The Importance of History in Human Resource Management (Philippines Setting)
The importance of History in Human Resource Management
History is defined by the Oxford Dictionary of Current English as “a continuous record of events.” As such, a country’s history encapsulates all that has happened in the country, and between it and other countries. A country, at a particular point in time, is thus the result of its history. Understanding a country’s history is fundamental to understanding the country and its people.
In addition to shaping cultural values, history also shapes more spontaneous behavior.
International managers are well advised to understand the history of any country where they do business. This understanding should encompass events in the distant past, as well as more recent ones. It should include the local perspective, as well as the perspective from outside of the country. Understanding a country’s history allows a manager to place local values behaviors in context. Often, this means, understanding the stresses and conflicts that exist within a country
Pre-Spanish Period
The first people in the Philippines, the Negritos, are believed to have come to the islands 30,000 years ago from Borneo and Sumatra, making their way across then-existing land bridges. According to popular belief, Malays subsequently came from the south in successive waves, the earliest by land bridges and later in boats by sea. In contrast, modern archeological, linguistic, and genetic evidence strongly suggests that those successive waves of migrants came from Taiwan as the Austronesian sub-group, Malayo-Polynesians. From Taiwan, the Austronesians first spread southward across the Philippines, then on to Indonesia, Malaysia, and as far away as Polynesia and Madagascar. The migrants settled in scattered communities, named barangays after the large outrigger boats in which they arrived, and ruled by chieftains known often as datus. Mainland Chinese merchants and traders arrived and settled in the ninth century, sometimes traveling
History is defined by the Oxford Dictionary of Current English as “a continuous record of events.” As such, a country’s history encapsulates all that has happened in the country, and between it and other countries. A country, at a particular point in time, is thus the result of its history. Understanding a country’s history is fundamental to understanding the country and its people.
In addition to shaping cultural values, history also shapes more spontaneous behavior.
International managers are well advised to understand the history of any country where they do business. This understanding should encompass events in the distant past, as well as more recent ones. It should include the local perspective, as well as the perspective from outside of the country. Understanding a country’s history allows a manager to place local values behaviors in context. Often, this means, understanding the stresses and conflicts that exist within a country
Pre-Spanish Period
The first people in the Philippines, the Negritos, are believed to have come to the islands 30,000 years ago from Borneo and Sumatra, making their way across then-existing land bridges. According to popular belief, Malays subsequently came from the south in successive waves, the earliest by land bridges and later in boats by sea. In contrast, modern archeological, linguistic, and genetic evidence strongly suggests that those successive waves of migrants came from Taiwan as the Austronesian sub-group, Malayo-Polynesians. From Taiwan, the Austronesians first spread southward across the Philippines, then on to Indonesia, Malaysia, and as far away as Polynesia and Madagascar. The migrants settled in scattered communities, named barangays after the large outrigger boats in which they arrived, and ruled by chieftains known often as datus. Mainland Chinese merchants and traders arrived and settled in the ninth century, sometimes traveling