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Brief history of human resource management
Brief history of human resource management
Brief history of human resource management
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HISTORY
Key principles and practices associated with HRM date back to the beginning of mankind. Mechanisms were developed for the selection of tribal leaders, for example, and knowledge was recorded and passed on to youth about safety, health, hunting, and gathering. More advanced HRM functions were developed as early as 1000 and 2000 B.C. Employee screening tests have been traced back to 1115 B.C. in China, for instance. And the earliest form of industrial education, the apprentice system, was started in ancient Greek and Babylonian civilizations before gaining prominence during medieval times.
Since the inception of modem management theory, the terminology used to describe the role and function of workers has evolved from "personnel" to "industrial relations" to "employee relations" to "human resources." While all of these terms remain in use, "human resources" most accurately represents the view of workers by contemporary management theory: as valuable resources managed in the same manner as other valuable resources, according to the authors of Human Resource Management.
The need for an organized form of HRM emerged during the industrial revolution, as the manufacturing process evolved from a cottage system to factory production. As the United States shifted from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy, companies were forced to develop and implement effective ways of recruiting and keeping skilled workers. In addition, industrialization helped spur immigration, as the country opened its borders to fill industrial positions. Filling these jobs with immigrants, however, created an even greater need for adequate management of employees.
Between the 1880s and the 1940s, immigration rose significantly and remained robust until World War II. Advertisements circulated throughout the world depicting the United States as the land of opportunity where good-paying industrial jobs were plentiful. As a result, the country had a steady stream of low-skill, low-cost immigrant workers who occupied manufacturing, construction, and machinery operation positions. Even though these employees performed largely routine tasks, managers faced serious obstacles when trying to manage them since they spoke different languages.
Early human resource management techniques included social welfare approaches aimed at helping immigrants adjust to their jobs and to life in the United States. These programs assisted immigrants in learning English and obtaining housing and medical care. In addition, these techniques promoted supervisory training in order to increase productivity.
While some companies paid attention to the "human" side of employment, however, others did not. Therefore, other factors such as hazardous working conditions and pressure from labor unions also increased the importance of effective management of human resources.
The industrialization of North America paved the way for a legion of immigrants, even though work was difficult to obtain at times. Naturally, during the Industrial Revolution the main field of work would be some form of industry, such as factory working or mining. Due to the unwelcome attitude given to many nationalities, work was rarely steady for them, and may have involved demeaning hard labor (Jango-Cohen 35). In many job positions conditions were bad at best and low wages were paid. In order to sustain this type of economy, a large, not necessarily skilled workforce was required. As the immigrants began flooding into the country, construction agencies in New York City were assigned to build more houses and workplaces to keep up with the influx of new immigrants, (“Ellis Island”). The added work capacity of new immigrants increased production, which allowed for more immigrants to arrive, forming a cycle of economic growth that exhibits virtuous circularity. The impact and effects of Norther...
The importance of Human Resource management is associated with the beginning of mankind. As the knowledge of survival had begun including safety, health, hunting and gathering, tribal leaders passed on the knowledge to their youth. However more advanced HRM functions were developed as early as 1000 B.C and 2000 B.C. Since the modern management theory took over, the working environment was transformed into a more friendly and safe work place. The workers were termed as most valuable resources. While some companies took the human side of employment seriously, there were others who did not find it mandatory. Hence they faced huge labor unions and factory shut downs (Henning, 2001).
Changing Roles. Traditionally, HR has been an administrative position-processing paperwork, benefits, hiring and firing, and compensation. However, recently HRM has moved from a traditional to a strategic role, the emphasis is on catering to the needs of consumers and workers. Before, HR was seen as the enemy and employees believed that HR’s main purpose was to protect management. Now, the position requires HRM to be more people oriented and protect their human capitol, the staff. In addition, human resource management has to be business savvy and think of themselves as strategic partners in the 21st century.
Ulrich, D., Younger, J., and Brockbank, W. 2008. “The twenty-first century HR organization.” Human Resource Management, 47, pp.829-850.
Industry characteristics: Industry characteristics also influence HRM practices in various ways. Manufacturing, retail, food and health and construction sectors create their own HRM policies as per the requirement. Many sectors are quite sensitive to needs of human resource and few may not require it at all, considering the skills and abilities of their human resource. The companies need to follow and consider competitive practices in order to retain human talent in their
Human resource management (HRM) encompasses the activities of acquiring, maintaining, and developing the organization's employees (human resources). "The traditional view of these activities focuses on planning for staffing needs, recruiting and selecting of employees, orienting and training staff, appraising their performance, providing compensations and benefits, and making their career movement and development." HRM involves two aspects:...
Torrington, D. Hall, L. & Taylor, S. (2005) Human Resource Management. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall
Tracey, W. R. (1994). Human resources management & development handbook. Amacom books. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
However you define the activities of management, and whatever the organisational processes are, an essential part of the process of management is that proper attention be given to the Human Resource function. The human element provides a major part in the overall success of the organisation. Therefore there must be an effective human resource function. In the past, most organisations viewed Human Resource Management (HRM) as an element function, that is an activity that is supportive of the task functions and does not normally have any accountability for the performance of a specific end task. Because of the emphasis on analysis and precision there is a tendency for strategists to concentrate on economic data and ignore the way in which human elements and values can influence the implementation of a strategy. 'Economic analysis of strategy fails to recognise the complex role which people play in the evolution of strategy - strategy is also a product of what people want an organisation to do or what they feel the organisation should be like.?(1).
According to our textbook Human Resource Management (HRM) is the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees’ behavior, attitudes, and performance. “The human resources management process involves planning for, attracting, developing, and retaining employees as the HRM planning provides the rights kinds of people, in the right quantity, with the right skills, at the right time (Lussier, 2012, p. 240).” According to our textbook the typical responsibilities of the Human Resources department fall into three categories, and they are administrative services and transaction, which handle hiring employees. The second involves business partner services that focus on attracting, evolving, retaining employees by having a clear understanding
Fisher, C., Schoefeldt, L., & Shaw, J. (1996). Human resource management. (3rd Edition). Princeton, NJ: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Human resource managementis the strategic approach to the organizations great valuable assets – its employees. Organizations with powerful Human Resource systems are more desirable to address...
Human Resource Management (HRM) can be defined as “the set of programs, functions, and activities designed and performed in order to capitalize on both employee as well as organizational effectiveness. It is a management function that helps organization in recruiting, selecting, and training, developing and managing
Human Resource Management (HRM) is fundamentally another name for personnel management. It is the process of making sure the employees are as creative as they can be. HRM is a way of grouping the range of activities associated with managing people that are variously categorised under employee relations, industrial/labour relations, personnel management and organisational behaviour. Many academic departments where research and teaching in all these areas take place have adopted the title department of human resources management. HRM is a coordinated approach to managing people that seeks to integrate the various personnel activates so that they are compatible with each other. Therefore the key areas of employee resourcing, employee development, employee reward and employee involvement are considered to be interrelated. Policy-making and procedures in one of these areas will have an impact on other areas, therefore human resources management is an approach that takes a holistic view and considers how various areas can be integrated.
Human Resource Management is the title given to define formal systems arranged for the management of people within a company. There are many responsibilities of a human resource manager. These responsibilities usually fall into three major areas: employee compensation, staffing and defining and/or designing work. The purpose of Human Resource Management is to maximize the capacity of a company by bettering its employees. This is unlikely to change in the future even though the pace of business is always changing . Edward L. Gubman said in the Journal of Business Strategy, "the basic mission of human resources will always be to acquire, develop, and retain talent; align the workforce with the business; and be an excellent contributor to the business. Those three challenges will never change."