The field of Human Resource Management (HRM) is rapidly changing. Staying up to date with the latest information is more important than ever. In this article, we will list 7 must-read HRM books that will help you do your job better – whether you’re an experienced HR professional or just getting started in the HR field.

2. DEFINITIONS OF HR:
EVOLUTION OF HR
FEATURES OF HRM
SCOPE OF HRM
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT BELIEFS:
OBJECTIVES OF HRM
FUNCTIONS OF HRM
MAJOR INFLUENCING FACTORS OF HRM:
FUTURISTIC VISION OF HRM
VARIOUS CONCEPTS OF HRM:

3. HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Definitions of HR:
Before going to Definition of HRM, it is quite
pertinent to define as to what is the term of “Human
Resource”. In common parlance, ‘Human Resource’
means ‘the people’.
The Human Resourcesare “multi-dimensional”in
nature.
MICHAEL . J. JUCIUS defines HR as “A whole
consisting of inter-related, inter-dependent and
inteacting physiological, psychological, sociological
and ethical components”
LEON C. MEGGINSON says – “From the
National Point of View, Human Resources are
Knowledge, Skills, Creative Abilities, Talents and
Attitudes obtainedin the population, whereas from the
view-ponitof the individual enterprises, they represent
the total of inherent abilities, acquired knowledge and
skills as exemplified in the talents and aptitutde of its
employes.”

4. SUMANTRA GHOSHAL defines HR as the
Human Capital. He classifies Human Capital into
THREE Categories.
They are:
1. Intellectual Capital – consisting of Specialized
Knowledge, tacit [unspoken, implicit, inferred,
implied, understood, unstated] knowledge and skills,
complexity and learning capacity.
2. Social Capital – Social Capital is made up of
Network of Relationships, Sociability, and
Trustworthiness.
3. Emotional Capital – Consists of Self-
Confidence, Ambition and Courage, Risk-bearing
ability, and Resilience [flexibility, elasticity].
DEFINITION OF HRM:
Human resource management has come to be
recognized as an inherent part of management, which

5. is concerned with the human resources of an
organization.
FLIPPO defines HRM as – “Personnel
Management or say, Human Resource Management is
the Planning, Organizing, Directing and Controllingof
the Procurement, Development, Compensation,
Integration, Maintenance, and Separate of Human
Rseources to the end that individual, organisational
and social objectives are accomplished.”
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT [NIPM] OF INDIA defines
HRM/PM as “that part of management which is
concerned with people at work and with their
relationship within an enterprises. Its aim is to bring
together and develop into an effective organisation of
the men and women who make up an enterprise and
having regard for the well-being of the individualsand
of working groups, to enable them to make their best
contribution to its success.”
According to DECENZO and ROBBINS – HRM
is concerned with the people dimension in
management. Since every organization is made up of
people, acquiring their services, developingtheir skills,
motivating them to higher levels of performance and
ensuring that they continue to maintain their

6. commitment to the organization are essential to
achieving organizational objectives. This is true,
regardless of the type of organization – Government,
Business, Education, Health, Recreation, or Social
Action.”
Thus, HRM can be stated/defined as follows:
 HRM is an art of managing people at work in
such a manner that they give their best to the
organization for achieving its set goals.
 HRM is a process of procuring, developing,
and maintaining competent human resources
in the organization so that the goals of an
organization are achieved in an effective and
efficient manner.
 HRM is the Total Knowledge, Skills, Creative
Abilities [aptitude, skill, capability, capacity,
facility, gift, knack], Talents and Aptitudes of
an organization’s workforce, as well as the
Values, Attitudes [approach, outlook,manner,
feelings, thoughts, mindsets etc.] Approaches

7. and Beliefs of the individuals involved in the
affairs of the organization.
 It is the sum total or aggregate of inherent
abilities, acquired knowledge and skills as
represented by the Talents and Aptitudes of
the persons employed in the organization.
Its objectivesis the maintenanceof better human
relations in the organization by the development,
applicationand evaluationof policies, procedures and
programs relating to human resources to optimize
their contribution towards, HRM is concerned with
getting better results within the enterprise.
HRM helps in attaining maximum individual
development, desirable working relationship between
employers, employees and employees, and effective
modeling of human resources. It is the recruitment,
selection, development, utilization, compensation and
motivation of human resources by the organization.

8. Evolution of HRM
The early part of the century saw a concern for
improved efficiency through careful design of work.
During the middle part of the century emphasis
shifted to the employee’s productivity. Recent decades
have focused on increased concern for the termed as
welfare, development and empowerment.
Features of HRM
 It is pervasive in nature as it is present in all
enterprises.
 Its focus is on results rather than on rules.
 It tries to help employees develop their potential
fully.
 It encourages employees to give their best to the
organization.
 It is all about people at work, both as individuals
and groups.
 It tries to put people on assigned jobs in order to
produce good results.
 It helps an organization meet its goals in the
future by providing for competent and well-
motivated employees.

