Managing Human Resources (BHB2301) – Key Concepts

Flashcards cover fundamental theories, definitions, models and practical applications discussed across BHB2301 Managing Human Resources lectures, including OB basics, ethics, values, attitudes, personality, communication, teams, conflict, power and influence.

What does Organizational Behaviour (OB) study?

What people think, feel and do in and around organizations, drawing on multiple disciplines to understand and manage people at work.

Why is OB critical for hospitality professionals?

Success depends heavily on people skills— influencing, getting along with and managing others— which are as important as technical skills in hospitality settings.

Which three levels does OB examine?

Individual, group (team) and organizational levels.

What are hard skills?

Technical expertise and knowledge needed to perform specific job tasks (e.g., accounting, operations).

What are soft skills?

Interpersonal abilities and personal attributes tied to human interaction (e.g., communication, teamwork, leadership).

According to the lecture, what three weaknesses limit common sense in management?

Over-reliance on hindsight, lack of rigor, and lack of objectivity.

List four major external forces currently impacting OB.

Technological change, globalization, increasing workforce diversity and the organizational-learning perspective.

Give two positive and two negative effects of technological change at work.

Positives: Higher productivity, improved health & wellbeing; Negatives: Job displacement, techno-stress/work–nonwork overlap.

Define workforce diversity and name one benefit and one risk.

Diversity is the variety of employee backgrounds; Benefit: better creativity & decisions; Risk: higher chance of dysfunctional conflict.

What is intellectual capital?

The stock of knowledge embedded in human, structural and relationship capital that can be leveraged by an organization.

What is the main idea behind Schwartz’s Value Theory?

Ten universal values can be arranged on two bipolar dimensions (self-transcendence vs self-enhancement and openness to change vs conservation); behaviour is driven by the relative importance of these values.

Name the four higher-order value categories in Schwartz’s model.

Openness to change, conservation, self-enhancement, self-transcendence.

Why should managers understand employees’ personal values?

To align tasks and rewards with what motivates employees, reducing conflict and enhancing engagement.

What are attitudes and their three components?

Feelings or opinions about objects/people; components: affective (feelings), cognitive (beliefs), behavioural (intentions).

Define cognitive dissonance and list one way people reduce it.

Psychological discomfort from holding conflicting cognitions; reduced via changing attitude/behaviour, belittling importance, or finding consonant elements.

In the Theory of Planned Behaviour, what three factors shape behavioural intention?

Attitude toward the behaviour, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control.

Provide the definition of organizational commitment.

Extent to which an employee identifies with an organization and is committed to its goals.

What is employee engagement?

Harnessing of selves to work roles, expressed physically, cognitively and emotionally (urgency, focus, intensity, enthusiasm).

List two outcomes linked to high employee engagement.

Increased customer loyalty and higher employee performance (also well-being, financial performance).

What does Perceived Organizational Support (POS) reflect?

Employees’ belief that the organization values their contribution and cares about their well-being.

Define job satisfaction.

A positive emotional response toward various facets of one’s job; degree of liking one’s job.

Which five models explain job satisfaction?

Need fulfillment, met expectations, value attainment, equity, disposition/genetic components.

What is Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB)?

Voluntary, discretionary actions outside formal job requirements that promote organizational effectiveness.

List the Big Five personality dimensions.

Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism (OCEAN).

Which Big Five trait best predicts overall job performance?

Conscientiousness.

Differentiate internal vs external locus of control.

Internal: outcomes attributed to one’s own actions; External: outcomes attributed to outside forces or luck.

Give one workplace implication of an internal locus of control.

Higher motivation and greater effort on difficult tasks, often leading to better performance.

What does Hofstede’s power-distance dimension measure?

Extent to which a society accepts unequal distribution of power.

Define individualism vs collectivism (Hofstede).

Individualism: loose social ties, self-reliance; Collectivism: strong in-groups offering protection in exchange for loyalty.

What are the five traditional stages of group development (Tuckman)?

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning.

Describe the Storming stage.

Members test boundaries, display conflict over roles/power and may form sub-groups.

What is a team charter?

Document that details mutual expectations about how a team will operate, including mission, norms, roles and conflict resolution processes.

