BSBA HRM Qualifying Exam – Management & HRM Theories

Vocabulary flashcards covering key theories, concepts, and terms likely to appear on the BSBA HRM Qualifying Exam.

Frederick Taylor

Regarded as the Father of Scientific Management, emphasizing time studies and efficiency.

Scientific Management

Early management theory focusing on work standardization and productivity through scientific analysis.

Henri Fayol

Pioneer who defined the classic five functions of management: planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling.

Functions of Management

Core managerial activities (planning, organizing, leading, coordinating, controlling) identified by Fayol.

Max Weber’s Bureaucracy

Organizational model stressing hierarchy, formal rules, and impersonal relationships.

Human Relations Theory

Perspective that social needs, employee satisfaction, and group dynamics drive productivity.

Hawthorne Studies

Research showing that attention to workers and social factors affect performance more than physical conditions.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Motivation theory proposing five ascending human needs from physiological to self-actualization.

Self-Actualization

Maslow’s highest need level—realizing personal potential and self-fulfillment.

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

Distinguishes hygiene factors (prevent dissatisfaction) from motivators (create satisfaction).

McGregor Theory X

Assumes workers dislike work, avoid responsibility, and need close supervision.

McGregor Theory Y

Views employees as self-directed, creative, and seeking responsibility under proper conditions.

Trait Leadership Theory

Approach linking effective leadership to inborn traits such as honesty and confidence.

Fiedler’s Contingency Model

States leadership effectiveness depends on match between leader style and situational control.

Path-Goal Theory (House)

Leaders adjust style to clarify paths so subordinates achieve goals and receive rewards.

Vroom-Yetton Decision Model

Framework guiding leaders to choose participative or autocratic decision styles based on situation.

Transformational Leadership

Leaders who inspire, intellectually stimulate, and individually consider followers to achieve change.

Groupthink

Phenomenon where desire for unanimity overrides critical evaluation, harming decision quality.

Tuckman’s Norming Stage

Third phase where group establishes norms, cohesion, and cooperative relationships.

Expectancy Theory (Vroom)

Motivation = Expectancy × Instrumentality × Valence; effort, performance, and rewards must align.

Equity Theory (Adams)

Employees compare their input-outcome ratios to others, seeking fairness.

Instrumentality

Belief that good performance will lead to desired outcomes or rewards.

Job Enlargement

Horizontal job redesign that adds similar-level tasks to reduce monotony.

Job Enrichment

Vertical job redesign adding challenge, autonomy, and meaning to enhance motivation.

Job Characteristics Model

Hackman & Oldham framework linking core job dimensions to critical psychological states and outcomes.

Core Job Dimensions

Skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback.

Hackman & Oldham

Researchers who created Job Characteristics Model emphasizing motivation through job design.

Paired Comparison Method

Performance appraisal comparing each employee directly with every other employee.

BARS (Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales)

Appraisal tool using specific behavioral examples as rating anchors.

Management by Objectives (MBO)

Drucker’s system where managers and employees jointly set measurable goals and evaluate results.

360-Degree Feedback

Evaluation approach collecting performance input from supervisors, peers, subordinates, and sometimes customers.

Lewin’s Change Model

Three stages—Unfreeze, Change (Move), Refreeze—to introduce and stabilize change.

Unfreeze – Change – Refreeze

Sequential steps in Lewin’s model: prepare, implement, then solidify new behaviors.

Kotter’s 8-Step Model

Change framework beginning with creating urgency and ending with anchoring change in culture.

Strategic HRM

Aligning HR practices and policies with long-term organizational strategy and goals.

Resource-Based View (RBV)

Sees unique, valuable, inimitable human resources as sources of sustainable competitive advantage.

Balanced Scorecard

Kaplan & Norton tool tracking organizational performance across financial, customer, internal, and learning perspectives.

Human Capital Theory

Concept viewing employees’ knowledge and skills as investments yielding future returns.

HR Planning

Forecasting demand and supply of labor to meet organizational objectives.

ADDIE Model

Instructional design process: Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate.

Adult Learning Theory (Andragogy)

Knowles’ principles that adults are self-directed, experience-based, and goal-oriented learners.

Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels

Training evaluation: Reaction, Learning, Behavior, Results.

Kolb Experiential Cycle

Learning process: Concrete experience, Reflective observation, Abstract conceptualization, Active experimentation.

Person-Job Fit

Match between individual abilities/needs and job demands/rewards.

ASA Framework (Schneider)

Organizations attract, select, and retain people with similar personalities, shaping culture.

Behavioral Consistency Principle

Past behavior is the best predictor of future performance.

Realistic Job Preview (RJP)

Providing applicants with balanced job information to set accurate expectations and lower turnover.

Structured Interview

Standardized, job-related questioning format reducing interviewer bias.

Reinforcement Theory (Skinner)

Behavior is shaped by its consequences through positive/negative reinforcement and punishment.

Pay-for-Performance

Compensation system linking pay directly to measurable employee output, rooted in reinforcement theory.

Intrinsic Reward

Internal satisfaction derived from performing meaningful, engaging work.

Dunlop Industrial Relations System

Model comprising actors, context, and rules governing workplace relations.

Unitarist Perspective

View that organization is an integrated whole; conflict is abnormal and avoidable.

Pluralist Perspective

Acknowledges multiple competing interests (management, unions, employees) within organizations.

Psychological Contract

Unwritten mutual expectations between employee and employer beyond formal agreement.

Collective Bargaining

Negotiation process between employers and employee representatives over employment terms.

Emotional Intelligence (Goleman)

Ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own and others’ emotions.

Self-Awareness (EI)

Knowing one’s emotions, strengths, and limitations.

Empathy (EI)

Sensing and understanding others’ feelings and perspectives.

Motivation (EI)

Intrinsic drive and passion for achievement beyond external rewards.

Social Skills (EI)

Proficiency in managing relationships, persuading, and building networks.

Inclusion

Actively valuing and engaging all employees regardless of differences.

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

Framework of cultural values (e.g., power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, etc.).

Ethics in HR

Acting with fairness, integrity, and respect for stakeholders in HR practices.

Ethical Relativism

Belief that moral standards vary across cultures and situations.

Diversity Management

Strategic approach to leverage workforce differences for organizational success.

Agile HR

Applying agile principles—flexibility, rapid iteration, and customer focus—to HR processes.

HR Analytics

Data-driven analysis to inform HR decisions and measure workforce impact.

Gig Economy

Labor market characterized by freelance, short-term, and on-demand work arrangements.

Remote Work

Working outside traditional office locations, emphasizing digital communication and trust.

Psychological Safety

Shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking and open expression.

Classical Management Theory

Early 20th-century focus on efficiency, task specialization, and hierarchical organization.

Behavioral Science Approach

Application of psychology and sociology to understand employee behavior and organizational dynamics.

Critique of Maslow

Hierarchy considered culturally biased and lacking empirical flexibility across contexts.

Organizational Culture Theory

Concept highlighting shared values, beliefs, and assumptions shaping employee behavior.

Goal of HRM

To maximize employee potential in alignment with organizational objectives and success.