Personnel Management Characteristics Nature Scope

Discover the nature, characteristics, and scope of personnel management. Enhance workforce efficiency with expert insights. Read more!

Explain and Learn, Personnel Management: Characteristics, Nature, and Scope!

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They can also be defined as, that field of management which is con­cerned with the planning, organising, directing and controlling various operative functions of procurement, development, maintenance and utilisation of a labour force in such a way that objectives of company, those of personnel at all levels and those of community are achieved. 

The Concept of Personnel Management study is – Characteristics, Nature, and Scope of Personnel Management! Also learned, PDF Reader, Free Download!

Personnel management can be defined as obtaining, using and maintaining a satisfied workforce. It is a significant part of management concerned with employees at work and with their relationship within the organization.

According to Flippo,

“Personnel management is the planning, organizing, compensation, integration, and maintenance of people for the purpose of contributing to organizational, individual and societal goals.”

According to Brech,

“Personnel Management is that part which is primarily concerned with the human resource of the organization.”

Characteristics of Personnel Management:

The definitions on personnel management reveal the following characteristics:

(i) It is a specialized branch of management and hence all the principles of general management (as well as functions of management) are applicable to personnel management.

(ii) It is basically concerned with human resources. Personnel management advocates the ways to get best possible results by managing the scarcely available human resources effectively and efficiently.

(iii) Personnel management is concerned with the relationship between employer and employee; between employee and employee; and among employees. By the term employee, we mean to include blue-collar as well as white-collar workers.

(iv) It concentrates on the development of individual and group in an organization for achieving better results.

(v) It focuses on employment planning.

 (vi) Personnel management gives adequate direction to the developmental activities—of lower-level employees as well as executives.

(vii) It aims at providing the necessary guidance for improving performance (through performance appraisal of employees) of employees.

(viii) It aims at maintaining good human relations.

(ix) Above all, personnel management is concerned with recruitment, selection, training, and placement of employees within work organizations.

(x) It provides for fair and reasonable compensation to employees.

Thus, it is an approach (an approach to deal with human beings in organisation), a point of view (regarding the personnel policies and wage administration), and a technique of thinking (as to how to motivate employees towards higher productivity) and a philosophy of management (of getting things done through people effectively and efficiently).

Nature of Personnel Management:

The emergence of personnel management can be attributed to the writings of human religionists who attached great significance to the human factor.

Lawrence Apply remarked. “Management is personnel administration”.

This view is partially true as management is concerned with the efficient and effective use of both human as well as non-human resources. Thus, personnel management is only a part of the management process. At the same time, it must be recognized that personnel management is inherent in the process of management.

This function is performed by all the managers throughout the organization rather than by the personnel department only. If a manager is to get the best of his people, he must undertake the basic responsibility of selecting people who will work under him and to develop, motivate and guide them.

However, he can take the help of the specialized services of the personnel department in discharging this responsibility.

It permeates all the functional areas of management such as production management, financial management, and marketing management. That is, every manager from top to bottom, working in any department has to perform the personnel functions.

Though the personnel department is created under the supervision of a person designated as ‘Personnel Manager’, it should not be assumed that the other managers are relieved of this responsibility.

It is not a ‘one-shot’ function. It must be performed continuously if the organizational objectives are to be achieved smoothly. To quote G.R. Terry, “The personnel function cannot be turned on and off like water from a faucet; it cannot be practiced only one hour each day or one day a week.

It requires a constant alertness and awareness of human relations and their importance in everyday operations.”

The scope of Personnel Management:

As we recall history, it was basically concerned with recruitment, selection, placement of employees in organizations. Now the scope of personnel management has become wide and is concerned with organizing human resources with a view to maximize output and profits of the organisation and to develop the talent of the employees at work to the fullest possible extent securing personal satisfaction (job satisfaction of the employees) and personal satisfaction (as far as the organisation is concerned).

In the early stage of industrialization, dominated by single-ownership concerns, owner himself used to act as a personnel manager and recruit and select the people of his choice and taste irrespective of the requirements of the job. With the advent of industrialization and the consequent developments, company type and partnership firms came into vogue broadening the scope of personnel management.

The scope of personnel management can be seen in terms of the activities of personnel management discussed hereunder:

(a) Employee training

(b) Recruitment and maintenance of labor force.

(c) Executive development

(d) Determination of equitable wages and Salaries for laborers and employees.

(e) Job analysis and job description

(f) Labour welfare activities-such as education to children of the employee, recreation, sanitary conditions, etc.

(g) Maintaining personnel records.

(h) Maintaining sound human relations in industry.

(i) Settlement of labor disputes.