THE MAJOR CRITIQUE OF HUMAN RELATIONS THEORY SCHOOL OF THOUGHT IS THAT IGNORING THE GRAPEVINE ORGANISATION. DISCUSS

Human relations theory refers to the research of organizational development who study the behavior of people in groups, in particular workplace groups and other related concepts in fields such as industrial and organizational psychology. It examined the effects of social relations, motivation and employee satisfaction on factory productivity. The theory viewed workers in terms of their psychology and fit with companies, rather than as interchangeable parts, and it resulted in the creation of the discipline of human resource management (Hedstom, 2005).

Human relation theory is the analysis of people's issues that arise due to interpersonal and organizational relationships. In the business world, human relations are a critical part of organizational success; an organization may have a wonderful business plan, but without employees to carry out that plan, it is worthless. (human-relations-movement-in-manage).

The human relations management theory is a researched belief that people desire to be part of a supportive team that facilitates development and growth. Therefore

, if employees receive special attention and are encouraged to participate, they perceive their work has significance, and they are motivated to be more productive, resulting in high quality work.

Human relation school of thought according to Ogunsula ,1973) refers to integration of people into aware situation in a way that motivate them to work together productively, cooperatively and with economic, psychological and social satisfaction.

(Onah ,1981) Adds that human relation is its widest sense refers to the relationship between individuals and groups of people within any community. Therefore, whether people are at work or at play, in a place of worship or at social gathering, some from human relation in present.

Grapevine organization refers to the informal network of employees that form across an organization, each employee can be a member of multiple grapevine networks simultaneously. Some grapevines follow the organizational structure as defined by organizational charts, but most are informal networks of peers with no permanent structure and no apparent means of managing them. Employees join and disband as a function of particular issue or situation in an emergent structure.

To take advantage of office grapevine, it is necessary that one becomes a part of it, and for that to happen, one should develop good contacts in the office. It should be kept in mind that it is not easy to get into a group, outside one’s own department. One requires constant work and it is not a single day’s job. Unless one becomes a part of the diverse groups indulging in such office gossip, one cannot make the best use of office grapevine. Only after this level of contact is developed, one can come to know about the confidential news of the office. Once you get a piece of confidential information, you can circulate it and get some more confidential information in return.

It is very important to realize the importance of networking in today’s world, which is always connected through Internet and connected to every one possible out there on the web. A person interacting with another person during lunchtime or over tea breaks can possibly have access to all the relevant information the other person has gathered through his contacts. Indirectly, one’s network gets extended immediately, even without realizing that he has added a few more contacts in his list of network.

 Human relation school of thought it was emerged in the mid 1800’s when they focus was mainly to improve efficiency, motivation are reproductive. But over time relations research become more improved with redefinition of the nature of work and gradual perception of workers complex around the turn century.

During the 1930’s, it was noted that the world was in the middle of the worst economic depressions. During this period, workers started to dislike and question scientific methods and bureaucracy in organizational settings. In this section, we will introduce the human relationship approach. We will discuss the historical and cultural backgrounds of this approach.

The Great Depression, which occurred between 1929 -1940, caused many economic and social struggles for many Americans. Many governmental policies were changing, such as social security, welfare, and public improvement projects. The depression caused many families to move from drought, dry farming areas to the West Coast and from poor Southern cities to more enriched areas of the North. These families were looking for a better life. However, the increase of workers to these areas led to more competition. Moreover, it led to many types of worker abuse by corrupt and immoral managers. It was during this time, that many people had advocated for human rights, labor unions, better wages, and improved work conditions. “Fair wages” were defined NY worker output. In turn, this increased output usually lead to more injuries, illnesses, and deaths. Human rights were defined as having twelve hour work days, working six days a week, and a thirty minute break for lunch. These perspectives concerning “fair” and “human rights” were seen differently by managers and employees. The difference in perspectives caused tense and strained relationships between managers and workers (Matheson, 2008).

Later World War II changed everything. There was an increase of employment in the private sector and the military. These changes resulted in a more human relations approach to communication in organizations, because there was an increase in well-educated workers. These new workers encouraged an awareness of worker’s needs, such as feeling important and appreciated as a worker and an individual. To better understand how new management ideas ultimately started to transform the face the workplace, we will first discuss a number of key ideas in the group of theories labeled under the term “human relations” followed by an analysis of two of the major theorists in this category Elton Mayo and Kurt Lewin.

