SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

(COLLOGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES)

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

ADABRE NABE CHRISTIANA ADAEZE

MSC.MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCE STRATEGY IDL

ID:2090814

FIRST SEMESTER 2023

ASSIGNMENT
1. Critically discuss the unique roles of the following personalities in the development of

Human Resource Management.

a. Robert Owen

b. Frederick Winslow Taylor

c. Elton Mayor and Associates

2. You are the HR Manager of MHRS Company Limited in Tamale. The performance

appraisal for the past three months has revealed that a few of your employees are not

meeting their targets. Discuss five measures you can put in place to fill their performance

gap without training.

Introduction

Although there are numerous definitions of Human Resource Management yet the two

mentioned below are among the most precise ones:

‘Human resource management is defined as a strategic and coherent approach to the

management of an organization’s most valued assets – the people working there who

individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives.’(Michael

Armstrong, 2006)

‘Human Resource Management is a distinctive approach to employment management which

seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly committed

and capable workforce, using an integrated array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques’

(Storey, 2007).

The industrial revolution saw the introduction of fundamental changes in the relationships

between individuals and groups in communities and brought with it a new order to life and new

sources of wealth. Accompanying this was a growth in both population and output. Some

individuals, such as factory owners, developed considerable personal power and the combination

of these factors force organizations and communities to revisit the very nature of their activities

as their interrelationships. The combination of large-scale migration from the country to the

town, from one workplace to another and changing societal values, inevitably changed the nature

of social relations within, and between communities and, thus, workplaces. This brought about

the need for strategic workforce management and some theories developed during the evolution

of Human Resource Management for its growth from the industrial era to the present era.
Robert Owen:

In the 19th century Robert Owen, a Scottish early industrialist and social reformer thought

workers ought to be “motivated” rather than threatened. Robert Owen was well known for his

sound managerial talent and paternalistic attitude towards his workers. Conditions in early

factories were extremely harsh, with very hazardous working conditions for all employees. Long

working hours (normally at least 13 hours per day, six days a week) were the norm, with children

as young as five or six working under the same conditions as adults. Factory owners placed more

importance on the care of their expensive machines than on the well-being (or otherwise) of their

expendable employees. Robert Owen, understood that people were responsible for the success of

an organization and that their wellbeing led to better work. (Laetitia Vitaud 2016). Owen's

strength was that he saw his employees as every bit as important to the success of his enterprise

as the machines he owned. By examining working methods and conditions, and seeking to

improve these, he is justifiably claimed as a father of personnel management. Although a

paternalistic employer, Owen was a business person above all else. He believed in the

improvement of productivity from employee through changes to the working practices and

methods of an organization(factory).

He believed employees should be given their full pay. That is why in 1808, when America

passed a trade embargo on British goods and most mills closed and mass unemployment

occurred, he was still paying full wages to his workers even though other factories had laid off

their workers. This approach of fair management proved to be successful.

He believed that the working environment of workers ought to be conducive for them to be

productive. He altered the working environment at New Lanark, employment of children

gradually ceased (as no further children were indentured from the poor house) and those still in

employment were sent to a purpose-built school. The housing available to his workers was

gradually improved, the environment was freed from gin shops and crime decreased. The first

adult night school anywhere in the world also operated in New Lanark. He improved working

conditions for his employees. As already indicated, Owen was one of the first to `manage' rather

than order his workforce, and the first to attempt to gain agreement for his ideas rather than

impose them on others (a worker could not be sacked for disagreeing with Owen).

He required his managers to behave with some autonomy (the first example of empowerment at

work?); Managers (or Superintendents) were selected carefully and trained to be able to act in

Owen's absence.

He developed a scheme called the silent monitor system that rewarded high achievers or hard

workers and slackers were motivated to improve.

He attempted to introduce a bill in 1815, to legislate on working conditions in factories. The aim

of the bill was to ban the employment of those under 10, to ban night shifts for all children, to

provide 30 minutes education a day for those under 18, and to limit the working day to 10 1/2

hours. This would have been enforced by a system of government factory inspectors. The bill

failed to be introduced in its intended form, as its opponents argued that it would be bad for

business and that in any case most employers were voluntarily doing what the bill would require.
By the time it was finally introduced in 1819 the legislation was limited to banning the

employment of those under nine.

