Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the effective and efficient management of people in a company or organization such that they help their business gain a
competitive advantage. It is designed to maximize
employee performance in service of an employer's strategic objectives. Human resource management is primarily concerned with the management of people within organizations, focusing on
policies and
system
A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its open system (systems theory), environment, is described by its boundaries, str ...
s. HR departments are responsible for overseeing
employee-benefits design, employee
recruitment,
training and development,
performance appraisal, and
reward management
Reward management is concerned with the formulation and implementation of strategies and policies that aim to reward people fairly, equitably and consistently in accordance with their value to the organization.
Reward management consists of an ...
, such as managing
pay and employee benefits systems. HR also concerns itself with
organizational change and
industrial relations
Industrial relations or employment relations is the multidisciplinary academic field that studies the employment relationship; that is, the complex interrelations between employers and employees, labor union, labor/trade
unions, employer organ ...
, or the balancing of organizational practices with requirements arising from
collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and labour rights, rights for ...
and governmental
laws.
The overall purpose of
human resources
Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ' ...
(HR) is to ensure that the organization can achieve success through people. HR professionals manage the
human capital
Human capital or human assets is a concept used by economists to designate personal attributes considered useful in the production process. It encompasses employee knowledge, skills, know-how, good health, and education. Human capital has a subs ...
of an organization and focus on implementing policies and processes. They can specialize in finding, recruiting, selecting, training, and developing employees, as well as maintaining employee relations or benefits. Training and development professionals ensure that employees are trained and have continuous development. This is done through training programs, performance evaluations, and reward programs. Employee relations deals with the concerns of employees when policies are broken, such as in cases involving harassment or discrimination. Managing employee benefits includes developing compensation structures,
parental leave programs, discounts, and other benefits. On the other side of the field are HR generalists or
business partners. These HR professionals could work in all areas or be
labour relations representatives working with
unionized employees.
HR is a product of the
human relations movement of the early 20th century when researchers began documenting ways of creating
business value through the
strategic management of the workforce. It was initially dominated by transactional work, such as
payroll and
benefits administration, but due to
globalization
Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...
, company consolidation, technological advances, and further research, HR focuses on strategic initiatives like
mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...
,
talent management,
succession planning
Succession planning is a process and strategy for replacement planning or passing on leadership roles. It is used to identify and develop new, potential leaders who can move into leadership roles when they become vacant. Succession planning in ...
,
industrial and
labor relations, and
diversity and
inclusion. In the global work environment, most companies focus on lowering
employee turnover and on
retaining the talent and knowledge held by their workforce.
History
Precedent theoretical developments
The human resources field began to take shape in 19th century Europe. It is built on a simple idea by
Robert Owen (1771–1858) and
Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer.
Babbage is considered ...
(1791–1871) during the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
. These men concluded that people were crucial to the success of an
organization
An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences) is an legal entity, entity—such as ...
. They expressed the thought that well-being of employees led to perfect work; without healthy workers, the organization would not survive.
HR emerged as a specific field in the early 20th century, influenced by
Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856–1915). Taylor explored what he termed "
scientific management" (sometimes referred to as "Taylorism"), striving to improve economic efficiency in manufacturing jobs. He eventually focused on one of the principal inputs into the manufacturing process—labor—sparking inquiry into workforce productivity.
Meanwhile, in London C S Myers inspired by unexpected problems among soldiers who alarmed generals and politicians. During First World War 1914–1918, co-founded the National Institute of Industrial Psychology (NIIP) in 1921. He set seeds for the
human relations movement, this movement, on both sides of the Atlantic, built on the research of
Elton Mayo (1880–1949) and others to document through the
Hawthorne studies (1924–1932) and other studies how stimuli, unrelated to financial compensation and working conditions, could yield more productive workers.
Work by
Abraham Maslow (1908–1970),
Kurt Lewin (1890–1947),
Max Weber
Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German Sociology, sociologist, historian, jurist, and political economy, political economist who was one of the central figures in the development of sociology and the social sc ...
