HRM 410-2012-Fall-Lecture Material-Chapter 1-Definition and Origins of Industrial

8/12/2019 HRM 410-2012-Fall-Lecture Material-Chapter 1-Definition and Origins of Industrial

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Labour Relations

Definition and Originsof Industrial Relations


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Overview of Lecture

Historical origins of industrial relations

Linked to the changing nature of capitalism anddifferent forms of production

Definition of IR: Various definitions Understand the basic concepts


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Origins of Industrial Relations

Industrial relations is an important and

fascinating subject.Its importance lay in the world of work and howit shapes industrial structures and economicprocesses.This eventually shapes the type of people andthe kind of society we live in.


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Origins of Industrial Relations

Under Feudalism there was no industrialrelations, it is specific to capitalism.To understand the origins of industrialrelations we need to understand the evolution

of work under capitalism.Industrial relations arose as a directconsequence of the way capitalism organisedwork.


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Origins of IR

Under feudalism we had a master and serfrelationshipSerfs were bound to the service of the lord orlandowner and remained attached to themIf the ownership of the land changed the serfs

were transferred to the new ownerThe serfs worked part of the week for the lordand part of the week for themselves


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Origins of IR

In return they received the protection of the

land lordThe serfs were not slaves in that they were notowned by the lord and they had freedom ofmovementHowever their economic freedoms were oftenlimited and they were bound to the land lordeconomically


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Origins of IR

The change from feudalism to capitalism saw

the emergence of industrial relations as adiscipline.To understand the emergence of industrialrelations we have to understand the evolution

of work under capitalism.The change from feudalism to capitalism wasmarked by the industrial revolution.


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Origins of IR

This process began in the 14 th & 15 th century in Britain.The full impact of this was felt in the middle of the 18 th and the 19 th century.Craft work and agricultural work the major form ofproduction.Relationship was between landowner and tenants andbetween craftsman and apprentice.


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Origins of IR

Industrial revolution changed the nature of work, formsof work organisation and nature of production.The first stage of the reorganisation of production wasbringing together many craftsman under one roof.This is referred to as the stage of cooperation.The craftsman, for various reasons, were deprived oftheir tools and brought together by the factory ownerunder one roof.


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Origins of IR

The next stage was the stage of manufactureThis is when work tasks are broken down orfragmentised and division of labour is introduced. (E.G.Making a chair)The factory owners attempt to increase productivity byremoving some of the skills of the craft work bybreaking down work into simpler stepsThis process is called deskilling


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Origins of IR

The craftsman is still in charge of the work and has skillbut his skill is being eroded and simplified.The artisan is now being transformed into a worker andthis changes the social relation between the factoryowner and the worker.Two processes begin to take place at this stage:The first is de-qualification where the skills of theartisan is broken down.


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Origins of IR

This takes away control of the work from theworker.The second is hyper-qualification of a fewindividuals who in turn are in charge ofsystematically fragmentizing the work of themasses.They are also involved in adapting the tools ofthe trade to a narrow focus so as to increaseefficiency.


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Origins of IR

Craft workers and their apprentice were placed

under a single roof.This was the formation of the factory.Skilled work was slowly broken down.We enter the world of mass production.


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Origins of IR

This is the world of large factories.

Movement of people from villages and ruralareas to the cities in search of employment.People uprooted from their traditional way oflife and traditional forms of work.Creation of a new class of people: proletariat orworking class.


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Origins of IR

Society now becomes divided between the

working class on the one hand and owners andmanagers on the other hand.Human beings now have to sell their labourpower in order to survive wage labor.

We now enter the era of mass employmentand also soon mass unemployment.


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Origins of IR

In the area of work we find new patterns of

work organisations emerging.Emergence of the assembly line and dullrepetitive work.1914 Henry Ford introduced the assembly line(via conveyer belts).


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Origins of IR

Ford fixed the worker at one place and made

the object of work (or product) flow.This meant more control over the labour of aworker.This also allowed for control over the rate withwhich work was produced (productivity).


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Origins of IR

We also see the emergence of Taylorism or

scientific management.What Taylor did was measure the amount ofwork done by a worker in a given period oftime.

His aim was to scientifically determine the bestway of performing a task.


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Origins of IR

Taylor attempted to do two things:

Increase the amount of work within a specificperiod productivity.Simplify work by breaking it down into simplerpart deskilling.In order to achieve his tasks Taylor conducteda series of time and motion studies.


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Origins of IR

The aim of Taylor was to fragment work down

to its most basic motion.His experiments lasted over 26 years.Taylors work need to be understood within thecontext of the great depression, massunemployment, falling profitability and socialupheaval.


