The Historic Connotations of Culture in Human Resources Management in the Global and Indian Perspective

Human Resource management (HRM) seems to be as old as mankind’s history. It can be argued that HRM existed right from the time of Adam and Eve. Although the history of HRM has mostly been studied as a present modern history, its annals are highlighted since eighteenth century. The historical perspective falls short to present the Central Asian perspective vis- a-vis Russian, Chinese and Islamic world’s view. Management researchers have failed to analyze the religious beliefs’ and cultural impact in the growth of HRM. For many years, there has been a misleading view that the HRM has been seen and interpreted as a Western concept, then re-introduced into other parts of the world. Class hierarchy is the major obstacle to the goal of social justice and it continues to be a major obstacle to social progress even today. Indian society is based on caste system in which Brahmins are at the top most position whereas Dalits are at the least position of the society. With the advent of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in India the HRM is revolutionized forever. It can be said that although many studies have been conducted in India on HRM issues, it is still in the transient stage. This study is descriptive and narrative, and depicts the HRM practices and evolution in China, Russia, U.K., America, and India, focusing on historic connotations of the HRM and its impact on the employees’ psyche. This study also seeks to highlight the realities, myths and divide of Western and Eastern/Asian HRM styles. This paper suggests the need to focus on the potential for comparison in cross-cultural dialogue in HRM particularly in the age-old civilizations, where HRM had not been given its due importance, rather under-estimated.