Business Management U3AOS2a- Human Resource Management

define human resources

the management of people who work for a business

what is the relationship between human resource management and business objectives

Employees are the human resources used to achieve those objectives. So for example if an organisation set an objective of increasing sales, the HR objective would be to develop sales skills among employees and the HR or business strategy would be ongoing training.

define motivation

the individual, internal process that directs, energises and sustains a persons behaviour

what are benefits of motivation

improved productivity, strong culture, reduced staff absenteeism and turnover, achievement of objectives

what are the 3 theories of motivation

-Maslow's hierarchy of needs

-Locke and Lathams goal-setting theory

-Lawrence and Nohria's four drive theory

define Maslow's hierarchy of needs

a hierarchy of classifying human needs and motivations into five categories from lowest levels to highest

What are the 5 needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs and give an example for each

Physiological (eg. breathing, eating), Safety (eg. financial security), Social (eg. supportive friends and family), Esteem (eg. respect for oneself and respected by others), Self-Actualisation (eg. acquiring new skills, solving problems, accomplishing goals)

how can a manager help employees in the business meet their physiological needs in the hierarchy

satisfactory pay for survival

how can a manager help employees in the business meet their safety needs in the hierarchy

Long term contract within the business

how can a manager help employees in the business meet their social needs in the hierarchy

friendships, teamwork, supportive management

how can a manager help employees in the business meet their esteem needs in the hierarchy

given recognition and enhanced reputation through performance based rewards

how can a manager help employees in the business meet their self actualisation needs in the hierarchy

giving them autonomy and responsibility like running projects, opportunities for advancement

how can Maslow's theory be applied to managing employees

maslows theory suggests that if managers can identify employee needs and help employees achieve them this may lead to increased productivity

strengths of Maslow's hierarchy of needs

-provides a scaffold for managers to use when motivating employees

-the needs theory provides information based on motivation for an employee throughout their entire work life

-theory is easy to understand

weaknesses of Maslow's hierarchy of need

-it is not always easy to identify where an individual is on the hierarchy, making it difficult to know what strategies to focus on

-can be difficult to monitor the progression of an individual up the hierarchy as a strategy will satisfy the need for some employees but not others

-there is no evidence that motivational power of a need diminishes once it has been satisfied

define Locke and Latham's goal setting theory

a motivational theory which states that employees are motivated by clearly defined goals that fulfil five key principles.

what are the 5 key principles of goals in Locke and Latham's goal-setting theory

clarity, challenging, commitment, feedback, task complexity

define the goal principle of 'clarity'

goals must be clear and specific so they have a specific direction to work toward.

define the goal principle of 'challenge'

goals need to be challenging or difficult because people tend to exert more effort and try harder. goals must also not be too ambitious such that employees feel it is beyond their reach.

define the goal principle of 'complexity'

while goals should be challenging, it is important that the level of complexity does not overwhelm the employee.

define the goal principle of 'commitment'

essential that the employee commits fully to the goal through to its completion. to increase the likelihood of commitment, managers can ensure that the employee has input in the decision making process

define the goal principle of 'feedback'

providing regular constructive feedback regarding their progress and achievement and providing recognition when goals have been achieved

strengths of Locke and Lathams goal setting theory

-goals are usually aligned with the objectives of the business

-positive relationships are built between managers and employees if both work to establish goals

-employees are likely to continue to develop their skills and knowledge due to the challenging nature of goals

-employees know exactly what they need to achieve because there is clarity in goals

weaknesses of Locke and Latham's goal setting theory

-can be time-consuming to set goals

-when a goal is achieved, a new goal needs to be set which may become a continuous cycle

-failure to meet a goal may harm an employee's self esteem, negatively impacting their performance

define Lawrence and Nohria's four drives theory

found that there are 4 drives that are the main determinants of human behaviour based on our evolutionary past

what are the 4 drives of Lawrence and Nohria's theory (ABCD)

-drive to acquire

-drive to bond

-drive to comprehend

-drive to defend

how a business can meet the drive to acquire

competitive remuneration, linking monetary rewards to performance, recognising good individual performance and giving appropriate awards

how a business can meet the drive to bond

opportunities for positive and two way communicating, valuing and rewarding teamwork, fostering and supporting trusting relationships

how a business can meet the drive to comprehend

stimulating, interesting tasks and plenty of variety, opportunities to learn new skills, supporting internal training opportunities

how is the drive to defend different from the other drives

because it is a dormant drive which becomes active only in the face of a threat

how a business can minimise fear and insecurity associated with the drive to defend

creating a welcoming and supportive workplace, fair systems and processes, a culture of openness, honesty and trust

strengths of the 4 drives theory

-theory demonstrates that while money is important, there are other factors that drive individuals, helping a business gain advantage if they can satisfy each of the drives

-satisfying the drives will help develop a positive culture

weaknesses of the 4 drives theory

-it can be challenging to satisfy each of the drives for all employees

-because there is no sequence for the drives, one can be more dominant than the others

-may be a different drive for different employees, making it difficult for the managers to identify which drive to focus on for each individual

define motivational strategies

a specific action that a business or manager takes to achieve an outcome of motivated employees

what are the 5 motivational strategy

-performance related pay

-career advancement

-investment in training

-support

-sanction

define performance related pay as a motivational strategy and give examples

where an employee received a financial reward based on meeting or exceeding performance standards eg. pay increases, bonuses, commissions, etc

advantages of performance related pay

-helps attract highly skilled employees

-goals and targets are normally clear and specific

-gives employers the flexibility to pay high-achieving employees

-has the potential to weed out lazy employees

disadvantages of performance related pay

-if assessment is subjective, employees can feel hard done by if they feel they arent assessed fairly

