Chapter One Introduction to Human Relations
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Chapter Preview Nature, purpose and importance in organizations Career success and work/life balance Major developments in field Historical overview of field Forces influencing behavior Seven themes for effectiveness
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved The Nature, Purpose and Importance of Human Relations Best-managed organizations… –understand work is done through relationships –are not simply being “nice to people” –genuinely help employees come alive through their work –align goals of worker and workplace
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Human Relations Defined Study of all types of interactions among people, including: –Conflicts –Cooperative efforts –Group relationships Study of why beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors can cause problems in personal and professional relationships
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Human Relations in the Age of Information Industrial to information economy Information exchange is foundation of most economic transactions Increase in amount and speed of information Alters traditional patterns of work and leisure
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Human Relations in the Age of Information Dynamic, but disorienting and stressful Reduced sources of connection away from work Less contact with extended families
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Human Relations in the Age of Information Over emphasis on information can limit one’s effectiveness Need balance and perspective Human-contact deficiency weakens the spirit, the mind, and the body To survive and thrive, we need warm- hearted contact with people
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved The Importance of Human Relations Interpersonal skills essential for success in most jobs Technical competencies not sufficient for success Recent trends in the workplace give new importance to human relations
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Trend: Instability of Labor Market Worker dislocation due to increased numbers of: –Mergers and acquisitions –Buyouts and downsizing –Business closings and bankruptcy Can result in: –Low moral –Mistrust of management
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Trend: Changing Work Patterns When, where and how New opportunities and challenges –Increase in temporary workers –More self-employed and contract employees “Free Agent Nation” –Telecommuting –More employers over a career
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Trend: Orientation Toward Service to Customers Service economy Some competitive advantages are easy to copy (i.e., technology, financial structure) Relationships key to sustainable competitive advantage and they are difficult to copy
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Total Person Insight No matter what we do, we do it with people. People create technology. People implement the technology. People make it all happen. People ultimately use whatever it is we create. No matter how small your organization or how technical its process, it takes people to be successful. Harry E. Chambers Author, The Bad Attitude Survival Guide
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Trend: Lack of Civility in the Workplace Rudeness, insensitivity, disrespect “Me” rather than “We” attitudes Workplace incivility threatens employee relationships
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Trend: Increasing Use of Teams Using teams can: –Improve product quality and customer service –Improve job satisfaction Organizations need to develop team skills: –Group decision making –Leadership –Conflict resolution –Communication
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Trend: Increasing Work Force Diversity Prominent characteristic of today’s work force Organizations need to increase tolerance and understanding for differences in: –Age –Gender –Race –Physical traits –Sexual orientation
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Trend: Growing Income Inequality Socioeconomic status influenced by: –Income –Job –Education Created climate of resentment and distrust Wage gap keeps getting bigger Negatively impacts physical and mental health of lowest socioeconomic status
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Challenges of Today’s workplace: Wide range of interpersonal skills are needed Contact with customers, clients, patients, and other workers Every relations differs in: Age and GenderWork backgroundValues Communication styleWork ethicsCulture Each encounter offers new challenge
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Manage Three Relationships People must manage three types: –Relationships with ourselves –One-to-one relationships –Group relationships
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Figure 1.1: Major Relationship Management Challenges
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Relationship with Ourselves Positive self image and self-confidence is good for relations with others Many people have negative ideas and feelings about themselves
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved One-to-One Relationships Occupations with high client/customer contact face this challenge every day Biases can be barriers: –Racial –Age –Gender –Communication-style
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Group Relationships Many assigned to work as members of a team Lack of cooperation among members can result in quality or productivity problems
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Human Relations Draws on Behavioral Sciences Psychology Individual Sociology Anthropology Group dynamic Focus on “why” of human behavior
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Beyond Human Behavior…. The field of human relations goes further than “why” Emphasis on applied: –Anticipation of problems –Resolution –Prevention
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved The “Total Person” Each person’s characteristics part of single system making up the whole person Only “total person” can be employed Traits are interdependent: –Physical fitness Emotional control –Self-awarenessSelf-esteem –Value orientation
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved The “Total Person” Organizations recognizing that when a whole person is improved, significant benefits accrue to the firm Organizations can separate: –Work and home –Emotional and physical Many employee development programs are being established
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Examples of “Total Person” Development Programs Stress management Physical fitness programs Balancing work and family seminars Values clarification education On-site services (i.e., Dental) Parenting classes Financial planning and home loan assistance Software training Assertiveness training
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Total Person Insight The rules for work are changing, and we’re all being judged, whether we know it or not, by a new yardstick—not just how smart we are and what technical skills we have, which employers see as givens, but increasingly by how well we handle ourselves and one another. Daniel Goleman Author, Working with Emotional Intelligence
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved The Need for a Supportive Environment A positive and supportive environment can lead to: –Greater personal career satisfaction –Greater employee commitment –Increased organizational productivity and efficiency Requires full commitment and support of management
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Influential Forces Understanding human behavior at work begins with a review of the six major forces that affect every employee
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Figure 1.2: Major Forces Influencing Worker Behavior
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Organizational Culture Collection of shared values, beliefs, rituals, stories, and myths that create a common identity and feelings of community among employees Every organization has unique culture Reflection of deeply held values and beliefs of top management