(1864–1920),
Frederick Herzberg (1923–2000), and
David McClelland (1917–1998), forming the basis for studies in
industrial and organizational psychology,
organizational behavior and
organizational theory
Organizational theory refers to a series of interrelated concepts that involve the sociological study of the structures and operations of formal social organizations. Organizational theory also seeks to explain how interrelated units of organiza ...
, was interpreted in such a way as to further claims of legitimacy for an applied discipline.
Birth and development of the discipline
By the time there was enough theoretical evidence to make a
business case
A business case captures the reasoning for initiating a project or task. Many projects, but not all, are initiated by using a business case. It is often presented in a well-structured written document, but may also come in the form of a short ver ...
for strategic workforce management, changes in the
business landscape—à la
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...
(1835–1919) and
John Rockefeller (1839–1937)—and in public policy—à la
Sidney (1859–1947) and
Beatrice Webb (1858–1943),
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
and the
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
of 1933 to 1939—had transformed employer-employee relationships, and the HRM discipline became formalized as "
industrial and
labor relations". In 1913 one of the oldest known
professional HR associations—the
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)—started in England as the Welfare Workers' Association; it changed its name a decade later to the Institute of Industrial Welfare Workers, and again the next decade to Institute of Labour Management before settling upon its current name in 2000. From 1918 the early
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
state institutions began to implement a distinct
ideological HRM focus
alongside technical management—first in the
Red Army (through
political commissars alongside military officers), later (from 1933) in work sites more generally (through
partorg posts alongside conventional managers).
In 1920, James R. Angell delivered an address to a conference on personnel research in Washington detailing the need for personnel research. This preceded and led to the organization of the Personnel Research Federation. In 1922 the first volume of ''The Journal of Personnel Research'' was published, a joint initiative between the National Research Council and the Engineering Foundation. Likewise in the United States, the world's first institution of higher education dedicated to workplace studies—the
School of Industrial and Labor Relations—formed at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
in 1945.
In 1948 what would later become the largest professional HR association—the
Society for Human Resource Management
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a professional human resources membership association headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. SHRM promotes the role of HR as a profession and provides education, certification, and networking ...
(SHRM)—formed as the American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA).
In the Soviet Union,
Stalin's use of patronage exercised through the "HR Department" equivalent in the
Bolshevik Party, its
Orgburo, demonstrated the effectiveness and influence of human-resource policies and practices,
and Stalin himself acknowledged the importance of the human resource,
exemplified in his mass deployment of it, as in the
five-year plans and in the
Gulag
The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...
system.
During the latter half of the 20th century,
union membership declined significantly,
while workforce-management specialists continued to expand their influence within organizations. In US, the phrase "industrial and labor relations" came into use to refer specifically to issues concerning
collective representation, and many companies began referring to the proto-HR profession as "personnel administration".
Many current HR practices originated with the needs of companies in the 1950s to develop and
retain talent.
In the late 20th century, advances in transportation and communications greatly facilitated workforce mobility and
collaboration. Corporations began viewing employees as assets. "Human resources management" consequently, became the dominant term for the function—the ASPA even changing its name to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in 1998.
"
Human capital
Human capital or human assets is a concept used by economists to designate personal attributes considered useful in the production process. It encompasses employee knowledge, skills, know-how, good health, and education. Human capital has a subs ...
management" (HCM) is sometimes used synonymously with "HR", although "human capital" typically refers to a narrower view of human resources; i.e. the knowledge the individuals embody and can contribute to an organization. Other terms sometimes used to describe the HRM field include "organizational management", "manpower management", "talent management", "personnel management", "workforce management", and simply "people management".
In popular media
Several popular media productions have depicted human resource management in operation. The U.S. television series ''
The Office'', HR representative
Toby Flenderson is sometimes portrayed as a nag because he constantly reminds coworkers of company policies and government regulations.
