3.4.1 Flashcards
what is human resources?
the function of the business which manages the people
what does human resources include?
organisation, recruitment, pay, motivation, training and administration
what are the reasons for organisational charts?
-‘pecking order’/accountability
-people knowing what jobs to do
-decision making
-effective communication
-responsibilities and delegation of tasks
-career path/promotion
what are the different roles within an organisation?
-managing director/CEO
-directors
-managers
-team leaders/supervisors
-operatives/shop flow workers
-support staff
what is an organisation chart?
shows the different jobs in a business with titles and responsibilities, shows communications and delegations
what is a span of control?
number of employees for whom a manager is directly responsible
what would be considered to be a wide span of control?
a span of control of 7
what would be considered to be a narrow span of control?
a span of control of 3 (no more than 6 people)
describe the responsibility of a shop floor worker/operative
in charge of basic duties, such as working on the sales floor in a shop or performing tasks on a production line
describe the responsibility of a CEO/managing director
establishes the long-term vision of the organisation and sets the business’s overall aims
describe the responsibility of a team leader
in charge of simple decisions, such as staff rotas and allocating tasks to different employees, for example which area of a supermarket to replenish stock
describe the responsibility of a director
sets the long-term goals for a specific functional area to ensure that they are aligned with the overall vision of the business
describe the responsibility of a manager
accountable for meeting the short and long term targets in a specific area of the business; decides how best to allocate resources and on the workload in their specific team
what are levels of hierarchy?
the number of levels on an organisational chart
what is a chain of command?
shows the people who are in charge of others
what is a line of communication?
how a message gets from one worker to another
what is delegation?
passing down authority/responsibility
what is a line manager?
the person directly above someone in a chart
what is a subordinate?
the person directly below someone in a chart
what is the definition of authority?
having the power to make a decision
what is accountability?
being responsible for something if it goes wrong
what does a span of control depend on?
-the experience and personality of the manager
-the type of business
-the skills and attitudes of the employees
what are the characteristics of a tall structure?
a tall structure is one which has many levels of hierarchy, a long chain of command and narrow spans of control
what are the characteristics of a flat structure?
a flat structure has fewer levels of hierarchy, a shorter chain of command and wider spans of control
what are the advantages of a tall structure?
-more control
-specific roles and responsibilities
-clear lines of communication
-chances of promotion
what are the disadvantages of a tall structure?
-can stifle creativity
-very rigid, little flexibility
-bureaucracy/procedures
what are the advantages of a flat structure?
-open communication
-staff more confident putting ideas forward
-delegation, meaning motivation
-easier to adapt to changes
what are the disadvantages of a flat structure?
-harder to monitor employees
-less accountability
-less chance of promotion
-workers may not be able to take on responsibility
what are the advantages of a narrow span of control?
-less mistakes and increased efficiency as staff are closely supervised
-more promotional opportunities can exist within the organisation
what are the disadvantages of a narrow span of control?
-communication may become difficult, due to lots of layers of management for messages to pass through
what are the advantages of a wide span of control?
-less layers of management can motivate employees, as they have more contact with senior staff
-number of managers can be reduced, lowering labour costs
what are the disadvantages of a wide span of control?
-possibility of an increased workload, as less managers exist within the organisation
what are the factors influencing the choice of structure?
-management style–> autocratic or democratic leadership approach
-skills of the workforce–> whether they are able to cope with responsibility
-external influences–>costs, competition, the economy
-size of the business–> larger firms may be suited to a tall structure
what is delayering?
removing levels of hierarchy from an organisation, often middle management
what are the advantages of delayering?
-reduces wage costs
-more responsibility
-efficiency gains
-can improve communication
-quicker decision making
what are the disadvantages of delayering?
-difficulty of responsibility
-redundancy
-transition problems
-reduces promotional opportunities
-motivation levels may fall
what is centralisation?
decisions made at head office, complete control and no authority to subordinates
what would centralisation involve?
the central management would pass on their instructions to a different site, staff ect.
what is decentralisation?
-subordinates have greater authority and authority to make decisions in region
-more freedom from local/branch managers or employees to manage their own areas as they see fit
describe centralisation vs decentralisation
centralisation:
-more control
-procedures can be standardised
-management better at decision making
-strong leadership needed in crisis
-communication better if fewer decision makers
decentralisation:
-empowers and motivates employees
-senior management can focus on important tasks
-local knowledge, can be more well-informed
-more flexibility and responsive to change
-more innovative and specialist input
what are the advantages of decentralisation?
-decisions are made closer to the customer and therefore are more likely to reflect their specific needs
-good way of training and developing junior management
-should improve staff motivation
what are the disadvantages of decentralisation?
-decision making is not necessarily looking to long-term future direction of the business
-more difficult to ensure consistent practices and policies, customers might prefer consistency from location to location
-harder to control costs, which means business may end up over-spending
what are the advantages of centralisation?
-easier to implement common policies and practices for the business as a whole
-decisions are taken for the benefit of the whole business not one division or department
-consistency will exist amongst branches, therefore the customer experience will be uniform
what are the disadvantages of centralisation?
-lack of authority down hierarchy may reduce staff motivation
-there are often more layers in the organisation, which will increase costs
-local or junior managers are likely to be much closer to customer needs, therefore the best decisions for the local area may not be taken by the business
what is the definition of communication?
the exchange of messages between two or more people e.g. verbal, written, images, body language or tone of voice
what are the different types of communication?
-one way
-formal
-upward
-external
-internal
-horizontal
-two way
-informal
-vertical
-downward
what things to businesses need to consider when choosing a form of communication?
-cost
-need for hard copy
-amount of information
-speed
-images
-sensitivity of message
what are the different barriers to communication?
-timing
-language
-wrong method
-clarity
-attitude of sender or receiver
-problems with technology