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Supervisory-Management Managers hold key position to influence employee behavior Spokespersons for the organization Philosophy, competence, and leadership style establish image in eyes of employees
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Supervisory-Management Establish perceptions of organization’s concern for employee welfare Perceptions influence factors such as: –Productivity –Customer relations –Safety –Loyalty to the firm
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Total Person Insight Jobs do a lot more than merely provide income. They provide the opportunity to learn and enhance skills, to have some control over one’s fate and, perhaps most important, to gain a sense of self- worth, a sense of carrying one’s own weight. William Raspberry Syndicated Columnist
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Work Group Influence Research has identified three functions of group membership. It can: –Satisfy social needs –Provide emotional support –Lend assistance in solving problems and meeting goals
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Job Influence Work has taken central stage in the lives of many Can more than satisfy economic needs Provide sense of meaning, community, and self-esteem
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Personal Characteristics All employees bring combination of: –Abilities and interestsAptitudes –ValuesExpectations Behavior often reflection of match between environment and individual’s characteristics Creating idea work environment to meet all needs is a challenge
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Family Influence Need for balance between work and family Increase in dual-income families Problems on the job often linked to family Many organizations attempt to create family-friendly environment
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Human Relations Movement Early attempts to improve productivity focused on plant layout and mechanical processes Focus has changed to: –nature of work –workers as complex human beings Shift from concern for things to concern for people
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved The Industrial Revolution Marked shift from home-based processes to factory production Little understanding of employee needs and relation to production Limited productivity and uniformity of work Profound impact on nature of work and role of worker
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Taylor’s Scientific Management Frederick Taylor started movement in 1874 –He became aware of inefficiency and waste –Systematically studied each job –Segmented work down into isolated, specialized tasks –Different workers were assigned to each task Resulted in more efficiency, but required little thinking by worker
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Taylor’s Concept Theories became very popular among business owners and managers Paved the way for the assembly line Criticized for exploiting, not helping, workers
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Total Person Insight You can only get so much more productivity out of reorganization and automation. Where you really get productivity leaps is in the minds and hearts of people. James Baughman Director of Management Development, General Electric Co.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved The Hawthorne Studies 1920s, Elton Mayo sets out to study effects of illumination and ventilation on worker fatigue Became seminal investigation into role of human relations in group and individual productivity
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Mayo’s Two Discoveries 1.Workers increased performance when they felt important and had greater freedom from supervisory control 2.Interaction among workers created an “informal organization”
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved The Great Depression to the New Millennium During Great Depression –Interest in human relations research waned as other concerns gained momentum –Labor unions increased campaigns to improve working conditions and pay During postwar economic expansion –Interest in human relations field increased –Important theories emerge
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved During the 1940s Douglas McGregor –Performance related to tapping human potential Abraham Maslow –Hierarchy of needs Frederick Herzberg –Employee motivation and satisfaction
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved The 1950s and 1960s Eric Bern –Interpersonal communication and transactional analysis Carl Rogers –Personality development, interpersonal communication and group dynamics
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved During the 1980s William Ouchi –Theory Z style of management Tom Peters and Robert Waterman –Importance of people in organizations
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Major Themes Several themes emerge from these studies of human relations Themes concern two goals: –Personal growth and development –Achievement of organizational objectives
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Figure 1.3: Major Themes in Human Relations
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Communication “Heart and soul” of communication Means by which we come to an understanding of ourselves and others To grow and develop, we must communicate skillfully and effectively
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Self-Awareness Good relationships with others stem from a better understanding of ourselves Increased self-awareness helps us develop an understanding of how our behavior influences others
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Self-Acceptance The degree to which you like and accept yourself is the degree to which you can like and accept others Self-acceptance is the key to successful interaction with others Able to cope better with change, responsibility, diversity, and teams
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Motivation Motivation of self –Comes from within Motivation of others –Comes from understanding complex motivation theories and strategies
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Trust Building block of successful relationships Trust –Frank discussion –Free exchange of ideas and information Lack of trust –Reduced productivity and communication –Stifled innovation, high stress, slow decision making
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Self-Disclosure Self-disclosure is an intricate part of building trust Constructive part of good communication and helps eliminate unnecessary guessing
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Conflict Resolution Conflict tends to obstruct cooperative action, create suspicion and distrust, and decrease productivity Resolution strategies improve communication, emotional control, and team building Requires much energy
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Benefits to You Better understanding of human behavior in groups Can help you become more sensitive to yourself and others Provides techniques for solving people- related problems –Act more wisely when problems arise –Anticipate conflicts or prevent them from escalating
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Summary The study of human relations helps people fulfill growth needs and meet organizational goals Realization that employee’s life outside of work has impact on organization Many firms are developing training and education programs for “total person”
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Summary Human relations gives people a better understanding of basic behavioral concepts Understanding allows them to make better choices when problems arise It helps them anticipate and prevent conflicts
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Summary The development of the human relations field redefined: –Nature of work –Perception of managers and workers as complex human beings
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Summary Seven major themes: CommunicationSelf-awareness Self-acceptanceMotivation TrustSelf-disclosure Conflict resolution