HUMAN RELATIONS:

A BACKGROUND

Outline
What

is human relations? The importance of human relations skills. Human relations and you Current challenges in human relations. A brief history What human relation is not Areas of major emphasis

Abraham Maslow (1908 - 1970)

If

the only tool you have is a hammer, all problems begin to look like nails.

HUMAN RELATIONS

Is defined for our purpose as the skill or ability to work effectively through or with other people. It also implies a desire to understand others, their needs and their weaknesses as well as their talents and abilities. Your relationship with others is the key to your success or failure.

Good Reasons for Studying Human Relations

a. Human Rights
This awareness call for more skillful relations among workers, using tact, trust and diplomacy with greater skill.

The rights of all others involved with an organization must be respected and protected as well.

b. Growing Emphasis on Human Resources

There is a growing awareness today that the most important resource in any organization is the human resource.

c. Renewed Emphasis on Working Groups

Today

workers tend to like teamwork and participative decision making in the workplace. Helping groups work well together in such endeavors-as either a group member or leader-requires a great deal of human relations skill .

d. Diversity in the Workplace

Todays

workplace contains an unprecedented mixture of racial, cultural, and gender backgrounds. A deep understanding of the issues involving diversity in the workplace is one of the important skills in human relations.

Human Relations and You

Human

relation can help you find a job, enjoy your work and be more productive at it, and stay there longer, with better chances for advancement. With an understanding of yourself and others you will be more happier and more productive in all areas of your life.

Human Relations and You

The Manager

You
The Entrepreneur

The Employee

You, The Manager

A

manager with good human relations skills will retain workers longer, be more productive, and provide workers with an enjoyable environment. Exert more effort in studying your people.

You, the Entrepreneur

Your

people skills are the most important to your success. Your knowledge of human relations helps the work you do- or the business you ownto provide fulfillment.

You, the Employee

Developing

intrapersonal skills is extremely important to the advancement of your career and will affect how your fellow workers, supervisors and customers view your overall performance.

Current Challenges

1. Increased Competition in the Workplace

Todays

so called baby busters, the generation now just entering the job market, find jobs hard to come by and advancement very difficult. Competitiveness reaches into all areasurban, suburban, and rural and it effects business large and small.

2. Dual Career Families

The

majority of families now need income from both adult members to survive comfortably. This reality has placed a strain on the family and its membersa strain that is felt in the workplace place. Workplace stress and everyday realities

3. Divorce
The

divorced person nearby nearly always goes through a recovery period, during which she or he may form emotional barriers that hurt relationships including those with fellow workers, bosses or employees.

Stress

from the ended relationship can affect job performance and attitudes in negative ways.

4. Two Generations of Dependent

Because

of the reduction in higher income job opportunities, and because of the divorce rate, many household include three generations, with only one generation providing the chief financial support.

Human Relations
A Brief History

Dean Tjosvold
Leaders are psychologists. They act upon their ideas about what drives and motivates people, what people want and how they plan to get it.

The Knights of Labor was the first national labor union in the United States. From its beginnings as a secret fraternal lodge of garment workers in Philadelphia in 1869, the Knights expanded to encompass 700,000 members in many trades by 1886. Though the time for unions had arrived, the ineffective Knights leadership was unable to deal with the problems of the growing union.

The Early Years

1800s The

Knights of Labor, founded in 1869, denounced the bad working conditions and unfair treatment in many workplaces. Labor union started to be active.

1900s Robert Owen introduced an amazing idea that treating workers better would actually increase productivity and thus, profits. He eradicated child labor.

 Andrew

Ure Interested in human relations in manufacturing companies. Published a book entitled Philosophy of Manufacturers Medical services, hot tea on regular basis, sick leave etc.

Ure and Owens other side

But

Ure and Owen are not typical during their times. Abuses rose during the first decade of Industrial Revolution. Company Towns

Company Town a town with one employer: a town whose residents depend on a single business for employment, housing, and shops.

 Capitalism,

economic system in which private individuals and business firms carry on the production and exchange of goods and services through a complex network of prices and markets.

 Weber

explored the influence of ethics and religion on the development of capitalism.

Max Weber on Bureaucracy

Saw

human relations problems as being caused by favoritisms, nepotism. Duties are assigned to the basis of ability and talent only.

Human Relations as a Science

Frederick Taylor on Scientific Management

He is often criticized as someone who cared more about production than about the needs of the workers.

The Hawthorne Experiment

Elton

Mayo A psychologist at Harvard University, along with colleagues, they studied the Hawthorne Experiment. Two Important Discoveries on the Experiment 1. Someone was paying attention to them. 2. Informal Organization-workers were very likely motivated by fear as well as attention.

Human Relations and Management

During

the Great Depression, labor unions began to gain power. Congress passed the Wagner Act in 1935, which gave unions and union members more rights than they enjoyed before. fire the problem hire the solution

 Abraham

needs

Maslow on hierarchy of

Which

holds that people tend to satisfy their needs in a certain order.

Theory of X and Y

In 1960, psychologist Douglas McGregor published The Human Side of Enterprise. Theory of X and Y Theory X managers assume that people are naturally lazy, dislike work, and shun responsibility and so must be coerced through a system of rewards, threats, and punishments to perform their allotted task. Theory Y, however, assumes that people want to work and take on responsibility, and have an innate psychological need to do so. Work and responsibility provide not only financial but also emotional security and self-esteem, thereby satisfying many other higher-order needs than allowed by Theory X.

1970s and 80s Saw a tremendous growth in the classroom study of human relations. New courses and textbooks continue to be written with emphasis on human relations in the workplace.

What Human Relations is Not

1. Human relations is not a study of how to understand human behavior so as to manipulate others into what you want them to do. 2. Learning better human relations skill is not a cure all for problems. Nor it is a quick fix. 3. Not common sense.

Areas of Major Emphasis

Goals
Personal Developmental and Growth Satisfying the objectives of organization

Self-esteem Communications Mutual Respect Group Dynamics Self Awareness Motivation And self Disclosure

Self-Esteem
Feelings

of worth as a person. Research has shown that that low selfesteem is related to a variety of mental health problems, including alcoholism anxiety and depression- all of which causes problems on the job.

Mutual Respect
The

positive consideration or regard of that two people have for other can exist only when self-esteem problems have been dealt with. Also without trust, mutual respect is meaningless.

Self-disclosure and Self Awareness

Self-disclosure The process of letting other people know that you are really thinking and feeling. Self-Awareness The knowledge how you were perceived by others.

Communication Skill
The

process of sending ideas, thoughts and feelings, and having them received in the way we intended.

Group Dynamics
Whenever

two or more people form a relationship, there is, in effect, a group. Once a group is formed. It immediately requires, understanding, planning and organizational tactics appropriate to groups.

Motivation
What

gets up in the morning, what pushes up to do our best Motivation derives from the needs of individual and a group, and as such is also a major element in understanding human relation.

Mark McCormack (1930 - )

In

our business, the windows of opportunity open and close with dazzling rapidity...I constantly have to remind people to seize the moment.