Long-running American comic strip ''
Dilbert'' frequently portrays sadistic
HR policies through the character
Catbert, the "evil director of human resources". An HR manager is the title character in the 2010 Israeli film ''
The Human Resources Manager'', while an HR intern is the protagonist in 1999 French film ''
Ressources humaines''. The main character in the BBC sitcom ''
dinnerladies'', Philippa, is an HR manager. The protagonist of the Mexican
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...
''
Mañana es para siempre'' is a director of human resources. ''
Up In the Air'' is centered on corporate "downsizer" Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) and his travels. As the film progresses, HR is portrayed as a data-driven function that deals with people as
human resource metrics, which can lead to absurd outcomes for real people.
Practice
Business function
Dave Ulrich lists the function of
human resources
Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ' ...
as:
* Aligning human resource strategy and
human resource metrics with business strategy
* Re-engineering organization processes
* Listening and responding to employees, and managing transformation and change.
At the macro level, HR is in charge of overseeing organizational
leadership
Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations.
"Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...
and
culture
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
. HR also ensures compliance with
employment and labor laws and often oversees employee health, safety, and security. Labor laws may vary from one jurisdiction to the next. In a workplace administered by the federal government, HR managers may need to be familiar with certain crucial federal laws, in order to protect both their company and its employees. In the United States of America, important federal laws and regulations include:
#
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938: It establishes a minimum wage and protects the right of certain workers to earn overtime.
#
Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972: It strengthens the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's authority to prevent and address workplace
discrimination and prohibits employers from making hiring, firing, or employment decisions based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or age.
#
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993: It allows eligible employees to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave for family and medical reasons while ensuring they can return to their job afterward.
#
Immigration Reform and Control Act: It requires employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all employees, prohibits the hiring of unauthorized workers, and establishes penalties for employers who hire undocumented immigrants while protecting employees from discrimination based on nationality or citizenship.
An important responsibility of HR is to ensure that a company complies with all laws and regulations, thus protecting the company from legal liability. In circumstances where employees exercise their legal authorization to negotiate a
collective bargaining agreement, HR will typically also serve as the company's primary liaison with employee representatives (usually a
labor union
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
). Consequently, the HR industry
lobbies governmental agencies (e.g., in the United States, the
United States Department of Labor and the
National Labor Relations Board) to advance its priorities.
Functions of Human resource management
# Staffing: The process of the recruitment and selection of employees through the use of interviews, applications and networking. Staffing involves two main factors. The first is to attract talented recruits who meet the organization's requirements, and doing so by using tools such as mass media; the second is to manage hiring resources. Managers can use hiring resources to exercise different strategies.
# Training and Development: It involves a continuous process of training and developing competent and adapted employees. Here, motivation is seen as key to keeping employees highly productive. This includes employee benefits, performance appraisals, and rewards. Employee benefits, appraisals, and rewards are all encouragements to bring forward the best employees.
# Maintenance: Involves keeping the employees' commitment and loyalty to the organization. Managing for employee retention involves strategic actions to keep employees motivated and focused so they remain employed and fully productive for the benefit of the organization. Some businesses
globalize and form more diverse teams. HR departments have the role of making sure that these teams can function and that people can communicate across cultures and across borders. The discipline may also engage in mobility management, especially for
expatriates; and it is frequently involved in the
merger and acquisition process. HR is generally viewed as a support function to the business, helping to minimize costs and reduce risk.
Other Activities:
* Talent Acquisition: focuses on the long-term strategic planning required to identify, attract, and hire the top talent necessary to meet the organization's needs.
* Talent Recruitment: involves identifying, attracting, and hiring suitable candidates to fulfill specific job openings and meet business needs.
* Talent Management: helps organizations identify key positions vital for long-term success, develop a pool of high-potential employees to fill these roles, and establish a framework for managing performance, developing leaders, retaining talent, and fostering organizational commitment.
* Compensation and Benefits: design competitive compensation and benefits packages to attract and retain talent.
