Human Resources & Culture Lecture Flashcards

Comprehensive flashcards covering HR fundamentals, cultural theories (Hofstede, Lewis, Meyer), DE&I, organizational strategy/structure, and the HR cycle.

Human Resources (HR)

The people working in an organization — its most important resource and asset.

Human Resource Management (HRM)

The process of employing, training, compensating, developing policies for, and creating strategies to retain people.

Ulrich's HR Roles model

A framework plotting HR's roles on two axes: future/strategic focus vs. day-to-day/operational focus, and people focus vs. process focus.

Strategic Partner (Ulrich)

A role that aligns HR strategy with business strategy, focusing on the future and processes.

Change Agent (Ulrich)

A role that manages transformation and organizational change, focusing on the future and people.

Administrative Expert (Ulrich)

A role that builds efficient HR processes and infrastructure, focusing on day-to-day operations and processes.

Employee Champion (Ulrich)

A role that listens to and represents employee needs to boost engagement, focusing on day-to-day operations and people.

VUCA World

An acronym describing the unpredictable environment organizations operate in: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.

Culture

A group's set of shared norms and values expressed in the behavior of the group's members (Huijser, 2013).

Values

Deep inner beliefs that can differ from how or where an individual was raised.

Norms

Written or unwritten behavior rules that people set for themselves.

Power distance

A Hofstede dimension measuring how much people accept and respect hierarchy and higher power/bosses.

Individualism vs collectivism

A Hofstede dimension comparing preference for individual goals/working alone vs. shared goals/working in teams.

Motivation towards achievement & success

A Hofstede dimension regarding personal ambition, competitiveness, and willingness to win.

Uncertainty avoidance

A Hofstede dimension measuring comfort with uncertainty; high scores prefer rules, while low scores prefer improvising.

Multi-active (Lewis Model)

A cultural type that is talkative, emotional, and people-oriented.

Reactive (Lewis Model)

A cultural type that listens most of the time, avoids confrontation, and is patient.

Linear-active (Lewis Model)

A cultural type that is job-oriented, structured, and displays characteristics halfway between Multi-active and Reactive.

Low-context (Meyer Model)

A communication style where messages are explicit, simple, and clear.

High-context culture

A culture where communication relies heavily on implicit cues, shared context, and non-verbal signals.

Principles-first vs application-first

Meyer's Persuading scale: building up theory before conclusions vs. leading with practical recommendations.

Egalitarian vs hierarchical

Meyer's Leading scale: a flat structure where the boss is a facilitator vs. a status-based structure where the boss directs.

Iceberg of Culture

A visual metaphor where visible behaviors are above the waterline, and invisible values, beliefs, and norms are below driving them.

Schein's Model

A model describing three layers of organizational culture: Artifacts (visible), Espoused values (stated norms), and Basic assumptions (unconscious beliefs).

Ascribed status

Social status assigned at birth or given (age, family, gender) rather than earned through achievement.

Polychronic time

A time orientation where multiple things happen at once and schedules are flexible.

Diversity

The presence of differences within a setting, such as race, gender, age, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.

Equity

Ensuring fairness and justice by recognizing and addressing the diverse needs of different individuals or groups.

Inclusion

Creating environments where everyone feels valued, respected, supported, and welcomed regardless of differences.

Diversity Wheel (Gardenswartz & Rowe)

A model showing four layers of diversity: Personality, Internal dimensions, External dimensions, and Organizational dimensions.

Stereotyping

Putting someone in a category and assuming the traits of that category apply to every individual in it.

ESG

Environmental, Social, Governance criteria used to weigh sustainability, social responsibility, and governance standards.

Stakeholders

Anyone with an interest in, or affected by, the company's performance, including guests, employees, and society.

Matrix structure

A modern organizational structure with dual reporting lines where employees report to more than one manager.

Job analysis

Study performed before writing a job description to understand tasks, responsibilities, required skills, and work environment.

Person specification

Elements assigned to the person needed for recruitment, such as experience, education, and character.

Selection

The HR process of choosing the best candidate from a recruitment pool of qualified individuals.

Validity

The accuracy of a measurement; whether a test actually assesses what the job requires.

Reliability

The consistency of a measurement; whether a result would be the same repeatedly across different assessors.

Onboarding

The process of integrating a new employee into the organization, from pre-hire through the first period of performance.

Psychological contract

The unwritten expectations that exist between employer and employee relative to the formal contract.