Humanistic theories were developed to promote the concerns of the individual worker in an atmosphere that was too focused on production (focus on relational & maintenance functions)

The following are the principles of human relation theory:

Human relations theory is characterized by a shift in emphasis from task to worker, in natural facts in any organizations, managers and other parts of managements must emphasize task which should be done seriously so as to increase productivity in organization, and this is key four tasks which should be performed by managers. For example in education context headmaster must ensure that all teachers are committed during class time.

Physical contributions to include creative, cognitive, and emotional aspects of workers, this principle emphasize on physical contribution creativity, cognitive and emotion for all core workers in an organistaion so as to stimulate performance and development of an organization, as they cooperate each other. For example publishing books, create new style of teaching and encouragement during working hours.

Workers are essentially social beings. They must first be under people if they are to be understood as organization members. Their attitudes and effectiveness are conducted by social demands from both insides and outside the work plant.

The human relational approach is built on socio-psychological finding, theories and applications which call attention to the fact that work environment cannot function in terms of technical efficiency, profit and wages. Workers are very much influenced by friendships with colleague’s group pressures and standards and the social environment. Thus the essence of human relations approach was a focus on the organizations as a social system.

Work is a group actual. The work groups enforce a standard level of productivity upon all members through its own codes and norm. Mayo said that human collaboration in work has always defended upon the educational non – logical social code, which regulates between persons and their attitudes to one another. The small informal group organization member’s, perceptions and services as medium of communication. Small informal group propagate norms exposed behaviors’ about such matters as how group deal with one another and with superiors, which types of family presented actions will be resisted by employees, and how much will actually be formed.

Social rewards and sanctions are the strongest motivators on be job. The works in the Hawthorne plan responded to be respect, recognition, affection, sense of belonging and security and the appeals to group loyalty provided by their fellow works. These social and psychological factors were found to be more powerfully as motivators than the management system economic incentive and material rewards. Thus, non – economic factors played an important role in determining workers morale and motivation. They are more important than the physical conditions under which the workers operate. The behaviors of workers cannot be separated from their feelings and sentiments. The general hypothesis main emphasize is on human relation theory, is that, motivation to work, productivity and quality of work are all related to the nature of the social relations among the workers, and between the workers and their boss.

It based on a communication, in any organization communication is the key for organization to function well, this means that managers should have good communication with workers and there must be feedback, for example in a education phenomena teachers should have behavior of providing feedback to students for any task given to student feedback is very important.

Social relationships are at the heart of organizational behavior-effectiveness is contingent on the social well-being of workers, as manager should allow workers to have social relationship and this should be done out of working hours, for example social groups like group for supporting each other as a member or belonging on a certain such as teacher’s stuff organization.

Workers communicate opinions, complaints, suggestions, and feelings to increase satisfaction and production, for an organization to perform effectively there should be freedom of questioning the performance and situation of an organization by doing so it ensure the development of an organization and management at all.

People are not machine but they are motivated by environment, as one of the best principle of human relation theory oppose scientific theory, according to human relation theory it suggest that never compare human being with machine that is the kind of humiliation, but human relation believe that people are motivated by environment especially working environment which is conducive for workers as well as basic needs are important for it, such as salaries and others.

Workers needs human relation skills, as a basic principle to consider managers should be ready to give or allow workers to go back to schools so as to increase level of education, so as to meet needs of an organization. For example headmasters should allow their teachers to increase skills level due to the global change such as globalization in the uses of computer and projector.

It is believed negative behavior of employee results from poor working condition, in natural facts workers may misbehave as if an organization is not set good working conditions, for example if in the school there are no enough facilities for education this may lead arrogance to the workers to fail to enter in the class.

Managers should create environment for person development, it is very important for an organization to develop this because if managers are fair to give chance for personal development may stabilize organization and management.

Human beings are not interested only in financial gains they also need recognition and appreciation. This is because money is note everything in working place, but money is there to motivate the workers and financing. In addition, recognition and appreciation are needed in the working place so that it will increase productivity of the organization that is why any organization needs to have appreciation and recognition.

An organization works not only through for al relation but also through informal relation, therefore managers should encourage informal relations in the organization along with formal relation. Also the development of social groups is very important in a function of organization cognize the role of informal groups. So believe that this informal group motivates the workers.

