HRM CHAPTER 2

1. What is Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM)?

The alignment of HR policies and practices with organisational strategy to achieve long-term goals

2. How does SHRM differ from traditional HRM?

SHRM focuses on long-term strategic alignment, while traditional HRM focuses on administrative functions

3. Why is SHRM important to organisational success?

Because people are a key source of competitive advantage

4. What does “vertical alignment” in SHRM mean?

Alignment between HR strategy and business strategy

5. What does “horizontal alignment” in SHRM mean?

Consistency among HR practices themselves

6. How does SHRM contribute to competitive advantage?

By developing valuable, rare and difficult-to-imitate human capital

7. What is meant by human capital?

The knowledge, skills and abilities of employees

8. Why are employees viewed as strategic assets?

Because their skills and commitment influence organisational performance

9. What role do line managers play in SHRM?

Implementing HR practices and managing people strategically

10. How does organisational strategy influence HR practices?

It determines recruitment, training, performance and reward systems

11. What is a high-performance work system (HPWS)?

A set of HR practices designed to enhance employee performance

12. How does SHRM link HR practices to performance outcomes?

Through improved productivity, quality and employee commitment

13. Why is employee commitment important in SHRM?

It leads to higher performance and lower turnover

14. How does SHRM support organisational change?

By ensuring HR practices enable adaptability and flexibility

15. What is the relationship between SHRM and organisational culture?

HR practices help shape and reinforce desired culture

16. Why must HR strategy be context-specific?

Because organisational environments and strategies differ

17. How does SHRM address external environmental pressures?

By adapting HR practices to economic, technological and legal changes

18. What is job design?

The process of organising tasks, responsibilities and relationships in a job

19. Why is job design important in HRM?

It affects motivation, satisfaction and performance

20. How does job design link to SHRM?

Well-designed jobs support strategic objectives

21. What is job specialisation?

Breaking jobs into small, repetitive tasks

22. What is a disadvantage of excessive job specialisation?

Boredom, low motivation and reduced job satisfaction

23. What is job enlargement?

Increasing the number of tasks at the same level

24. What is job enrichment?

Increasing responsibility, autonomy and meaningfulness of work

25. How does job enrichment improve motivation?

By increasing responsibility and intrinsic rewards

26. What is the mechanistic approach to job design?

Designing jobs for efficiency through simplification and control

27. What is the motivational approach to job design?

Designing jobs to increase motivation and satisfaction

28. What is the biological approach to job design?

Designing jobs to reduce physical strain and fatigue

29. What is the perceptual-motor approach?

Designing jobs to reduce mental overload and errors

30. Which approach best supports employee motivation?

The motivational approach

31. What is the Job Characteristics Model?

A model linking job design to motivation and performance

32. Who developed the Job Characteristics Model?

Hackman and Oldham

33. What is skill variety?

The extent to which a job requires different skills

34. What is task identity?

The extent to which a job involves completing a whole piece of work

35. What is task significance?

The impact of a job on others

36. What is autonomy?

The degree of freedom and independence in a job

37. What is feedback in job design?

Information about performance effectiveness

38. How does autonomy influence motivation?

It increases responsibility and intrinsic motivation

39. Why is feedback important in job design?

It helps employees understand and improve performance

40. How does job design affect employee well-being?

Poor design increases stress and dissatisfaction

41. How does job design influence productivity?

Well-designed jobs improve efficiency and quality

42. What is work-life balance in job design?

Designing work to accommodate employees’ personal lives

43. How can flexible job design support strategy?

By increasing retention and adaptability

44. What is job rotation?

Moving employees between tasks to increase skills

45. What is one benefit of job rotation?

Reduced boredom and increased skill variety

46. Why is job design a strategic HR decision?

Because it influences motivation, performance and alignment with strategy

47. How should job design support SHRM?

By aligning job structure with organisational goals

48. How would poor job design affect organisational performance?

Lower motivation, higher turnover and reduced productivity

49. Why is the Job Characteristics Model useful in case studies?

It provides a framework to diagnose motivation problems

50. How should SHRM and job design be integrated?

By aligning people, jobs and strategy for sustained performance