Introduction: Modern Human Resource
Management (HRM) Is Unsatisfactory
in Its Design and in How It Treats
Human Beings
They are often managed
like purely material resources that can be bought, sold,
modified, or discarded after use. However, from an ethical
standpoint, are people really resources like any other resource?
In this sense, the central question is not “can we treat human
being like objects,” which is often the case, but how and why
not to do it. Moral philosophy from Kant (categorical imperative)
to Jonas (responsibility principle) has proposed conceptual
frameworks to guide us in that direction. Furthermore,
the humanities and social sciences have specifically evolved
by clearly differentiating people from the rest of the physical
world (Giddens, 1976; for reasons, among others, grounded
in the hermeneutical dimension of human being and sociological
inquiry), as both their interiority and their will must be
taken into account. Although it is possible to objectify a person,
this does not result in a complete picture of a “human
being,” a picture that could do justice to its richness and complexity.There is a strong humanistic current in management
that have evolved in the 20th century from the human relations
school to the development of organizational behavior
and organizational development with important figures such
as Likert, Maslow, Argyris, and McGregor. They still are read
and are sources of inspiration. However, many of their ideas
and suggestions are still not used widely in organizations today. In this article, we will propose a critique of HRM,
guiding us toward a management of persons in organizational
settings, which we hope could be more ethical.
The context and content of HRM teaching are important
to consider. In North America and in other English-speaking
countries, HRM is mainly taught in management programs
offered through administration faculties, which often advocate
a unitary vision of HRM, and in industrial relations (IR)
programs through social science faculties, which offer a pluralist
vision of HRM. HRM is built as a discipline that is part
of the general field of management, which addresses the
operational dimensions in relation to human beings within
organizations. Thus, generally speaking, management deals
with organizational behavior, organizational theory, and strategic
management.2 According to this point of view, HRM
implements the organizational strategy that is recognized by
current organizational theory, usually expressed in a form
that stems from the contingency theory rooted in a financial
conception of increasing shareholders’ equity (Khurana,
2007). This legitimacy process draws also on a conservative
and often positivist approach to human behavior, despite
what organizational behavior has to offer. This could lead, in
our view, to serious problems of abuse and even inhumanity.
Not only does HRM in management seem dominated by a
one-dimensional conception of human beings (often the economically
conceived rational being), but it is also unhistorical,
non-critical, and geared to a privileged minority. If HRM
in IR appears more critical and more historically justified,
recent trends seem to demonstrate the same failings as those
found in HRM stemming from management because of the
increasingly accepted premise of the dominant “economism”
with its truncated vision of the “person.” To our knowledge,
there is no HRM university program grounded in the radical
tradition of thought in management or IR schools.A first observation that stems from those preceding comments
is that North American HRM, mainly centered on
practitioners, corresponds to the alignment of HRM practices
with strategic management and to its contribution toward the
profitability and use of the “best practices” in the industry as
a means of achieving those ends. Critical HRM, as is well
known, is European and more present in IR. Its supporters
challenge the unitary vision of their colleagues on the other
side of the Atlantic, denouncing the authoritarian and manipulative
character of an HRM designed only for the sole benefit
of management and shareholders. Greenwood (2002)
goes even further, claiming that ethics is almost absent from
current practices in modern HRM. Based on the works of
Legge (1996), she explains the existence of two very clear
tendencies among businesses: “hard” HRM, where human
beings are simply factors of production obtainable at the
lowest possible cost and disposable after usage; and “soft”
HRM, where the same results can be achieved in a more
subtle way through manipulation. Until very recently, few
treaties had been making ethics their central theme in the
general field of management and in the more specific branch
of managing human beings. Winstanley and Woodall (2000a
Introduction: Modern Human ResourceManagement (HRM) Is Unsatisfactoryin Its Design and in How It TreatsHuman BeingsThey are often managedlike purely material resources that can be bought, sold,modified, or discarded after use. However, from an ethicalstandpoint, are people really resources like any other resource?In this sense, the central question is not “can we treat humanbeing like objects,” which is often the case, but how and whynot to do it. Moral philosophy from Kant (categorical imperative)to Jonas (responsibility principle) has proposed conceptualframeworks to guide us in that direction. Furthermore,the humanities and social sciences have specifically evolvedby clearly differentiating people from the rest of the physicalworld (Giddens, 1976; for reasons, among others, groundedin the hermeneutical dimension of human being and sociologicalinquiry), as both their interiority and their will must betaken into account. Although it is possible to objectify a person,this does not result in a complete picture of a “humanbeing,” a picture that could do justice to its richness and complexity.There is a strong humanistic current in managementthat have evolved in the 20th century from the human relationsschool to the development of organizational behaviorand organizational development with important figures suchas Likert, Maslow, Argyris, and McGregor. They still are readand are sources of inspiration. However, many of their ideasand suggestions are still not used widely in organizations today. In this article, we will propose a critique of HRM,guiding us toward a management of persons in organizationalsettings, which we hope could be more ethical.The context and content of HRM teaching are importantto consider. In North America and in other English-speakingcountries, HRM is mainly taught in management programsoffered through administration faculties, which often advocatea unitary vision of HRM, and in industrial relations (IR)programs through social science faculties, which offer a pluralistvision of HRM. HRM is built as a discipline that is partof the general field of management, which addresses theoperational dimensions in relation to human beings withinorganizations. Thus, generally speaking, management dealswith organizational behavior, organizational theory, and strategicmanagement.2 According to this point of view, HRMimplements the organizational strategy that is recognized bycurrent organizational theory, usually expressed in a formthat stems from the contingency theory rooted in a financialconception of increasing shareholders’ equity (Khurana,2007). This legitimacy process draws also on a conservativeand often positivist approach to human behavior, despitewhat organizational behavior has to offer. This could lead, inour view, to serious problems of abuse and even inhumanity.Not only does HRM in management seem dominated by aone-dimensional conception of human beings (often the economicallyconceived rational being), but it is also unhistorical,non-critical, and geared to a privileged minority. If HRMin IR appears more critical and more historically justified,recent trends seem to demonstrate the same failings as thosefound in HRM stemming from management because of theincreasingly accepted premise of the dominant “economism”with its truncated vision of the “person.” To our knowledge,there is no HRM university program grounded in the radicaltradition of thought in management or IR schools.A first observation that stems from those preceding commentsis that North American HRM, mainly centered onpractitioners, corresponds to the alignment of HRM practiceswith strategic management and to its contribution toward theprofitability and use of the “best practices” in the industry asa means of achieving those ends. Critical HRM, as is wellknown, is European and more present in IR. Its supporterschallenge the unitary vision of their colleagues on the otherside of the Atlantic, denouncing the authoritarian and manipulativecharacter of an HRM designed only for the sole benefitof management and shareholders. Greenwood (2002)goes even further, claiming that ethics is almost absent fromcurrent practices in modern HRM. Based on the works ofLegge (1996), she explains the existence of two very cleartendencies among businesses: “hard” HRM, where humanbeings are simply factors of production obtainable at thelowest possible cost and disposable after usage; and “soft”HRM, where the same results can be achieved in a moresubtle way through manipulation. Until very recently, fewtreaties had been making ethics their central theme in thegeneral field of management and in the more specific branchof managing human beings. Winstanley and Woodall (2000a
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