Human relations

The human relations movement was initiated by psychologists and employment experts in the United States in the 1920s. The movement viewed workers in terms of their psychology and fit with companies, rather than as interchangeable parts.

This view was advanced in reaction to the efficiency focus of Taylorism in the early 1900s. Though human resources have been part of business and organizations since the first days of agriculture, the modern concept of human resources was codified by advocates of a human relations view.

This movement grew throughout the middle of the 20th century, placing emphasis on how leadership, cohesion, and loyalty played important roles in organizational success, and on the value of participatory management. Although this view was increasingly challenged by more quantitatively rigorous and less "soft" management techniques in the 1960s and beyond, human resources had gained a permanent role within the firm.