-can create a competition based culture which can cause conflict between workers

-employees that are already internally motivated can lose motivation if they now become motivated by money in the short term

-outcomes are rewarded despite the effort or processes used

define career advancement as a motivational strategy

where an employee is given the opportunity to take on greater responsibility in the business

advantages of career advancement

- helps business retain talented employees

- employees are rewarded for their past performances

- business knows the values, skills and potential of the employees they are promoting

-may lead to long term motivation

-employees feel valued by the business

disadvantages of career advancement

-may cause resentment for those who are overlooked for promotion

-lack of outside perspective brought into the business

-may cause conflict and unhealthy rivalry amongst employees

-limited opportunities to promote employees

define training as a motivational strategy

where an employee learns and improves their skills so they are able to perform their job at a high level

what are some benefits of training on employees

increased confidence, skills, satisfaction, motivation and possibly pay

what are some benefits of training on employers

increased productivity, less errors, improved employee morale

advantages of investment in training

-employees perform better at their job which helps businesses achieve objectives

-develops a learning culture

-employees feel valued as business is investing resources in them

disadvantages of investment in training

-expensive to conduct training

-loss of productivity when the employee is being trained

-overtraining employees can lead to increased stress for the employee and poor motivation

define support as a motivational strategy and give examples

individual assistance and services designed to help employees cope with problems that negatively impact their lives and work performance. eg. employee counselling, mentoring, managerial support

advantages of support as a motivational strategy

-improves mental well being of employees

-employees feel valued, increasing their commitment to the business

-develops a supportive culture

-can reduce absenteeism and staff turnover

disadvantages of support as a motivational strategy

-may be expensive for the business

-manager may not be aware of employee's concerns until it is too late

-level of support provided may be subjective

-needs a positive corporate culture to work effectively

define sanction as a motivational strategy and give examples

penalties imposed on an employee for poor performance or disobeying a policy. eg. demotion, loss of benefits, written warnings

advantages of sanctions as motivational strategies

-some employees are motivated more by sanctions than incentives

-employees may act quicker out of fear for being sanctioned

-brings other employees into line

disadvantages of sanctions as motivational strategies

-normally a short-term motivator

-can cause resentment and conflict amongst employees

-can cause disputes and union involvement

what does a Training Needs Analysis (when conducted) identify

-which employees need training

-the type of training needed

-how the training should be conducted

define on the job training

where an employee learns at their workplace often while performing their actual job.

what are common forms of on-the-job training

demonstrations (employee is shown how to perform the task), job rotation, job shadowing (following an experienced worker, watching what they do and how they do it), coaching (planned one to one instructions from an experienced team member)

advantages of on the job training

-employees gain experience with the equipment they will be working on

-normally most cost-effective form of training

-employee can work while being trained, being productive

disadvantages of on the job training

-the quality of the trainer can vary, may not be an experienced trainer

-poor habits can be passed on

-may disrupt operations while training is conducted

define off the job training

where the employee learns away from the workplace

what are some common forms of off-the-job training

conferences (trains large groups of people where the presenter has considerable depth of knowledge), simulation (trainees placed into an environment that models a real-life simulation), classroom setting (small group setting, providing the opportunity for interaction and activities where participants can have hands-on experience)

advantages of off the job training

-learn from specialists with vast experience

-less interruptions from workplace issues

-can provide formally recognised qualification

disadvantages of off the job training

-often the most expensive form of training

-may not learn on exact equipment that will be used in the workplace

-employees may used gained qualification to leave the business

-lost working time as employee is away from work

similiarities between Maslows hierachy and locke and lathams goal setting theory

- they both emphasise motivational and personal growth, maslows focusing on fulfilling needs for self actualisation, GST highlighting the need for clear, challenging goals as drivers of motivation

- both theories impact positively on relationships. this can be seen in maslows social need, and then in the feedback principle of the gst, where the manager needs to have a relationship to provide ongoing, constructive feedback to the employee.

differences between Maslows hierachy and locke and lathams goal setting theory

- maslows theory is a hierachy where each need must be satisfied before moving onto the next level in the hierachy, whereas the goal setting theory is not based on a hierachy, infact all elements are in play at the same time, they all act simultaneously towards motivation

- the goal setting theory is based on goal setting only to provide motivation for employees, whereas maslows hierachy is based on fuliflling the needs of employees for motivation

similiarities between Maslows hierachy and lawrence and nohrias four drive theory

-one similar factor is the drive to bond and maslows social need

- another similar factor is Acknowledge learning and growth – Maslow’s self-actualization aligns with the drive to comprehend.

differences between Maslows hierachy and lawrence and nohrias four drive theory

- Maslow's hierarchy follows a sequential order, where lower needs must be fulfilled before higher ones, while the Four Drives Theory suggests that all four drives (acquire, bond, learn, and defend) operate simultaneously.

- Maslow's theory focuses on fulfilling basic survival and psychological needs, while the Four Drives Theory explains motivation through innate drives that influence behavior.

similarities between the four drives theory and the goal setting theory

- The Four Drives Theory (especially the "acquire" drive) and Goal Setting Theory both highlight the importance of setting and achieving goals to boost motivation.

- the drive to learn is similar to the goal setting theory in that the employee would be challanged and learn from the ongoing feedback provided by the manager

differences between the four drives theory and the goal setting theory

- in the goal setting theory individuals achieve one goal at a time before setting a new goal, whereas the business needs to provide opportunities to meet all drive in an individual with the four drives theory

-four Drives Theory is used to understand broad, overarching human behavior and needs in a general sense, whereas the Goal Setting Theory is used specifically to increase performance by setting measurable and time-bound goals.