human resources

ageing population

demographic change that tends to occur in high-income countries, with average age of the population getting higher.

demography

statistical study of population characteristics, using data such as birth rates, death rates, ageing populations and net migration rates.

flexitime

system that enables workers to have a degree of autonomy to determine when they work, as long as they complete their work by a deadline.

gig economy

labour markets where workers are typically on short term, temporary contracts or carry out freelance work as independent contractors.

homeworking

aspect of flexitime whereby people work from their homes.

human resource management

roles of managers in planning and developing the organisations people. this is done through interrelated functions such as recruitment and selection, as well as training and development of employees.

human resource planning

management process of forecasting an organisations current and future staff needs.

migrant worker

people who move to another country in search of better job prospects and opportunities.

mobility of labour

extent to which workers are flexible enough to move to different locations and their flexibility in changing to a different job.

net migration

difference between the number of workers entering a country and the number of people leaving.

portfolio workers

those who simultaneously carry out a number of different job, often for different contractors on a temporary basis.

six change approach

john p kotters model for reducing impact of change and resistance to change:

1. education + communication.

2. participation and involvement.

3. facilitation and support.

4. negotiation and agreement.

5. manipulation and co-option.

6. explicit and implicit coercion.

teleworking

working away from the office by using electronic forms of communication.

workforce

number of employees at any one point in time for a particular organisation.

accountability

extent to which a person is held responsible for the success of failure of a task or job. it allows senior managers to have better control over the running of their organisations.

bureaucracy

official administrative and formal rules of an organisation that govern business activity. it involves prescribed rules and policies, standardised procedures and fromal heirarchy structure.

centralisation

when majority of decision making is done by a very small number of people who hold decision-making authority and responsibility.

chain of command

formal line of authority, shown in an organisation chart, through which formal communication and orders are passed down.

decentralisation

decision making authority and responsibility are shared with others in the organisation.

delayering

process of removing levels in the heirarchy to flatten the organisational structure, thereby widening the span of control in the heirarchy.

delegation

empowerment of a person lower down in the organisational structure by passing on control and decision-making authority to complete a certain task or role.

flat organisational structure

means that there are only a few layers in the formal heirarchy and hence managers have a relatively wide span of control.

heirarchy

organisational structure based on a ranking system. each level refer to a different rank with its associated degree of authority and responsibility.

level of heirarchy

number of layers of formal authority in an organisation. the number of levels in shown in an organisation chart.

line manager

person directly above an employee in the organisational structure.

managers

people responsible for the day-to-day running of the business or a department within the organisation.

matrix structure

flexible type of organisational structure of representatives from different departments, temporarily working together on a particular project or job.

organisation by function

structure of a workforce according to business functions.

organisatio by product

structure of a workforce according to the goods or services produced or sold. each department focuses on a different product within the organisations overall product portfolio.

organisation by region

structure of a workforce according to different geographical areas, based on where the firm operations are.

organisation chart

diagram representation of a firms formal structure of human resources.

organisational structure

formal interrelationships and heirarchal arrangement of human resources within a business.

outsourced worker

individuals or organisations hired on a contract basis to carry out specific but non-core roles.

peripheral worker

contingent workers consisting of part-time and temporary staff hired by the organisation to provide greater flexibility.

proffesional core

core workers consisting of full time specialists who are vital for the organisations operations and survival.

project based organisation

arranges human resources around particular projects, each led by a project manager. such a structure allows increased flexibility to adjust quickly to market changes and to adopt rapid innovations.

responsibility

who is in charge of whom and in what role or capacity. roles and responsibilities can be seen in an organisation chart.

shamrock organisation

charles handy's model that organisations are increasingly made up of core staff who are supported by peripheral workers and outsourced workers.

span of control

number of subordinates overseen by a manager.

tall organisation structure

there are many layers in the heirarchy and hence managers have a narrow span of control.

autocratic leadership

leaders who adopt an authoritarian approach by making all the decisions rather than delegating any authority to their subordinates. instead the autocractic leader simply tells others what to do.

democratic leadership

leadership approach that considers the views of others when making decisions. this participative leadership style means that decision-making is decentralised.

functions of managament

roles of managers, namely the planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling of business operations.

intuitive thinking and management

based on personal beliefs, perceptions and instincts or gut feelings. this approach to management and leadership considers issues that are not necesssarily quantifiable.

laissez-faire leadership

approach based on having minimal direct input into the work of employees. insted, laissez-fair leaders allow subordinates to make their own decisions and to complete tasks in their own way.

leadership

skills of getting things done through other people by inspiring, influencing, and invigorating them to achieve organisational goals.

leadership style

ways in which decision makers behave and reveal their behaviours. these can be autocratic, paternalistic, democratic, laissez-fair or situational.

management

practice of achieving an organisations objectives by using and controlling the available human and non-human resources of the business in an effective way.

paternalistic leaders

treat their employees as if they were family members, guiding them through a consultation process and acting in the perceived best interest of their subordinates.

scientific thinking and management

based on objectivity, facts, and empirical evidence. this approach to the management and leadership follows a formal and prescribed procedure.

situational leadership

approach that considers there is no single leadership style that suits all situations. the optimal style depends on situational factors, such as the attitude, behaviour, and competencies of managers and workers.