Workers need a high degree of job security and job satisfaction; therefore, management should give job security and job satisfaction to the workers to ensure safety of the workers in working place and security. Example the NSSF (National Social Security Fund) this helps the worker to ensure the security especially during their time of work. Therefore, security should observe at the extent that it would inspire the production to the organization.

In any organization, members do not like conflicts and misunderstandings. Therefore managers should try to stop conflicts and misunderstandings among members of the organization. Example people should work together as a group in order to accomplish organization objectives.

Workers want freedom, they do not strict supervision there for managers should avoid strict supervision and control over the workers, example in classical theory they believe that by nature human being are lazy, they don’t like to work so there should be constant supervision and direction.

Subordinate should be involved in setting the organization objectives so that to enable them to be responsible so that to achieve the organization objectives. Subordinate should be involved in setting the organization’s objectives so that to enable them to be responsible to where are needed. By doing that workers will be aware of the rules and regulations that are supposed to be followed as the part of the organization. In addition, the workers will be aware of what to be achieved by referring to the objectives of the organization.

Managers must be facilitator and not order giver, in any organization managers are there to facilitate and not to give order to the workers, thus way workers have got rights to question, and suggest,

Managers should not be only sensitive to workers performance but also should develop relation of the workers. That means the managers have to make sure that they employee their efforts to the workers performance and encouraging them to have co-operative relationship within the working place. This will increase the productivity of the organization and emergence of strong trust among the workers and employer.

The following are assumption of human relation theory;

Understanding human factors is very important in improving productivity in any organization, human relation school of thought are concern with human factors and not organic structure such as machine and mechanic. If the management wanted to increase production, the workers should decide among themselves not to speed up work. Also the informal organization could affect the rate of output substantiality.

Human relations a school thought assume that human management is an attitude of mind. Human management in the attitude of mind rather than substantially a new set of techniques for personnel mangers to use. The attitude required is a belief in the importance of people as key resources with the strategic planning process of the organization.

Social needs are more important than money in motivated people. The employee’s importance can be realized and felt through the use of Maslow’s hierarchy of need which presents the human being as a kind of psychological organism struggling to satisfy its needs in a guest for growth and development. His hierarchy progresses through psychological, social and the physiological needs that include physiological safety shelter, clothing, and protection from dangerous or incomparable things like weather, machinery, vehicles, fire and flood.

The most important thing in any organization is people. It is people who act in other resources, home and materials resources needed for the successful attainment of an enterprises’, example in education well manage schools have adequate supply of staff and facilities, and these are organized in such a way that each staff member is assigned with a duty and provided with necessary facilities to enable film or her perform the assigned duties effectively.

Human relation school of thought aim to workers as cooperating only when they accept the goal of management, Mayo claims to be interested only in efficiency for work performance. The concept of efficiency is empty without some notion of social values, and absence of an explicit statement of the social values, efficiency will be oriented towards the goals of management.

Human relation perspective is no doubt applicable to all occupations and at all levels of management. Good management will be find its  useful in all functions of management namely leading, planning, organizing, controlling, coordinating, communicating and decision making.

Human relations theory assume that associates was mainly concerned with the development of individual participants and the positive organizational outcomes it associated with the respective   periods  between working hours, shortening working days and varying incentive were but not only factors which affected workers performance at work.

Leadership styles and work organization could generally be modified to create enriched motivating jobs that would encourage people to exercise their capacities for self – control and activity. The attention was focused on the idea of making employees fell more powerful and important by giving them meaningful jobs and by giving much autonomy responsibility and recognition as possible as means of getting them interested in their work.

The opinions towards an organization or management available. The opinions towards an organization or management available, that means every worker should have equal chance to contribute ideas for the development of the an organization so that to promote productivity

The following are the Criticism of human relation theory;

The classical and human relation theories are likely in their objective but they differ in the method and technologies adopted to accomplish those objective. The human relations theory is differ from classical theory in the following aspect.

The theory of classical emphasizes the formal organizations structures consisting of jobs and jobs descriptions as spelled out in organization charts and manuals. In contrast human relation theory is concerned with the formal organization, that is the life or individual workers and work group within the organization.

The classical theory takes atomistic view of man and views workers as various cogs in a machine. On the contrary, the relations theory considers workers essentially as social beings who have the tendency to form the informal groups in the work situation.

