals. ### **What is the importance of HRM?** According to Peter F. Drucker, the proper or improper use of the different factors of production depends on the wishes of the human resources. Human resources can increase cooperation but it needs proper and efficient management to guide it. The importance of personnel management is in reality the importance of labor functions of personnel department which are indispensable to the management activity itself. ### **The following reasons highlight the importance of HRM.** 1. **Recognizing and valuing individuals:** HRM acknowledges every employee's worth within the organization, suggesting that the organization recognize and value individual contributions. The empathy monitor study by the Businessolver states that 93% of employees say they're more likely to stay at an organization with an empathetic employer. Also, the happy work study by Ultimate Software says that 75% of employees would stay longer at an organization that listens to and addresses their concerns. 2. **People bring ideas:** HRM manages people, and people bring new skills and ideas into the organization and fuel the growth of business. 3. **Quality of work life:** Quality of work life is a legitimate concern, and that employees have a right to safe, clean, and pleasant surroundings, which is one of the responsibilities of HRM. According to 'Global Productivity Hinges on Human Capital Development', a study by Gallup, 85% of employees worldwide feel disengaged at work and only 15% derive fulfillment from their work. 4. **Upskilling is a long-term interest:** HRM recognizes the need for continuous learning; talents and skills must be continually refined in the long-term interests of the organization. 5. **Facilitate continual worker adaptation:** Opportunities are constantly changing. Organizations need methods to facilitate continual worker adaptation and HRM provides the organization with those methods. 6. **Employee satisfaction:** People have a right to be satisfied by their work, and organizations have a responsibility, and a profit motivation, to try to match their skills with their job. According to Decision Wise via Human Resources Today, 64% of workers globally feel their job gives them a sense of meaning and purpose. 7. **Beyond technical training:** HRM has a much broader scope than technical training- employees need to know more than the requirements of a specific task in order to make their maximum contribution. ### **What are Benefits of HRM?** HRM bridges the gap between the employees and the management of an organization. Operating a successful organization requires a good HRM which is dedicated to the progress and growth of the organization. A balanced HRM is critical to the productivity and synergy of the organization. An effective HRM allows organizations to tackle human resource issues strategically. HRM supports in attracting and retaining competent employees, helps the organization's leaders, and employees in adapting to organizational change, and enables the adoption of technology. HRM play a critical role in managing employees, helping them to work effectively and creatively to help their organization to attain a competitive advantage in their market. The question 'What is the importance of HRM?' can be answered by considering all the ways that HRM helps organizations to meet their competitive challenges and create value. These facets of HRM include how an organization manages the human resource environment and acquires, trains, assesses, develops, and compensates its employees. The importance of HRM goes unnoticed in the organization with the routine hustle and bustle in the workplace, but without the effective HRM contributions, the organization might not be able to achieve its fullest potential and expand its horizons. ### **Here are the benefits of HRM:** 1. **Strategic Management:** HRM enhances the company's bottom-line by triggering positive output, leading to organizational success. Leaders with expertise in HRM participate in corporate decision-making that underlies human resource decisions. 2. **Mission, vision, values, and goals:** HRM when handled strategically contributes to an organization's mission, vision, values, and goals. This, in turn, enables employees to see where they fit within the organization and helps to shape and define their roles. 3. **Branding internally:** Creating a positive brand about the organization for its employees and internal stakeholders is an important responsibility of HRM. According to a study by Culture IQ, Building an employer brand and company culture helps companies increase qualified candidates (49%), increase diverse candidates (32%), increase employee referrals (41%), and hire the right people (55%). 4. **Creating awareness for employees:** HRM builds workplace awareness by providing complete information to employees of their functioning and governance. 5. **Maintaining a conducive work environment:** A favorable work environment within the organization where the employees can have both hygiene factors and motivators is taken care of by HRM. One of the top employer attributes that jobseekers value most is a pleasant working atmosphere, according to a study by Ranstand. 6. **Talent management:** This is one of the important responsibilities of HRM. HRM remains committed to recruitment and selection, on-boarding, training, management development, performance management, succession planning, career paths, and other aspects of talent management. 