A review study
Sheila Menon1 Vidya Bhagat 2
1
London College of Clinical Hypnosis Asia, LCCH Asia, 807 Block B Phileo Damansara 1, Jalan
Damansara, Section 16/11 Petaling Jaya Selangor 46350 Malaysia 2 A.J. Institute of Hospital
Management, Mangalore Rajeev Gandhi University
*Corresponding Author E-mail: menonsheila@yahoo.com
Abstract: The neuroscience research that has emerged from clinical application is now in a better
position to understand and treat brain-related aspects of people at work and in the workplace. Keen
observation in this area conceptualises that there is not a day that passes without neuroscience
being addressed in the mass media as a solution to a variety of problems distressing many nonclinical disciplines. Opening one’s mind’s eye to observing and conceptualising the areas prefixed with “Neuro” disciplines is insightful, creating transformed disciplines such as Neuro-strategy,
Neuro-leadership, Neuro-marketing, Neuro-economics, and Neuro-education.
Purpose: The current study aims at determining neuro-scientific strategy in conceptualizing
healthier work outcomes based on human resource management.
Methodology: This study is a qualitative study using secondary data from the literature and
provides a descriptive analysis of the neuro-scientific approach towards human research
management that can predict a better work place outcome. The method for completing the data
search on the database used neuro-scientific predictions about, workers, work outcomes,
neuroscientific management, and human resource management.
Results and implications: The study demonstrates and intellectualises concerning neuroscientific approaches that would bring about healthier work outcomes based on human resource
management. The study results suggest coming up with a transformational neuroscientific
approach over classical methods to grow with better understanding of human strength through a
neuroscientific approach.
Conclusion: The study brings new insights concerning HR management at work that enhance the
quality of HR management.
Keywords: Neuro-scientific predictions about, workers, work outcomes, neuroscientific
management, and human resource management.
INTRODUCTION
The study of neuroscience has opened the gates to exploring the neuroscientific depths of the
conscious that unlocks the cerebral structural and functional mechanisms that impact human
behaviour in the workplace. Implementing the neuroscience paradigm for human resource
management in organisations is expected to enhance inspiration and innovation for the employees
and to transform the organisation into the best working place for employees that witness a feeling
of integration and accomplishment in the realization of organisational success. The transformation
of a non-fearful or stressful working environment that was seen in the classical type of
management where the manager’s management lead through fear and punishment has been
focused on bringing changes in leading the way to a more consensual way of doing things where
employees are supported to take risks, think laterally and creatively, challenge the status quo, stand
up and be counted. The accumulated capital of knowledge on neuroscientific aspects leads to more
advancement in various settings of social life. In this study, researchers are trying to explore
neuroscientists’ strengths in human resource management in an organised professional context.
This approach uses its own techniques for its best practises in the workplace to enhance the quality
of human resource management.
Bearing in mind that the linkage of social cognitive neuroscience to human resources development
presents a great opportunity to explore further advancement in research that has been emphasized
in this study. Examining the impact that neuroscience claims to have on human resource
management with an emphasis on the framework in the workplace that can enhance opportunities
ahead in order to build more robust and committed personnel, starting from analysis of the brain
structure following the multiple factors that affect human behavior in organizational settings
through the lens of neuroscience. These human resource management conceptualizations in
sectorial human resource policies based on neuroscience can describe human reactions in any
organisational setting, from hiring to training and assessment, job satisfaction, performance
management, career management, and so on. This fact has been revealed in one of the previous
studies.1
In the current scenario, modern organisations could seek actions that stimulate the reward and
pleasure centres of the brain while making the person experience feelings of acceptance and
recognition. Neuroscientists have made comparable progress in investigating the functional
neuroanatomical pleasure that contributes to happiness and is central to our sense of well-being. 2
The current study explores the same direction, which discusses neurological decoding of human
resource management and exploring human behavior in working places, supporting the overall
quality and enhancement of performance. Earlier, neuroscience was the field of research that was
purely associated with the science of medicine and biology, which has now been outstretched to
various disciplines focusing on human resource management at various organizations. In the
current scenario, neuroscience has been transformed from its transgressed state. Its implications
range from the academic sphere to the pragmatic world with its determination towards the better
management of human resources in the various departments of the workplace (HR). It has become
an interdisciplinary field of research in the social sciences, permitting the exploration of the
dynamics of human performance. Furthermore, developments in technology have enabled
researchers to investigate encephalitis and to decode the human perception of the world by using
a variety of tools such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission
tomography, electroencephalograms, etc. The accumulating knowledge advocates the utilisation
of neuro-techniques by human resources management (HRM) departments to support them in their
effort to guide humans towards purposeful actions that support the organisational goals and satisfy
the wellbeing of the personnel.
