Organization Domain (copy)

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)

Umbrella term for the various approaches and techniques, other than litigation, that can be used to resolve a dispute.

Arbitration

Method of dispute resolution by which disputing parties agree to be bound by the decision of one or more impartial persons to whom they submit their dispute for final determination.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Ability of a computer to imitate human thought and behavior.

Center of excellence (COE)

An organizational structure that leverages staff expertise in certain areas to improve the entire organization's strategic performance.

Chain of command

Line of authority within an organization

Cloud computing

Style of computing in which scalable IT-enabled capabilities are delivered as a service using Internet technologies.

Codetermination

Form of corporate governance that requires a typical management board and a supervisory board and that allows management and employees to participate in strategic decision making.

Co-employment

Situation in which an organization shares responsibility and liability for their alternative workers with an alternative staffing supplier; also known as joint employment.

Collective bargaining

Process by which management and union representatives negotiate the employment conditions for a particular bargaining unit for a designated period of time.

Conciliation

Method of non-binding dispute resolution by which a neutral third party tries to help disputing parties reach a mutually agreeable decision; also called mediation.

Constructive discipline

Form of corrective discipline that implements increasingly severe penalties for employees.

Cosourcing

Arrangement in which an enterprise and a vendor share different tasks within a larger complex, often strategic responsibility.

Dedicated HR

HR structural alternative that allows organizations with different strategies in multiple units to apply HR expertise to each unit's specific strategic needs.

Departmentalization

Way an organization groups jobs to coordinate work.

Downsizing

Termination of employment of individual employees or groups of employees for reasons other than performance, for example, economic necessity or restructuring; also known as reduction in force (RIF).

Due diligence

Process of investigating a decision thoroughly before finalizing it to identify all potential factors that could affect the positive and negative impacts of the decision.

Employment at-will

Principle of employment in the U.S. that employers have the right to hire, fire, demote, and promote whomever they choose for any reason unless there is a law or contract to the contrary and that employees have the right to quit a job at any time.

Encryption

Conversion of data into a format that protects or hides its natural presentation or intended meaning.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

Business management software, usually a suite of integrated applications, that a company can use to collect, store, manage and interpret data from many business activities.

Firewalls

Software and/or hardware that filters incoming and outgoing communication according to preset rules.

Formalization

Refers to the extent to which rules, policies, and procedures govern the behavior of employees in an organization.

Functional HR

HR structural alternative in which headquarters HR specialists craft policies and HR generalists located within divisions or other locales implement the policies, adapt them as needed, and interact with employees.

Functional structure

Organizational structure in which departments are defined by the services they contribute to the organization's overall mission, such as marketing and sales, operations, and HR.

Geographic structure

Organizational structure in which geographic regions define the organizational chart.

Grievance procedure

Orderly way to resolve differences of opinion.

Hacking

Act of deliberately accessing computer data without permission.

HR audit

Systematic and comprehensive evaluation of an organization's HR policies, practices, procedures, and strategies.

Human resources information system (HRIS)

Information technology framework and tools for gathering, storing, maintaining, retrieving, revising, and reporting HR data.

Independent contractors

Self-employed individuals hired on a contract basis for specialized services.

Industrial actions

Various forms of collective employee actions taken to protest work conditions or employer actions.

Information systems (IS)

Way to collect, organize, store, analyze, and share data.

Intellectual property (IP)

Ownership of innovation by an individual or business enterprise; includes patented, trademarked, or copyrighted property.

Job employment

Situation in which an organization shares responsibility and liability for their alternative workers with an alternative staffing supplier; also known as co-employment.

Judgemental forecasts

Use of information from past and present to predict future conditions.

Knowledge management (KM)

Process of creating, acquiring, sharing, and managing knowledge to augment individual and organizational performance.

Labor union

Group of workers who coordinate their activities to achieve common goals in their relationship with an employer or group of employers; also called trade union.

Line units

Work groups that conduct the major business of an organization.

Lockout

Action of an employer to shut down operations to prevent employees from working.

