“In a word, acts of any kind produce habits or characters
of the same kind. Hence we ought to make sure that our acts are of a certain
kind; for the resulting character varies as they vary. It makes no small
difference, therefore, whether a man be trained in his youth up in this way or
that, but a great difference, or rather all the difference.”
—Aristotle, the Nicomachean Ethics
There’s a lot to be said for reading
the works of history’s greatest thinkers
Not only do they offer timeless
insights into subjects as weighty as human happiness, just law, and the meaning
of life, but they offer lessons for other, more concrete pursuits.
Like human resources.
Aristotle, the famous Greek
philosopher born in 384 BC, was a pupil of Plato, and a tutor to Alexander the
Great. His writings cover everything from biology and astronomy, to
ethics and physics, and all are fascinating, supremely well-reasoned foundations
of the Western Canon.
And HR professionals can learn a lot
from them; not only in their piercing insight into human nature, but also the
logical, structured thinking they represent.
Here are some big HR best practices
you can glean from reading Aristotle:
1.
Use technology
Aristotle was no stranger to the
high technology of his day (which he termed “techne” or “craft”),
including water mills, piston pumps, and astrolabes.
He viewed technology not just as a
crude imitation of nature, but as humanity reaching beyond nature to accomplish
much more than we otherwise could. From his book, Physics:
Generally [technology] in some cases
completes what nature cannot bring to a finish, and in others imitates nature.
He understood the force multiplier
effect of technology, and why it could have such a great impact on a business.
For instance, consider his musings on automation technology, from his Politics:
For if every instrument could
accomplish its own work, obeying or anticipating the will of others, like the
statues of Daedalus, or the tripods of Hephaestus, which, says the poet, “of
their own accord entered the assembly of the Gods;” if, in like manner, the
shuttle would weave and the plectrum touch the lyre without a hand to guide
them, chief workmen would not want servants, nor masters’ slaves.
While I hope your company isn’t
considering slavery as a way to cut labor costs, his point about the power of
automation is striking.
And for HR professionals there are
tons of technological options to help them do their jobs, even above and beyond
the usual HR software suspects.
2.
Invest in training
Aristotle understood the importance
of continuous learning for a happy, productive, and fulfilled life. In
his seminal philosophic work, The Nicomachean Ethics, he posits:
The activity of philosophic wisdom
is admittedly the pleasantest of virtuous activities; at all events the pursuit
of it is thought to offer pleasures marvelous for their purity and their
enduringness.
Your HR department, to be
successful, needs a robust, thoughtfully planned training process.
The things we have to learn before
we can do them, we learn by doing them, e.g. men become builders by building
and lyre-players by playing the lyre.
3.
Use the right incentives
Aristotle was a keen observer of
human nature, and built many of his most famous philosophical conclusions off
what he observed to be true in the society of his time. It’s no surprise,
then, that he had a deep understanding of why people do what they do. In The
Nicomachean Ethics he noted:
The life of money-making is one
undertaken under compulsion, and wealth is evidently not the good we are
seeking; for it is merely useful and for the sake of something else.
Incentivizing and motivating
employees is a key piece of the HR puzzle, but Aristotle was clear that money
is not a great motivator.
Other ways to motivate employees include
flexibility, recognition, and ownership.
Other
ancient HR best practices?
Have you unearthed more advice from
ancient sources to help HR professionals? Are you more of a Plato-fan?
Add your thoughts in the comments!
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