In conclusion, the foresight he demonstrated in areas such as motivation of employees, industrial

relations and management by observation was appreciated only a century later in the work of FW

Taylor and Mary Parker Follett, amongst others. The genuine concern of Owen about the plight

of man, his dedicated efforts in the area of organizational reform which led to the passage of

factory acts calling for reduction in the working hours of children, and the tremendous emphasis

in the modeling of man’s character were too progressive and demanding for the corps of

entrepreneurs who were just beginning to realize the benefits of their investment in machines. It

might be argued that the benefits enjoyed by workers today in terms of improved working

conditions, higher pay increase and other fringe benefits may be attributed to the efforts of the

great social luminary, Robert Owen.

Frederick Talor:

Human Resource spawned in the early 20th century and was influenced by Frederick

Taylor (1856-1915). Taylor explored what he termed "scientific management" (later referred to

by others as “Taylorism”), striving to improve economic efficiency in manufacturing jobs. He

eventually keyed in on one of the principal inputs into the manufacturing process labor sparking

inquiry into workforce productivity. He identified labour as the main input in the manufacturing

process and dedicated his life to improving its productivity. Thus, Taylor was probably the first
“management consultant” in history, and the father of Human Resource. (Aitken, Hugh G.J.,

1985).

He believed all control ought to be transferred from workers to management, and set out to

increase the separation between planning work (brain) and executing work (hands). Managers

were to give plans and job specifications to the workers. For the organization to avoid

arbitrariness, the relationships between managers and employees were to be quite impersonal. The

idea was to prevent favoritism, nepotism and prejudice to promote rationality and efficiency.

(Laetitia vitaud 2016). The principal object of management, he states “should be to secure the

maximum prosperity of each employer coupled with the maximum prosperity of each

employee”. For the employer, “maximum prosperity” means not just large profits in the short run

but the development of all aspects of the enterprise to a state of permanent prosperity. For the

employee, “maximum prosperity” means not just immediate higher wages, but his development,

so that he may perform efficiently in the high grades of work for which his natural abilities fit

him. Change in the mental attitude of employers and an employee toward each other in respect of

work was the root of scientific management. (ABC Journal of Advanced Research, Volume 1,

No 2 2012)

He brought to light the development of a scientific method of designing jobs to replace the old

rule-of-thumb methods; this involved gathering, classifying and tabulating data to arrive at the

“one best way” to perform a task or series of task. The scientific selection and progressive

teaching and development of employees; Taylor showed the value of matching the job to the

worker. He also emphasized the need to study worker strengths and weakness and to provide
training to improve workers performance. Workers should be trained in advance in detail.

Detailed instruction in writing should be issued to workers regarding the task to be done and

methods to be used in completing the task. What, how and when the work is to be performed is

to be included in management plan.

Division of work resulting in an interdependence between management and the worker; Taylor

felt that if they were truly dependent on one another, then cooperation would naturally follow.

Taylor believed Scientific management was a complete mental revolution for both management

and employees towards their respective duties towards each other (Taylor, 1911). It was a new

philosophy and attitude towards the use of human efforts. Thus, Taylor advocated a philosophy

of management under which management would undertake a basic responsibility of planning and

control and prescribe the rules, laws and formulas to guide the actual operations by man and

machines, so as to help employees to produce at lower cost to the employer and with more

remuneration to themselves. Taylor believed that the management to motivate the personnel is

not merely by giving orders, or showing authority etc. but by selecting, teaching and developing

the workmen and heartily co-operating with them.

He believed that there is the need to put the right person on the job with the correct tools and

equipment, he had the worker follow his instruction exactly, and motivated the worker with an

economic incentive of a significant higher daily wages.

