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Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management pp 157–172Cite as

Theoretical Models of Human Resource Management: The Anthropological Model as a Full Model to Manage Human Resources

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Part of the book series: Management and Industrial Engineering ((MINEN))

Abstract

The literature on human resource management (HRM) has focused primarily on analyzing the relationship between human resource practices and business performance. However, we find fewer studies that focus on determining how and why these practices can be linked to the same pattern or pattern of behaviors. In this work, we analyze the different models of human resources management that determine the framework of action of any organization and that justifies the application of different human resources practices . To achieve this goal, we analyze the soft and hard models of human resources management and present the main limitations it has. Furthermore, we establish a typology of models focused on the motivational quality of the person, where the anthropological model is presented as a more complete model than the mechanistic model and the psycho-sociological model . The fundamental difference found between these two classifications is that while the soft and hard models are presented as excluding models, the relationship between the mechanistic, psycho-sociological and anthropological models is that the different elements of each model are included in the next model, establishing a more similar representation with the business reality and increasing its explanatory capacity.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain

    Santiago Gutiérrez-Broncano & Pedro Jiménez-Estévez

  2. San Pablo CEU University, Madrid, Spain

    Mercedes Rubio-Andrés

Authors
  1. Santiago Gutiérrez-Broncano
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  2. Pedro Jiménez-Estévez
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  3. Mercedes Rubio-Andrés
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Santiago Gutiérrez-Broncano .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

    Carolina Machado

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    J. Paulo Davim

Testing Your Knowledge

Testing Your Knowledge

1.1 Answer the Following Questions as True (T) or False (F)

  1. 1.

    Managers rarely explicitly state the models used when making decisions.

  2. 2.

    Theoretical models of human resource management represent the reality of the companies.

  3. 3.

    Soft model is based on an exhaustive control and hard model is based on control through employee engagement.

  4. 4.

    Based on motivational quality of individuals we can find three different models: the mechanistic model, the psycho-sociological (also called the organic or biological model) and finally, the anthropological (known as the institutional or humanist) model.

  5. 5.

    The mechanistic model seeks to establish business performance , which answers the question with regards to what is done and pursues the achievement of economic results as a result of certain technical processes.

  6. 6.

    The main problem of psycho-sociological model is the no consideration of non-formal or spontaneous aspects of organization such as employee motivations and other interactions.

  7. 7.

    The psycho-sociological model seeks the satisfaction of employees through making work tasks and business efficiency attractive, so that it incorporates the social dimension of the human group.

  8. 8.

    The psycho-sociological model does not include a technical system and a system of incentives as well as the mechanistic model.

  9. 9.

    In many situations, the process of negotiation and participation used in psycho-sociological model, has no other purpose than to psychologically manipulate people by trying to motivate them in the cheapest way possible.

  10. 10.

    The anthropological model is not the most complete model and it is one that relies on people while addressing the questions of why and to what end things are done.

1.2 Answers

  1. 1.

    Managers rarely explicitly state the models used when making decisions. True

  2. 2.

    Theoretical models of human resource management represent the reality of the companies. False

  3. 3.

    Soft model is based on an exhaustive control and hard model is based on control through employee engagement. False

  4. 4.

    Based on motivational quality of individuals we can find three different models: the mechanistic model, the psycho-sociological (also called the organic or biological model) and finally, the anthropological (known as the institutional or humanist) model. True

  5. 5.

    The mechanistic model seeks to establish business performance, which answers the question with regards to what is done and pursues the achievement of economic results as a result of certain technical processes. True

  6. 6.

    The main problem of psycho-sociological model is the no consideration of non-formal or spontaneous aspects of organization such as employee motivations and other interactions. False

  7. 7.

    The psycho-sociological model seeks the satisfaction of employees through making work tasks and business efficiency attractive, so that it incorporates the social dimension of the human group. True

  8. 8.

    The psycho-sociological model does not include a technical system and a system of incentives as well as the mechanistic model. False

  9. 9.

    In many situations, the process of negotiation and participation used in psycho-sociological model, has no other purpose than to psychologically manipulate people by trying to motivate them in the cheapest way possible. True

  10. 10.

    The anthropological model is not the most complete model and it is one that relies on people while addressing the questions of why and to what end things are done. False

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Gutiérrez-Broncano, S., Jiménez-Estévez, P., Rubio-Andrés, M. (2018). Theoretical Models of Human Resource Management: The Anthropological Model as a Full Model to Manage Human Resources. In: Machado, C., Davim, J. (eds) Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management. Management and Industrial Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66864-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66864-2_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-66862-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-66864-2

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