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Origins of IR

Reaction to Taylors work came in the form of

the Human Relations Movement.Taylor was criticised for being over-rational anddehumanising.Between 1927 1932 a series of experimentswere conducted at the Hawthorne Works of theWestern Electric Company in Chicago.


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Origins of IR

What these experiments established was that

work conditions and monetary incentives didnot have a direct relation to output andbehaviour.What it found instead was that informal work

organisation and work groups had an effect onoutput and behaviour.


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Origins of IR

Elton Mayo who conducted the experiments

argued that the worker should be seen as ahuman and social being.This gave rise to the Human Relations school.Mayo used the Hawthorn experiments to arguethat social disorder and conflict rose from thebreakdown of established society.


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Origins of IR

He promoted the idea of training managers and

administrators in social skills that would allowfor the maintenance of spontaneous co -operation in industry. This was the beginning of the Human Relations

School (HRS).The HRS was criticised for misunderstandingthe causes and nature of industrial conflict.


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Origins of IR

The HRS was also criticised for ignoring tradeunions and industrial relations.It was out of the criticism of Mayo and his HRSthat studies into industrial relations grew.In 1948 the Institute of Industrial RelationResearch was founded in the USA.


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Definition

IR starts of with the employment relationship.

This starts as soon as a person is willing toaccept compensation for in exchange for work employment contract.This relationship has a legal dimension that isgoverned by Labour Legislation.


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Definition

The legal nature of the employmentrelationship means there are rights andobligations on both sidesManagement for example has to pay wagesand salaries, provide leave, safe working

conditions and other duties defined in the lawNot to unjustly discriminate against workers


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Definition

Industrial relations begins with the employmentrelationship but moves beyond the employmentrelationship.Without the employment relationship there willbe no industrial relations.

Industrial relations usually involves employeesas a group and employers as a group.


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Definition

Important to remember that not all relations atwork affect industrial relations.Horseplay & conversation between workers notpart of industrial relation.The allocations of tasks by a supervisor tomembers of his team.The above is too trivial to be part of IR.


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Definition

On the other hand there are decisions taken byemployers and managers that affect industrialrelations.For E.G. the opening or closing down of aworkplace.

Introducing new technology or workorganisation. Allocating a specific distribution of profits.


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Definition

Accepted area of study with its own professorsand university departments.Many definitions of industrial relations.Definitions are not all clear and many disagreeon a general definition.Earliest definition by Dunlop:


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Definition

The central task of a theory of industrial relations is toexplain why particular rules are established inparticular industrial-relations systems and how andwhy they change in response to changes affecting thesystemthe rules of the workplace and workcommunity become the general focus of enquiry to be

explained by theoretical analysisthe study ofindustrial relations may therefore be described as astudy of the institutions of job regulation.


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Definition

Essentially, industrial relations is the processthrough which employers and employeesinteract, and through which they regulateconflict at the workplace


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Definition

The world of work is pervaded with rules.

To define IR in terms of a set of rules andregulations is to confine and restrict IR.This implies that IR is about maintainingstability and regulation in industry.


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Definitions

IR is about understanding the processesthrough which disagreement and disputes aregenerated.In other words we need to look at the wayemployers and employees interact that leads to

problems and conflict.Within this context we need to look at relationsaround the control of work.


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Definition

Control of work is central to a study of IR.

Further we need to understand the sources aswell as the consequence of industrial conflict.Not only do we need to know where conflictcome from but we also need to know what arethe results of conflict. E.g. dissatisfaction wrtwages leads to poor work performance.


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Definition

Another definition is one used by RichardHyman:Industrial relations is the study of theprocesses of control over work relations; andamong these processes, those involving

collective worker organisation and action are ofparticular concern.


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Definition

Hymans definition makes reference to theprocesses of work control. In other words weare concerned with the way managers manageand the consequences thereof.Hyman also makes reference to collective

worker organisations in other words tradeunions.


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Definition

Hyman also makes reference to collectiveaction by workers. Worker action can be individualistic orcollective, it is the collective action of workersthat affects industrial relations.

The individual worker has very little power andit is only through collective action thatmanagement is forced to change.


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Definition

Important is that the relationship arises from awork situationThis relationship is between peopleIt can be individual or collective

A collective involves a trade unionThe relationship involves rules, regulations,processes, structures and institutions


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The Labour Relationship

Human relationship: Between people at work Governed by the way work is organised It has all the dynamics of other human relations It has its own unique characteristics and problems

Often employees work for the money and notbecause they like the job cause problems


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The Labour Relationship

The employer is not interested in theemployee: Except in the way this person can labour How hard and fast the person can work The skills and the abilities of the person

This creates the division between those who workand those who own and manage

HRM 410-2012-Fall-Lecture Material-Chapter 1-Definition and Origins of Industrial

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