Human Relations and You Chapter One Human Relations for Career and Personal Success

Nature and Importance of Human Relations Art of using systematic knowledge about human behavior to improve personal, job, and career effectiveness Applies systematically to treating people in manner that they feel better about their job

Nature and Importance of Human Relations Organizational Effectiveness Treat employees with respect Pay them fairly Contribute to efficient and creative organization Tangible benefits, such as high quality customer service People work harder when Have greater control over their work environment Encouraged by peer pressure from teammates

Impact of Human Element Improves Business Performance Even greater advantage People work smarter Use their wisdom Receive training needed to perform better Eliminate positions focusing primarily on watching and controlling people

Studying Human Relations Acquiring valid information about human behavior Need to understand how people think and act Basic knowledge of interpersonal relationships It is important to understand people and the different roles they play in life. In addition, it is important to know the types of people that are drawn to a specific career or position within an industry or organization. What type of job survival skills do you consider important for anyone in any type of position? Personal problems unfortunately get carried over to the place of employment. What types of problems might cause difficulties on the job? Why and what sort of impact may they have? To what extent should an employer be concerned about this? What options might an employer have to deal with the situation? When is it inappropriate for an employer to be involved?

Studying Human Relations Develop skills in dealing with people Successful people learn how to: Communicate with others Work well on teams Manage stress Behave confidently Communication is still the number one issue that employers complain about. Why do you think good communication remains a problem at work? What examples can you provide from your work experience of good or bad communication skills concerning management or the workers? Stress is the major factor in physical, emotional, and spiritual health problems in the U.S. What are major stressors in the field you plan to enter? How can you manage those type of stressors? What stressors do you face as students? Which techniques could help you manage that stress? Remember, our society consists of continuous learners so it is important to manage stress or it will manage us – in very powerful ways. This course focuses often on work teams. How important is this in the field you are planning to enter? How would you define behaving confidently? How does it differ from the “all about me” attitude or egoism out of kilter?

Studying Human Relations Cope with job problems Job survival skills Deal with difficult people Overcome overwhelming workloads

Studying Human Relations Cope with personal problems Self-defeating behavior Deal with a difficult coworker Overcome low self-confidence Work your way out of heavy job stress

Studying Human Relations Capitalizing on Opportunities Develop your career Become a leader Becoming more creative

Studying Human Relations Demonstrating potential for advancement Skill and knowledge about human relations important for advancement Upper management typically has good human relations skills in addition to technical skills and job knowledge

Mutual Influence of Work and Personal Life Job satisfaction enhances life satisfaction Unsatisfying job can damage physical health Relationships with people on and off the job influence each other Certain skills contribute to success in both work and personal life Behavior at work is closely related to behavior at home Achieve a balance between work and life to be more productive and satisfied What type of skills are important to both work and personal life? Which are critical for success? What type of problems appear is certain skills are lacking? What is the company’s role in upgrading skills of this nature for employees?

Human Relations begins with Self-Understanding Important starting point: self – understanding Public self: what a person communicates about him/herself and what others actually perceive about the person Private self: actual person an individual may be Alternative self: an understanding of the self, based on what could have been if something in the past had happened differently How different can the public and private self be? Is it ever advantageous not to show your private self at work? What would be the penalty of being congruent with both selves at work? Can you describe a situation where you would have to use your public self to remain employed or to continue the level of relationships at work?

Human Relations begins with Self-Understanding Feedback is beneficial Performance Evaluation (formal feedback): Permanent Record Peer Evaluation Self-Assessment Quizzes Performance evaluation is critical to success. What types of formal feedback have your received in your experience? What would you respect in your career field? Would you feel comfortable participating in a peer evaluation for your teammates? For yourself?

Johari Window Solicit Feedback Give Feedback Known to self Unknown to self Known to others Open Area (known to self and others) Blind Area (blind to self, seen by others) Unknown to others Hidden Area (open to self, hidden from others Unknown Area (unknown to self and others) Give Feedback

Human Relations begins with Self - Understanding Two self – evaluation traps: Become more self – aware and make comparisons to some arbitrary standard of behavior Overestimate competence Antidote is to search for honest and objective feedback to supplement self - evaluation How do you determine whether the standard is appropriate? Give an example of someone who made unrealistic comparisons? How did the situation resolve itself? Overestimating competence can cause many problems for the whole team and the company in general. Based on your experience, explain how this could happen at work, and the impact it had. Do you think that people provide honest feedback, or do they nurse grudges? Do they sugar-coat their responses to your questions regarding feedback? Do you accept compliments graciously? Many people, especially women, find it uncomfortable to hear compliments, often disregarding positive, accurate support.

Human Relations Movement Concentrated effort by some managers and advisors to Become more sensitive to need of employees Treat them in a more humanistic manner

Human Relations Movement Scientific Management Theory Application of scientific methods to increase individual workers’ productivity Frederick Taylor Father of scientific management Scientific analysis and experiments to increase worker output Taylor’s work was groundbreaking at the time. Can you remember any type of abuse of workers in history? What is the connection to the birth of the union movement in the U.S.?

Human Relations Movement Goal to remove human variability Each worker essentially an interchangeable part Model was a machine Studied fatigue and safety Work breaks and shorter workday resulting in increased productivity Reward higher productivity with higher salary What concepts are evidenced today?

