Although the fact that work is organised according to Taylorian principles is not to be debated, whether or not the practices of human relations exist in order to serve or to enslave the individual to the culture of the workplace has raised questions over the decades. In this essay, I will critically discuss the role of the human relations department by counterbalancing the real purpose that it has in an organization.
To deny the fact that Taylorian principles still represent the basis on which corporations built their work processes would be unreasonable, as the original objective of such organizations stood implacable in time- increased productivity leading to profit. What indeed changed are the means through which these purposes are achieved. Originally, the Taylorian principles aimed to create a systematic, well-organized environment in which individuals were not perceived as social beings but rather as economically stimulated first-rate machines (Taylor, 1998). Achieved through standardization and scientific principles, Taylor’s theory proved to be incommensurably beneficial for the capitalists. Although very efficient, in time, studies such as the Hawthorne experiment revealed that not only financial stimulation incites the worker but also the degree of work satisfaction. The results of the study led to a shift from the psychological pattern of the worker
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It plays a vital role in assuring the full cooperation of workers, by using psychology to manipulate and pacificate the masses. Despite the fact that it is portrayed as being beneficial to the well-being of the workers, its main function is to assure the maximum productivity of each employee and to come as a supplement to the deficiencies of scientific management. Thus, as Braverman assesses, those who are in charge with practising human relations serve as ”the maintenance crew for the human machinery.” (Braverman, 1974:
... to disadvantage workers, a new emphasis was put on 'human resources'. At the present time H.R has a vital place in companies and businesses all over the world, the human resources department is mostly in charge of employee wellbeing, they exist for reasons such as: getting workers fair wages, helping workers along their career path and overseeing the treatment and responsibilities of workers. Joan E. Pynes discusses this in her educational book 'Human Resources Management for Public and Non-profit Organizations', she defines human resource management as "The design of formal systems in an organization to ensure the effective use of employees' knowledge, skills, abilities to accomplish organizational goals" (Pynes, Joan E. 2013). A system such as this is put in place for worker empowerment, employees know that they have someone fighting for them and this results in
Most leaders believed that employees in their organization disliked work and would avoid it if they could. Daniel McGregor in his 1960 groundbreaking book The Human Side of Enterprise argued that “Those running companies were operating from a faulty assumption about human behavior” (Pink, 2009, p. 74). Managers believe employees must be coerced, controlled, directed, and threaten with punishment to acquire them to put forth an effort to achieve set objectives. McGregor’s X-Y theory suggest that there are two ways to manage people.
The clear understanding of both the role of the Human Services Worker and the role of the client in treatment.
Taylorism is a system that was designed in the late 19th century, not only to maximise managerial control, but to also expand the levels of efficiency throughout workplaces. With this being said, productivity levels increased and fair wage distribution was the main result. However, with other, more recent theories and systems, such as Maslow and Herzburg’s theories, these helped to focus on the satisfaction and motivation of the workers rather than the concern of managerial control and empowerment. Fredrick W. Taylor ended up developing 4 main principles to help increase the work efficiency and productivity in workplaces; these will be discussed later on. Other theories relating to this include, Fayol, Follett, Management Science Theory as well as Organisational-Environmental Theory. All theories listed have an influence on the way businesses work effectively and put their skills to action. This essay will highlight how Taylorism was designed to maximise managerial control and increase productivity, furthermore, showing how more recent theories were developed to focus on empowering employees and to extend the use of organisational resources.
The field of Human Services can be very challenging. However, it can also have moments of being very rewarding. Human Services, according to the National Organization for Human Services, “is broadly defined as having a unique approach towards meeting the goals of human needs. These goals are met through interdisciplinary knowledge, being involved with the totality and overall quality of one’s life, remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment throughout the process” (NOHS, 2009). With the ability to work well with people, it is evident that Human Services personnel would make a positive contribution to our world.
One thing that I have learned this semester about the human service world is that nonprofits provide the largest contribution towards addressing social issues and advocating for change in the United States. To help achieve their goal, nonprofits receive contributions that are tax-deductible. Consequently, the trade-off for having such benefits also creates limitations on certain activities. In this case, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is a government agency that oversees nonprofits and their tax-exempt status, restricts the act of legislative lobbying. As a result, nonprofits are prohibited to directly interact and influence decision makers.
Over the years, four theories became influential in understanding today’s organizations. Beginning in the early 20th century, Frederick W. Taylor was incidental in analyzing organizational structure for the purpose of improving efficiency. Taylor’s Theory of Scientific Management used science as a basis for evaluating production to maximize output. Employee motivation was based on the idea that as an “Economic Man,” or individual acting in his or her rational best interest based on
When you turn fourteen or fifteen you are usually entering your freshman year of high school. The transition from middle school to high school can be challenging: there are kids that are older and more intimidating. Some students struggle to find their place and also struggle with their interpersonal relationships. Similarly, when you turn eighteen or nineteen you may go off to college. The same feelings from four years ago come up again: you are thrown into a mix of people from all over the country, all of them are older and seem more intimidating. Finding those interpersonal relationships can be a challenge because being in a new environment, on your own, is overwhelming. In these years, media and social media become a focal point for many
Employee benefits coordinator play a significant role in Human Resource Management. Employee Benefits coordinators are responsible for assisting with employee benefits, maintaining employee data base, managing all insurance billings and maintain employee files, sick pay, vacation and retirement. This study explores the importance of employee benefits to corporations, government agencies and non profit organizations. This paper also researches the effects on the management team and on individual employees’.
The Hawthorne studies, which began in 1924 and ended in 1933, at the Western Electric Company, have produced controversy since its findings in 1939 were published in the book Management And The Worker. There were so many elements changed during the tests that many people disagree on the true factors that caused a rise in output. Was the rise in output due to the rise in money, or the factor of better human relations? Instead maybe the rise in output was due to the now famous term that came out of the studies known as the Hawthorne effect. Hopefully through this research, a better understanding of the factors that contributed to the rise in output can be determined, and ultimately how the Hawthorne studies impacted the future of business management.
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).
Since the end of the 19th century, when factory manufacturing became widespread and the size of organisations increased, people have been looking for ways to motivate employees and improve productivity. A need for management ideas arise which lead to classical contributors such as Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol generating management theories such as Taylor’ Scientific Management and Fayol’s Administrative Management. In the late 1920’s and early 1930’s the Hawthorne studies were conducted where Elton Mayo was the predominate figure and contributed to the Behavioural viewpoint. This brought about a Human Relations Movement which included Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y approach. Similarities and differences can be found between the theories due to the relevant time period they were implemented, the motives or goal of the theory and how they view organisations. However the use of contingency theory can help negate the dissimilarities which occur as it allows the relevant elements from each theory to be applied to specific situations.
Conte, J., Landy, F. (2010). Work in the 21 Century: An introduction to industrial and organizational psychology (3rd ed). USA: Wiley and Blackwell Publishings
Finding of Fact #1: With the addition of Simon Fester to the Lab Team it is evident from the start that there was workplace incivility from the senior members and Bob Knowlton. The members feel threatened by the knowledge level of Fester and his habit of speaking his mind and pointing out mistakes make by the existing team.
Hawthorne Studies have been subjected to many criticisms. Yet, the evolvement of many of the management theories today would not have come about without the experiments done by Elton Mayo. This essay will cover the various aspects of management that has been refined through the findings of the tests conducted and how improvements were made to aid in the development of organisational behaviour. It will also discuss the various studies and will show how these theories implement Hawthorne studies as the foundation and the basis of the human relations movement. It will also investigate the criticisms that arise within it.