Fundamentals of Human Resources Management - Chapter 1

Human resource management (HRM)

The policies, practices, and systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes and performances

Human capital

An organization's employees, described in terms of their training, experience, judgement, intelligence, relationships and insights

High-performance work system

An organization in which technology, organizational structure, people and processes work together seamlessly to give an organization an advantage in the competitive enviornment

Job analysis

the process of getting detailed information about jobs

Job design

the process of defining the way work will be performed and the tasks that a given job requires

Recruitment

The process through which the organization seeks applicants for potential employees

Selection

the process by which the organization attempts to identify applicants with the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that will help the organization achieve its goals

Training

A planned effort to enable employees to learn job-related knowledge, skills, and behavior

Development

The acquisition of knowledge, skills, and behaviors that improve an employee's ability to meet changes in job requirements and in customer demands

Performance management

The process of ensuring that employees' activities and outputs match the organization's goals

Workforce analytics

The use of quantitative tools and scientific methods to analyze data from human resource databases and other sources to make evidence-based decisions that support business goals

Talent management

A systematic, planned effort to attract, retain, develop, and motivate highly skilled employees and managers

Evidence-based HR

Collecting and using data to show that human resource practices have a positive influence on the company's bottom line or key stakeholders

Sustainability

An organization's ability to profit without depleting its resources, including employees, natural resources, and the support of the surrounding community

Stakeholders

The parties with an interest in the company's success

Ethics

The fundamental principles of right and wrong

O*NET

an online job description database developed by the Labor Department

Job Specifications

Knowledge, skills, ability and other characteristics needed to perform a particular job

Skill Variety

extent to which a job requires a variety of skills to carry out tasks involved

Task Identity

degree to which a job requires completing a "whole" piece of work from beginning to end

Task Significance

extent to which the job has an important impact on lives of other people

Autonomy

degree to which the job allows an individual to make decisions about the way work will be carried out

Feedback

extent to which a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself

Job enlargement

Broadening types of tasks performed in a job

Job extension

Enlarging jobs by combining several relatively simple jobs to form a job with a wider range of tasks

Job rotation

Enlarging jobs by moving employees among several different jobs

Job enrichment

Empowering workers by adding more decision-making authority to jobs

Self managing work teams

Have authority for an entire work process or segment

Flextime

Full-time employees may choose starting and ending times within guidelines specified by the organization

Job sharing

Two part-time employees carry out the tasks associated with a single job

Telework

the broad term for doing one's work away from a centrally located office