* Employee Relations: manage employee relations issues, such as conflict resolution, employee grievances, and workplace investigations.
* Training and Development: develop and implement training programs and professional development opportunities for their employees.
* Performance Management: a systematic process focused on enhancing organizational effectiveness according to the organization’s tactical and strategic goals, using performance management systems and designing
human resource metrics. Performance is considered a function of ability, motivation, and environment; hence, this approach provides employees with clear feedback on their performance outcomes and support areas for improvement, ensuring that active learning and cultural engagement take place in alignment with organizational objectives.
* Legal Compliance: ensure that organizations are compliant with labor laws and regulations, including employment standards, workplace safety, and anti-discrimination policies.
In
startup companies, trained professionals may perform HR duties. In larger companies, an entire functional group is typically dedicated to the discipline, with staff specializing in various HR tasks and functional
leadership
Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations.
"Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...
engaging in strategic decision-making across the
business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
. To train practitioners for the
profession
A profession is a field of Work (human activity), work that has been successfully professionalized. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, professionals, who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are ...
, institutions of higher education,
professional association
A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...
s, and companies have established programs of study dedicated explicitly to the duties of the function. Academic and practitioner organizations may produce field-specific publications. HR is also a field of research study that is popular within the fields of management and
industrial/organizational psychology. One of the important goal of HRM is establishing with the notion of ''unitarism'' (seeing a company as a cohesive whole, in which both employers and employees should work together for its common good) and securing a long-term partnership of employees and employers with common interests.
Code of ethics
Code of ethics provides a framework for ethical behavior and professional conduct in HRM. It ensures integrity, fairness, and responsibility. Its function is to guide HR professionals and departments in upholding the rights, safety, and interests of all stakeholders. They are generally categorized into the following:
# Duties to the Public: HR professionals must act ethically, lawfully, and with integrity. They should address illegal acts, uphold public trust, maintain competence, and engage in continuous professional development.
# Duties to the Profession: HR professionals must uphold the reputation of the profession by avoiding misconduct, adhering to ethical codes, promoting a positive image, and cooperating with investigations or disciplinary processes.
# Duties to Clients and Employers: HR professionals must prioritize the best interests of employers and clients, ensure impartiality, disclose conflicts of interest, maintain accurate records, and safeguard confidentiality.
# Duties to Individuals: HR professionals must advance dignity, equity, and safety for all. They should respect privacy, avoid discrimination or harassment, report imminent risks of harm, and foster an inclusive workplace.
# Overarching Duties: HR professionals must foster trust, respect, and fairness in all relationships. They must act impartially, comply with laws, promote diversity, and resolve disputes ethically and professionally.
Modern HR practices
Technology has a significant impact on
HR practices. Utilizing technology makes information more accessible within organizations, eliminates time doing administrative tasks, allows businesses to function globally, and cuts costs.
[1. Lepak, David P., and Scott A. Snell. "Virtual HR: Strategic Human Resource Management in the 21st Century." ''Human Resources Management Review'' 8.3 (1998): 214-34. Web. 22 February 2016. The current and increased significance of information technology in Human Resources processes.] The adoption of modern business practices and
information technology
Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...
has transformed HR practices in the following ways:
E-recruiting
Recruiting has mostly been influenced by information technology.
[1. Ensher, E. A., Nielson, T. R., & Grant-Vallone, E. (2002). Tales from the Hiring Line: Effects of the Internet and Technology on HR Processes. ''Organizational Dynamics,'' ''31''(3), 224-244.
] In the past, recruiters relied on
printing in publications and
word of mouth to fill open positions. Human Resource professionals were not able to post a job in more than one location and did not have access to millions of people, causing the lead time of new hires to be drawn out and tiresome. With the use of e-recruiting tools, HR professionals can post jobs and track applicants for thousands of jobs in various locations all in one place. Interview feedback,
background check
A background check is a process used by an organisation or person to verify that an individual is who they claim to be, and check their past record to confirm education, employment history, and other activities, and for a criminal record. The fr ...
s and
drug tests, and
onboarding can all be viewed online. This helps HR professionals keep track of all of their open jobs and applicants in a way that is faster and easier than before. E-recruiting also helps eliminate limitations of geographic location.