Human Relations Movement Hawthorne Studies in 1924-27 Investigated problems with employee productivity Hawthorne Effect: Workers enjoyed being center of attention Workers reacted positively because management cared about them Why do you think the workers reacted so positively? How would you or your colleagues react to being studies as in the Hawthorne situation? Would they be suspicious, supportive, work differently so as to appear more productive, etc.? Why? How could these problems be avoided?

Human Relations Movement Research by Mayo and Roethlisberger Economic incentives are less important than generally believed in influencing workers to achieve high level of output Leadership practices and work group pressures profoundly influence employee satisfaction and performance Any factor influencing employee behavior is embedded in social system Does it surprise you that money only is an incentive to a certain point? When would it cease to be the main incentive? There are many types of leadership styles that we will discuss in this course. In what way has a leader influenced your satisfaction at work? Or an instructor in a classroom? How does peer pressure affect you on the job or in team projects in college? Do you have suggestions for setting up teams for success?

Human Relations Movement Major implication of Hawthorne studies Old concept of an economic person motivated primarily by money had to be replaced What social needs are important in general? What are more individualized, possibly different in various careers? Do genders respond differently or similarly?

Human Relations Movement Major implication of Hawthorne studies Replacement concept is a social person Motivated by social needs Desiring rewarding on-the-job relationships More responsive to pressures from coworkers than to control by the boss What social needs are important in general? What are more individualized, possibly different in various careers? Do genders respond differently or similarly?

Human Relations Movement Threat of Unionization Union growth in 1930s Used Human Relations techniques to satisfy workers Dissatisfied workers much more likely to join unions in hope of improving working conditions Growth today in public sector and decline in manufacturing due to loss of jobs We know that our businesses have changed greatly over the years specifically due to the changes in technology. Why would unions be more prevalent in the public sector? Is anyone in class a member of a union? If so, tell us of your experience.

Human Relations Movement Philosophy of Industrial Humanism Elton Mayo Cautioned managers that emotional factors more important contributors to productivity than physical and logical factors Argued that work should lead to personal satisfaction for employees In the U.S., one of the first questions asked of a new acquaintance is, What do you do? Why is that so important in our society? What does that say about our needs being met in our careers? What is the message for employers then?

Human Relations Movement Philosophy of Industrial Humanism Mary Picket Follett Key to increased productivity was to motivate employees, rather than simply ordering better job performance Keys to both productivity and democracy Cooperation Spirit of unity Coordination of effort

Human Relations Movement Theory X and Theory Y of Douglas McGregor Challenged managers’ assumptions of the nature of people Managers need to size up work group members to understand their attitudes toward work

Human Relations Movement Theory X Assumptions Average person dislikes work and avoids it if possible Most people must be coerced, controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment for them to put forth enough effort to achieve company goals Average employee prefers to be directed, wishes to shirk responsibility, has relatively little ambition, and highly values job security Good method to remember McGregor’s theory is to visualize the Theory X as an large X drawn on a worker roster indicating that they negative in their attitudes and motivation.

Human Relations Movement Theory Y Assumptions Expenditure of physical and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for bringing about effort toward reaching company objectives Employees will exercise self-direction and self-control in the service of objectives to which they attach high valence Commitment to objectives is related to the rewards associated with their achievement Good method to remember McGregor’s theory is to visualize the Theory X as an large Y drawn on a worker roster indicating that they positive in their commitment, attitudes and motivation.

Human Relations Movement Theory Y Assumptions Average person learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but also to seek responsibility Many employees have the capacity to exercise a high degree of imagination, ingenuity, and creativity in solution of organizational problems Under the present conditions of industrial life, intellectual potentialities of the average person are only partially utilized

Major Factors Influencing Job Performance and Behavior Recognize factors or forces that influence job performance and behavior Related to the employee Mental and physical ability Knowledge Motivation We live in a knowledge society with amazing opportunities for growth, development, and career changes. Many employers even pay for educational training including degree earning courses. What does this mean for your career path?

Major Factors Influencing Job Performance and Behavior Recognize factors or forces that influence job performance and behavior Related to the manager Leadership and communication style Feedback We live in a knowledge society with amazing opportunities for growth, development, and career changes. Many employers even pay for educational training including degree earning courses. What does this mean for your career path?

Challenges in Workplace Emphasis on Teamwork and Collaboration High Expectations for Personal Productivity Workplace Diversity and Globalization

Challenges in Workplace Emphasis on Employee Creativity and Innovativeness Virtual Work Teams and Telecommuting Increased Emphasis on Skill Acquisition and Less on Upward Mobility

Major Factors Influencing Job Performance and Behavior Recognize factors or forces that influence job performance and behavior Related to the job Equipment Challenges Training Each company has its own culture and a new employee needs to learn it very quickly to succeed. Have you ever been employed where you question the ethics of the company, or specifically workers? How do they inform workers about their ethics? Are they enforced? Can you provide an examples?

Major Factors Influencing Job Performance and Behavior Recognize factors or forces that influence job performance and behavior Related to the organization Culture including ethics Work group influences Human resource policies Each company has its own culture and a new employee needs to learn it very quickly to succeed. Have you ever been employed where you question the ethics of the company, or specifically workers? How do they inform workers about their ethics? Are they enforced? Can you provide an examples?

MAJOR WORKPLACE CHALLENGES OF TODAY Emphasis on Teamwork and Collaboration Increased Emphasis on Skill Acquisition High Expectations for Personal Productivity Part of Virtual Workplace and Telecommuting Handle Workplace Diversity and Globalization