9.  It tries to build and maintain cordial relations
between people working at various levels in the
organization.
 It is a multidisciplinary activity, utilizing
knowledge and inputs drawn from psychology,
economics, etc.
Scope of HRM
The scope of HRM is very wide:
1.Personnel aspect- This is concerned with
manpower planning, recruitment, selection,
placement, transfer, promotion, training and
development, layoff and retrenchment,
remuneration, incentives, productivity etc.
2.Welfare aspect-it deals with working conditions
and amenities such as canteens, crèches, rest and
lunch rooms, housing, transport, medical
assistance,education, healthand safety, recreation
facilities, etc.
3.Industrial relations aspect-This covers union-
management relation, joint consultation, collective
bargaining, grievance and disciplinary
procedures, settlement of disputes, etc.

10. Human ResourceManagement Beliefs:
The Human ResourceManagement philosophyis
based on the followingbeliefs:
 Human Resourceis the most importantasset in
the organizationand can be developedand
increasedto an unlimitedextent.
 A healthy climate with values of openness,
enthusiasm, trust, mutuality and collaborationis
essentialfor developinghuman resource.
 HRM can be planned and monitoredin ways that
are beneficialboth to the individuals and the
organization
 Employees feel committed to their work and the
organization,if the organizationperpetuates a
feeling of belongingness.
 Employees feel highly motivatedif the
organizationprovidesfor satisfactionof their
basicand higher level needs.
 Employee commitment is increasedwith the
opportunityto discoverand use one’s capabilities
and potentialin one’s work.
 It is every manager’s responsibilityto ensure the
developmentand utilizationof the capabilitiesof
subordinates.

11. Objectives of HRM
 To help the organization reach its goals.
 To ensure effective utilization and maximum
develop-
ment of human resources.
 To ensure respect for human beings. To identify
and satisfy the needs of individuals
 To ensure reconciliation of individual goals with
those of the organization.
 To achieve and maintain high morale among
employees.
 To providethe organizationwith well- trained and
well- motivated employees.
 To increase to the fullest the employee’s job
satisfaction and self- actualization.
 To develop and maintain a quality of work life.
 To be ethically and socially responsive to the
needs of society.
 To developoverallpersonalityof each employee in
its multidimensional aspect.
 To enhance employee’s capabilitiesto perform the
present job.
 To equip the employees with precision and clarity
in transaction of business.

12.  To inculcate the sense of team spirit, team work
and inter- team collaboration.
Functions of HRM
1. Human resource or manpower planning.
2. Recruitment, selectionand placement of
personnel.
3. Trainingand developmentof employees.
4. Appraisalof performanceof employees.
5. Taking correctivesteps such as transferfrom one
job to
another.
6. Remunerationof employees.
7. Social security and welfare of employees.
8. Setting general and specificmanagement policy
for
organizationalrelationship.
9. Collectivebargaining, contractnegotiationand
grievance
handling.
10.Staffingand organization.
11.Aidingin the self- developmentof employees at all
levels.
12.Developingand maintainingmotivationfor
workers by

13. providingincentives.
13. Reviewingand auditingman power management
in the
organization.
14. PotentialAppraisal. FeedbackCounseling.
15. Roleanalysis for job occupants.
16. Job rotation.
17. QualityCircle, Organizationdevelopmentand
Quality
of working life.
Major Influencing Factors of HRM:
 Size of the workforce.
 Risingemployees’ expectations
 Compositionof workforce. New skills required.
 Environmentalchallenges.
 Lean and mean organization.
 Downsizing and rightsizing of the organizations.
 Culture prevailingin the organizations.

14. FuturisticVisionof HRM
On the basis of the various issues and challenges the
following suggestions will be of much help to the
philosophyof HRM with regard to its futuristicvision.
1.There shouldbe a properlydefined recruitment
policy in the organizationthat shouldgive its
focus on professional aspectand merit based
selection.
2.In every decision-making process there should be
given proper weight age to the aspect that
employees are involved wherever possible. It will
ultimatelylead to sense of team spirit, team- work
and inter- team collaboration.
3.Opportunityand comprehensiveframework
shouldbe providedfor full expressionof
employees’ talents and manifestpotentialities.
4.Networking skills of the organizations should be
developed internally and externally as well as
horizontally and vertically.
5.For performance appraisal of the employee’s
emphasis should be given to 360 degree feedback