7. **Organizational culture:** HRM impacts the culture of the organization and has a key role to play in ensuring that an organization's culture continues to be supportive and effective. The culture of an organization never solidifies - it changes with changing demographics, workplace norms, industry forces, and other factors. HRM molds the organization's culture, and the organization's culture is reflected in the HRM - so they are interlinked. According to another study by CultureIQ, 73% of employers believe a great corporate culture gives their organizations a competitive edge. 8. **Conflict management:** Conflicts are part of any healthy and robust organization. Not everyone always feels the same way, but they need to develop effective working relationships for contributions and productivity. HRM helps by knowing the personalities of each of the employees and taking on the necessary role of advocate, coach, or mediator. ### **What are Approaches to HRM?** John Storey (1989) distinguished two approaches that describe the concept of Human Resources Management: 1. **Hard HRM** The hard version of HRM traces its roots from the concept of scientific management postulated by Frederick W. Taylor in the early 20th century. * Basically, scientific management advocated for the adoption of a set of management techniques that would increase Organizational efficiency and productivity. * The management techniques mainly involved the scientific measurement of work through time and method studies, standardization of work tool, functional foremanship, differential pay-rate systems, cost containment, and instructional cards for workers et. * The human side of scientific management was that it embraced the concept of the worker as a "rational economic man whose individualistic nature required motivation to gain the best out of him. * The hard HRM version resembles in many ways the characteristics of scientific management mentioned above. * The fundamental point to note is that Hard HRM like scientific management seeks to achieve organizational efficiency through the organization's human resources. * This is achieved through utilitarian instrumentalism, which entails that organizations must use their human resources to achieve its desired goals. * Thus, Hard HRM is quantitative in nature as it focuses on the strategic needs of the organization in terms of the number of human resources it requires and which must be treated with rationality like any other factor of production. * Hard HRM is purely market-driven and it adopts a business-oriented philosophy as it aims to manage people in a way that adds value and one which brings competitive advantage. * The hard version of HRM is more common in a capitalist set up where people are regarded as human capital, which can bring profit after investing it. * Also, the worker is regarded as a commodity, which can be exchanged. 2. **Soft HRM** * The soft version of HRM traces its roots to the human relations school of thought led by Elton Mayo in the Hawthorne studies from 1927-1932 at the Western Electric Company in Chicago. * Human Relations emphasized the human dimension of workers through the demonstration of the importance of group pressures, social relations, and attitudes towards supervision as determinants of productivity. * The organization is a social system as well as a techno-economic system with emphasis on the importance of both the formal and informal group. * Similarly, soft HRM is premised on the need to treat employees as "whole men", valued assets, and the most important source of competitive advantage as opposed to treating them as objects. * It emphasizes more on effective communication, training and development, motivation, culture, values, and involvement as sources of employee commitment, which is crucial for gaining competitive advantage. * The thrust of soft HRM is thus based on mutuality of purpose, which renders it unitarist in nature. * Soft HRM can be said to embrace development humanism as opposed to utilitarian instrumentalism in hard HRM. ### **Human Resource Management Vs. Personnel Management** | HRM | PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT | |---|---| | HRM is the latest development in the evaluation of management of man | Personnel Management precedes HRM | | It gives more importance to the abilities of employees rather than evaluating them as per rules | Performance is evaluated within the framework of rules. | | It works on the basis of integrated initiative | It works on the basis of piecemeal initiative | | Process of decision making is fast | Process of decision making is slow | | It supports performance related remuneration | It supports fixed remuneration | | It uses latest techniques of training and development | It uses outdated techniques of training and development | | It practices division of work along with team work | It practices only division of work | | It favors all round development of employees | It favors contractual employment based on written agreement | ### **DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL HRM AND STRATEGIC HRM** **Traditional Human Resource Management** 1. It focuses on employee relations, to partnership with internal and external groups. 2. Transformation in nature, in that it helps the people and the organization to adapt, learn, and act quickly. 