BUS230 - Test #2 Study Flashcards
the vertical and horizontal configuration of departments, authority, and jobs within a company
Who reports to whom? Who does what? Where is the work done?
Organizational structure
the collection of activities that transforms inputs into outputs that customers value
How do things get done?
Organizational function
subdividing work and workers into separate organizational units responsible for completing particular tasks
Departmentalization
organizing work and workers into separate units responsible for particular business functions or areas of expertise
Pros: allows to be done by highly qualified professionals, lowers cost by reducing duplication, and easier communication
Cons: cross-department coordination can be difficult, decisions across the company may be made slower as growth continues
Functional departmentalization
organizing work and workers into separate units responsible for producing particular products or services
Pros: allows managers and workers to specialize in one area of expertise, easier for managers to assess performance, faster decision making
Cons: Duplication, which can lead to higher costs
Product departmentalization
organizing work and workers into separate units responsible for particular kinds of customers
Pros: Focuses on customer needs
Cons: Duplication
Customer departmentalization
organizing work and workers into separate units responsible for doing business in particular geographic areas
Pros: companies able to respond to the demands of different markets, costs are lowered because they can use unique organizational resources that are closer to the customers
Cons: Duplication of resources, coordination and communication can be difficult
Geographic departmentalization
a hybrid organizational structure in which two or more forms of departmentalization, most often product and functional, are used together
Pros: companies can efficiently manage large, complex tasks,
Cons: Employees report to 2 bosses (one from each core part of the matrix), significant coordination between departments is needed
Matrix departmentalization
the right to give commands, take action, and make decisions to achieve organizational objectives
Authority
the vertical line of authority that clarifies who reports to whom throughout the organization
chain of command
a management principle that workers should report to just one boss
unity of command
the right to command immediate subordinates in the chain of command
Line authority
the right to advise, but not command, others who are not subordinates in the chain of command
Staff authority
an activity that contributes directly to creating or selling the company’s products
line function
an activity that does not contribute directly to creating or selling the company’s products but instead supports line activities
staff function
the assignment of direct authority and responsibility to a subordinate to complete tasks for which the manager is normally responsible
delegation of authority
the location of most authority at the upper levels of the organization
Centralization of authority
the location of a significant amount of authority in the lower levels of the organization
Decentralization
the number, kind, and variety of tasks that individual workers perform in doing their jobs
job design
job composed of a small part of a larger task or process
Job specialization
periodically moving workers from one specialized job to another to give them more variety and the opportunity to use different skills
Job rotation
increasing the number of different tasks that a worker performs within one particular job
Job enlargement
increasing the number of tasks in a particular job and giving workers the authority and control to make meaningful decisions about their work
Job enrichment
an approach to job redesign that seeks to formulate jobs in ways that motivate workers and lead to positive work outcomes
Job characteristics model (JCM)
motivation that comes from the job itself rather than from outside rewards
Internal motivation
the number of different activities performed in a job
Skill Variety
the degree to which a job, from beginning to end, requires the completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work
Task identity
the degree to which a job is perceived to have a substantial impact on others inside or outside the organization
Task significance
the degree to which a job gives workers the discretion, freedom, and independence to decide how and when to accomplish the job
Autonomy
the amount of information the job provides to workers about their work performance
Feedback
the process of finding, developing, and keeping the right people to form a qualified workforce
Human Resource Management (HRM)
an exception in employment law that permits sex, age, religion, and the like to be used when making employment decisions, but only if they are “reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business.” BFOQs are strictly monitored by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
ex: Church, construction
Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ)
intentional discrimination that occurs when people are purposely not given the same hiring, promotion, or membership opportunities because of their race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ethnic group, national origin, or religious beliefs
Disparate treatment
unintentional discrimination that occurs when members of a particular race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ethnic group are unintentionally harmed or disadvantaged because they are hired, promoted, or trained (or any other employment decision) at substantially lower rates than others
Adverse Impact
a rule of thumb used by the courts and the EEOC to determine whether there is evidence of adverse impact; a violation of this rule occurs when the impact ratio (calculated by dividing the decision ratio for a protected group by the decision ratio for a nonprotected group) is less than 80 percent, or four-fifths
four-fifths (or 80%) rule
a form of sexual harassment in which employment outcomes, such as hiring, promotion, or simply keeping one’s job, depend on whether an individual submits to sexual harassment
Quid pro quo sexual harassment
a form of discrimination in which unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature occurs while performing one’s job
sexual harrassment
a form of sexual harassment in which unwelcome and demeaning sexually related behavior creates an intimidating and offensive work environment
hostile work environment
the process of developing a pool of qualified job applicants
Recruiting
a purposeful, systematic process for collecting information on the important work-related aspects of a job
Job analysis
a written description of the basic tasks, duties, and responsibilities required of an employee holding a particular job
Job description
a written summary of the qualifications needed to successfully perform a particular job
Job specification
the process of developing a pool of qualified job applicants from people who already work in the company
Internal recruiting
the process of developing a pool of qualified job applicants from outside the company
External recruiting
the process of gathering information about job applicants to decide who should be offered a job
selection
the process of determining how well a selection test or procedure predicts future job performance; the better or more accurate the prediction of future job performance, the more valid a test is said to be
validation
a computerized system for gathering, analyzing, storing, and disseminating information related to the HRM process
human resource information system (HRIS)
sources such as previous employers or coworkers who can provide job-related information about job candidates
employment references