Human resources information systems
HR professionals generally handle large amounts of
paperwork on a daily basis, ranging from department transfer requests to confidential employee
tax forms. Forms must be on file for a considerable period of time. The use of
human resources information systems (HRIS) has made it possible for companies to store and retrieve files in an electronic format for people within the organization to access when needed, thereby eliminating the need for physical files and freeing up space within the office. HRIS also allows for information to be accessed in a timelier manner; files can be accessible within seconds. Having all of the information in one place also allows for professionals to analyze data quickly and across multiple locations because the information is in a centralized location. Human resource analytics can improve human resource management.
Virtual management
Technology allows HR professionals to train new staff members in a more efficient manner. This gives employees the ability to access
onboarding and
training programs from virtually anywhere. This eliminates the need of organizing costly
face-to-face training and onboarding sessions. It allows management's to provide necessary training for job success and monitor progress of their employees through
virtual classrooms and computerized testing, predict the risk of employee turnover through data analysis, help HR to formulate relevant talent retention and incentive strategies, improve the personal development of the company, and maintain metrics that aid in performance management.
Virtual management also allows HR departments to quickly complete necessary paperwork for large numbers of new employees and maintain contact with them throughout their entire professional cycle within the organization. Through virtual management, employees gain greater control over their learning and development, feel more engaged with the organizational culture, and can participate in training at a time and place of their choosing, helping them manage their
work–life balance and reducing
layoffs and
turnover.
Employer of record
An Employer of Record (EOR) is an arrangement in which a third-party organization serves as the official employer for a company's workforce, handling various HR functions such as payroll, tax compliance, and employee benefits, while the client company retains day-to-day management of the workers. This arrangement eliminates the need for an organization to directly engage in HRM matters, allowing it to focus on other priorities.
HRM consultancies
HRM consultancies are private organizations that offer tailored solutions through specialized expertise for a fee. They design customized human resource strategies and processes to address each company's unique needs. Their services include developing recruitment plans, compensation frameworks, training programs, and performance management systems, all aligned with specific HR practices and the organization's goals and culture. By acting as consultants, they provide targeted solutions that help businesses optimize their workforce and achieve organizational objectives in complex and evolving market conditions.
Careers
There are half a million HR practitioners in the United States and millions more worldwide.
The
Chief HR Officer or HR Director is the highest ranking HR executive in most companies. He or she typically reports directly to the
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
and works with the
Board of Directors
A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency.
The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
on
CEO succession.
Within companies, HR positions generally fall into one of two categories: generalist and specialist. Generalists support employees directly with their questions, grievances, and work on a range of projects within the organization. They "may handle all aspects of human resources work, and thus require an extensive range of knowledge. The responsibilities of human resources generalists can vary widely, depending on their employer's needs." Specialists, conversely, work in a specific HR function. Some practitioners will spend an entire career as either a generalist or a specialist while others will obtain experiences from each and choose a path later.
Human resource consulting is a related career path where individuals may work as advisers to companies and complete tasks outsourced from companies.
Some individuals with PhDs in HR and related fields, such as
industrial and organizational psychology and
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...
, are professors who teach HR principles at colleges and universities. They are most often found in Colleges of Business in departments of HR or Management. Many professors conduct research on topics that fall within the HR domain, such as
financial compensation
Financial compensation refers to the act of providing a person with money or other things of economic value in exchange for their goods, labor, or to provide for the costs of injuries that they have incurred. The aim of financial compensation ...
,
recruitment, and
training.
Women were found over-represented in human resource management.
Professional associations
There are a number of professional associations, some of which offer training and certification. The
Society for Human Resource Management
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a professional human resources membership association headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. SHRM promotes the role of HR as a profession and provides education, certification, and networking ...
