Chapter 1
Introduction to Human Relations
Learning Objectives
After studying Chapter 1, you will be able to:
 Explain
the nature, purpose, and importance of human
relations.
 Identify
major developments in the workplace that have
given new importance to human relations.
 Identify
major forces influencing human behavior at
work.
 Review
the historical development of the human
relations movement.
 Identify
seven basic themes that serve as the
foundation for effective human relations.
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1–2
The Nature, Purpose, and Importance
of Human Relations
How would you describe the
study of human relations?
• Human Relations Defined
– The study of why beliefs, attitudes, and
behaviors sometimes cause problems in
personal and professional relationships
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1–3
Human Relations in
the Age of Information
• Loss of Balance and Perspective
– Reliance on information technology comes at a
price—less personal human contact
– Over-emphasis on information causes us to
lose sight of nonverbal cues and clues
How do these tendencies affect
our abilities to interact and relate
with others?
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1–4
Major Developments That Give New
Importance to Human Relations
Labor market
instability
Changing work
patterns
Customer
service orientation
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Workplace
incivility
Major HR
Developments
Teamwork and
participation
Increasing
Diversity
1–5
Major Developments That Give New
Importance to Human Relations
• Labor Market Instability
– Mergers, closings, bankruptcies, downsizing,
and outsourcing
• “Free Agent Nation”
– Self-employed, temporary, and part-time
workers creates opportunities and challenges
How do these trends
affect human relations?
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1–6
Major Developments That Give New
Importance to Human Relations
• Increasing focus on customer service to
clients, patients, and customers
• Growing epidemic of workplace rudeness,
insensitivity, and disrespect
How do these trends affect
human relations?
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1–7
Major Developments That Give New
Importance to Human Relations
• Increasing use of team organization and
worker participation in problem-solving
• Increasing work force diversity in many
dimensions
– Ethnicity, age, physicality, values, expectations,
and work habits
How do these trends affect
human relations?
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1–8
FIGURE 1.1
Major Relationship Management Challenges
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1–9
The Influence of the
Behavioral Sciences
• Human Relations
– Studies the “whys” of behaviors and how that
knowledge can be applied in practical ways
• Goals of Human Relations
1. Personal growth and development
2. Achievement of organizational objectives
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1–10
Human Relations and
the “Total Person”
Emotional Control
PERSONAL
LIFE
Self-Awareness
Physical Fitness
WORK
LIFE
Self-Esteem
Creativity
Values
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1–11
Need for a Supportive Environment
• A supportive environment can lead to:
– Greater personal career satisfaction
– Greater employee commitment
– Increased organizational productivity and
efficiency
• Requires full commitment and support of
management
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1–12
FIGURE 1.2
Major Forces Influencing Worker Behavior
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1–13
Major Forces Influencing
Worker Behavior
• Organizational Culture
– The collection of shared values, beliefs, rituals,
stories, and myths that foster a feeling of
community among organizational members
How does the culture of your
institution influence the behavior of
students and faculty or workers?
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1–14
Major Forces Influencing
Worker Behavior
• SupervisoryManagement
Influence:
• Work Group
Influence:
– Social needs
– Productivity
– Emotional support
– Customer relations
– Problem solving and
goal attainment
– Safety consciousness
– Loyalty to the firm
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1–15
Major Forces Influencing
Worker Behavior
• Job Influence
– Fulfills economic needs
– Provide meaning and fulfillment
– Offer satisfying and rewarding work
– Can create frustrating sense of powerlessness
What kind of job motivates you to
work up to your potential, and
with zest? What drains you?
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1–16
Major Forces Influencing
Worker Behavior
• Personal
Characteristics:
– Behavior often reflects
a match between firm’s
environment and the
individual’s personal
characteristics
(person-job fit)
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• Family
Influences:
– Increase in dualincome families
– Problems on the job,
(e.g., tardiness), are
often linked to family
issues
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The Development of the Human
Relations Movement
• Early attempts to
improve productivity:
– Focused on plant
layout and mechanical
processes
Concern for Things
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• Later attempts to
improve productivity:
– Focus on nature of
work and workers as
complex humans
Concern for People
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The Human Relations Movement
• The Impact of the Industrial Revolution
– Shifted work from home-based craftwork to
factory production; profoundly impacting the
nature of work and workers’ roles
– Produced little understanding of employee
needs and relation to production processes
– Increased output, but processes were still
lacking in efficiency and uniformity
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The Human Relations Movement
• Taylor’s Scientific Management
– Frederick Taylor redesigned jobs to increase
efficiency and reduce wasted effort
• Systematically studied each job to break it down
into its smallest movements.
• Productivity increased but required little thinking
by worker.
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1–20
The Human Relations Movement
• Mayo’s Hawthorne Studies
– Original intentions:
• To study effects of illumination and ventilation on
assembly-line worker fatigue
– Fortuitous discoveries:
• Feedback (attention paid to workers) and greater
freedom from supervisory control increased worker
performance and made them feel important
• Interaction among workers created an “informal
organization” of relationships
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1–21
Human Relations: From the Great
Depression to the New Millennium
• During the Great
Depression
– Interest in human
relations research
waned as other
concerns gained
momentum
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• During the postwar
economic expansion
– Interest in human
relations field
increased
– Important theories
emerge (Drucker,
Berne, McGregor,
Maslow, Herzberg)
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FIGURE 1.3
Major Themes in Human Relations
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KEY TERMS
human relations
self-awareness
total person
self-acceptance
organizational culture
motivation
scientific management
trust
Hawthorne studies
self-disclosure
informal organization
conflict resolution
communication
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