Gary Dessler
Human Resource Management, 16th Edition
Chapter One
Introduction to
Human Resource
Management
Prepared by Prof. Dr. Ireen Akhter
Learning Objectives
When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to:
1-1 Explain what human resource management is and how it
relates to the management process.
1-2 Briefly discuss and illustrate the important trends
influencing human resource management.
1-3 Briefly describe six important components or pillars of
human resource management today.
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What Is Human Resource Management?
• Organization: A group of working together to achieve
the organization’s goals.
• Manager: Someone who is responsible for
accomplishing the organization’s goals, and who works
with and through other organization’s people.
• Management: A process to achieve the organization's
goals effectively and efficiently.
• Human
• Resource
• Human Resource management (HRM): The
process of acquiring, preparing, motivating and
maintaining people in the organization.
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Line and Staff Aspects of HRM
• Line manager- A manager who is authorized to direct the
work of subordinates and is responsible for accomplishing
the organization’s tasks.
• Staff manager- A manager who assists and advises line
managers.
• Authority- The right to make decisions, direct others’
work, and give orders.
• Staff authority- Gives a manager the right to advise
other managers or employees.
• Line authority -Traditionally gives managers the right
to issue orders to other managers or employees.
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Why HRM is Important to All Managers?
• Avoid Personnel Mistakes: For example, managers want• Right person
• Best effort
• Effective training
• Less turnover
• Discrimination free environment
• Safe working conditions
• Fir labor practices.
• Improving Profits and Performance: More important, it
can help ensure results—through people.
• People may Spend some time as an HR Manager: People
might spend time as a human resource manager.
• HR For Small Businesses : Managers may well end up as
their own human resource manager.
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The HR Department-HR Positions
1. Recruiters: Use various methods to search for qualified job
applicants.
2. Equal employment opportunity (EEO) representatives
3. Action Coordinators: Investigate and resolve EEO
grievances, examine organizational practices for potential
violations, and compile and submit EEO reports.
4. Job analysts: Collect and examine detailed information about
job duties to prepare job descriptions.
5. Compensation managers: Develop compensation plans and
handle the employee benefits program.
6. Training specialists: Plan, organize, and direct training
activities.
7. Labor relations specialists: Advise management on all
aspects of union–management relations.
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A Brief History of PersonnelManagement/HRM
• In the late 1800s, labor problems began arising in
many of the post–Industrial Revolution’s new
factories.
• Soon employers were setting up “welfare offices”
and “welfare secretaries” to manage activities like
factory washrooms, and “safety bureaus” to oversee
plant safety.
• By 1900, employers set up the first “hiring offices,
training programs, and factory schools”. Thus,
Personnel management begun.
• Personnel managers took over hiring and firing
from supervisors, ran the payroll departments, and
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administered benefits plans.
A Brief History of Personnel/HRM
• New union laws in the 1930s added “Helping the
employer deal with unions” to personnel’s tasks.
• New equal employment laws in the 1960s made
employers more reliant to avoid discrimination
claims.
• By the 1970s globalization made gaining a
competitive edge through engaged employees.
• Introduction of E-HRM in 2000s - Mobile and social
media have changed the way employers functioned
earlier.
• Introduction of AI
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• As a result, a new HRM emerged, built
on six main
Six Pillars of HRM
1. Distributed HR - HRM tasks are being redistributed from a
central HR department to the company’s line managers.
2. Strategic HRM: today’s HRM is more involved in longerterm, strategic “big picture” issues.
3. Performance and HRM: employers expect HRM to
spearhead employee performance-improvement efforts.
• HR Manager can apply three levers/controls.
(i) HR department lever- HRM functions are delivering
services efficiently.
(ii) Employee costs lever- advise top management in setting
and controlling the firm’s compensation packages.
(iii) Strategic results lever- develop policies and practices
that produce the employee competencies and skills.
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Six Pillars of HRM
4. Sustainability and HRM: HR can't just measure
“performance” in terms of maximizing profits, but also
on their environmental and social performance as well.
• Three pillars of sustainability
• Example: Green HRM
4. Employee Engagement and HRM: Employers expect
HR to help achieve employee engagement. Engaged
employees “experience a high level of connectivity with
their work tasks,” and therefore work hard to accomplish
their task-related goals.
5. Ethics and HRM: ethics means the standards someone
uses to decide what his or her conduct should be.
• Law and justice
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