Differentiate formal and informal groups.

Formal groups are created by the organization for specific goals; informal groups form spontaneously for friendship or interest.

Define task vs maintenance roles in teams.

Task roles keep group focused on goals; maintenance roles foster supportive interpersonal relationships.

State two benefits of high group cohesion and one risk.

Benefits: stronger identity & cooperation, faster coordination; Risk: potential groupthink or reduced critical evaluation.

What is social loafing and how can it be reduced?

Tendency to exert less effort in groups; reduced by limiting group size, ensuring equity of effort, and holding members accountable.

Give three characteristics of high-performing teams.

Shared leadership, high trust, clear roles & expectations (also aligned purpose, open communication, early conflict resolution).

Define task interdependence.

Degree to which team members rely on each other for information, materials and resources to complete tasks.

What are the three forms of trust?

Contractual (trust of character), communication (trust of disclosure), competence (trust of ability).

Outline the basic communication process steps.

Sender encodes message → transmits via medium → receiver decodes → feedback → noise can disrupt any step.

What is media richness theory?

Media vary in capacity to convey information; rich media (face-to-face) suit complex, ambiguous messages; lean media fit routine info.

Name four listening styles.

Active, involved, passive, detached.

Provide two tips for effective listening.

Show respect & be mindful; ask questions; paraphrase; keep quiet; involve body language.

List three common barriers (‘noise’) to effective communication.

Physical distractions, language/jargon differences, emotional or cultural filters.

What is non-verbal communication and why is it important?

Communication without words (gestures, posture, facial expressions); it conveys emotions and attitudes that affect interpretation.

Define cyberloafing and state one organisational concern.

Using internet/social media at work for personal purposes; can reduce productivity and pose security risks.

Name one advantage and one challenge of virtual teams.

Advantage: leverage diverse skills across geographies; Challenge: harder to build cohesion and trust.

What is conflict in OB terms?

A process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party.

Differentiate functional vs dysfunctional conflict.

Functional supports organizational goals, stimulates creativity; dysfunctional hinders performance and harms relationships.

List three common causes of workplace conflict.

Interdependencies, unclear boundaries, competition over limited resources (also incompatible goals, ambiguity).

What is work–family conflict?

Mutually incompatible pressures from work and family domains, manifesting as work interfering with family or vice versa.

Define programmed conflict and provide one technique.

Conflict that stimulates thinking without personal antagonism; techniques: devil’s advocacy or dialectic method.

Name the five conflict-handling styles.

Avoiding, Obliging (accommodating), Dominating, Integrating (collaborating), Compromising.

Which conflict style seeks win-win solutions?

Integrating (collaborating).

What is Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)?

User-friendly, faster, less costly methods for resolving disputes instead of litigation, e.g., mediation, ombudsman, peer review.

Distinguish distributive vs integrative negotiation.

Distributive: win-lose over fixed pie; Integrative: win-win by expanding pie and satisfying multiple interests.

List two emotional tips for negotiators.

Identify desired emotions, manage hot buttons, maintain balance, set take-away emotions.

What are the five bases of power?

Legitimate, Reward, Coercive, Expert, Referent.

Differentiate position vs personal power.

Position power derives from job/authority (legitimate, reward, coercive); personal power stems from individual characteristics (expert, referent).

What are three possible reactions to power attempts?

Resistance, compliance, commitment.

Define empowerment in the workplace.

Efforts to enhance employee performance, well-being and attitudes by sharing power and autonomy.

Contrast structural vs psychological empowerment.

Structural: actual transfer of authority/responsibility; Psychological: employees’ perceptions of meaning, competence, self-determination and impact.

Give two levers that increase psychological empowerment.

Meaningful work alignment and managerial support/feedback (also job design, autonomy).

What are influence tactics?

Conscious efforts to change others’ behaviour; range from rational persuasion to pressure.

List four soft influence tactics.

Rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, consultation, ingratiation, personal appeals.

Give two hard influence tactics.

Exchange, coalition tactics, pressure, legitimating.

According to Cialdini, name three principles of persuasion.

Liking, reciprocity, social proof, consistency, authority, scarcity.

