Human Resources Management: Theories and Practices

• Published in: Sociologias 2004-07, Vol.6 (12), p.142-158
• Main Author: Santos, Maria Joao Nicolau
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Subjects: Human Capital; Human Resources; Labor Market; Personnel Management; Theory Practice Relationship
• ISSN: 1517-4522

It is a known fact that given the current social & economic changes businesses have significantly altered the way they manage human resources. However, a deep hiatus still remains between a management discourse that is quite centered on the human factor & the practices effectively carried out by companies. At the theoretical & conceptual level extra attention has been given to the importance of people's creative potential as a crucial strategy for companies' adjustment to change. That factor emerges as a basic condition for survival of companies in a highly competitive & extremely uncertain context. The current spread of concepts & theories about intellectual capital, knowledge management, & emotional intelligence is a clear example of that extra importance attributed to the human element. Nevertheless, the workings of the economic & social system are a lot more complex, showing a multifaceted reality that neither always fits that conceptual approach nor effectively corresponds to policies publicized by companies. Instead of the much spread valorization of human capital, what is seen is the emergence of dual practices & a segmentation of human resources within companies. Regarding the labor market, even though a gradual deregulation is often advocated -- usually to favor more economic flexibilization & job generation -- the fact is such diversification of contractual relations has been often associated to an increasing precarization of labor & employment relations. Our analysis will focus on those multiple movements & contradictions between theoretical assumptions & real practices developed by businesses. 1 Table, 33 References. Adapted from the source document.