Human Resources Philosophy

Start with one very brief introductory paragraph that explains the purpose of
the report. Don't use a heading for this paragraph. This report is an attempt
to analyze a single managerial philosophy within a specific organization that
I am associated with. It will attempt to address the complexities that exist
Literature Review
There are three objectives that I would like to address in this report. They
include;

Using specific examples, I hope to show how this organization practices

a human resources management philosophy.

Identify how managers use Abraham Maslows theory on the Hierarchy

of Human Needs to promote worker self-actualization. (Clark, 2007)

Finally, we need to conclude with an evaluation on the qualities on this

philosophy approach.

By using a pyramid illustration of Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of

Human Needs (Andrews & Herschel, 69), we will explore how his theory
allows us to better understand why some management practices within the
Human Resources philosophy are valued above others. I believe this
philosophy to be the most useful for society because it allows for diverse
interpretations and adjustments in application. I would probably go so far as
to say the greatest advantage of this philosophy is found in its capacity to
integrate other management theories into the philosophy. The benefits,
however, must be weighed against the various natural, ethical and social
limitations of the time.
Communication Analysis of the Granite School District
Like most parents, I was first exposed to my local school district after
my child turned five years old. This is where the bottom of Maslows pyramid
starts with the physiological conditions of the district. I believe the district to
be considered a matrix structure (Andrews & Herschel, 141) that is largely
dictated by a variety of local, state and government networks. All aspects
within the organization include formal labels, governing guidelines and goal
orientation. This is a natural outcome of how the shareholders of the
organization have allowed it to develop.
A key characteristic of the human relations philosophy happened when
our high school suggested bringing the 9th graders into the high school. The

Granite District held a community meeting to discuss their position and

possible implementation variables. In this way the Granite School District
promotes an open systems perspective (Andrews & Herschel, 130)
because of the funding and support it receives from other affiliated
organizations. They and the schools they represent hold many public
meetings were anyone who is interested can attend without cause or
affiliation to talk about the pros and cons of agenda items.
Many times at the district I have heard supervisors and workers
complementing each other. They have even warned me on occasion, when I
am frustrated, to be nice to who they are directing me to because I have to
repeat my explanations to others. I have found that district management
prefers to encourage this kind of validating communication (Andrews &
Herschel, 105) even if it tends to slow down the decision making process.
This is probably why we have such an open education system were parents
are allowed to choose which school they prefer their children to attend.
Each year parents are given a copy of school policies and expectations.
It is their responsibility to read over these papers and familiarize themselves
with them. The district has strict policies that are constantly evaluated by
various groups and implemented by district leaders for the wellbeing and
safety of their students and in accordance with state laws. This represents
the second level of Maslows pyramid, Safety and is another key
characteristic of the human relations philosophy.
This point seems to be rather harshly criticized socially though because
this is both an organizational and social problem. The district allows selfmanaging teams (Andrews & Herschel, 81) within the schools leadership to
enforce and expound upon general regulations according to the various
needs of the school environment. The parents may rationalize or ignore
these policies until their child is referred to disciplinary measures.
The third level of Maslows pyramid is the love, or belonging, level.
Some feel the processes that are in place are dictating conformity to school
and teacher policies but I think this is just an example of anecdotal evidence.
The more opportunities I take to involve myself in the job enrichment
(Andrews & Herschel, 80) characteristic of the human resources philosophy,
by attending school, PTA and community meetings, the more I realize it is
characteristic of our human instincts to base generalized assumptions on
circumstantial evidence. We must learn to thwart this tendency by accepting
that our interdependent actions are also made by individual choice.
Most failures in a system can be found in the bottom three levels of
Maslows pyramid. There are two questions I suggest, how and to what
degree are the goals evaluated and proactively implemented and are how
are they holding people accountable to those expectations by those required
to enforce them? The District encourages meetings to be held at least
monthly to both support participation and comprehension of district goals
but are also there to empower workers and community members to evaluate
how the system is working.

