Introduction to Human Resource Management

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining key management functions, HR concepts, organizational roles, and trends in Human Resource Management.

Organization

Consists of people with formally assigned roles who work together to achieve the organization's goals.

Manager

Manages the efforts of the organization's people.

Planning

A function in the management process involving goals, rules, plans, and forecasts.

Organizing

A function in the management process involving task delegation, department and authority establishment, and communication channels.

Staffing

A function in the management process involving recruitment, selection, compensation, evaluation, and training.

Leading

A function in the management process focused on motivation and retention of morale.

Controlling

A function in the management process that compares standards with performance of employees.

Human Resource Management

Process of acquiring, training, appraising, and compensating employees, as well as developing policies and strategies for retention.

Human Resource Development

A field not limited to training and development that includes individual career planning, organization development, performance management, and appraisal, aimed at improving learning and performance.

Authority

Right to make decisions, direct the work of others, and give orders.

Line Authority

Right for line managers to issue orders in a superior-subordinate relationship associated with managing departments.

Staff Authority

Right for staff managers to advise other managers and employees in an advisory relationship.

Recruiters

HR professionals who search for qualified job applicants through various methods.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Representatives

HR professionals who investigate and resolve EEO grievances and examine organizational practices for violations.

Job Analysts

HR professionals who collect information about job duties and prepare job descriptions.

Compensation Managers

HR professionals who develop compensation plans and handle benefits programs.

Training Specialists

HR professionals who plan, organize, and direct training activities.

Labor Relations Specialists

HR professionals who advise management on all aspects of union-management relations.

Shared Services Agreements

Agreements that create centralized HR units whose employees are shared by all departments to assist line managers.

Corporate HR Teams

HR teams that assist top management in top-level issues.

Embedded HR Teams

HR teams that have HR generalists (a.k.a. relationship partners or HR business partners) to provide employee selection and other assistance needed by departments.

Centers of Expertise

HR consulting firms within the company.

On-Demand Workers

Freelancers and independent contractor-gig workers who work when they can, on what they want to work on, when they are needed, as mobile, independent bundles of skills.

Human Capital

Knowledge, skills, and abilities of a firm's workers that produces economic value.

Globalization

Companies extending their sales, ownership, and/or manufacturing to new markets abroad.

Labor Force Participation Rate

The percent of the population that wants to work.

Strategic Human Resource Management

Formulating and executing HR policies and practices that produce employee competencies and behaviors.

HR Department Lever

A performance-improvement lever where the HR manager ensures that the HR management function is delivering services efficiently.

Employee Costs Lever

A performance-improvement lever involving advising top management about company staffing levels and setting and controlling compensation, incentives, and benefits.

Strategic Results Lever

A performance-improvement lever focusing on policies and practices that produce employee competencies and skills.

Evidence-Based HRM

Using the best-available evidence, such as actual measurements, existing data, and research studies, in making decisions about HRM practices.

Adding Value

Helping employees improve in a measurable way as a result of an HR manager's actions.

Sustainability

Judging companies not just on profits, but also on their environmental and social performance.

Employee Engagement

Being psychologically involved in, connected to, and committed to getting one's jobs done.

Ethics

Principles of conduct governing an individual or group, or standards used to decide proper conduct.