While Classical Approach focussed on the jobs, Behavioral or Human Relations Management, which emerged in the 1920s, dealt with the human aspects of organizations. It is also referred to as the neoclassical school because it was initially a reaction to the shortcomings of the classical approaches to management.

The human relations movement drew heavily in support of its findings on a series of famouns experiments called the Hawthorne Studies which were conducted from 1924 to 1933 at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Company in Cicero, Illinois. The neglect of human aspect and over-emophasis machines, materials and abstract functions led to the development of this approach. Prof. Elton Mayo is considered as the initial profounder of the Human Relations or Behavioural Approach to Management

Management functions & processes are discharged by a number of individual (human beings) and successful management is one that gets the best from these individuals. Management therefore involves getting this done with and through peopel. Understanding worker response and inter-personal relations is essential in the development of any management approach. The core of human relations approach is "being nice to workers" and it focussed on the following six propositions:

1. A focus on people, rather than upon machines or economics

2. People exist in an organizational environment rather than an organized social context

3. A key activity in human relations is motivating people

4. Motivation should be directed towards team work which requires both the co-ordination and cooperation of individuals involved.

5. Human relations, through team work, seeks to fulfill both individual and organizational objectives simultaneously

6. Both individuals and organizations share desire for efficiency, that is, they try to achieve maximum results with minimum inputs

The human relations approach emphasises on the individual and focuses on inter-personal approach. It studies the individual, his needs and behaviour. Its main concepts are motivation and job satisfaction.

The human relations approach neglected behavioural pattern of groups. Man is a social animal and her never thinks alone. He is greatly influenced by what others with whom he is associated thinks or behaves. Thus it is the group that sets the pattern of human behaviour. It is necessary to study the organisational behaviour as a whole, involving the study of the attitude, behaviour and performance of both individuals and groups in organisational setting. This led to the more improved and modern approach called the Behavioural Sciences Approach to Management.

The behavioural approach views the enterprise as a social organism. It is termed as behavioural sciences approach because it adopts a multi-dimensional and inter-disciplinary study of employees behaviour applying principles from behavioural sciences like psychology, sociology and anthropology. The objective is not only to study, but to predict the future behaviour of employees. Motivation, leadership, communication, group dynamics and participative management are inbuilt in this approach, as means of securing better employee performance and willing release extra energy towards cointributuion to the accepted goals of the organisation. Several sociologists and psychologists like Abraham H. Maslow, Douglass McGregor, Frederic Herzberg, Chris Argyris etc. have contributed towards the development and enrichment of this approach.

The main propositions of behavioural science approach can be smmarised as under.

1. An organisation is a socio-technical system

2. Interpersonal or group behaviour of people in the organisation is influenced by a wide range of factors.

3. The goal;s of the organisation are to be harmanised with an understanding of the human needs

4. Multitude oof attitudes, perceptions and values are prevalent amongst employees and these characterise thier behaviour and influence thier performance

5. As a result some degree of conflict is inevitable in the organisation and this need not be viewed undesirable

The behavioural approach recognises the quality of leadership as a determining factor in management success. It focuses on group relationship and recognises the role of individual psychology and group behaviour in organisational effectiveness. It is thus an improved version of human relations approach.