The objective of the study is to assess the depth of neuroscience concerning work outcomes in the
effective management of human resources in the workplace
METHODOLOGY: This current study is a qualitative study using secondary data from the
literature and provides a descriptive analysis of the approaches grounded in neuroscience towards
understanding the quality enhancement of human research management in the workplace
outcome. The method for the data search on the database used neuro-scientific predictions about,
workers, work outcomes, neuroscientific management, and human resource management. Total
articles collected were 40 after scrutinising these articles 35 articles were selected for the analysis
that matches the objectives of the study, another 5 articles were not compatible to the researcher’s
hypothetical views thus were exclude
Figure 1: flowchart data collection
Brain and behaviour
The relationship between brain and behaviour is a complex and interdependent, the brain receives
information and internal and external influences that enable the most appropriate behaviors that is
triggered at any time. The behaviour has environmental consequences that can be experienced as
positive or negative, which makes us learn and reduces the likelihood of that behaviour to occur
again in the future. It also reduces learning outcome outcomes and brain changes, in particular in
brain synaptic connections. The brain receives information that has internal and external influences
that enables the most appropriate behaviours to be triggered and that leads to environmental
consequences that can be experienced as positive or negative. Thus, there is a need for
understanding the brain behaviour concept in the workplace concerning human resources and
relations. The brain is part of the central nervous system along with the spinal cord, which is
composed of the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brain stem. The cerebrum is located in the
uppermost part of the brain, which covers two-thirds of the total weight. 3 The brain is split into
two hemispheres, in which the first one controls language, speech, corporal senses, memory,
auditory, visual reception, scent, taste, and emotions, and the second one interprets optic and
spatial data. The cerebellum is positioned at the back of the brain and consumes more or less ten
percent of the brain’s volume and contains over fifty percent of the total number of neurons. 4
It receives information from the sensory systems, the spinal cord, and other parts of the brain and
modifies the commands, making the movements coordinated and accurate. Other than this, it is
responsible for maintaining balance, posture, and cognitive functions. The brain stem known as
relay station between the higher centers and the spinal cord. 5 The significance of brain functions
and its responsible vital functions, such as breathing, cardiac regulation, consciousness, the sleep
cycle, etc., are made well understood in literature studies. The brain stem is attached to, encased
in the bony vertebral column, resides the spinal cord that transmits information from the rest of
the body to the brain and vice-versa. Depending on the person’s experience, the synapses vary
depending on reciprocal interconnections between genes and external stimuli that alter the
structure and function of the encephalon throughout the lifespan.
Understanding human resources explicates in behaviour should be understood along its influences
from the environment may include cultural background, experiences, beliefs, and emotions. Here
in with every interaction a change occurs in the cerebral map and new patterns are created for
future use, this creativity can be well mended for the purpose of human resources and relations
management. The human brain can be roughly separated into three areas: The trachea is divided
into two bronchi that open into the lungs without the presence of bronchioles. The lungs are simple
hollow cases with internal folds wrinkled with faveoli for an increased surface area in advanced
lizards. The lungs are further divided into interconnected chambers by a few large septae
responsible for the surviving mechanisms, and their main functions include respiration, digestion,
and heart beating. (ii) The limbic system is responsible for the safety of humans. The memories
and experiences are restored here that are needed for safety, so it pushes individuals to repetitive
safe actions and disregard change. (iii) It is the neocortex’s most consciously accessed area, and it
is responsible for rational thought, learning, decision making, empathy, and creativity.7 Studies in
this area have revealed that the human brain consists of billions of neurons. One of the studies has
given the approximate count of 100 billion neurons that interact through trillions of synaptic
connections and function both as single units and as larger groups.8 The state of one’s brain in a
physical way of thinking, the environment within which it develops has a significance in
interpreting the way it will react to challenges at workplace. The functioning brain, the state of
one’s mind, and the emotional state that we will develop are also important aspects concerning
human resource management in the workplace. The various influencing aspects of human brain
and behaviour in the workplace. It has been conceptualised that the brain and behaviour are
influenced by various aspects of human life in the workplace. One of the literature studies on
human behaviour influenced by the culture that imprints the rituals, the traditions, and the habits
of its members is evidenced. 9 One of the studies reveals that culture is reflected in every person’s
actions, attitudes, and positioning in the specific environments.10 Another information disclosed in
the literature is that culture shapes beliefs and values, thus sets person’s self-determination by
constructing his personal identity, which has an dramatic influence on the individual’s reactions,
since it is environmental and biological factors that format the brain, and behaviour.