In conclusion, Taylor is renowned for his research and work into management thought and

scientific management. Standardization, time and motion studies, functional foremanship,

production planning and control, price wage system of payment on differential basis were the

main ideas enunciated by Taylor. His suggested principles and features have helped model the
scientific approach to management. Its main objective was improving economic efficiency,

especially labor productivity (Wikipedia, 2013). His ideas spiked in the United States, France,

Germany, Russia, and Japan, and inspired others to study and developed the methods of

scientific management. Based on his groundbreaking studies of manual work using scientific

principles, Taylor became known as the “Father” of scientific management (Robins S. P.,

Coulter M. and Vohra N., 2010).

Elton Mayor and Associates:

The human relations movement grew from the research of Elton Mayo and others, whose

Hawthorne studies (1924-1932) serendipitously documented how stimuli, unrelated to financial

compensation and working conditions, yielded more productive workers. Mayo was the first

person to plead for the understanding of workers’ problems the context of growth of science and

technology. Some of the major contribution of mayo in developing management thought are as

follows:

Industrial problems are primarily caused by human and social factors. Human Relations is the

main way to resolve industrial problems

Workplace rules and procedures influence workers’ attitudes. He believed that workers’ attitudes

determine the characteristics of and informal rules within workplace social groups.

A lack of attention paid to workers can result in intentional underproduction. Workers should be

given an appropriate amount of attention by managers and supervisors.

Job satisfaction, group dynamics, and individual and group attitudes toward work all have a

strong influence on motivation and productivity (but physical working conditions and incentives

are still relevant and important).

Increased communication and cooperation improve group cohesion. Managers and supervisors

should be trained to be effective listeners and communicators/interviewers in order to understand

and address the personal and social problems of workers. Moreover, they should use these skills

at all times.

Job satisfaction, motivation, and productivity depend more on recognition, involvement, and

cooperation than physical working conditions. In order to increase job satisfaction, motivation,

and productivity, employees should be given, opportunities to discuss their personal and work-

related problems; opportunities to express their opinions; opportunities for social interaction and

team building; more freedom to determine their own working conditions; and the ability to set

their own standards of output.

Mayo’s ideas were a milestone and a turning point in human relations approach of the

management. He recognized the importance of human beings in management. He said that

human beings are complex and influential input into organizational performance. The social and

psychological needs of human beings cannot be ignored, if management wants to enhance

productivity.

The earlier assumption was that workers will work more if they are offered more monetary

incentives. Taylor was the main proponent of this approach. Elton Mayo said that the techniques

of economic incentives were not only inadequate but also unrealistic. He was able to show that
humane and respectful treatment, sense of participation and belonging, recognition, morale,

human pride and social interaction are sometimes more important than pure monetary rewards.

Mayo was of the view that informal relationships in the organization are more effective than

formal relationships. People form informal groups to give a bent to their feelings and seek

guidance for action from such groups. In Mayo’s words, “An organization is a social system, a

system of cliques, grapevines, informal status systems, rituals and a minute of logical, non-

logical and illogical behavior.” He was of the opinion that managers should maintain an

equilibrium between the logic of efficiency’ demanded by the formal organization. He thought

that besides logic and facts people are also guided by sentiments and feelings.

In conclusion, many of the theories associated with or popularized by Elton Mayo broadly

known as Human Relation theories are still applicable today. In fact, they have seen renewed

popularity with large technology companies like Cisco and Google, as “humane” and individual-

centered workplace environments have overtaken rigid, industrial corporate hierarchies in

popularity. Elton Mayo’s work has also influenced more modern and Machiavellian management

theories, such as the Gervais Principle, which holds that subordinates can be placated with

relational perks (peer approval, staff parties and gift certificates) just as effectively as with

financial rewards (bonuses, profit-shares).

References

Works by, and about, Robert Owen

A new view of society

London: np, 1817

The life of Robert Owen

London: Effingham Wilson, 1857

Robert Owen, Frank Podmore

London: Appleton, 1906

Elton Mayo’s Human Relations Approach to Management-

yourarticlelibray.com

Mayo, O. (2014). George Elton Mayo

HRM Handbook

2021-2 Human Resource Management Handbook

A complete and Comprehensive guide to Human Resources Management

A Handbook of HRM Practice

Michael Armstrong

10th Edition-2006
Medium.com/wiibe-group

The rise and fall of HR as a department medium-2012

En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert Owen

www/google.com/search/q=motivation

Sophie-Claire Hoeller July 2015

Insider Business insider-2023

Mayo, Elton (1945) “Hawthorne and the western electric company”

 Performance gap is the variance between current performance status and a desired

performance level. Performance gap is used to highlight discrepancies between how an

individual is performing in relation to the overall performance objectives of an organization.

