Human Resources Management: Organisational Behaviour and Labour Relations

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering Groups and Teams, Grievance Handling, Workplace Discipline and Dismissals, Motivation Theories, Trade Unions, Leadership Models, and Strikes.

Group

A collection of individuals who interact with each other, may work independently, and do not necessarily share a common goal or strong task interdependence.

Team

A cohesive group of interdependent individuals who collaborate, support one another, and hold shared accountability to achieve a specific collective goal.

Functional Team

A permanent, department-based team where members share similar training or skills, follow hierarchical reporting lines to a common manager, and execute ongoing functional tasks.

Silo Mentality

A common limitation of functional teams where departments become isolated and focus strictly on their own departmental goals rather than the broader objectives of the organization.

Cross-Functional Team

A team composed of members from different departments or disciplines (such as R&D, Marketing, and Finance) who collaborate to accomplish a shared project or task.

Self-Managed Team (SMT)

An autonomous group of multi-skilled employees who manage their own workflows, scheduling, and problem-solving without direct supervision, sharing collective accountability.

Virtual Team

A team of geographically dispersed individuals across different locations or time zones who collaborate synchronously or asynchronously using digital communication technologies.

Project Team

A temporary, outcome-focused team brought together under a project leader to achieve a specific objective within defined deadlines and budget, disbanding upon completion.

Tuckman’s Model of Group Development

A five-stage model of team evolution consisting of Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning (Mourning).

Gersick’s Punctuated Equilibrium Model

A model of group development stating that time-limited teams experience long phases of inertia interrupted at the midpoint by a dramatic shift in strategy and accelerated effort.

Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team

A hierarchical pyramid of team pitfalls consisting from bottom to top of: Absence of Trust, Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Avoidance of Accountability, and Inattention to Results.

Grievance

A formal complaint lodged by an employee or group of employees concerning perceived unfair treatment, rights violations, or unsatisfactory working conditions.

Audi Alteram Partem

A cornerstone principle of procedural fairness translating to 'hear the other side,' ensuring that every party has a fair opportunity to respond to complaints or allegations.

Constructive Dismissal

A situation where an employee resigns because the employer made continued employment so intolerable that the employee had no reasonable alternative but to leave.

Progressive Discipline

A structured disciplinary approach designed to correct employee misconduct or performance issues through a sequence of increasingly serious steps before considering dismissal.

Substantive Fairness

The requirement in South African labour law that a dismissal must be based on a genuine, valid, and proven reason, such as a known, reasonable rule that was broken.

Procedural Fairness

The requirement that a fair process be followed prior to dismissal, including adequate notice of charges (at least $48\text{ hours}$), a disciplinary hearing, and the right to representation.

Balance of Probabilities

The standard of proof applied in workplace disciplinary enquiries and CCMA arbitrations, requiring that an allegation be proven more likely to be true than not true.

Incapacity Dismissal

A no-fault form of dismissal grounded in an employee's inability to meet job performance standards or inability to perform duties due to ill health or injury.

Operational Requirements Dismissal

A no-fault dismissal (retrenchment) governed by Section $189$ and Section $189\text{A}$ of the Labour Relations Act based on economic, technological, structural, or similar business needs.

Automatically Unfair Dismissal

A dismissal prohibited by law that violates fundamental rights, such as dismissal for participating in a protected strike, whistleblowing, trade union activity, or pregnancy.

Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA)

An independent dispute-resolution body established under the Labour Relations Act of $1995$ to resolve labour disputes through conciliation, mediation, and arbitration.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

A motivation theory proposing that human needs are arranged in a five-tier pyramid: Physiological, Safety, Social (Belongingness and Love), Esteem, and Self-Actualisation.

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

A motivational theory asserting that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction stem from two distinct sources: intrinsic motivators and extrinsic hygiene factors.

Hygiene Factors

Extrinsic job factors in Herzberg's theory (such as salary, company policy, supervision, and working conditions) that prevent dissatisfaction but do not create positive motivation.

Motivators (Herzberg)

Intrinsic job factors (such as achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and challenging work) that actively drive job satisfaction and higher performance.

