226 PROGRESSING HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
my colleague were concerned—we feltpersonallythat this was the right thing
to do in broad ethical terms, given that the man was still young enough to get
a job with another company. This was a possibility that would probably disap-
pear if his departure were delayed and he became too old to get re-employed.
Personal ethical criteria were being used by us as private individuals. But they
were being used in conjunction with the business-oriented criteria which were
formally presented in support of the formal HR decision.
The second dimension of Weber’s ethical irrationality principle is thepara-
dox of consequences(Albrow 1970). This recognizes that the means that are
socially devised to achieve certain ends (e.g. bureaucratic structures) can
readily come to undermine the very ends which they were devised to achieve.
A clear example of how this can come about in HR work arose in the
course of an ethnographic study of managerial life in a telecommunications
development and manufacturing company (Watson 2001). This episode, not
reported previously, involved the increased HR support provided to one of
the largest employing departments on the site. It had been observed that a
series of problems in this part of the factory, varying from poor quality work
performance and disciplinary problems to high levels of labour turnover and
minor shop-floor disputes, were coming to the attention of senior manage-
ment. The explanation generally agreed among HR people and the senior
line managers was that the managers within the department were lacking
in ‘people management’ skills. Consequently, a personnel officer was directly
attached to the department to support and develop the skills of this group of
junior line managers. The person undertaking this task was well aware that she
needed to avoid undermining the authority of the supervisory line and she
also appreciated that a key part of her role was to develop the skills of these
men. However, the outcomes were far from those intended. In Kay Rhodes’
own words, in conversation with the researcher:
‘I was determined to help these managers learn how to be better managers. But I think
I have learned a lot more than they have. And what I think I have learned is the sheer
impossibility of this job.’
‘Do you really mean that?’
‘Not really I suppose. But it has seemed that every time I achieve a step forward I get
kicked two steps back. I think that I have excellent relationships with the managers
here—at a personal level. Do you agree?’
‘They certainly don’t seem to resent you personally, anyway. They love to talk about hating
Personnel though.’
‘Oh yes, I pick that up all right. I thought this was just a wind up at first. But I reckon
that much of the time they treat everything that I help them achieve as an excuse for
them to do the next thing badly. I’ve tried so hard to avoid them getting dependent
on me. But, the minute there’s anything tricky to handle, they say “get Kay to sort it”.
When I tell them that I am there to help them do it themselves they sort of laugh and