Performance gaps can be highly detrimental to an organization, they can cause individuals, teams

and organizations to underperform, resulting in a loss of revenue and profits. They can also have

effect in corporate culture resulting in decreased motivation and satisfaction levels. In this case

there is the need to create a performance improvement plan to help employees work effectively

to achieve their goals and tasks.

First and foremost, a measure to fill performance gap is motivation. Motivation is the

process that account for an individual’s intensity, direction and persistence of effort toward

attaining a goal (google search). It is the process of inspiring people to action to achieve their

goals. One of the most important functions of management is to create enthusiasm amongst the

employees to execute their tasks in the best of their abilities. Factors that can be used to motivate

workers to achieve their targets or tasks include attractive wages, allowances, facilities such as

health, safety, insurance, and security. Others include welfare facilities such as compensation

schemes and promotion. According to Mullins (2002) our performance at work is influenced by

motivation and ability.

Secondly, a positive work place culture can go a long way to fill the performance gap in

an organization. Work culture encompasses the values, beliefs and attitudes that guide an

organization, it helps employees set expectations oh how to behave and interact with one another

as they go about their daily tasks and contribute to the organizations overall mission. Work

culture can have a profound impact on several significant aspects of the employee experience,

like individual and team morale, workplace engagement and job satisfaction which in turn lead
to productivity. Creating a positive and employee-friendly company culture is a great way to fill

performance gap. A safe and non-threatening work environment is necessary to maintain a high

level of employee motivation to boost the morale of workers and influence them to work hard to

increase productivity Practices that negatively impact workplace culture and promote a toxic

team dynamic can steer an organization in the opposite direction, making it difficult to hire and

retain good employees. There are several factors that go into developing positive work culture

such as:

Set clear objectives to guide employee performance: outline the objectives of each team or

department so employees have tangible results to work toward. Not only will this help guide

individual performance, but it will encourage collaboration between team members. Make sure

there is room for feedback and employees need to understand the organization’s long-term goals.

Establish diversity initiatives and promote inclusive practices: Create a positive, inclusive work

culture by welcoming individuals from all backgrounds and celebrating their differences and

encourage employees to share their pronouns with the rest of the team to promote inclusive

language and establish a committee to contribute to diversity initiatives. Every employee should

feel valued and heard regardless of their status within the organization.HR department could

include diversity as part of recruitment strategy to make sure diversity and inclusion continue to

be foundational elements in the organization for growth.

Encourage transparency and open communication among department heads, management and

team members: When employees are engaged and have the leaders trust, they invest their full

selves into the success of the company, therefore leaders must promote transparency and open
communication between department heads, management and team members. Doing so will

create a positive work culture where employees feel heard and valued.

Another measure that can be put in place to fill the performance gap is to introduce right

technology in the organization. Technology is crucial in today’s workforce and implementation

of technology platforms will drive performance and engagement daily. Working with slow and

outdated technology can be extremely frustrating and can reduce the productivity of even the

best of employees. With a steady growth of technology every year, updating necessary tools has

become extremely important. It is required to allow business processes to continue running

smoothly. Time trackers, payroll and more can be seamlessly automated. Giving employees good

software to work with can definitely help improve their productivity. Organizational success

thrives when the right rules and systems are in place. Allow employees to proactively try new

digital solutions and it is important that employees join the decision-making process when

implementing new technology in the organization because the employees are the ones who will

be using the technology. Managers in organization should adopt easy tool by granting ready

approvals for technology purchases and ensure that employees know how the process works.