McClelland’s Theory of Needs

A motivation theory proposing that individuals are driven by three non-hierarchical acquired needs: Need for Achievement ($\text{nAch}$), Need for Affiliation ($\text{nAff}$), and Need for Power ($\text{nPow}$).

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

A cognitive model of motivation stating that effort is determined by the multiplicative formula: $\text{Motivation} = \text{Expectancy} \times \text{Instrumentality} \times \text{Valence}$.

Adams’ Equity Theory

A theory stating that employees are motivated by fairness, which they assess by comparing their own outcome-to-input ratio against that of a referent coworker.

Trade Union

An association of employees whose principal purpose is to regulate relations between employees and employers, protect worker rights, and engage in collective bargaining.

Sufficient Representation

A union membership threshold (typically around $30\%$ of a workforce) required under the LRA to claim organisational rights such as workplace access and stop-order deductions.

Majority Representation

A union membership level exceeding $50\%$ in a workplace, granting statutory rights to engage in collective bargaining and elect shop stewards.

Collective Bargaining

The formal negotiation process between trade unions and employers or employer organisations to determine wages, hours, and conditions in a legally binding collective agreement.

Shop Steward

An employee elected by workplace union members for a term of $1\text{ to }3\text{ years}$ to represent colleagues, handle grievances, and liaise with management.

Bargaining Council

A statutory body in South Africa where registered employer organisations and trade unions negotiate sectoral collective agreements and resolve industry-wide disputes.

Employer Organisation

A formal body representing employers within a sector to conduct collective bargaining, lobby on economic policy, and provide legal advice and representation.

Trait Theory of Leadership

A leadership theory asserting that effective leaders possess inherent qualities and traits from birth, such as intelligence, self-confidence, integrity, and emotional stability.

Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Leadership Grid

A behavioral leadership model plotting Concern for Production ($x$-axis) against Concern for People ($y$-axis) to identify five distinct leadership styles.

Team Management (9,9)

The ideal leadership style on Blake and Mouton's Grid, characterized by high concern for both production and people, fostering trust, teamwork, and high performance.

Fiedler’s Contingency Theory

A contingency theory holding that leader effectiveness depends on matching a leader's fixed style (assessed via the Least Preferred Co-worker scale) to situational favorableness.

Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) Scale

Fred Fiedler's measurement tool where a high score indicates a relationship-oriented leader and a low score indicates a task-oriented leader.

Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory

A model stating that leaders must adapt their behavior across four styles (Telling $\text{S1}$, Selling $\text{S2}$, Participating $\text{S3}$, Delegating $\text{S4}$) based on follower readiness ($\text{D1}$ to $\text{D4}$).

Path-Goal Theory

A contingency leadership theory developed by Robert House asserting that leaders motivate followers by clarifying goals, removing obstacles, and providing appropriate support.

Transformational Leadership

A leadership style based on the 'Four I's' (Idealized Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, and Individualized Consideration) that inspires followers to exceed expectations.

Transactional Leadership

A task-focused leadership approach relying on formal authority, clear rules, and a system of contingent rewards and penalties to maintain performance standards.

Servant Leadership

A leadership approach where the leader focuses primarily on serving the needs of the team, fostering employee development, and sharing authority.

Protected Strike

A legal work stoppage complying with all LRA procedures (matter of mutual interest, CCMA conciliation, $30\text{ days}$ elapsed, and $48\text{ hours'}$ written notice), shielding workers from dismissal.

Wildcat Strike

A spontaneous, unauthorized strike action initiated by employees without trade union approval, advance notice, or adherence to statutory LRA dispute procedures.

Secondary Strike

An industrial action where employees not involved in the primary dispute stop work to support striking employees of another employer, generally unprotected unless strict LRA criteria are met.

Go-Slow Strike

An industrial protest where workers continue to work but deliberately reduce productivity and work at a significantly slower pace to disrupt operations.

Work-to-Rule

A form of industrial protest where employees strictly obey all rules, contracts, and safety regulations to the letter, avoiding informal shortcuts and slowing operations down.

Lock-Out

An employer-initiated industrial action denying employees physical access to the workplace to compel them to accept specific employment terms or proposals.

Minimum Service Agreement

A formal agreement allowing designated essential service workers to strike while guaranteeing that vital services continue operating without compromising public safety.