, which is based in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, is the largest professional association dedicated to HR,
with over 285,000 members in 165 countries. It offers a suite of
Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certifications through its HR Certification Institute. An international provider of specialized certifications is Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR). The
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, based in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, is the oldest professional HR association, with its predecessor institution being founded in 1918.
Several associations also serve specific niches within HR. The Institute of Recruiters (IOR) is a recruitment professional association, offering members education, support and training. WorldatWork focuses on "total rewards" (i.e., compensation, benefits, work life, performance, recognition, and career development), offering several certifications and training programs dealing with
remuneration
Remuneration is the pay or other financial compensation provided in exchange for an employee's ''services performed'' (not to be confused with giving (away), or donating, or the act of providing to). Remuneration is one component of reward managem ...
and work–life balance. Other niche associations include the
American Society for Training & Development and
Recognition Professionals International.
A largely academic organization that is relevant to HR is the
Academy of Management that has an HR division. This division is concerned with finding ways to improve the effectiveness of HR. The academy publishes several journals devoted in part to research on HR, including ''
Academy of Management Journal''
and ''
Academy of Management Review'',
and it hosts an annual meeting.
Education

Some universities offer programs of study for human resources and related fields. The
School of Industrial and Labor Relations at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
was the world's first school for college-level study in HR. It currently offers education at the
undergraduate,
graduate, and
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...
levels, and it operates a joint degree program with the
Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. In the
United States of America
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...
, the
Human Resources University trains federal employees.
Many colleges and universities house departments and institutes related to the field, either within a
business school
A business school is a higher education institution or professional school that teaches courses leading to degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, s ...
or in another college. Most business schools offer courses in HR, often in their departments of management. In general, schools of human resources management offer education and research in the HRM field from diplomas to doctorate-level opportunities. The master's-level courses include
MBA (HR),
MM (HR), MHRM, MIR, etc. (See
Master of Science in Human Resource Development for curriculum.) Various universities all over the world have taken up the responsibility of training human-resource managers and equipping them with
interpersonal and
intrapersonal skills so as to relate better at their places of work. As Human resource management field is continuously evolving due to technology advances of the
Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is essential for universities and colleges to offer courses which are future oriented.
Theory and research
Ongoing research investigates the relationship between human research management and performance and includes
organization studies,
industrial and organizational psychology,
organizational theory
Organizational theory refers to a series of interrelated concepts that involve the sociological study of the structures and operations of formal social organizations. Organizational theory also seeks to explain how interrelated units of organiza ...
and
management science.
Human resource management research can improve human resource management and HR initiatives.
The effect size of human resource management decreases when correcting for past performance of employees.
Publications
Academic and practitioner publications dealing exclusively with HR:
* ''
Cornell HR Review''
* ''
HR Magazine'' (
SHRM)
* ''Human Resource Management''
* ''Human Resource Management Review''
* ''International Journal of Human Resource Management''
* ''
Perspectives on Work'' (
LERA)
Related publications:
* ''
Academy of Management Journal''
* ''
Academy of Management Review''
* ''
Administrative Science Quarterly''
* ''International Journal of Selection and Assessment''
* ''
Journal of Applied Psychology''
* ''
Journal of Management''
* ''
Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology''
* ''
Journal of Personnel Psychology''
* ''
Organization Science''
* ''
Personnel Psychology''
See also
*
People Operations
*
Aspiration management
*
Domestic inquiry
*
Employment agency
*
Human resource management system
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Organization development
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Organizational theory
Organizational theory refers to a series of interrelated concepts that involve the sociological study of the structures and operations of formal social organizations. Organizational theory also seeks to explain how interrelated units of organiza ...
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Realistic job preview
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Recruitment
Notes
References
*Johnason, P. (2009). HRM in changing organizational contexts. In D. G. Collings & G. Wood (Eds.), Human resource management: A critical approach (pp. 19–37). London: Routledge.
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Human Resource Management