This external environment is an inconstant state of change that influences one’s mental set.
According to Heraclitus, yielding to change in reality is a continuous gesture within the framework
of environmental fluctuations and people’s exposures and experiences, which determine people’s
concepts and attitudinal behaviours in their current reality. The various aspects of the human brain
and behaviour in the workplace are also influenced by people’s experiences, beliefs, and emotions.
Previous literature has revealed the fact that fabrication of one’s identity through various
experience-based tasks results in a higher correlation between studied brain variables and
behavior. 12
Negulescu (2014) reveals that most decisions are taken through feelings and intuitions triggered
by a situation.19 It is also evidenced in the previous study that anticipation of a feeling of a situation
will emerge again in similar circumstances20 because the patterns of neural connections are
created, any decision is adopted, which consequently also results in emotions feeling in future
decision events. It is significant to consider the above-mentioned evidence in human resources
policies, which can bring effective behavioural changes in the workplace. These behaviours can
be influenced through identified facts, which would be useful in making specific strategies by
human resource managers.
Cognitive bias influences the individual’s beliefs and may result in the distortion of the thinking
process. Cognitive bias is conceptualised as sometimes being a form of an error when the brain
attempts to heuristically take information from the surrounding environment. The previous studies
intellectualises that a wide range of environmental factors could potentially create enduring effects
on brain circuits and behavioural reaction. One of the studies reveals that the parental and
educational factors that contribute to the formulation of the behaviour of people also rely on a
limited number of heuristic principles that create shortcuts in assessing probabilities and
predictions 21 that would lead to cognitive biases in the workplace.
Even though these mental shortcuts that allows people to solve problems and make judgments
quickly and efficiently in certain circumstances they can lead to errors that interfere and people
are not aware their impact. The cognitive biases need a deep reflection of the subject, which may
hinder by penetrating into the working amphitheatre. Developing better awareness concerning the
impact of various external stimuli on cerebral alterations with regard to the societal, cultural,
emotional, and cognitive biases, experiences, and memories, as well as educational and parental
aspects, which influence the functions of the brain and contribute to the beginning of one’s reaction
towards the specific context at the workplace. Contingent on the situation at work, changes that
take place and promote or obstruct the creation of neurons and the respective physiological growth
of the brain.
Human resources collective practises with neuroscience in the workplace
Organisational development and transformation require human resources development in the
workplace. The main practises of human resources development include the recruitment, retention,
motivation, and commitment of the workforce. In the current scenario, neuroscience has inspired
new advancements in human resource development in the workplace by supporting and improving
the effectiveness of human resource management policies as well as empowering employees to
achieve peak performance. Recruitment is an essential process of human resources management,
developing the right human resources policies appropriate to the workplace in an organisational
context. This challenging task can be transformed with a supplement process grounded in
neuroscience, which could be useful in enhancing the effective hiring procedure. One study found
that the reptilian part of the brain, which has a direct impact on dopamine hormones, aids in
reaching the unconscious mind, which can increase job applications. 22
As evidenced in the previous study, neuroscience has expanded its efforts to improve the
interviewing process by incorporating familiar rituals that increase serotonin levels by relaxing
people. Neuroscience has expanded its efforts to improve the interviewing process by
incorporating familiar rituals that increase serotonin levels by relaxing people is evidenced in the
previous study that a warm handshake or any gesture that is culturally and socially appropriate
increases oxytocin, which is the neuromodulator that forms the bonds in the workplace. 23
Neuroscience advocates better integration of people from different ranges to establish further
connection at the emotional and psychological level. One of the studies evidences. The good start
by the interviewer offering a comfortable seating arrangement with a warm comfortable drink
influences impressions formed 24 and leads to the feeling of trust.25
Furthermore, training for human resource development is necessary to keep employees in the
workplace updated with the qualifications and the competencies to make them capable of dealing
effectively with transformational changes in the organization. Personnel training to enhance the
successful learning procedure, aid retention of employee performance, and job satisfaction are the
beneficial outcomes of training employees. One of the literature has made us realise that training
is the solution to problems related to the weakening of neural connections because of not using
them and also aging. 26 The weakening of neural connections may lead to a lack of attention,
fatigue, and a reduced ability to process information. 26
Training, along with work such as workshops, study visits, and so on, challenges the brain and
promotes the neural set to create new pathways that result in better knowledge acquisition, personal
development, and satisfaction. There is an evidential appreciation for the intervals between the
training sessions. A better acoustic synchronised environment promotes the amplification of
cognitive functions, the reorganisation of neural pathways and also neuroplasticity. 27
Perception alters human perception.28 Colours could also be used during a training session for eye
stimulation since the use of the right colour and the right selection and placement affect feelings,
attention, and behaviour throughout the learning period.29 The previous studies have revealed
about personal education regarding green colour enhances concentration 29 orange upsurges the
perception 30 blue enhance performance and alertness. 31 Human resource management frequently
uses reward strategies based on the person’s needs. The rewards can be tangible or non-tangible.
