The Human Factor Approach to Managerial and Organizational Efficiency and Effectiveness

This chapter is the introduction to the whole book. The contents of this chapter present the reader with a brief synopsis of human resources laws: their intent or thrust; contributions to date; and the challenges these laws face in terms of their inability to deal with the very challenges they are created to deal with.

The primary focus of this chapter is on a summarized review of the evolution and implications of human resources regulations and policies. A thorough reading of the contents of this chapter will guide the reader towards gaining a much deeper understanding of the primary reasons regarding why management rules, human resources (HR) laws, were primarily fashioned and aggressively implemented, and the main reasons why these laws lack the potency as well as the authority to provide effective and long-term solutions to the various problems at the workplace. In this chapter, the reader is led to become much more familiar with the main thrust and the key teething problems of HR laws. The implications and evolution of HR laws are presented and analyzed. The primary genesis, performance effectiveness, and the primary as well as secondary implications of management rules and HR regulations and policies in the various marketplaces are also discussed in this chapter. This discussion is presented from a critical human factor perspective.

The proliferation of the legal solution in the practices of human resources (HR) administration is the main focus of the presentation and discussion in this chapter. It is argued in this chapter that the human desire and willingness to establish HR administrative practices and policies as a result of the scientific management concepts and knowledge gleaned from the works of the various pioneering scholars and their offspring, the scientific management, human relations, and the behavioral movements, opened the doors to the flourishing of the legal solution to the perennial problems evident at the various marketplaces of the modern era. As a result, most scholars interested in this field were presented with excellent opportunities through which they appreciated, accepted, and relentlessly concentrated their own effort and energy on scholarly activities that focused primarily on institution building. These efforts tremendously contributed to the development, implementation, enforcement, and the channeling of more resources into efforts of the key scholars of this effort. The most primary efforts were aimed at practices that promoted, defended, and sustained the legal aspects of the HR management administration and practices. It is argued that the indiscriminate pursuits of the Weberian view regarding the primacy of the Legal Authority led to the limitless proliferation of the legal solution in the domain of HR administration. The scorecards of this practice are presented, evaluated, and suggestions made for better improvements.

In this chapter, the main theme of the discussion is concentrated on the human factor approach to human resources (HR) management and organizational development. Viewed in this light, the primary discussion concentrates on concepts and ideas pertaining to leadership effectiveness and managerial performance in the diverse marketplaces. It is argued that the quality of the human factor is the most significant variable in leadership.

As is well known, the literature on the various themes presented and discussed in the leadership literature related mostly to diverse leadership literature. More often than not in traditional leadership discussions and analyses, the reader is bombarded with diverse ideas and thoughts as to what makes an excellent leader. In this literature, the case is most frequently made for traditional leadership theories that relate to reigning ideas and concepts during the time periods of the various kinds of leaders put forward, explained, analyzed, and defended. Taking cue from the contents of Chap. 4, the main theme of this chapter is the argument that leadership effectiveness or ineffectiveness is an outcome of the quality of the human factor. The reader ascertains and gains a much deeper perspective on why the traditional view on leadership effectiveness is dead wrong. The chapter guides the reader to know and become more familiar with human factor theory and its relevance to leadership development and effectiveness.

Without mincing any words, the key theme and focus of this chapter is about how people within their own business units, organizations, and the various marketplaces and nations can successfully achieve and sustain optimal quality and productivity growth through the relentless massaging and cultivation of the diverse human sentiments and the passions. The presentation in this chapter aims at providing insightful highlight regarding what it takes outside the primary domain of management rules and human resources (HR) laws to achieve and maintain optimal product quality and the highest employee productivity anytime. The primary role of human sentiments and passions in quality enhancement and productivity growth are thoroughly highlighted and analyzed in this chapter. The conclusions and recommendations made relate to the degree to which the maximization of the human factor quality enhances and improves employee performance optimality.

The presentation in this chapter concentrates on the human factor quality of the workforce and its long-term implications for achieving and maintaining global competitiveness. With this view in perspective, the contents of this chapter maintain that the fashioning, implementation, and aggressive enforcement of diverse management rules and human resources (HR) laws do not necessarily bring about the achievement and maintenance of the global competiveness of any business organizations. With this background in perspective, the reader is guided to gain a much deeper understanding that if the owners, managers, leaders, and the various categories of employees are to achieve and maintain global competitiveness, it is imperative that they channel many more of their scarce financial, effort, energy, and time resources (FEET) into more human factor-based education programs that lead to the development of the diverse human factor-based acumen of the workforce. It is argued further that anyone who denies this truth will definitely jeopardize the opportunities the company’s labor force requires to excel in everything they are able to do to achieve and sustain the global competitiveness of the business organization.

The theme of this chapter concentrates on how any limitations on global organizational profitability and longevity can be transcended. Written from the human factor perspective, it is argued in this chapter that leaders, managers, and employees must work together hand-in-hand to achieve and maintain the diverse internal as well as external limitations that are most frequently imposed on company competitiveness anytime. It is pointed out that by channeling some of a company’s scarce resources into programs that foster the enhancement of the human factor qualities of the employees, those involved in the activities of the organization will surely and successfully transcend the various limitations that mitigate against employee efficiency. In conclusion, it is pointed out in this chapter that when the members of any company achieve this goal, it is imperative that they will also increase and maintain the long-term profitability of the company—ensuring its long-term organizational flourishing and longevity.

The contents of this chapter are concentrated on how to assess and also improve productivity growth and quality using a model for global business managers and leaders. This chapter focuses solely on how to assess the quality of the human factor and its long term contributions to productivity growth and the long term company survival. In this chapter, the presentation focuses solely on a model aimed at the achievement and maintenance of labor force productivity growth in the long term. It is noted that this model is an excellent tool for leaders, managers, and human resources personnel can appeal to with the sole purpose of ameliorating any existing kinks within the framework of their productivity growth and quality improvements at the workplace in the whole industry. Through the contents of this chapter, the reader is guided to become more familiar with the various alternative measures global business managers and leaders can use to enhance their practices as well as productivity growth anytime.

In this chapter is the presentation of the overall concluding remarks for this book. The leader is guided in order to gain a deeper understanding of what human factor engineering implies and why it is globally the best of all alternatives available toward the enhancement of any company’s global competitiveness, increased productivity, greater profitability, and longevity. The presentation and discussions in this chapter touch on the best available options to company personnel to apply toward continuing improvements upon, and the ongoing development of, the positive human factor qualities required for the company’s long-term competitiveness, profitability, and survival.

This is the final chapter in the book. As the last chapter, its primary focus is concentrated on certain selected concluding remarks regarding the human factor and its role in effective and efficient human resources management and public administration. In this chapter, it is also pointed out that to ignore the human factor quality in any endeavor is in the business organization is to perennially jeopardize its long term survival. Indeed, any people who are either ignorant of or relegate to the back burner the ongoing education of the various levels of personnel in the business organization is to be doomed long before it happens. To avoid this plight, it is imperative to remain keenly aware of the significance of the positive human factor qualities to the long-term health of the business organization.