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