It is important to conceptualise that the reward strategies stimulate the pleasure centres of the brain
while they contribute to the secretion of dopamine. The optimal working environment is important
factor that influences the performance which has to be created in the work environment. One of
the studies has evidenced that built green-certified that protects the natural environment in the
workplace increase cognition, reduce sick days, and increase sleep quality. 32 This area of research
evidences valuable facets for the employees’ well-being and the progress of organisational
performance, such as natural light, air quality inside building people work, and thermal conditions
and job satisfaction which impede diseases and reduce mental fatigue.32
Through clinical intervention, this method could be extended to human resource management.
Electroencephalography (EEG), as a biofeedback method often used as a treatment by
psychologists, promises optimization of the cerebral functions. This method could outreach to
human resource 33 management from the clinical intervention. One of the supporting studies on
healthy participants reveals that this optimal level of performance is gained through training to
enhance cognitive performance, which is based on a rewarding system that teaches the brain how
to function in a more optimal range, another study has revealed the difference between biofeedback
and neuro-feedback that can be useful in human resource development.34 One of the
intellectualised concepts developed in previous literature is that working subconsciously lets
people attain control over their physiological activity, such as improved health, sleep patterns, and
mental lucidity. 35 Another piece of evidence suggests that increasing attention span allows the
practitioner to modify the neural mechanisms of behaviour.36. One of the literature has revealed
concerning the availability of neuroimaging tools and a span of behavioural research on hypnosis
has laid the empirical and conceptual basis for their proper use. This study analyses that a decade
ago, Frith, Perry, and Lumer claimed that the neural correlates of conscious experience should
contrast conditions where the identical physical stimulus elicits a similar behavioural response
without accompanying conscious awareness.37. This strategy could well be revealed with respect
to hypnotic alterations in the monitoring and regulating functions of consciousness. It is known
that posthypnotic amnesia damages explicit memory, which is replaced by preparing other
expressions of implicit memory.38. Furthermore, this literature analysis shows that one of the
studies on a brain-imaging strategy that compares both explicit and implicit memory for studied
items during amnesia and after the cancelling amnesia suggestion has fine revealing of neural
activity specifically associated with both conscious remembering and unconscious aspects of
memory.39.All that remained was to begin the work seriously in different domains of human
resource management in the work place. 39. The current study analyses the fact revealed in one of
the recent studies, which shows that hypnosis has begun to be employed as a method for
manipulating subjects’ mental states, both cognitive and affective, to provide information about
the neural substrates of experience, thought, and action.39 The intellectuals drawn from the study
are very useful in scientific neuro-hypnotism in human resource management in the work
place. This instrumental use of hypnosis is particularly well-suited for identifying the neural
correlates of conscious and unconscious perception and memory, and of voluntary and involuntary
action.
Hypnotic suggestibility is a fragment of the broader psychological trait of direct verbal
suggestibility. The recent scientific approach appreciates its strength as a research tool in cognitive
science and in cognitive neuroscience. In particular, the Harvard group scale is described and
identified as a basis for a more broadly based measure of direct verbal suggestibility that was
commonly used in hypnotic contexts and is used in psychological research.40 The study reveals
the implication aspects of strategic approaches on these intellectuals drawn from the study
concerning neuro-hypnotism human resource management in the work place.
CONCLUSION
This study investigated and analysed neuroscientific inputs useful in human resources collective
practises with neuroscience in the workplace, managing human resources with greater efficacy in
various areas of the workplace, beginning with the recruitment process and continuing with
training, rewarding, motivation, and learning. This literature review article implicates its
applications to enhance qualitative human resource management in the workplace. The current
study findings of its exploration in the domain of neuroscience have been found to be inspiring,
which is promising for the people at the workplace who embark on the knowledge for a better
understanding of the encephalic functioning that increases the awareness concerning advanced
neuroscientific inputs at the workplace.
Conflict of interest: There is no conflict of interest between authors.
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