Technology can speed up communication and advance employee performance to meet their

target some of these technologies include increasing collaboration with cloud sharing such as one

drive, dropbox and google docs, when employees realize that their contribution is monitored,

they have incentive to be more proactive it also allows managers to track and note who is the

most dedicated and offer them recognition for their input and hard work, online feedback and

surveys and social media connections allows employees resolve problems quickly. Managers can

also use technology for “open door” policy. It allows the employee to come to any level of

management directly for conflict resolution this way management will no longer have to paddle
through stacks of paper work trying to document every situation they must resolve. Employee

can send conflicts directly to employer. Technology brings an organization into new age of

connections. It shows employee that they are important part of a network and any problems they

may have can be noted immediately. When response time to problems decreases, productivity

increases because employees are consistently engaged in their tasks.

In addition to the above, performance gap can be filled if employees proceed on leave to

rest. Rest is an essential component of working well and working smart. Science keeps showing

us that working less and taking deliberate periods of rest actually makes us more productive,

successful and happier in the workplace. An oxford Economics Study found that three quartets of

workers felt recharged after taking a vacation, half felt focused, and the 40% felt less stressed

(Sophie-Claire Hoeller). Excessive workload without rest contribute to errors, conflicts and poor

communication. Employees may lose their motivation, engage in conflicts and have a difficult

time completing their tasks. Poor mental focus, sleep deprivation, fatigue and psychosomatic

disorders are all common side effects of work-related stress. It is therefore incumbent on

management to let their employees go on leave rest. Employees also have personal needs, such

as spending time with families, taking a day off once in a while and enjoying work flexibility

will increase productivity. Employees should be able to get away from work entirely for some

days to unplug and reset. Few days’ rests can help employee clear their minds and get the mental

rest that they need to come back to work refreshed. Leave-rest can help employee gain

perspective as to what is expected of them.

Finally, recreational activities go a long way to fill performance gap of employees and

bring about productivity. Recreational activity is anything done for a break, for leisure,

amusement, or simply for 'fun’. The theory behind these activities is to expand the scope of body
and mind positively and healthily. These activities when applied to a workplace have immense

economic, health, and strategic benefits. Employees are a company’s biggest asset; no matter

how big a business is if the people working there are not happy then the business will cease to

exist. In the moment of utmost stress and angst, employee tend to feel the burden of everything

at once and the need for release. Management must endeavor to bring something fun and

enjoyable to do. Few games, some light snack counters, a lounge with a calm and peaceful

ambiance to relax, are some options which can easily help an employee to overturn the adverse

effect of stress and anxiety. Some offices have recreational areas which generally contain

television sets with modern gaming consoles, foosball tables, vending machines, carom boards,

massage chairs, or simply some couches with mobile-chargers. Combining work and play has

many exploits for it provides for a new connection between the company and its human

resources. Recreational activities provide the perfect medium to communicate at different levels

thereby improving the relationship between the staff. These activities work as ice breakers

between many employers and the employees who would have remained ill-connected if not for

games and activities. Recreational activities such as health walks, hiking, aerobics is a perfect

way for management to promote long-term health and well-being of its employees by allowing

them to loosen up any stiff muscles, tendons, and ligaments and correct their postures as well.

Recreational activities are an excellent source of breaking the mundane and monotonous life of

the workforce. Doing the same laborious work daily can be a reason of weariness and in

efficiency among the employees. Bringing excitement and variation into the staff through such

activities level up their energy and provide them with a break to relax. This in turn helps in

developing a positive vibe among the colleagues for better work output. The entire team

becomes familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses and develops a sense of
communion. This knowledge comes into play while working and is helpful in the betterment of

the productivity of the organization. 

In conclusion, it is not easy to fill employee performance gap to boost productivity rate

with simply one or two techniques. Increasing an organization’s employee productivity rate is a

continuous process of building positive work place culture, right technology, recreational

activities, leave rest and understanding their concerns. What truly helps is building policies that

encourage you to audit the work environment and build up employee morale as a continuous

method of improvement. Implementing the perfect productivity plan is not an easy task.

However, it is necessary. The current focus on employee productivity gives Human Resource

leaders a unique opportunity to create better work environments, implement more techniques and

help teams put out their best work.