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Human relations at work in schools | Education : By S.PenBY: Guest | Category: Education | Post Date: 2009-07-14
Introduction Human relations theory stems from classical economic and management theories, which theorized that economic needs and goals of individuals determined human behavior; human relations is a -matter of establishing an incentive that contributes to the necessities of life and replenishment of the workplace- (Razik and Swanson, 2001, 157). Razik and Swanson claim the Hawthorne studies of Mayo, Roethlisberger, and Dickson gave credence to the belief that productivity had something to do with social and psychological interactions among human resources; they write, -Mayo and his colleagues sought to increase productivity by humanizing it- (p. 157-8). This article will highlight eight factors at work in schools and will outline positive and detrimental effects of these factors. Informal Organizations Informal group networks are inevitable, so educational leaders must be aware of and use these networks to positively impact productivity of the organization. Razik and Swanson (2001) write, -Informal organizations arise and persist as a means of compensating for the inadequacy of formal organizations in providing individual need satisfaction.- They add, -One of the most important functions provided by informal organizations is the provision of social interaction- ( p. 176). Razik and Swanson point to four detrimental effects of informal groups: -They may transmit false information, resist changes, cause excessive conformity to group norms, and develop goals that conflict with formal organizational goals- (p. 177). Educational leaders must not only learn to live with informal groups, they must learn to use them productively, because these informal organizations also have beneficial effects. They -satisfy employees' social needs, provide… communication network, provide… emotional escape valve, and complement the formal organizations- (Razik & Swanson, 2001, p. 177). Informal organizations are present everywhere. All schools are impacted both positively and detrimentally by this human relations factor. However, the culture of the staff is the deciding factor dictating whether these informal organizations are beneficial or detrimental. Motivation Positive attitudes are the result of effective motivation. Motivation, and its effect on productivity, has been studied for many years, and it is the next factor of human relations that affects productivity. Razik and Swanson (2001) say, -Motivation is the product of… desires… and… perception of probability that certain strategies… fulfill those desires- (p. 165). Scholars (Hersey, Johnson, &Johnson, 2008, p. 46; Razik & Swanson, 2001, p. 157) agree that since the 1920's when Elton Mayo, during the Hawthorne Studies, found that the human aspects of production were important to the success of the organization, motivation has become a central figure in the production capabilities of organizations. Motivating employees is the primary task of all administrators; if the leadership teams are to succeed, the staff must be motivated. Motivation leads to the next factor of human relations, employee needs. Employee Needs The primary goal of administrators is to meet the needs of employees. Once that is accomplished, the employees will perform their job and productivity will increase. At work, humans either do their job or do not. What makes employees work? What makes employees not work? That depends on how well their needs are met. Hersey, et al (2008) cite Mayo's experiment where lighting was adjusted to determine proper lighting for maximum productivity and explain why production went up regardless of how and what production aspects were changed. Mayo found that productivity increases regardless, because employees are given the added compensations associated with human aspects of the organization (p. 46,). These employees were given personal attention, their opinions were being sought, and management was considering their input. According to educational, leadership, and motivational scholars (Hersey, et al, 2008, p. 48-50; Razik & Swanson, 2001, p. 163; Green, 2005, p. 64), in 1957, Douglas McGregor published his Theory X and Theory Y studies. Theory X says that people prefer to be directed, are not interested in responsibility, and want safety and security above all else; it claims there is no creativity for problem-solving in the general population; people are only motivated by psychological and security needs; and people need to be coerced into performing (Razik & Swanson, 2001 p. 163; Hersey et. al, p.48-50, 2008; Green, 2005, p.64). But that is only true when employees' needs are not met, since Theory Y was the result of employee satisfaction. Employee Satisfaction Many modern leadership experts (Green, 2005, p. 64; Hersey, Blanchard, & Johnson, 2008, p. 48; Razik & Swanson, , 2001, p. 165) believe that employee satisfaction leads to increase productivity. These scholars point to McGregor's Theory Y, which states that people are not lazy; they can be self-directed and creative when the conditions are favorable. According to Hersey et al, (2008), Theory Y claims that when conditions at work are favorable, work can come -as natural as play-; when achieving organizational goals, self-control is -indispensable-; creativity is a trait that is widely distributed among the population; and motivation occurs not only at the psychological and security needs level, but at the -social, esteem, and self-actualization- level (p. 48-50,). It is beneficial for administrators to realize the importance of employee satisfaction, and the staff members need to be managed appropriately. Management style is the next factor of human relations. Management Style Scholars (Green, 2005, p.24; Hersey et al., 2008, p. 97-99; Razik & Swanson, 2001, p. 166) agree that situational leadership is an important factor of human relations that can influence productivity. Green (2005) writes that according to R. J. House's path-goal theory (1971), -the type of behavior displayed by the leader to motivate … is dependent on the situation.