atisfaction and finally the hope of management contribution. All of this can be attained through its (human relations) control of work, management then controls human happiness, fulfillment and perhaps sanity of their subordinates. Neo-Human Relations The basic thesis of Neo-Human Relations (NHR) was that the worker wanted the opportunity to grow and develop on the job. The theorists believed that it was this that would bring an end to industrial conflict. They assumed that if employees were allowed to do responsible meaningful work, their attitude towards the company would become entirely positive and they would come to share the goals of management. During the 1950’s and 1960’s the human relations movement had become socially unacceptable. This increased the adoption rate of NHR and because of the elimination of hierarchy and specialization; people were not only given room to grow but also became involved in a co-operative process. While building on the views of Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne studies, NHR emphasized the contribution of Abraham Maslow. All of the NHR supporters established the need for acceptance, status and recognition. They then went further to argue that employees wanted to develop and apply their full range of abilities and obtained satisfaction through achieving demanding but worthwhile objectives. NHR ideas were put into practice through the techniques of organizational development (OD). A major aspect of OD was the involvement of senior managers in the change programs. NHR offered specific techniques such as laboratory training. This was used in the belief that managers could become more authentic, increase their interpersonal skills, change their values and ultimately their behaviour. The idea of NHR has been compiled using the writings of many well-known management experts. These experts include Abraham Maslow (Hierarchy Of Needs, 1943), Douglas McGregor (Theory X and Theory Y, 1960), Rensis Likert (...