3. **Strategic Human Resource Management ** 1. It realizes that people can make or break an organization because all decisions regarding finance, marketing, operations or technology are made by an organization's people. 2. It compels people at all levels to focus on strategic issues rather than operational issues. 3. It believes that there is no best way to manage people in any given organization. ### **Future Challenges before the Managers** Because of continuous changing socio-economic, technological, and political conditions, the human resource managers of the future shall have to face more problems in the management of labor. The human resource managers of today may find themselves obsolete in the future due to changes in the environment if they do not update themselves. Some of the important challenges which might be faced by the managers in the management of people in business, and industry are the following: 1. **Increasing Size of Workforce:** The size of organization is increasing. A large number of multinational organizations have grown over the years. The number of people working in the organization has also increased. The management of increased workforce might create new problems and challenges as the workers are becoming more conscious of their rights. 2. **Increase in Education Level:** The government of various countries are taking steps to eradicate illiteracy and increase the educational level of their citizens. Educated consumers and workers will create very tough task for the future managers. 3. **Technological Advances:** With the changes coming in the wake of advanced technology, new jobs are created and many old jobs become redundant. There is a general apprehension of immediate unemployment. In the competitive world of today, industry cannot hope to survive for long with old technology. The problem, of unemployment resulting from modernization will be solved properly assessing manpower needs and training of redundant employees in alternate skills. 4. **Changes in Political Environment:** There may be greater Government's interference in business to safeguard the interests of workers, consumers, and the public at large. Government's participation in trade, commerce, and industry will also pose many challenges before management. The Government may restrict the scope of private sector in certain areas in public interest. It does not mean chances of co-operation between the Government and private sector are ruled out. In fact, there will be more and more joint sector enterprise. 5. **Increasing Aspirations of Employees:** Considerable changes have been noted in the worker of today in comparison to his counterpart of 1950s. The workers are becoming aware of their higher-level needs and this awareness would intensify further in the future workers. 6. **Changing Psychosocial System:** In future, organizations will be required to make use of advanced technology in accomplishing their goals while satisfying human needs. In the traditional bureaucratic mode, the organizations were designed to achieve technical functions with a little consideration given to the psychosocial system. But future management would be required to ensure effective participation of lower levels in the management of the organization system. 7. **Computerized Information System :** In the past, automation of manufacturing processes had a major effect upon the systems of production, storage, handling, and packaging, etc. More recently, there has been and in the future. There will be the impact of revolutionary computerized information system on management. This revolutionary development would cover two primary areas of personnel management which are as follows: * The use of electronic computers for the collection and processing of data * The direct application of computers in the managerial decision-making process. 8. **Mobility of Professional Personnel:** Organizations will expand the use of "boundary agents" whose primary function will be achieving coordination with the environment. One interesting fact will be an increase in the mobility of various managerial and professional personnel between organizations. As individuals develop greater technical and professional expertise, their service will be in greater demand by the other organization in the environment. 9. **Changes in Legal Environment:** Many changes are taking place in the legal framework within which the industrial relations systems in the country are now functioning. It is the duty of the human resource personnel executive to be aware of these changes and to bring about necessary adjustments within the organizations so that greater utilization of human resources can be achieved. This, indeed, is and would remain a major challenge for the personnel executives. 