360-degree appraisal

involves collecting evidence about the appraisees job performance from a range of stakeholders who work with the employee.

acquired needs theory

D. McClelland's theory of motivation, based on three types of needs that must be satisfied in order to improve motivation: the need for achievement, power, and affiliation.

appraisal

formal assessment of an employees performance in fulfilling his or her job based on the tasks and responsibilities set out in their job description.

commision

financial reward that pay workers a certain percentage of the sale of each good or service that they are responsible for.

differentitated piecework

incentive scheme that rewards more productive workers who exceed a pre-determined benchmark.

division of labour

process of breaking down different aspects of a job or task and assigning different people to each particular part of the work in order to improve efficiency and output.

empowerment

non financial motivator that involves developing the potential of workers or teams by granting them the authority to make decisions and to execute their own ideas to solve business problems.

employee share ownership schemes

types of payment system that rewards staff by giving them shares in the company or by selling the shares at a discounted price.

equity theory

J.S. Adams' theory of motivation suggests that people make social comparisons of fairness in the workplace (based on the ratio of their input (effort) to output (rewards).

esteem needs

maslows heirarchy of needs refers to desire of people to feel respected, having value, and having self-respect.

expectancy theory

Victor Vroom's theory that the amount of effort employees exert on a specific task depends on their expectations of the outcome

external recruitment

process of hiring people from outside the business.

formative appraisal

planned and ongoing process in which data and evidence are used to inform employees employees about what to do to improve their work practices. this is usually done yearly.

fringe payments

financial rewards paid in addition to a workers wages or salaries, such as housing allowance, subsided meals, and pension funds.

herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory

factors that must be met in order to prevent dissatisfaction and the factors that actually motivate employees.

heirarchy of needs

maslows theory of motivation, that people are motivated by different levels of needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualisation.

hygiene factors

part of a job that herzberg referred to that do not increase job satisfaction but help to remove dissatisfaction.

induction training

type of training aimed at introducing new employees to the organisation.

internal recruitment

hiring people who already work for the business to fill a vacant post.

job enlargement

increasing the number of tasks that an employee performs, thereby reducing or eliminating the monotomy of repetitive tasks.

job enrichment

involves giving workers more responsibilities and more challenging jobs.

job rotation

form of job enlargement whereby workers are given different tasks, but of the same level of complexity, to help reduce the problem associated with repetitive tasks.

labour turnover

measures the percentage of the workforce that leaves the organisation in a given time period, usually one year.

motivation

desire, effort, and passion to achieve something. it is the willingness to complete a task or job with intent and purpose.

motivators

factors that are considered to increase job satisfaction and motivation levels.

movement

when people do something they need to do, so they feel obligated to do so.

national minimum wage

lowest hourly pay that all firms must remunerate their workers, as stipulated by the government.

non-financial rewards

non-monetary factors that motivate people by offering psychological and intangibl benefits.

off the job training

training conducted off-site

on the job training

training carried out whilst in the workplace.

performance related pay

payment system that rewards people who meet set targets over a time period. the targets can be on an individual, team, or organisational basis.

piece rate

payment system that rewards people based on the amount that they produce or sell. thus their pay is related to performance

physiological needs

requirements for human survival.

productivity

measures the level of output per worker. an indicator of motivation as employees tend to be more productive with increased levels of motivation.

profit related pay

type of financial reward system which remunerates workers a certain percentage or amount of the annual profits that the firm earns.

purpose

opportunity to make a difference.

remunerations

overall compensation package,such as salaries, commision, profit-related pay, performance-related pay, share ownership schemes, and fringe benefits.

safety needs

requirements that make people feel safe.

salary

type of financial payment that rewards workers a fixed annual amount of money.

scientific management

F.W. Taylor's theory of motivation, that people are, above all things, motivated by higher wages. Hence, there is one best way to motivate these employees.

self actualisation

highest level of needs, which occurs when people become the very best that they can be and fulfill their potential.

self-appraisal

employees appraising themselves based on a pre-determined criteria.

self determination theory

Deci and Ryan's theory asserting that all humans have three basic, innate organismic needs: competence, relatedness, and autonomy.

social needs (love and belonging)

requirement to be accept by others.

summative appraisal

written description of an employees performance at work, summarising what they had done and achived during given period of time, usually a year.

teamwork

non financial motivation, which involves the combined effort of a group of workers to achieve organisational goals.

time rate

payment system that rewards staff for the time that they put into their work.

training

process of providing opportunities for workers to learn and cquire employment-related skills and knowledge.

wages

financial reward payment systems based on time or output. wages are paid as time rate or piece rate.