Human Relations Movement

Human Relations Movement refers to those researchers of organizational development who study the behavior of people in groups, in particular workplace groups. It originated in the 1920s' Hawthorne studies, which examined the effects of social relations, motivation and employee satisfaction on factory productivity. The movement viewed workers in terms of their psychology and fit with companies, rather than as interchangeable parts.

"The hallmark of human-relation theories is the primacy given to organizations as human cooperative systems rather than mechanical contraptions."

Barnard stressed the following:

1. Natural groups, in which social aspects take precedence over functional organizational structures
2. Upwards communication, by which communication is two way, from worker to chief executive, as well as vice versa.
3. Cohesive and good leadership is needed to communicate goals and to ensure effective and coherent decision making

(Managing Organizations, Wilson and Rosenfeld, Mcgraw Hill Book Company, London, p9)

Institutes where Human Relations is studied include:

• The Tavistock Institute, co-publishers of the Human Relations journal
• The NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science
• The Oasis School of Human Relations, Oasis Press publishes human relations books and manuals
• Trevecca Nazarene University, Bachelors Degree in Management and Human Relations for working adults
• The University of Oklahoma offers a Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations as well as a Master of Human Relations.

Further Reading

• Kyle Bruce, "Henry S. Dennison, Elton Mayo, and Human Relations historiography" in: Management & Organizational History, 2006, 1: 177-199

See also

• group dynamics

External links

• The Human Relations Movement (circa 1929-1951)
• NTL (National Training Labs) in Bethel, Maine: http://www.ntl.org
• Tavistock in London: http://www.tavinstitute.org
• Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN: http://www.trevecca.edu/mhr/courses.html
• The Oasis School of Human Relations: http://www.oasishumanrelations.org.uk
• The University of Oklahoma Department of Human Relations: http://www.ou.edu/cas/hr/

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