Matrix structure

Organizational structure that combines departmentalization by division and function to gain the benefits of both; results in some employees reporting to two managers rather than one, with neither manager assuming a superior role.

Mediation

Method of non-binding dispute resolution by which a neutral third party tries to help disputing parties reach a mutually agreeable decision; also called conciliation.

Non-compete agreement (NCA)

Common form of post-employment agreement that prevents employee from leaving to work for one of employer's competitors.

Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

Common form of post-employment agreement, especially in knowledge industries, in which employee agrees not to discuss knowledge gained during employment.

Organizational development

Process of enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization and the well-being of its members through planned interventions.

Outsourcing

Process by which an organization contracts with third-party vendors to provide selected services/ activities instead of hiring new employees.

Picketing

Positioning of employees at a place of work targeted for the action for the purpose of protest.

Policy

Broad statement that reflects an organization's philosophy, objectives, or standards concerning a particular set of management or employee activities.

Product structure

Organizational structure in which functional departments are grouped under major product divisions.

Project labor agreement (PLA)

Agreement that requires specific contractors to accept certain conditions in project contracts, such as paying a fair wage and contributing to health insurance, pension, and training funds.

Reduction in force (RIF)

Termination of employment of individual employees or groups of employees for reasons other than performance, for example, economic necessity or restructuring; also known as downsizing.

Regression analysis

Statistical method used to predict a variable from one or more predictor variables.

Replacement planning

"Snapshot" assessment of the availability of qualified backup for key positions.

Restructuring

Act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of an organization.

Secondary action

Attempt by a union to influence an employer by putting pressure on another employer, for example, a supplier.

Service-level agreement (SLA)

Part of a service contract where the service expectations are formally defined.

Shared services HR model

HR structural alternative in which centers with specific areas of expertise develop HR policies in those areas; each unit can then select what it needs from a menu of these services.

Simulations

Representations of real situations; give organizations the opportunity to speculate as to what would happen if certain courses of action were pursued.

Sit-down strike

Refusal by workers to work; also refusal by workers to leave their workstations, making it impossible for the employer to use replacement workers.

Social engineering

In a computer context, tricking a user into sharing information that can then be used to access systems.

Social networks

Online clustering of individuals in groups with common or shared interests.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Software that is owned, delivered, and managed remotely and delivered over the Internet to contracted customers on a pay-for- use basis or as a subscription based on use metrics.

Span of control

Refers to the number of individuals who report to a supervisor.

Staff units

Work groups that assist line units by providing specialized services, such as HR.

Succession planning

Process of implementing a talent management strategy for identifying and fostering the development of high-potential employees or other job candidates who, over time, may move into leadership positions of increased responsibility.

Sympathy strikes

Action taken in support of another union that is striking the employer.

Talent management

Development and integration of HR processes that attract, develop, engage, and retain the knowledge, skills, and abilities of employees that will meet current and future organizational needs.

Trade union

Group of workers who coordinate their activities to achieve common goals in their relationship with an employer or group of employers; also called labor union.

Turnover

Act of replacing employees leaving an organization; attrition or loss of employees.

Turnover rate

Annualized formula that tracks number of separations and total number of workforce employees per month.

Unfair labor practice (ULP)

Violation of employee rights; act prohibited under labor relations statutes.

Whistleblowing

Reporting of an organization's violations of policies and processes by employees.

Wildcat strike

Work stoppages at union contract operations that have not been sanctioned by the union.

Workforce analysis

Systematic approach to anticipate human capital needs and data HR professionals can use to ensure that appropriate knowledge, skills, or abilities will be available when needed to accomplish organizational goals and objectives.

Workforce management

All activities needed to ensure that workforce size and competencies meet the organization's strategic needs.

Workforce planning

Activities needed to ensure that workforce size and competencies meet current and future organizational and individual needs.

Works council

Groups that represent employees, generally on a local or organizational level, for the primary purpose of receiving from employers and conveying to employees information about the workforce and the health of the enterprise.

Work-to-rule

Situation in which workers slow processes by performing tasks exactly to specifications or according to job or task descriptions.