Modern Human Resource Management

Author: Feng Hong, Tao Qiuqian / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Learning Objectives and Requirements: After studying this chapter, you should be able to understand the connotation and characteristics of human resources; explain the basic connotation of human resource management; understand the basic principles of human resource management; analyze the goals of human resource management; analyze the historical evolution and development trends of human resource management theory and practice.
Section 1: Human Resources and Human Resource Management
1. Human Resources
The main resources in the world include human resources, material resources, financial resources, and information resources. Human resources are the most important of these valuable resources and are the primary condition for ensuring the healthy development of organizations of all types and sizes. The competition of modern enterprises will ultimately be reduced to a competition for talent. Therefore, the theory and practice of human resource management have become an important part of strategic management and modern enterprise management.
The concept of Human Resource (HR) has not yet been unified in academia. Ivan Berg, human resources refer to the vitality, skills, and knowledge that humans can use to produce goods or provide various services. Rensis Laker, human resources refer to the productivity of human structures and the value of customer reputation. Nabil Elias, human resources refer to the total of people inside and outside the company, such as CEOs, employees, and customers, who can provide potential services and benefit the company's expected operations. Others believe that human resources refer to the general term for people engaged in intellectual or physical labor. The above four views discuss the concept of human resources from various perspectives.
Combining the above concepts, we believe that human resources refer to the general term for the various abilities of laborers who engage in production or service to promote the development of the entire economy and society. Broadly speaking, human resources refer to the general term for the various labor capabilities of the population in a country or region. Narrowly speaking, human resources refer to the abilities of laborers who can promote the development of the entire organization.
2. Characteristics of Human Resources
Human resources are a special and important resource, the most dynamic and flexible part of various productive factors, and have the following basic characteristics:
1. Biological Nature. Unlike any other resource, human resources belong to humans themselves and exist within the human body as a "living" resource, closely related to physiological characteristics, genetic inheritance, etc., and have a biological nature.
2. Era Nature. The quantity, quality, and improvement of human resource quality, i.e., the formation of human resources, are constrained by the conditions of the era and have an era nature.
3. Subjective Initiative. Human resources can engage in activities consciously and purposefully, make choices about their own behavior, and actively adjust according to changes in the environment. Only human resources can mobilize, control, and process other resources, such as material resources, financial resources, and information resources, to create value. The mobilization of human subjective initiative and potential reflects the level of human resource development.
4. Timeliness. The formation, allocation, development, and use of human resources are all limited by time and have timeliness. From the perspective of modern medicine and biology, human labor capacity and the time available for development are limited to the middle part of the life cycle. Within this period, the best time, best age range, and best period for talent to demonstrate their abilities vary depending on their category and level. This means that human resource management must develop and utilize resources in a timely manner, emphasizing timeliness.
5. Knowledge and Intelligence. Human resources contain rich knowledge and intelligence content, with great potential. With the advancement of science and technology, human knowledge and intelligence have also developed rapidly. Through reasonable and timely development, the knowledge and intelligence of human resources can be maximally utilized and transformed into strategic competitive factors for enterprises.
6. Continuity. General material resources are only developed once or twice, and there is no issue of further development after they are formed into products. Human resources are different, as they can be redeveloped through continuous education and lifelong learning, having continuity. The training and development of human resources have become an important part of modern enterprise human resource management.
7. Regeneration. Human resources are renewable resources, regenerating through the continuous replacement, renewal of individuals within the population and the process of labor consumption-production-consumption-production. The regeneration of human resources is not only governed by biological laws but also influenced by human consciousness, will, the development of human civilization, and the constraints of technological revolutions.
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