Evolution of Management

of
Human Resources

Prepared by :
Syed Aamir Hashmi
2nd Semester,
MBA (Marketing & IB)
Jamia Hamdard,
New Delhi-110062
INDIA

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 Evolution of
Management of
Human Resources

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Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management can

be described as "The comprehensive
set of managerial activities and tasks
concerned with developing and
maintaining a qualified workforce -
human resources - in ways that
contribute to organisational
effectiveness." (DeNisi and Griffin,
2004)
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The Industrial Revolution
• The momentum for the industrial
revolution grew through the 17th
century.
• Agricultural methods were continually
improving, creating surpluses that were
used for trade.
• In addition, technical advances were
also occurring, for example the
Spinning Jenny and the Steam Engine.
• These advances created a need for
improved work methods, productivity
and quality that led to the beginning of
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 Adam Smith
Smith (1776) proposed that work
could be made more efficient
through specialisation and he
suggested that work should be
broken down into simple tasks.
• the development of skills
• time saving
• the possibility of using specialised
tools.
• Smith's suggestions led to many
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 Rossouw (1994)
"According to the hidden hand
approach, the only responsibility of
business is to maximise profits
according to the market principle and
within the constraints of the law. If
government interference in business
is restricted to a minimum, society
will benefit automatically from the
activities of the business sector."
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 Charles Babbage
In 1832, Charles Babbage
examined and expanded upon the
division of labour in his work, On the
Economy of Machinery and
Manufacturers. In this book Babbage
offered, as an advantage to the
division of labour, that the amount of
skill needed to undertake a
specialised task was only the skill the
necessary to complete the task.
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 Trade Unions
• During the late 1700's and early 1800's
governments began to feel pressure from the
working class masses who started to question
and defy the power of the aristocracy.

• "There were also attempts to form general

unions of all workers irrespective of trade.
William Benbow (a Lancashire shoemaker),
Robert Owen and many others looked upon
trade unionism not just as a means for
protecting and improving workers' living
standards, but also as a vehicle for changing
the entire political and economic order of
society. Owen experimented with co-operative
ventures and 'labour exchanges'; both attempts
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Frederick Winslow Taylor
In 1911, his seminal work, The Principles of
Scientific Management was published. The book
contains :

• Each part of an individuals work is analysed

'scientifically'.

• - The most suitable person to undertake the job is

'scientifically chosen' and is taught the exact way to
do the job.

• - Managers must co-operate with workers to ensure

the job is done in a scientific way.

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The Hawthorne Studies

From 1927 to 1932, Groundbreaking

set of experiments conducted at the
Western Electric plant in Hawthorne,
Chicago by Elton Mayo.
• Changes in the environment did affect
productivity, but this was not the sole
factor.
• The workers considered management
to be showing an interest in them and
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The Human Relations Movement

• It argues that people are not just

logical decision makers but have
needs for creativity support,
recognition and self-affirmation.
• It presents an alternative and
opposite approach to scientific
management as it focuses on the
individual and not the task.
• It boasts some of the world's
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Contemporary Human
Resource Management
• In modern business the Human Resources
Management function is complex and as such
has resulted in the formation of Human
resource departments/divisions in companies to
handle this function. The Human resource
function has become a wholly integrated part of
the total corporate strategy.

• The function is diverse and covers many facets

including Manpower planning, recruitment and
selection, employee motivation, performance
monitoring and appraisal, industrial relations,
provision management of employee benefits
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 CONCLUSION
• The history of Human Resource Management
has progressed through the ages from times
when people were abused in slave like working
conditions to the modern environment where
people are viewed as assets to business and are
treated accordingly.

• The Human Resource function will have to

adapt with the times as staff become more
dynamic and less limited in their roles and
bound by a job description.

• In future we may see employees being

measured on the value they contribute to a
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 Thank You

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