- Green adds, -Such factors as the ability and personality of followers, characteristics of work environment, and work group preferences contribute to the satisfaction… level of followers- (p. 24). Current work conditions require different managerial styles for different situations. In 1973,Vroom and Yetton produced their Normative Model. Green (2005) explains the Normative Model by insisting that decision quality and follower acceptance of decisions influence production output. The work of House, Vroom, and Yetton among others and their findings led to Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model (1977, 1982). According to Green (2005), Hersey and Blanchard (2008) add another dimension to House's path-goal theory; they claim a relationship between effective managerial styles and maturity levels of employees (p. 24-25). Educational leaders must realize that not all people react the same way to the same factors of motivation, communication, and management. Leadership teams must embrace situational leadership. However, in order to effectively manage employees, the leader must consider the maturity level of employees. Maturity Level Another factor of human relations is the maturity level of the employees (Hersey et al., 2008, p. 53). In 1962, Chris Agyris published his Immaturity - Maturity Theory, where he surmised that there are seven changes individuals go through. First, they go from passive to active as they mature; second, they go from dependent to independent as they mature from infant to adult; third, infants have very few behaviors, but adults have many; fourth, humans go from having short, erratic, and shallow interests to having deeper and stronger interests; fifth, humans go from thinking only about present to thinking about the past and future also; sixth, humans mature from a state of subordinate to one of equal or superiority; seventh, humans when they mature are aware of -self- and learn how to control it (Hersey et al., 2008, p. 53). Hersey et al (2008) claim Agryris questioned whether poor production was -the result of individual laziness,- apparently Agryris believed that employees -are kept from maturing by the management practices- (p. 53). So Agryris claimed poor production was not the result of laziness, but the result of poor management practices that kept the employees from maturing to their potential. Employee maturity is a factor that leaders can control easily. In educational organizations, the maturity level of employees is going to differ widely. Educational leaders must be aware of this and must allow the staff members to grow and learn and perfect their craft. Morale Employee morale is another factor of human relations that can affect productivity. Signs of low employee morale include excessive absents, tardiness, turnover, strikes, and sabotages (Razik & Swanson, 2001, p. 175). Low employee morale costs too much to ignore, and leaders must be alert to the consequences and signs of low morale. Manufacturing organizations will rotate employees so that work will be more interesting and less monotonous. Local education agencies, in an attempt to meet these needs, should embrace a similar process of rotating teachers. Students would benefit from differentiated instruction, and the teachers could learn new skills that would translate to professional growth. Quality of Work Life Quality of Work Life (QWL) can significantly affect employee morale, and consequently it is another factor of human relations that can affect productivity. According to Razik and Swanson (2001), there are seven components of QWL: -1. adequate and fair compensation, 2. safe and healthy work conditions, 3. opportunity for continued growth and security, 4. feeling of belonging, 5. employee rights, 6. work and total life span, 7. social relevance of work life- (, p. 175). Happy employees produce higher yields, that sounds like an obvious observation, but many educational leaders fail to realize the importance of offering followers a high QWL. A district would do well by insisting on high quality of work life for all employees. The best way to get the most out of employees is by keeping them happy, satisfied, and by giving value to their work. References Green R.L. (2005). Practicing the art of leadership: A problem based approach to implementing the ISLCC standards. (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K. H., & Johnson, D. E. (2008). Management of organizational behavior: Leading human resources. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Razik, T. A., Swanson, A. D. (2001). Fundamental concepts of educational leadership. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. Article Source: http://www.saching.com About Author / Additional Info: By: Salinas Additional Articles: * Motivational speech and its components * Teen Pregnancy And How -To Reclaim Your Life * QUEST FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND JUSTICE * Is job online really hard to get - Finding online jobs * Interesting myths about playing Lottery? Chances of winning a lottery. Does this article violate or infringe on your copyright ? It is a violation of our terms for authors to submit content which they did not write and claim it as their own. 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