U2A BMIB Key Terms

delayering

reduction in the number of levels of hierarchy in an organizational structure

dismissal

occurs when an employer terminates an employee's contract

employee morale

the overall satisfaction and sense of well-being felt by employees

employee welfare

the wide range of factors essential for employees' general well-being

human resources (HR)

the personnel (people) of a business

human resource management

the acquisition, training, motivation, and rewarding of HR

labor turnover

the percentage of a business's workforce that leaves over of time

redundancy

occurs when an employee is dismissed because their job no longer exists

work-life balance

the amount of time spent on work activities vs. non-work activities

authority

the power to control situations, decisions, or the actions of other workers

centralized

most decisions are made by senior managers or those at the top of a business

decentralized

employees throughout the organization are empowered to make decisions

delegation

distributing work to another person (to maximize efficiency and effectiveness)

flat structure

few layers of people between the bottom and the top of the business

organizational structure

the way a business is arranged in order to carry out its activities

responsibility

the duty to complete a task and to be accountable for its completion

span of control

the number of people who report directly to a manager

tall structure

several layers of people separating the bottom of the business from the top

autocratic

style marked by centralized, top-down, "authoritative" decision-making

democratic

style where business decisions are made with significant input from the staff

laissez-faire

style with little input from management; can be described as "mild anarchy"

management

strategically using resources to achieve business objectives

management functions

planning, organizing, directing, controlling

paternalistic

style broadly autocratic, but the manager considers the interests of the team

situational

style where a manager uses whichever style is most useful in a given situation