Concepts and perspectives in Human Resource Management

Concept of HRM

Human resources are the total knowledge, talents and aptitudes of an organisation as well as the values, attitudes, approaches and beliefs of the individuals involved in the affairs of the organisation. It is the sum total of the inherent abilities, acquired knowledge and skills represented by the talents and aptitudes of the persons employed in an organisation.

Definition:

According  to Edwin B. Flippo, "human resource management is the process of planing, organising, directing, controlling of procurement, development, compensation, integration, maintenance and separation of human resources to the end that individual, organisational and social objectives are accomplished."

HRM is the process of bringing an oranisation and its employees together so that they work together to achieve their goals. It is a management function which includes recruitment, selection, training and development, appraisal, compensation, rewards, motivation and growth, industrial relations, employee welfare, grievance redressal, etc in relation to the employees of an organisation.

Perspectives in Human resource management:

Normative perspective of Human resource management

This approach deals with HRM from two basic perspective "hard HRM" and "soft HRM".

"Hard" HRM embraces all those elements in employment relations laying emphasis on employee's compliance, quantitative output, managers, task and the development of the organisation. "Soft" HRM will tend to favour flexibility, negotiation, performance, quality, recognition of environments and rights in employment relations. It is more strategic and long term.

Critical perspective of Human resource management

The critical perspective of HRM is an outcome of normative perception. It proposes that organisations maintain their "soft HRM" approach only to show in their policies but in reality they practice "hard HRM" to extend management control.

They pretend to be concerned for workers and exploit them through work intensification and downsizing. Thus Critical Perspective proposes that HRM has only changed organizational rhetoric and reality has not changed since the introduction of Personnel. However it also argues that HRM uses a unitary, soft HRM rhetoric to obscure hard reality characterized by increased management control and diminished job security for employees. The first proposition describes HRM as powerless and the second as powerful.

Behavioural perspective of Human resource management

Behavioural perspective of HRM believes that it is vital for an organisation to control or mould the behaviour of  its employees to bring the desired results from them. Focus is on the identification of  desired behaviour, ensuring availability of opportunities and environment for desired behaviour, developing employees' skills to bring desired behaviour, and motivating employees to behave as desired.

Different employee behaviours needed for different organisations. Organisations' policies and practices help in bringing desired employee behaviour and that increases its effectiveness.

Strategic perspective of Human resource management

Strategic perspective of HRM believes that the human resources are valuable in improving an organisation's efficiency or effectiveness.

It provides a strategic framework to support long term business goals and objectives. The focus is on longer term people issues and macro concerns about structure, quality, culture, values, commitment and matching resources to future need.

It involves development of consistent practices, programs, and policies to facilitate achievement of strategic objectives.