In determining workers, motivation, economic rewards and physical conditions of works are regarded by the classical theorists as important factors. Contrastingly, the social psychological factors and sanctions are considered as a human relation as important motivators to works.

The classical theory emphases the authorization style of supervision while human relation theory lays emphasize on democratic and participative style of supervision. The preceding discussion clearly shows that the classical and human relations approaches have taken to different views of organizations.

In classical theory viewed organizations as the formal structure and the human relations theory emphasized informal relations within organization neither of the two approaches wholly right although each is partially right. In reality, an organization is both a formal structure and informal relations. This aspects of un organization are not contradictory formal organizations and are not necessary harmful, but may facilitate team work and collaboration therefore it would be in the interest of management to develop harmony between the informal social systems and the formal organization by dealing effective with the dynamics of informal group and sentiments of workers.

Human relations  theory  implemented  as  technique for  manipulating  people  to  comply  with  management  to  an  understanding  of human  nature  and  thereby  creating  the desirable  changes  in the  organization.

Human relations  is  also  criticized  for  overemphasizing   human  needs  at the  expense of  need for  accomplishment  or  responsibility or for  organizational task and process

Grapevine is bound to exist in an organization and it is self-proven fact that whatsoever be the effect of grapevine on the organization, management cannot do away with it. Management must accommodate itself with it get the following importance,

Feedback: Grapevine provides managers much feedback about employees and their work experience thus increasing their understanding about their work force and work situations. They can plan their actions to take decisions supportive to the employees.

Employee support: Mangers can seek support of the employees through grapevine. It helps interpret management to the workers, so that they may be supportive. It especially helps translate management’s formal orders into employees’ language and in this. Way making up for the failure of the management in communication.

Warning signal: The Grapevine may also serve as advance warning signals for management of an emerging crisis or indented action by workers. Thus, they gain by the information they received from the formal groups. They can think over the problem and its ways out well in advance in order to tackle the problem efficiently.

Understanding reaction: It is a good means to know the reaction of people on contemplated policies and actions. Sometimes management takes the advantage of situation by feeding the message on grape vine and to get the reaction of people about the polices or decisions before they ate implemented. If reaction is positive, it may announce it soon or if reaction is not positive or it is negative or passive, necessary adjustments, amendments or correction maybe done and in the way support of employees can be gained. In such cases, management does not wish to carry the informality thorough formal means.

Quick solution: Whenever a message is to be used quickly, managers may get it processed on grapevine that may spread it like a jungle fire.

Consequences of steps: The groups and persons may be persuaded not to insist certain demands and they may be told informally about the consequences of steps proposed to be taken by the management.

Useful for Trade Unions: It is useful for trade unions. They use grapevine as an important channel of communication for spreading exciting news and provoking members for violent activities.

Employees will fill in the gaps left from official communication, where the organization does not facilitate the exchange of meaning amongst the various peer groups; the grapevine will fulfill that function. It may not be the meaning originally designed but exchange of meaning will happen.
Until any message is internalized by employees are less likely to feel ownership of information and so the Grapevine can fulfill a major role in the embedded and hard wiring of any initiative.
Grapevine helps humanize organizations; within them employees can vent their emotions, feel sense of belonging and discuss concerns off the record and away from the prying ears of management or customers.
Management can learn what employees are thinking in non-formal ways they could not learn through formal networks, provided they access the Grapevine networks through active and willing participants; this is not the time or the place for a survey. The Gatekeepers, especially secretaries can have a strong two-way role-play.
All Organizations have grapevines and unless they are feed effectively then unsubstantiated rumors can create havoc in any organization. If formal communication is incomplete, the grapevine will produce rumors that make employees second-guess the missing information. Grapevines are a major source of Information Leaks and news spread before the Leadership is ready can cause major problems.

In general, Human relations schools of thought view the organizations in two different ways. This approach is only partially right not fully right. In reality, an organization comprises of both the formal structure as well as the informal relationships among the people. These two things are not mutually contradictory to each other but are complementary to each other. It is now a widely accepted view that informal organizations exist in all formal organizations and that the informal organizations may facilitate the overall functioning of the organization instead of hindering it. They may also build a team spirit. The human relations school theorists believe that if the group behavior & aims of these informal organizations are in consonance with that of the formal one then there are better chances of harmony and high productivity. Therefore, it is the duty of management to recognize the goals of both type organizations and to synchronize them to achieve overall harmony and effectiveness

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