Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Chapter 3 - Human Relations Approach

I really enjoyed learning about the human relations approach created by Mary Parket Follett, Elton Mayo, and Chester Barnard. The human relations approach believes that all employees want to feel united and tied to a big cause that makes them feel worthy. Employees want to feel as if there is significance in their work and a point to their living (p. 82).

I can relate to this theory because I believe large majorities of people like to feel that they are making a difference in their place of employment. Years ago employees had no say or input in a company’s business decisions. However, we have come a long way in our companies’ management styles. A majority of managers are more open to hearing their employees’ thoughts and ideas. They care more about their employees and want them to be happy. They realize a company’s success is not only dependent on management, but also on employees. Many corporations are aware of this and offer employees in all positions opportunities to contribute and make a difference in their organizations.

4 comments:

  1. The human relations approach was an important shift from classical theories of organization because it focused on individuals and their motivations to work. With roots in symbolic interactionism, human relations recognized the degree to which organization members create the environment in which they work; hence, a lot of research in organizational communication climate. Still, human relations does have its drawbacks. For example, Eisenberg et al. note that the approach emphasized the importance of happy, contented, and well behaved workers, also called "cow sociology," in that the real reason underlying making workers happy is getting them to produce more. So a somewhat more cynical view of human relations that how it's typically depicted.

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  2. Being a person who does not like the structured 9-5 job because I have had negative experiences in them, I am skeptical of the "your opinion counts" box or survey. When I worked at a fortune 500 company in their credit department, we would get surveys every 3 months and it was mandatory that we turned them into our managers. There were clear gripes and very little praises from the company as a whole, yet nothing ever changed and management acted like morale was at its highest ever. I hope that serious corporations do take into account their surveys and show the employees results in response to their concerns. With more women in the workforce, I think it is a feminist approach to getting input from employees. I'm not sure if that is good or not, I'd have to think of alternative ways...

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  3. I am a huge supporter of unity within companies. Companies that are tying more employees into the company’s decisions are benefiting in the companies social process and its success. “Individual decisions are not entirely rational, but are influenced by emotions” (Eisenberg 83). With the move of a more close based relationship within the company, employees will be able to create more job stability due to less risky decisions that can cost them their job or any chance of promotion. As well working for a company that practices this approach can bring in good press for the company making it a desirable place to work.

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  4. I also found the topic of Human Relations interesting. I think it’s a common feeling employees have; trying to find a bigger meaning in their day to day existence. I know I can personally relate to that. I have definitely held jobs where my opinion with the management was thought highly of. In turn this made my loyalty to them that much greater. Everyone wants to talk about there job with a sense of pride, the Human Relations Approach is a great way to lay that foundation.

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