Some body had asked me, how HR has anything to do with marriage and family and so this is the explanation.

My facebook and Siliconindia pal Meher Bhagat was annoyed when I suggested that her HR skills be used in ‘taming the beast’ of whom she is really afraid. I also told her that not all beasts are beasts but nothing helped; on that the young lady questioned me diligently as to what has HR techniques to do with that. Now I am giving how HR skills she has mastered will come handy in the job of taming the beast. I am constantly in search for interesting topics to put up on my blog; and I got the topic for discussion and here is my explanation to her query. This may help other readers as well.

Human resource technique is applicable to all places wherever human being is involved. This includes management of a family and in that all members as well as the servants come into the scope. Actually ‘human resource’ is better termed as ‘human management’ but this term was developed by the Americans during 1960 time of Vietnam War and it continued.

Let us first know what is HR technique. The origins of the function arose in organizations that introduced 'welfare management' practices and also in those that adopted the principles of 'scientific management'. From these terms emerged a largely administrative management activity, coordinating a range of worker related processes and becoming known, in time, as the 'personnel function'. Human resources progressively became the more usual name for this function, in the first instance in the United States as well as multinational or international corporations, reflecting the adoption of a more quantitative as well as strategic approach to workforce management, demanded by corporate management to gain a competitive advantage, utilizing limited skilled and highly skilled workers. In this human being is treated as a machine and care is supposed to be taken by the management of that ‘machine’, in that how to take care was the technique that is termed as Human resource. In old days similar care was taken of animals such as horses, bulls, mules, Camels and even dogs who were employed to help human being in its work. In modern times, time has come to include humans along with animals.

The term 'human resources' as used in organizations describes the workforce capacity available to devote to the achievement of their objectives. The subject has drawn upon many topics and in that concepts developed in worker or employee (family members’) psychology and system theory are included.

This perspective has shifted as a consequence of further ongoing research into more applied approaches. The subject has expanded to 'human resources development', also called 'investment in human capital'. All these are equally applicable to a family management also. Since a family is an activity involving humans. Wherever human being is involved HR technique becomes applicable.

How these techniques are applicable in a family management is important. Because family management is nothing short of management of any business, managing spouse, children and elders and above all servants and in addition to that management of neighbors adds to the task. All this requires immense skills and knowledge of all HR techniques as mentioned above and that helps if used judiciously. Usually we consider family management as an ordinary job but as demanding nature of the members of the family increase the need to use these techniques becomes all the more essential.

As in business HR has to select employees to do the specific job in family management the selection of life partner is as difficult and tricky a task and if properly managed using various HR techniques in an ingenious way family management can become more easy for the life time. Wrong selection and the chore become practically impossible; this is similar to labor unrest HR has to face. One can draw all the similarities in both business management and family management. Things such as family member psychology which should include servant and elders also are as important in family as it is in any business. You take your spouse for granted or your son or daughter for granted and do any thing against their will, you face the type of commotion which is nothing less than what we see in a business when management takes employees for granted. This clearly proves that HR is applicable in our family management also.

There are strikes in business and we have strikes in family also. Some times these family strikes are as dangerous or even more dangerous than the strikes in the business so much so that family breaks down similar to business breaking down due to a strike.

In business you have a choice of keeping or removing the employee and that way the matter is simpler but in family management that is not so, for example you cannot remove your spouse like an employee, at least definitely not so easily, similarly you just cannot remove your sons and daughter or even elders and that makes the HR management more arduous than that in a business.

The role of what became known as Human Resources grew throughout the middle of the 20th century. Tensions remained between academics who emphasized either 'soft' or 'hard' HR. Those professing so-called 'soft HR' stressed areas like leadership, cohesion and loyalty that play important roles in organizational success. Those promoting 'hard HR' (this entails authoritarian and compulsive measures) championed more quantitatively rigorous management techniques in the 1960s. In family management soft HR entails persuasive and love relations and hard HR is just not recommended.   

The analysis requires consideration of the internal and external factors that can have an effect on the resourcing, development, motivation and retention of family members and servants.

External factors are those largely outside the control of the head of the family (organization). These include issues such as:

• Economic climate. Demanding nature of the members of the family (can become difficult if not managed using skills of HR judiciously).
• Demographics: the characteristics of family member’s workforce, for example, age, gender, nature and habits. Responsibility sharing in the family. Distributing house work accordingly.

• Neighbor relations.

There are advantages in family management which are not easily available in business. For example love strategy can help solve many problems related with spouse and children. A successful housewife has all the skills of an HR without any training. I have noticed that housewives are gifted with the skill naturally.

Here I have given how HR techniques are equally required in first choosing the family and then running.

I hope this small exposé shall satisfy Meher

 HOPE SO!  

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Ashok Kothare’s Blog

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