Define organisational politics.

Intentional acts of influence to enhance or protect self-interest, often misaligned with organisational goals.

Provide one positive and one negative aspect of organisational politics.

Positive: can help adapt to change; Negative: may reduce job satisfaction and performance if perceived as self-serving.

Differentiate coalitions and networks in political action.

Coalitions: temporary, issue-oriented groups; Networks: longer-term, people-oriented alliances for general support.

What is impression management?

Any attempt to control or influence the images others have of you, your team or organization.

List two strategies for making a good first impression at an interview.

Set clear intention, ensure appropriate attire, mind non-verbal cues, manage mood, show genuine interest.

What defines an effective apology?

Acknowledges wrongdoing, accepts responsibility, expresses regret and promises non-repetition.

Identify two ways to create bad workplace impressions.

Doing only the bare minimum, negative mindset, over-promising then failing, lack of initiative, delaying bad news.

What is ethical behaviour in OB?

Acting in ways that are right and just, avoiding harm, and adhering to moral standards beyond legal requirements.

Name three causes of unethical behaviour from the lecture.

Ill-conceived goals, motivated blindness, overvaluing outcomes (also indirect blindness, slippery slope, personal pressure, reward systems, lack of consequences).

Explain the difference between consequentialism and deontology.

Consequentialism judges actions by outcomes (e.g., trolley problem); deontology judges by adherence to moral duties/rules (e.g., telling truth to murderer at door).

What is motivated blindness?

Overlooking unethical behaviour when it is in one’s interest to remain ignorant.

Describe the 'slippery slope' in ethics.

Gradual erosion of ethical standards through small steps that become increasingly unethical.

How can individuals effectively confront unethical behaviour?

Treat as business issue with data, accept responsibility to act, challenge rationale, use lack of seniority as asset, explain long-term consequences, offer alternatives.

Define social media in a work context.

Web-based and mobile technologies enabling interactive dialogue among network members, used for collaboration and branding.

Give two organisational steps to manage mobile privacy concerns.

Clearly communicate what data will be accessed, create sensible policies, ensure employees understand OS differences.

What is media richness appropriate for conveying bad news?

Rich media like face-to-face meetings are preferred for complex, sensitive messages.

What are the four listening tips mentioned first in lecture?

Show respect, listen from first sentence, be mindful, keep quiet.

Define linguistic style.

Characteristic speaking pattern including directness, pacing, word choice, use of stories or apologies— varies by culture, gender, generation.

State one gender difference in communication highlighted.

Women tend to focus on rapport and relationships; men are expected to communicate more aggressively and hide emotions.

What is flexspace versus flextime?

Flexspace: working from various locations; Flextime: flexible scheduling of working hours.

Identify two sources of non-verbal communication besides gestures.

Touch, facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice, interpersonal distance, dress.

What is social proof as an influence principle?

People follow the lead of others similar to themselves.

What is the core of expert power?

Compliance obtained through valued knowledge or information a person possesses.

Why might too little conflict be harmful?

Leads to complacency, lack of innovation, poor decision quality.

What is the 'knowing-doing gap' mentioned in Winning at Work?

Difference between what people know and what they actually implement in practice.

In team context, what is outcome interdependence?

Extent to which team rewards and outcomes are measured and given at group level rather than individual level.

Describe the concept of 'psychological contract'.

Employee’s perception of mutual obligations between themselves and employer regarding contributions and rewards.

Give one managerial action to strengthen psychological contracts.

Guard against breaches by treating employees fairly and fostering trust, aligning promises with actions.

What is social loafing and what causes it?

Reduced effort by individuals in groups due to diffusion of responsibility or perception of inequity.

What is meant by ‘dialectic method’ for conflict?

Structured debate where opposing viewpoints are presented to stimulate critical thinking before decisions.

Which influence tactic uses friendliness and praise before a request?

Ingratiation.

What does the scarcity principle imply in persuasion?

People desire items or opportunities perceived as limited or rare.

Why is ethical leadership development essential in Nigeria according to lecture news?

To counter toxic traits like narcissism and authoritarianism, and leverage the potential of youthful population for inclusive growth.