Many of the schools my children attended have had low to no parent

participation. I have heard too many parents and teachers complain that
they feel undervalued and as a result are less supportive of the policies that
are implemented. This kind of upward distortion (Andrews & Herschel,
109) creates tension and outright revolt in the system unless vague goals are
clearly communicated and discussed with those of every status.
If organizations are ineptly evaluated they will never know what they
are doing wrong and the organization itself will suffer. The districts
requirement for teachers to have weekly planning days is a great example
that supports horizontal communication (Andrews & Herschel,147) of staff
through collaboration and promotes comradery in the profession. While the
fourth level of Maslows pyramid can be a double-edged sword at times,
Esteem is a vital part of professional growth and equality.
Teachers and many other support staff have yearly evaluations that
they need to pass if they want to continue in the profession. Another key
characteristic of how the district uses the human resources philosophy is the
encouragement of continued learning and advancement for all their staff
positions. I remember a music teacher at my sons jr. high who was also
attending college to receive an administration degree to become a principal
and another music teacher who had a certified teaching certificate and was
losing her job due to district funding issues was able to be rehired as a third
grade teacher.
The final stage in Maslows pyramid, self-actualization, can be a
rewarding stage but it should also be an evaluation stage. Evaluating and
learning from what went right, what should be eliminated or what needs to
be changed should take priority in this stage. I think Pacanowskis article on
the ethnographic study of W.L. Gore & Associates was correct when he
suggested that we become wise through and learning from
organizational ambiguity, inconsistency, contradiction and
paradox. (Andrews & Herschel, 184)
The results of educational policies vary because of the incongruency
(Andrews & Herschel, 103) within these groups due to many different
aspects, such as shareholder perceptions and styles of management.
Organization members have an implicit obligation to understand the
organizations goals. If members fail in this capacity, the possibility that they
will interpret autonomous failures (i.e.; enforcement, spending allocation,
etc.) as system failures (i.e.; policy, funding, etc.) incorrectly increases.
A few years ago now, the district decided to make adjustments in
funding allocations and in the process removed several traditional extracurricular programs that a minority of parents still liked and advocated. So to
compensate, they brought in community organizations to continue providing
these popular programs at a substantially discounted rate that parents could
afford to continue funding themselves. I believe that the district is trying to
expose their shareholders to these optional networks (Andrews & Herschel,
115) because they understand how invaluable they are as assets and

resources available to all of us, and that as individuals we sometimes forget

or undervalue.
Recommendations
I found a quote by an unknown author on the internet that says, Respect
is earned. Honesty is appreciated. Trust in gained. Loyalty is returned. I felt
like this most closely represents the concept of the management philosophy
of Human Resources. It is also consistent with how I see the Granite Districts
management philosophy.
We must realize positions of authority in human resources management
exist because of their ultimate responsibility to those beneath them and our
responsibility to them. It is not only about wants or rights, it is about allowing
and helping each other to learn from anothers suggestions or experience.
We only fail when we choose to stop learning from our inconsistency.
The biggest challenge that I think is most prevalent in the Granite School
District is a consistent message distribution. When you were a kid, do you
remember playing the telephone game? Everyone stands in a line while
one person whispered something to the person behind them, they retold
what they heard to the person behind them and after a while the message
becomes so corrupted that everyone is understanding it a single message
differently. I see this happening a lot in schools. I think it would benefit the
district to hold yearly community Q&A meetings to clarify misunderstandings
and various interpretations.
The Granite District and communities would benefit from these meetings
by building cohesiveness (Andrews & Herschel, 211) with its diverse
perceptions in yearly visits to the communities they represent. I have seen
more community members show up to district visits than school represented
meetings because community members know they can get the message
directly from the horses mouth, so to speak. It shows that the district is
willing to give community members the opportunity to clarify initiatives and
responsibilities from those who are asking for their support.
I was at a school council meeting where the district was introducing a
future program where specific details had not been established as to how the
program was going to work. While I am sure we appreciate the districts forth
right intentions, asking for community approval without knowing how a
program is going to be established has little relevance (Andrews &
Herschel, 179) to potential community endorsement. It just makes
communities worry and form their own theoretical conclusions.
I would suggest that the district ask for approval after more conclusive
details have been established and before implementation or hiring takes
place. That way communities are more confident in its purpose, gives them
more information power (Andrews & Herschel, 177) on its benefits and
gives the opportunity for communities to discuss the potential impacts of
implementation. I feel like it would help workers and community members to

build confidence in the district by eliminating potential or speculative

gatekeepers from suggestive power struggles.
Citations
Andrews, P.H. & Herschel, R. Organizational Communication: Empowerment
In A Technological Society Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company.
(1996) Print.