Evolution of HRM

Summary

This script delves into the historical evolution of managing people, tracing back to 5000 years ago and highlighting the profound changes brought by the Industrial Revolution. It discusses the shift from household production to factory work, the rise of the Foreman's Empire, and the advent of scientific management through Taylorism. The narrative emphasizes the importance of understanding both the technical and human conditions of work, and the need for managers to adapt their practices and assumptions to current times, underscoring the continuous evolution of ideas in human resource management.

Takeaways

• 📚 The history of managing people dates back 5000 years, indicating that the challenge of worker management is ancient and complex.
• 🏭 The Industrial Revolution marked a significant shift from agrarian and small-scale production to industrial work, impacting the autonomy and work-life of individuals.
• 👥 The transition to industrial work led to the invisibility of women's unpaid domestic work as societal norms began to equate value with paid, external labor.
• 👮 The Foreman's Empire emerged as a system where supervisors held absolute authority over hiring, firing, and motivating the workforce, often through strict discipline.
• 🔬 Scientific management, or Taylorism, sought to break down jobs into standardized, repetitive tasks for efficiency, with managers determining the 'one best way' to perform tasks.
• 🛠 The evolution of management practices also involved applying psychological principles to understand and improve worker satisfaction, engagement, and productivity.
• 🧠 The script emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing both the economic/technical and human conditions in the workplace for effective management.
• 🔍 Historically, management strategies and ideas have evolved, suggesting that current practices should be critically evaluated for their relevance and assumptions.
• 🛑 The script challenges managers to reflect on their own assumptions when managing others, highlighting the need for self-awareness in leadership.
• 🚀 It is implied that there is an opportunity for managers to innovate and adapt their strategies, ensuring they are not using outdated practices or assumptions.
• 🌐 The narrative provides a comprehensive view of the evolution of human resource management, from authoritarian control to a more nuanced understanding of worker needs and motivations.

Q & A

How far back does the history of managing people go according to the script?

The script suggests that the history of managing people goes back as far as 5000 years ago, starting with skilled and unskilled slaves, conscripts, soldiers, and others.

What significant shift did the Industrial Revolution cause in terms of work and workers?

The Industrial Revolution caused a massive shift away from farming and small-scale household production to industrial work in factories and other workplaces, changing the nature of work and the relationship between workers and managers.

How did the Industrial Revolution impact the autonomy and discretion of workers?

The Industrial Revolution led to industrialists controlling the production process, causing individuals to lose autonomy and discretion to decide when, how, and where to work, as well as how to structure their work tasks.

What role did the foreman play in the early industrial workplaces?

In the early industrial workplaces, the foreman had unquestioned authority to hire, fire, discipline, assign work, set work hours, and motivate workers, a system now referred to as the 'Foreman's Empire'.

What is scientific management or Taylorism, and how did it affect job tasks?

Scientific management, or Taylorism, sought to find the one best way to do every job by breaking tasks down into small, standardized, repetitive tasks that any unskilled worker could perform, as exemplified by Frederick Winslow Taylor's studies on the optimal shovel size.

How did the script describe the early industrialists' view of workers?

The script describes early industrialists as viewing workers as lacking the qualities that placed the industrialists at the top of society, such as ambition, thrift, and sobriety, and thus in need of strict hierarchical authoritarian management.

What assumptions underpinned the management practices during the early Industrial Revolution?

The management practices during the early Industrial Revolution were based on the assumption that owners had particular qualities that justified their place at the top of society and that workers, lacking these qualities, needed to be managed strictly and authoritatively.

What was the role of psychological principles in managing workers as mentioned in the script?

The script mentions that psychological principles were applied to managing workers to understand that they have different skills, cognitive abilities, and that job satisfaction and attitudes are important for productivity, as well as recognizing the importance of group dynamics in the workplace.

How has the understanding of worker motivation evolved over time according to the script?

The understanding of worker motivation has evolved from seeing workers as solely money-motivated to recognizing that they have psychological needs and social relationships that are important, reflecting a shift in assumptions about workers.

What key learning can be drawn from the history of human resource management as presented in the script?

A key learning is that managing people is a very old challenge, and strategies for managing people change over time. Ideas and assumptions behind these practices are as important as the practices themselves, and managers should be aware of and question their own assumptions when managing others.

What advice does the script give to current managers regarding their management practices and ideas?

The script advises current managers to consider whether their management practices and the ideas behind them are up-to-date and to be innovators in their approach to managing people.

Outlines

00:00

🔧 The Evolution of Workforce Management

This paragraph delves into the historical context of managing workers, tracing back to 5000 years ago. It discusses the shift from agrarian and small-scale production to industrial work during the Industrial Revolution, which varied in timing across different regions. The paragraph highlights the loss of autonomy for workers and the rise of individual-based income. It introduces the concept of the 'Foreman's Empire,' where supervisors held absolute authority over workers, including hiring, firing, and work assignment. The narrative then transitions to the efforts to systematize management, with a focus on 'scientific management' or Taylorism, which aimed to standardize tasks for efficiency. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding both the technical and human aspects of work, as well as the evolution of ideas behind management practices.

