From Employees as “Labor” to Employees as “People”: The Evolution of Human Resources through the Decades

Dear Colleagues,

The field of human resources has changed dramatically since its beginnings in the early 1900s as a support role. To understand how far the discipline has come, it is imperative that we examine its history, its impact on other business disciplines, and the impact of the external environment on daily practice. In the last few decades, the practice of human resources has struggled with the demands of being both a strategic business partner and the “protector” of employees. In order for the field to continue to grow, we must learn from the mistakes of the past to prevent historical issues from repeating themselves.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to examine these factors using a variety of lenses, including cultural, organizational behavior, and business strategy. Authors are encouraged to be creative in examining the development of human resources over the last century by going beyond a basic historical timeline. Furthermore, this examination should include macro and micro focused analyses of the development of human resources across a variety of for-profit, not-for-profit, and governmental employers.

Topics for this issue may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Historical review of the practice of human resources;
• The development of human resources as a strategic business partner;
• The influence of organizational behavior and organizational theory on human resource theory and practice;
• International perspectives of human resource growth and development;
• Cultural/generational impacts on human resource practice;
• Changes in labor–management relations;
• Impact of technology on human resources;
• Outlook on human resource theory and practice.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Heather McMillan ([email protected]) if you have any questions.

Best,

Dr. Heather McMillan
Dr. Erin R. Fluegge
Guest Editors

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• human resources
• organizational behavior
• employee engagement
• management history
• work/life
• HR policy
• HR procedure
• HR theory
• strategy