10. **Management of Human Relations:** On the "industrial relations" front, things are not showing much improvement even after so many efforts by the government in this direction. Though a large number of factors are responsible for industrial unrest but a very significant cause is the growth of multi-unions in industrial complexes having different political affiliations. Under the present conditions, it appears that inter-union rivalries would grow more in the coming years and might create more problems in the industry. Management of human relations in the future will be more complicated than their predecessors. This will be in part the result of a change in value systems coupled with rising educational levels. ### **NEW ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT** Human Resource Management in the "New Millennium" has undergone a great revolution by questioning the accepted practices and re-inventing the organizations as well as structures. Many traditional practices have been thrown out. As an example, it can be seen that hierarchies are vanishing and there is greater emphasis on flat organizations. It means a great deal of specialization and skills. It also means upgrading the norms and standards of work as well as performance. The new role of human resource management is much more strategic than before. Some of the new directions of the role of HRM can be summed up as follows: 1. **As Facilitator of Change:** To carry people through upheaval requires the true management of human resources. 2. **An Integrated Approach to Management:** Rather than being an isolated function, human resource is regarded as core activity, one which shapes a company's values. In particular, this can have an impact on customer service. 3. **A Mediator:** Establishing and balancing the new and emerging aspirations and requirements of the company and the individual. ### **Functions of a Human Resource Manager ** A human resource manager, charged with fulfilling the objectives of an organizations, should be a leader with high intellectual powers, a visionary, and a philosopher who provides the initiative to shape the future in terms of leading the human beings in an organization towards more prosperous and progressive policies. 1. **As an Intellectual:** The basic skill in the human resource field as compared to technologies or financial experts is the skill to communicate, articulate, understand, and above all, to be an expert when it comes to putting policies and agreements in black and white. The personnel man's skill lies in his command over the language. A personnel man has to deal with employees and he must possess the skills of conducting fruitful and systematic discussions and of communicating effectively. He should also be in a position to formulate principles and foresee the problems of the organization. This means that he would require the mental ability to deal with his people in an intelligent manner as well as to understand what they are trying to say. 2. **As an Educator:** It is not enough that a human resource man has command-over the language, which, however, remains his primary tool. He should be deeply interested in learning and also in achieving growth. Basically, human beings like to grow and realize their full potential. In order to harmonize the growth of individuals with that of the organization, a personnel administrator must not only provide opportunities for his employees to learn, get the required training, and assimilate new ideas but also, he himself should be a teacher. A personnel man who simply pushes files and attends labor courts for conciliation and other rituals of legal procedure for the settlement of industrial disputes is not a personnel administrator of the future. 3. **As a Discriminator:** A human resource administrator must have the capacity to discriminate between right and wrong, between that which is just and unjust, and merit and non-merit. In other words, he should be a good judge when he sits on a selection board, a fair person when he advises on disciplinary matters, and a good observer of right conduct in an organization. 4. **As an Executive:** The human resource man must execute the decision of the management and its policies with speed, accuracy, and objectivity. He has to streamline the office, tone up the administration, and set standards of performance. He has to coordinate the control functions in relation to the various other divisions, and in doing so he should be in a position to bring unity of purpose and direction in the activities of the personnel department. He must ask relevant questions and not be merely involved in the office routine whereby the status quo is maintained. He should have the inquisitiveness to find out causes of delay, tardy work, and wasteful practices, and should be keen to eliminate those activities from the personnel functions which have either outlived their utility or are not consistent with the objectives and purposes of the organization. 5. **As a leader :** Being basically concerned with people or groups of people, and being placed in the group dynamics of various political and social functions of an organization, a Human resource man must not shirk the role of leadership in an organization. He, by setting his own example and by working towards the objectives of sound personnel management practices, must inspire his people and motivate them towards better performance. He should resolve the conflicts of different groups and build up teamwork in the organization. 6. **As a Humanist:** Deep faith in human values and empathy with human problems, especially in less developed countries, are the sine-qua-non for a Human resource man. He has to deal with people who toil at various levels and partake of their joys and sorrows. He must perform his functions with sensitivity and feeling. 7. **As a Visionary:** While every leading function of an organization must evolve its vision of the future, the primary responsibility for developing the social organization towards purposive and progressive action falls on the personnel man.