15. which is based on the review by superiors, peers,
subordinates as well as self- review.
6.360 degree feedback will further lead to increased
focus on customer services, creating of highly
involved workforce, decreased hierarchies,
avoidingdiscriminationand biases and identifying
performance threshold.
7.More emphasis should be given to Total Quality
Management. TQM will cover all employees at all
levels; it will conform to customer’s needs and
expectations; it will ensure effective utilization of
resources and will lead towards continuous
improvement in all spheres and activities of the
organizations.
8.There should be focus on job rotation so that
vision and knowledge of the employees are
broadened as well as potentialities of the
employees are increased for future job prospects.
9.For proper utilizationof manpower in the
organizationthe concept of six sigma of improving
productivityshould be intermingled in the HRM
strategy.
10.The capacities of the employees should be
assessed through potential appraisal for

16. performing new roles and responsibilities.It
should not be confined to organizational aspects
only but the environmental changes of political,
economicand social considerations should also be
taken in account.
11.The career of the employees should be planned in
such a way that individualizing process and
socializing process come together for fusion
process and career planning should constitute the
part of human resource planning. To conclude
Human Resource Management should be linked
with strategic goals and objectives in order to
improve business performance and develop
organizational cultures that foster innovation and
flexibility. All the above futuristic visions coupled
with strategic goals and objectivesshouldbe based
on 3 H’s of Heart, Head and Hand i.e., we should
feel by Heart, think by Head and implement by
Hand.

17. CONCEPTS OF HRM?
WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS CONCEPTSOF HRM?
VARIOUS CONCEPTS OF HRM:
1.The Commodity Concept
2.The Factor of Production Concept
3.The Paternalistic Concept
4.The Humanitarian Concept
5.The Behavioural Human Resources Concept
6.The Emerging Concept
7.Conclusion.
1. The CommodityConcept:
 Before the Industrial Relations, the Guild
System was the beginning of the Personnel
Management.
 Guild System was a closely knit group
concerned with selecting, training, rewarding
and maintaining workers.
 Industrial Revolution gave rise to the factory
system.

18.  Due to the separationof owners from Managers,
close relationships between owner and
employees were broken.
 Labourers began to be considered a commodity
to be bought and sold.
2. The Factorof ProductionConcept:
 Under this concept, employees were considered to
be a Factor of Production just like Land,
Materials, and Machinery.
 Taylor’s Scientific Management stressed proper
selection and training of employees so as to
maximize productivity.
 The employees were treated primarily as
operating organizations of machines or as mere
appendage in the process of production.
 However, their concept was an improvement in so
far as the employees gained through better
working conditions and higher earnings were
concerned.

19. 3. The Paternalistic Concept:
 Employees organized together on the basis of their
lot.
 The growing strength of democracy gave impetus
to Collective Bargaining.
 The State also recognized that workers had a
Right to Protection in the employment.
 Due to all those forces, employers began to
provide schemes to workers.
 Employers assumed a fatherly and protective
attitude towards their employees.
 The Welfare Schemes included Health Facilities,
Recreation Facilities, Pension Plans, Group
Insurance Schemes, Canteen Facilities, Creche
Facilities etc.
 Employers and employees both began to realize
that they cannot survive and prosper without co-
operation of each other.

20. 4. The Humanitarian Concept:
 Under the Paternalistic Approach, the employer
was providing benefits to employees as a favour.
 The Humanitarian Approach is based on the
belief that employees had certain
inalienable[unchallangeable, indisputable,
absolute, undeniable] rights as Human Beings, as
it was the duty of the employer to protect these
rights.
 The Industrial Psychologists pointed out that an
employee was not merely interested in material
rewards.
 Rather, Social and Pychological satisfaction was
also equally important.
 Hawthorne Experiments generated considerable
interest in human problems of the work place.
 This approachis also known, therefore, as Human
Relations Approach.

21. 5. The Behavioural Human Resources Concept:
 Several studies were conducted to analyse and
understand Human Behaviour in organizations.
 These studies led to the applicationof Behavioural
Sciences to the problems of individual and group
behaviour at work.
 Motivation, Group Dynamics, Organisational
Climate, Organisational Climate, Organisational
Conflict etc. became popular Concepts.
 Employees began to be considered as Valuable
Assets of the Organisations.
 Efforts were made to integrate employees with the
organization, so that organizational goals and
employees’ aspirations could be achieved
simultaneously.
 Focus shifted towards Management Practices like
2-Way Communication, MBO, Role of Informal
Groups, Quality Circles etc.

22. 6. The Emerging Concept:
 Now, employees were considered as Partners of
the organization/ industry.
 They were gradually being given
share/importance in Companies Stock
Membership [ESOPS].
 Workers’ Representatives were being appointed
on the Board of Directors.
 This emerging trend is aimed at creating a feeling
among workers that the organizationin their own.
 Slowly but steadily, Human Resources
Management has emerged as a Special Academic
Discipline and as a Profession.
 It is growing as a career with distinct
specializations like Human Resources
Development, Industrial Relations etc.