05:02

💡 Insights from the History of HR Management

The second paragraph reflects on the historical progression of human resource management, emphasizing the enduring challenge of managing people. It acknowledges the difficulty of adapting to working under someone else's directives and methods, which is not the norm for most of human history. The paragraph underscores the evolution of management strategies over time and the significance of underlying ideas that shape these practices. It encourages managers to question the currency of their strategies and assumptions, suggesting that they may be outdated. The summary ends with an encouragement for managers to innovate and adapt their practices to align with contemporary understanding and needs.

Keywords

💡Management

Management refers to the process of coordinating and overseeing the work of a group of people to achieve goals and objectives. In the context of the video, it discusses the historical evolution of managing people, from ancient times to the modern era, emphasizing the challenges and changes in managing workers, especially during the Industrial Revolution.

💡Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period of significant economic and social change that began in the late 18th century, characterized by the shift from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing. The video script highlights how this period caused a massive shift in work practices, leading to the rise of factories and new management challenges.

💡Autonomy

Autonomy in the workplace refers to the freedom and independence individuals have in making decisions about their work. The script discusses how industrialization led to a loss of autonomy for workers, as the control of the production process shifted to industrialists and managers.

💡Foreman's Empire

The term 'Foreman's Empire' refers to a management system where the foreman or supervisor had absolute authority over workers, including hiring, firing, and assigning tasks. The video explains this concept as a response to the need for strict discipline in early factories, where workers were not accustomed to such environments.

💡Scientific Management

Scientific Management, also known as Taylorism, is a theory of management that aimed to improve efficiency by breaking down jobs into small, standardized tasks. The script mentions Frederick Winslow Taylor as a pioneer of this movement, emphasizing the quest to find the 'one best way' to perform each job.

💡Standardization

Standardization in the context of the video refers to the process of making work tasks uniform and predictable. It is a key aspect of Scientific Management, where tasks are broken down to ensure that any worker can perform them efficiently, as illustrated by Taylor's study on the optimal shovel size.

💡Motivation

Motivation in the workplace is the drive that encourages workers to perform tasks. The script discusses how early industrialists believed workers were primarily motivated by money and that managers knew the most efficient way to work, which is a fundamental assumption of Scientific Management.

💡Psychological Principles

Psychological principles in management involve understanding the cognitive and emotional aspects of workers to improve job satisfaction and productivity. The video mentions the application of these principles to acknowledge the importance of workers' different skills, attitudes, and group dynamics in the workplace.

💡Employee Engagement

Employee engagement refers to the level of enthusiasm and commitment workers have towards their work. The script highlights the significance of job satisfaction and engagement as factors that influence how work gets done and the productivity of workers.

💡Group Dynamics

Group dynamics involve the social interactions and relationships within a group of workers. The video script points out the importance of understanding group dynamics as a key factor in effective management, which can impact the overall work environment and productivity.

💡Assumptions

Assumptions in management refer to the underlying beliefs and expectations about workers and their motivations. The script discusses how different historical periods had varying assumptions about workers, from viewing them as inferior during the time of slavery to considering them as individuals with psychological needs in modern times.

Highlights

The history of managing people dates back 5000 years, highlighting the long-standing and difficult issue of workforce management.

The Industrial Revolution marked a significant shift in work, moving from farming and household production to industrial factories.

Industrialization resulted in individuals losing autonomy, with work schedules and tasks being dictated by industrialists.

The transition to industrial work made income individually based, rather than being tied to household production.

Women's unpaid domestic work became less visible as society began to equate valuable work with paid, external labor.

Early industrialists believed in strict discipline and close monitoring of the workforce, leading to the 'Foreman's Empire'.

The foreman had unquestioned authority over hiring, firing, and motivating workers, often using harsh methods.

Efforts to systematize management emerged as production processes became more complex with larger factories.

Scientific management, or Taylorism, aimed to find the one best way to perform every job, breaking tasks into standardized, repetitive steps.

Frederick Winslow Taylor pioneered the idea of scientific management, emphasizing efficiency and task standardization.

Managers, not workers, were seen as the knowledgeable ones to determine how to break down jobs into smaller tasks.

Psychological principles were applied to managing workers, focusing on job satisfaction and employee engagement.

Group dynamics in the workplace were recognized as an important factor in managing workers effectively.

The evolution of human resource practices is marked by changes in both strategies and underlying assumptions about workers.

Early management strategies were hierarchical and authoritarian, based on the belief in the superiority of the elites.

The Industrial Revolution saw owners viewing themselves as superior due to their ambition and thrift, managing workers strictly.

Taylorism introduced the assumption that workers are primarily motivated by money and seek the most efficient way to earn it.

Psychological and sociological theories added the understanding that workers have different needs and social relationships.

