What is Human Relations?

There are three myths about human relations: (1) technical skills are more important than human relations skills; (2) it’s just common sense; and (3) leaders are born, not made. The term human relations means interactions among people. Organizations can’t function without human relations.

The goal of human relations is to create a win–win situation by satisfying employee needs while achieving organizational objectives. A win–win situation occurs when the organization and the employees both get what they want. When we wonder, What’s in it for me?, we are expressing what we want. When employees’ and organizational goals align, performance tends to follow.

The total person approach realizes that an organization employs the whole person, not just his or her job skills. It is important to understand the whole person. Holistic thinking helps us to better understand and work better with others. People play many roles throughout their lives, indeed, throughout each day.

Behavior is what people do and say. Human relations fuel behavior. The three levels of behavior are individual, group, and organizational. Human relations take place at the individual, group, and organizational levels. It is individuals, not large organizations, that drive progress.Group behavior consists of the things two or more people do and say as they interact. Individual behavior influences group behavior.

The challenge to management is to develop high-performing individuals and groups. In a sense, individuals and groups are the foundation of an organization. If either is ineffective, the organization cannot stand. Just as people are the foundation of the organization, behavior and human relations are the foundation supporting performance.