Human Resources Management Definitions

The first definition of HRM is that it is the process of managing people in organizations in
a structured and thorough manner. This covers the fields of staffing (hiring people), retention
of people, pay and perks setting and management, performance management, change
management and taking care of exits from the company to round off the activities. This is the
traditional definition of HRM which leads some experts to define it as a modern version of the
Personnel Management function that was used earlier.

The second definition of HRM encompasses the management of people in organizations

from a macro perspective i.e. managing people in the form of a collective relationship between
management and employees. This approach focuses on the objectives and outcomes of the HRM
function. What this means is that the HR function in contemporary organizations is concerned
with the notions of people enabling, people development and a focus on making the
“employment relationship” fulfilling for both the management and employees.

HRM defined by different authors as:

According to U. K. Institute of Personnel Management – “HRM is an integral but distinctive

part of management, concerned with people at work and their relationship within the enterprise,
seeking to bring together into effective organization, the men and women who staff the
enterprise, enabling each to make his/her own best contribution to its success, both as an
individual and as a member of working group. It seeks to improve relationships within the
enterprise that are conducive both to effective work and human satisfaction”.

In the words of David A. Decenzo and Stephen P. Robbins, “HRM is concerned with the
people’s dimension in management. Since every organization is made up of people, acquiring
their services, developing their skills, motivating them to higher levels of performance and
ensuring that they continue to maintain their commitment to the organization are essential to
achieving organizational objectives. This is true, regardless of the type of organization –
government, business, education, health, recreation or social action”.

French:
“Personnel management is the recruitment, selection, development, utilization of and
accommodation to human resources by organizations”. Thus, French considers personnel
management as concerned with the proper utilization of human resources in the organization.
C. H. Northcoat:
“Personnel management is an extension of general management, that of promoting and
stimulating every employee to make his fullest contribution to the purposes of the business”.
Thus, Northcoat considers personnel management as a part of the general managerial function
and assigns it the work of promoting employees to contribute their maximum for achieving
enterprise objectives.

George Milkorich and J. W. Boudreaux:

According to George Milkorich and J. W. Boudreaux, HRM is “a series of integrated decisions,

that form the employment relationship – their quality contributes to the ability of the
organizations and the employees to achieve their objective”.

Armstrong has defined human resource management as follows:

“Human resource management is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an
organization’s most valued assets — the people working there who individually and collectively
contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business.”

According to Fisher, “Human resource management involves all management decisions and
practices that directly affect or influence the people, or human resources, who work for the
organization.”

S.P. Robbins defined human resource management from peoples perspective. According to him,
human resource management is concerned with the “people” dimension in management. Since
every organization is made up of people, acquiring their services, developing their skills,
motivating them to high levels of performance, and ensuring that they continue to maintain their
commitment to the organization are essential to achieving organizational objectives.”

Leon C. Megginson – “Human resources are the total knowledge, skills, creative abilities,
talents and aptitudes of an organizations workforce, as well as the value, attitude and beliefs of
the individuals involved.”

Ivancevich and Gluck – “Human resource management is the function performed in

organizations that facilitates the most effective use of employees to achieve organizational and
individual goals.
Michael J. Jucius – Human Resource Management as “the field of management which has to do
with planning, organizing, directing and controlling the functions of procuring, developing,
maintaining and utilizing a labour force, such that the- (a) Objectives for which company is
established are attained economically and effectively. (b) Objectives of all levels of personnel are
served to the highest possible degree and (c) Objectives of society are duly considered and
served.”