Introduction to Human Relations

Chapter 1: Introduction to Human Relations

“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

Technical Skills Aren’t Enough
What are interpersonal skills (a.k.a. soft skills)?
• Personal qualities: Sensitivity, ethics, self-control, ability to
collaborate
• Thinking skills: Creativity in problem solving, decision
making, attentive listening
• Small Business Career Opportunities: Small firms seek
employees with well-developed interpersonal skills
Human Relations Defined

How would you describe the study of human

relations?

• Human Relations Defined:

o The study of why beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors can cause problems in
personal and professional relationships
o Focuses on the analysis of human behavior, prevention strategies,
resolving behavioral problems, and self-development
 Major Developments that Give New Importance to
Human Relations (1 of 4)
• Every organization depends on three essential factors: people,
processes, and technology
• Regarding people:
o Personal and interpersonal effectiveness set the stage for career
success
o Communication and interpersonal skills are rated highly by nearly all
employers hiring new employees
 Major Developments that Give New Importance to
Human Relations (2 of 4)
• Trend: Mergers, closings, bankruptcies, downsizing,
outsourcing, and other restructuring result in an
employers’ job market
• Trend: Work patterns have changed: 26% of working
Americans have nonstandard jobs such as being self-
employed or a temporary or part-time worker

How do these trends affect human relations?

Major Developments that Give New Importance to
Human Relations (3 of 4)
• Trend: Increasing focus on customer service to clients,
patients, and customers means employees help shape
customers’ impressions of quality
o In a service economy, relationships may be more
important than products!
• Trend: Work patterns have changed: 26% of working
Americans have nonstandard jobs such as being self-
employed or a temporary or part-time worker

How do these trends affect human relations?

Major Developments that Give New Importance to
Human Relations (4 of 4)
• Trend: Increasing use of teams and worker
participation in problem-solving
o Team members need skills in relationship building,
decision making, commitment to team goals/values,
conflict resolution, and communications
• Trend: Increasing work force diversity in dimensions
such as ethnicity, age, gender, and physical
differences means there are many differing values,
work habits, and expectations

How do these trends affect human relations?

The Challenge of Human Relations: Managing
Three Relationships
Figure 1.1: Major Relationship Management Challenges
The Influence of the Behavioral Sciences

Human relations not only studies the “why’s” of behaviors, but also how
that knowledge can be applied in practical ways to anticipate, prevent, or
resolve problems.
Human Relations and the “Total Person”

• As we focus on the study of how people satisfy both personal and

work-related needs, consider that human traits such as emotional
control, self-awareness, and values orientation are interdependent
• Although some employers might prefer to hire just a person’s creativity
or physical strength, only the total person can be employed
o Thus, improving the whole person benefits the company
The “Total Person”
The Need for a Supportive Environment

• A supportive environment can lead to:

o Greater personal career satisfaction
o Greater employee commitment
o Increased organizational productivity and efficiency
• However, this requires full commitment and support from management
Figure 1.2: Major Forces Influencing Worker
Behavior
The Forces Influencing Behavior at Work (1 of 4)
Organizational Culture Reflect on the organizational culture of
• Mission your school or work place.
• Vision
• Beliefs
• Values

How does the culture here influence the

behavior of students and faculty or
workers?
The Forces Influencing Behavior at Work (2 of 4)
Supervisory / managers influence:
• Philosophy
• Competence
• Leadership style
Work Group Influence
• Social Support
• Emotional Support
• Support for meeting goals
Supervisors/managers influence:
• Productivity
• Customer relations
• Safety consciousness
• Loyalty to the organization
Group membership functions by:
• Satisfying social needs
• Providing emotional support
• Assisting in solving problems and
meeting goals
The Forces Influencing Behavior at Work (3 of 4)
Job Influence
• Meaningfulness
• Responsibility
• Knowledge of results

What kind of job motivates you to work

up to your potential and with passion?
What drains you?
The Forces Influencing Behavior at Work (4 of 4)
Personal Characteristics Personal characteristics:
of the Worker • Worker behavior often reflects how well the
• Abilities environment accommodates an individual’s
• Interests unique characteristics
• Aptitudes Family influence:
• Values • Balancing work and personal life is
important to many people
• Expectations
Family Influence: • Increase in dual-income families
• Work-family initiatives • Inflexible work schedules and time
management issues are examples of work
• Family-friendly culture and family problems
The Development of the Human Relations Movement
Human Relations Movement Over Time

Early attempts to improve Later attempts to improve

productivity: productivity:
Focused on improving plant layout Focus on nature of work & workers
& mechanical processes as complex humans
Concern for things Concern for people
The Impact of the Industrial Revolution
• Shift from home-based skilled crafts to factory production had profound
impact on nature of work and workers’ role
• Skills such as tailoring, carpentry, and shoemaking had been a source
of pride to a person and community
• Factories increased output, but processes still lacked efficiency and
uniformity
Taylor’s Scientific Management

• Frederick Taylor redesigned jobs to increase efficiency, starting the

scientific management movement
• Productivity increased, but the tasks required little thinking among
workers

How might this movement have impacted

worker productivity?
Mayo’s Hawthorne Studies
• Original intent: To study effects of illumination and ventilation on
worker fatigue
• Two significant discoveries:
o Workers who participated in the study had greater freedom
from supervisory control and felt important; their morale,
motivation, and productivity increased
o Interaction among workers created an “informal organization”
that influenced performance
From the Great Depression to Today
• During Great Depression:
o Interest in human relations research waned as other concerns such
as working conditions and protection for child laborers gained
momentum
• During postwar economic expansion:
o Interest in human relations field increased
o Important theories emerged (McGregor, Maslow, Herzberg, Drucker,
Peters & Waterman, etc.)
Figure 1.3: Major Themes in Human Relations

These themes reflect two goals:

1) Personal growth and development
2) Achievement of organizational objectives
Major Themes in Human Relations (1 of 4)
• Communication:
o The “heart and soul” of human relations
o The means by which we come to understand ourselves and others
o We must develop the awareness and skills necessary to communicate
effectively
• Self-Awareness:
o Understanding ourselves leads to improved relationships with others
o Helps us understand how our behavior influences others
Major Themes in Human Relations (2 of 4)
• Self-Acceptance:
o The degree to which you like and accept yourself is the degree to
which you can genuinely like and accept other people
o Is the foundation of successful interaction with others
o Crucial for setting and achieving goals
• Motivation:
o How you can motivate yourself
o How you can motivate others using proven theories and well-
established strategies
Major Themes in Human Relations (3 of 4)
• Trust:
o The building block of all successful relationships with coworkers,
customers, family members, and friends
o A lack of trust decreases the flow of information and cooperation
often deteriorates
• Self-Disclosure:
o The more open you are, the more you build trust
o Part of good communication; eliminates guessing games
Major Themes in Human Relations (4 of 4)
• Conflict Resolution:
o Conflict, in one form or another, surfaces almost daily in the lives
of many workers
o Supervisors spend time attempting to resolve conflicts among
members of staff
o As a team member, you may assume the role of mediator when
other team members clash
o Conflict also surfaces when attempting to balance the demands
of work and family
Human Relations: Benefits to You
• Developing & applying interpersonal skills helps you:
o Cope with workplace trends & changes
o Work effectively as part of a team

What interpersonal skills do you have?

What interpersonal skills would you like to develop or improve?