Managers are encouraged to innovate and reflect on their own assumptions when managing others.

Transcripts

as far back as 5000 years ago skilled

and unskilled slaves and conscript

soldiers and many others needed managing

how to best manage people is therefore a

very long-standing and difficult issue

the modern concern with managing workers

comes from the Industrial Revolution

industrialization causes a massive shift

away from farming and small-scale

household production literally cottage

industries to industrial work and

factories and other workplaces depending

on where you live this transition may

have occurred 200 years ago or is

occurring right now but the changes in

the implications for workers and

managers are the same it's important

that we understand the profound nature

of these changes industrialists displays

household as the controller of the

production process so individuals lost

the autonomy and the discretion to

decide when and how to work how to

structure their work tasks when to do

them where they were going to work an

income also now becomes individually

based rather than household based

finally women's unpaid carrying work was

rendered invisible as new norms equated

valuable work to paid work done outside

of the home now early industrialists

believed that they needed to impose

strict discipline and closely monitor

this workforce that wasn't used to

working for someone else in a factory

and so the foreman the supervisor really

became king this is a system that we now

refer back to as the Foreman's Empire

where the supervisor had the

unquestioned authority to hire to fire

to discipline to assign work to assign

work hours and to motivate workers and

how we're workers motivated through

strict monitoring and the drive system

threats cajoling profanity even pointing

to the factory gate pointing to all

those unemployed workers willing to take

their job if they weren't willing to do

exactly what the foremen wanted now

after this there's an effort to try to

systematize management as the production

process becomes more complicated and

factories get larger and more complex

now this didn't all pertain to human

resources but part of it did and part of

them perhaps the most famous

example that still indoors today is

scientific management or Taylorism after

my distant cousin Frederick Winslow

Taylor who was really at the forefront

of this movement now Taylorism or

scientific management sought to find the

one best way to do every job break every

job down into small standardized

repetitive tasks that any unskilled

worker could do for example Taylor spent

four months figuring out that the

optimal shovel size was 21 pounds not 20

pounds not 22 pounds but 21 pounds and

so therefore these jobs were broken down

into small standardized tasks that

unskilled workers could do and who was

it that was determining how to break

these jobs down

it wasn't workers no it was managers

they were seen as the ones who had all

of the knowledge what were workers

workers were just cogs and machine they

were just hands farm hands factory hands

deck hands you know the phrase all hands

on deck now around the same time there

was also an effort to apply

psychological principles to managing

workers so this wasn't seen as only

trying to get the technical conditions

of work right but also to get the human

conditions right focus on appreciating

that workers have different skills and

levels of cognitive ability focus on the

fact that job satisfaction what we now

call employee engagement and other

attitudes are important for how work

gets done and how productive workers are

and also appreciate that group dynamics

in the workplace are also an important

factor and this really is the key task

of any manager today not only to get the

economic and technical conditions right

but also to get the human conditions

right now as we look back over this

5,000 history 5,000 year history of the

evolution of human resource practices

it's important not to simply see this as

an evolution of practices but also to

see this as an evolution of ideas when

slaves and conscripts are managing very

hierarchical authoritarian ways this was

rooted in assumptions that the elites of

the time were absolutely superior in

every way to slaves and conscripts and

therefore they had the right

sometimes even the divine right to

manage the inferior the

workers that they saw as inferior to

them fast forward several thousand years

ago and the early Industrial Revolution

when workers were managed in very

hierarchical authoritarian ways well

this was rooted in a set of assumptions

which owners thought that they had

particularly qualities that gave them

their place in society they were

industrialists they were at the top of

society because they were ambitious they

were thrifty they were sober and they

saw workers as lacking these qualities

and therefore needed to be managed in

very strict hierarchical authoritarian

ways we add in Taylorism a new set of

assumptions come to the fore workers now

are seen as motivated by money and

they're willing to work to get money but

they want to do it in the most efficient

way and who is going to determine the

most efficient way managers because it's

assumed that managers know best we add

in psychological and sociological

theorizing to the problem of how to best

manage workers and now we add in a new

set of assumptions about workers that

not only are they motivated by money but

they have psychological differences they

have psychological needs social

relationships also important so we have

this evolution not only of practices but

also ideas and as you're managing people

keep track of your own assumptions that

you're making when managing others so

there's a number of key learnings that

we can pull out of this quick review of

the history of human resource management

how to manage people is a very old

challenge if you're finding it tough

you're not alone working for somebody

else on their schedule using methods and

tasks that somebody else has set for

them is a very difficult thing for many

people it's not how most people have

lived for most of human history remember

this when managing others also we can

see quite clearly people management

strategies change over time and ideas

matter as much as practices so remember

this when you're thinking about your own

practices and your own ideas and think

about our current strategies that you're

using being encouraged to use used by

others in your organization are they

out-of-date not only in terms of the

practices but in terms of the

assumptions and the ideas that lie

behind them and finally it's clear you

have choices be an innovator as a man

sure

you