摘要：Industrial Psycho logy is a relatively young discipline. In recent years, however, it has been characterised by accelerated development and today covers various areas of application. The most rapid progress in this respect was perhaps experienced in the field of personnel management. Personnel management can be defined as the planning, organising, directing and controlling of the procurement, development, compensation, integration and maintenance of people for the purpose of contributing to organisational goals. In the past some personnel departments rendered merely screening services which included little more than preliminary interviews of applicants, wage and salary administration and other routine administrative work. Personnel management has, however, undergone drastic changes in which the trend has been clearly towards broader and more important assignments. From narrowly prescribed chores, its responsibilities have grown wider and deeper. The personnel manager of the modern organisation is undisputably a participant in top management, where he provides leadership in developing policies and programmes for manpower management.Opsomming Wetenskaplike personeelbestuur kan gedefinieer word as die beplanning, organisasie, rigtinggewing en kontrole van die voorsiening, ontwikkeling, vergoeding, integrasie en instandhouding van personeel om sodoende 'n bydrae tot organisasiedoelbereiking te lewer. Waar die vroegste "personeeldepartemente" hul hoofsaaklik bemoei het met aktiwiteite soos rekrutering en keuring van werkers, loon- en salarisadministrasie en ander roetine en administratiewe take, het daar in die laaste aantal jare drastiese veranderinge na vore gekom. Die personeeldepartement het tans heelwat meer komplekse take van 'n bestuurs- en uitvoerende aard. Die senior personeelamptenaar is dan ook tans deel van die topbestuur van die onderneming waar hy leiding gee in die ontwikkeling van beleid en programme vir doeltreffende mannekragbenutting.
