Learning Objectives
- Explain the difference between Human Resource Management and HR Development
- Describe the evolution of HR to HRD
Previous chapters have reviewed the evolution of HR as well as the contextualization of modern practices. The culmination of the HR practice in the modern environment is the developmental organization. This term implies more than simply putting together the 15 functional areas. Human resource development is a cultural commitment to the improvement of both the individual and the organization. This is the apex of human resource management. In this chapter, we will explore what this looks like in practice.
A transition from HR Management to HR Development
Organizations, whether it be for-profit businesses, non-profits, or academic institutions are made up of people which mean every organization requires some human resource management. Human Resources (HR) is the function in charge of an organization’s employees. Typical HR responsibilities include areas such as recruiting and staffing, compensation and benefits, training and development, labor and employee relations, and organization development (“What is HR Management?” n.d., para.1). The purpose of this paper is to review what is known about HR, how HR evolved into human resource development, and why leaders of organizations are keenly concerned about this topic.
The Evolution of Human Relations Management
To trace the evolution of HR and HR management, one must begin by reflecting on the history of the American worker. Licht (1988) identified a number of factors important to the understanding of labor and the rise of the modern HR movement. 1) The tremendous labor unrest that abounded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led by unsafe working conditions, long hours, and low wages, was fueled by worker resentment to increased immigration, urbanization, and developing mechanization. Labor and management had to learn to work together to quell this unrest in order to pursue economic conditions that benefitted both business and the worker. 2) The demographic profile of the American worker was also changing. In 1913, less than one-fourth of all adult women worked outside the home. Eighty-five years ago, women made up less than 20 percent of the workforce; today, women represent 50 percent. Immigration and the role of African-Americans also changed. Immigration, legal and illegal from Latin America and Asia has seen a dramatic rise in the proportion of foreign-born workers. In 1913, 90 percent of African-Americans resided in the South and worked as laborers and domestics. The dramatic shift of African-Americans to the north and west due to increased industrialization after World War II and the Civil Rights movement changed the face of the American workforce. 3) The need for increased safety and health brought significant change to the American worker. In 1970, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, providing the Department of Labor a mandate to set