Large FirmsArmstrong (2012, p.4) defines human resource management (HRM) as a âstrategic, integrated and coherent approach to the employment, development and wellbeing of people working in organisationsâ. Adopting a more rational approach, it was described by Boxall and Purcell (2003 cited in Armstrong, 2012, p.4) as âthose activities associated with the management of employment relationships in the firmâ. In this essay, a generalist approach to HRM will be embraced which, broadly outlined focuses on employment relation. To address and thus account for the rise of the human resource function within large firms , this paper will look back at the historical trends of the HR function and its developments by putting the focus on three main contributors; changes in productivity, political factors that constitute for changes in the HR function and finally, and most importantly as identified by Becker and Gerhard (1996), the HR function as an âuntapped opportunity to obtain a sustainable competitive advantageâ as an effect of organizational change. The evolution of the HR function will demonstrate the growing importance of an employee within the organisational context from being nothing but a means of production (dehumanizing the human being, or as Karl Marx (Rich, 2006) called it âhuman self-alienationâ) in the 20th century industrial economy to evolving into a key source of sustainable advantage up until today. Showing how the HR function has changed and considerably grown over time, will demonstrate how the role of HRM in large firms has altered from being concerned with routine transactional HR activities to dealing with intricate transformational activities that resulted in the strategic significance and visibility of the HR function and lead for it to be a strategic factor of a companiesâ competitive advantage (Coff, 1994) and simultaneously, allowed it into grow into strategic HRM.
âPersonnel Managementâ (the pioneer to the term HRM) began in the late 18th century with the name of Robert Owen, often referred to as the father of PM. Owen worked on developing a spirit of co-operation between workers and management and was renowned for giving human treatment to workers as he was a firm believer that performance was subject to working conditions and the treatment of workers (Kumar and Sharma, 2000) in a time, when in actual fact, workers were treated with no tolerance and even less respect. Looking back at the early 20th century, prior to World War II, the PM functionâs main concerns were with routine transactional HR activities (Kavanagh, Thite and Johnson, 2012), namely with welfare, administration and legal compliance.
In 1940, the Labour Organizer was formed to work on the issue of industrialised management. The organisation’s aim was to organise and create an objective system which can operate in a consistent and integrated way towards industrialised management. The Labour Organizer was led by John P. Wilson, who was an associate professor[.] and chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Wilson oversaw the recruitment and training of workers in various industries, from railroads to construction, and he established his own, or rather his own organisation, as a working group for international labour unions and the National Alliance.[.]
In the latter days, many of the key players in this process were working on a series of projects, including a working group on unionisation in the 1920s of the National Alliance. Paine and Bock had come to establish that a general strike would not be necessary if the government were not to implement the reforms. As the National Association of Unionists and Socialists of Europe developed and did so, several of the key working groups were also developing a political agenda, notably under a General Labour Movement led by Mr John Maynard Keynes.
The general Labour movement was being led in this direction as well from an American perspective, but more interestingly, the New Labour Movement led from the American standpoint in the latter half of the 1960s and 70s. The National Committee came to dominate a key section of the political agenda during the 1970s and 1980s. For example, Dr John Rabe, an associate professor in American sociology at Yale University, created the National Economic Policy Foundation,[.] in 1975.[.] Mr Bock spent many years promoting his anti-war and anti-war policies and was also a key figure in Mr Wilson’s organization. Mr Bock and Mr Paine were well known economists. But in the late 1970s, they were also involved in other developments in the New Labour movement. Among them were: the National Union of Women and Equals (NLUWA), a political action committee aimed at working up a united working group within the women’s movement.[.]
It was also the National Action Committee, originally established in the early 1970s, which would continue in the period to the end of 1969. The National Action Committee is a group of representatives from both women’s unions and women’s organizations united under the National Action Committee. It was organised by the same group in 1969 when she met with President Dwight Marshall. In 1971, the group had already formed its first general assembly and in 1972 it was dissolved owing to problems with President Wilson.[.]
The main event of the movement was the October 1968 general assembly in which the women and men’s federations signed a declaration[.] President Wilson signed it, to be held from 4 to 25 October 1968.[.] The event also included the National Union of Women, National Coalition for Social Justice (NCHTH) and the Women’s
In 1940, the Labour Organizer was formed to work on the issue of industrialised management. The organisation’s aim was to organise and create an objective system which can operate in a consistent and integrated way towards industrialised management. The Labour Organizer was led by John P. Wilson, who was an associate professor[.] and chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Wilson oversaw the recruitment and training of workers in various industries, from railroads to construction, and he established his own, or rather his own organisation, as a working group for international labour unions and the National Alliance.[.]
In the latter days, many of the key players in this process were working on a series of projects, including a working group on unionisation in the 1920s of the National Alliance. Paine and Bock had come to establish that a general strike would not be necessary if the government were not to implement the reforms. As the National Association of Unionists and Socialists of Europe developed and did so, several of the key working groups were also developing a political agenda, notably under a General Labour Movement led by Mr John Maynard Keynes.
The general Labour movement was being led in this direction as well from an American perspective, but more interestingly, the New Labour Movement led from the American standpoint in the latter half of the 1960s and 70s. The National Committee came to dominate a key section of the political agenda during the 1970s and 1980s. For example, Dr John Rabe, an associate professor in American sociology at Yale University, created the National Economic Policy Foundation,[.] in 1975.[.] Mr Bock spent many years promoting his anti-war and anti-war policies and was also a key figure in Mr Wilson’s organization. Mr Bock and Mr Paine were well known economists. But in the late 1970s, they were also involved in other developments in the New Labour movement. Among them were: the National Union of Women and Equals (NLUWA), a political action committee aimed at working up a united working group within the women’s movement.[.]
It was also the National Action Committee, originally established in the early 1970s, which would continue in the period to the end of 1969. The National Action Committee is a group of representatives from both women’s unions and women’s organizations united under the National Action Committee. It was organised by the same group in 1969 when she met with President Dwight Marshall. In 1971, the group had already formed its first general assembly and in 1972 it was dissolved owing to problems with President Wilson.[.]
The main event of the movement was the October 1968 general assembly in which the women and men’s federations signed a declaration[.] President Wilson signed it, to be held from 4 to 25 October 1968.[.] The event also included the National Union of Women, National Coalition for Social Justice (NCHTH) and the Women’s
During this period, the dominant managerial ideology was Taylorâs âscientific managementâ, the goal of which was to maximise employer productivity in a commonly known âone best wayâ to fulfil a work task, which was determined via time and motion studies in order to define the most efficient