procedures used to verify the truthfulness and accuracy of information that applicants provide about themselves and to uncover negative, job-related background information not provided by applicants
background checks
tests that measure the extent to which an applicant possesses the particular kind of ability needed to do a job well
specific ability tests (aptitude tests)
ests that measure the extent to which applicants have abilities in perceptual speed, verbal comprehension, numerical aptitude, general reasoning, and spatial aptitude
cognitive ability tests
extensive surveys that ask applicants questions about their personal backgrounds and life experiences
biographical data (biodata)
an assessment that measures the extent to which an applicant possesses different kinds of job-related personality dimensions
personality test
tests that require applicants to perform tasks that are actually done on the job
work sample tests
a series of managerial simulations, graded by trained observers, that are used to determine applicants’ capability for managerial work
assessment centers
a selection tool in which company representatives ask job applicants job-related questions to determine whether they are qualified for the job
interviews
interviews in which interviewers are free to ask the applicants anything they want
unstructured interviews
interviews in which all applicants are asked the same set of standardized questions, usually including situational, behavioral, background, and job-knowledge questions
structured interviews
developing the skills, experience, and knowledge employees need to perform their jobs or improve their performance
training
the process of identifying and prioritizing the learning needs of employees
needs assessment
the process of assessing how well employees are doing their jobs
performance appraisal
measures of job performance that are easily and directly counted or quantified
objective performance measures
measures of job performance that require someone to judge or assess a worker’s performance
subjective performance measures
rating scales that indicate the frequency with which workers perform specific behaviors that are representative of the job dimensions critical to successful job performance
behavior observation scale (BOS)
training performance appraisal raters in how to avoid rating errors and increase rating accuracy
rater training
a performance appraisal process in which feedback is obtained from the boss, subordinates, peers, and coworkers, and the employees themselves
360-degree feedback
the financial and nonfinancial rewards that organizations give employees in exchange for their work
compensation
the voluntary or involuntary loss of an employee
employee separation
a process that determines the worth of each job in a company by evaluating the market value of the KSAs needed to perform it
job evaluation
a compensation system in which employees are paid a set rate for each item they produce
piecework
a compensation system in which employees earn a percentage of each sale they make
commission
a compensation system in which a company pays a percentage of its profits to employees in addition to their regular compensation
profit sharing
a compensation system that awards employees shares of company stock in addition to their regular compensation
employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs)
a compensation system that gives employees the right to purchase shares of stock at a set price, even if the value of the stock increases above that price
stock options
a legal doctrine that requires employers to have a job-related reason to terminate employees
wrongful discharge
the planned elimination of jobs in a company
downsizing
employment-counseling services offered to employees who are losing their jobs because of downsizing
outplacement services
programs that offer financial benefits to employees to encourage them to retire early
early retirement incentive programs (ERIPs)
employees transition to retirement by working reduced hours over a period of time before completely retiring
phased retirement
loss of employees who voluntarily choose to leave the company
employee turnover
loss of poor-performing employees who voluntarily choose to leave a company
functional turnover
loss of high-performing employees who voluntarily choose to leave a company
dysfunctional turnover
a variety of demographic, cultural, and personal differences among an organization’s employees and customers
diversity
purposeful steps taken by an organization to create employment opportunities for minorities and women
affirmative action
differences such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, and physical disabilities that are observable, typically unchangeable, and easy to measure
surface-level diversity
differences such as personality and attitudes that are communicated through verbal and nonverbal behaviors and are learned only through extended interaction with others
deep-level diversity
the degree to which group members are psychologically attracted to working with each other to accomplish a common objective
social intregration
treating people differently (for example in hiring and firing, promotion, and compensation decisions) because of their age
age discrimination
treating people differently because of their sex
sex discrimination
the invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from advancing to the top jobs in organizations
glass ceiling
an individual’s attraction to people of the same and/or different sex
sexual orientation
treated people differently because of their sexual orientation
sexual orientation discrimination
someone whose personal and gender identity differ from the person’s birth sex—for example, someone born female who identifies as male
transgender person
treating people differently because of their gender identity
gender identity discrimination
treating people differently because of their race or ethnicity
racial and ethnic discrimination
a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities
disability
treating people differently because of their disabilities
disability discrimination
the tendency to respond to situations and events in a predetermined manner
disposition
the relatively stable set of behaviors, attitudes, and emotions displayed over time that makes people different from each other
personality
the degree to which someone is active, assertive, gregarious, sociable, talkative, and energized by others
extraversion
the degree to which someone is not angry, depressed, anxious, emotional, insecure, and excitable
emotional stability
the degree to which someone is cooperative, polite, flexible, forgiving, good-natured, tolerant, and trusting
agreeableness
the degree to which someone is organized, hardworking, responsible, persevering, thorough, and achievement oriented
conscientiousness
the degree to which someone is curious, broad-minded, and open to new ideas, things, and experiences; is spontaneous; and has a high tolerance for ambiguity
openness to experience
a work environment where (1) all members are empowered to contribute in a way that maximizes the benefits to the organization, customers, and themselves, and (2) the individuality of each member is respected by not segmenting or polarizing people on the basis of their membership in a particular group
organizational plurality
training that teaches employees the practical skills they need for managing a diverse workforce, such as flexibility and adaptability, negotiation, problem solving, and conflict resolution
skills-based diversity training
training that is designed to raise employees’ awareness of diversity issues and to challenge the underlying assumptions or stereotypes they may have about others
awareness training
formal assessments that measure employee and management attitudes, investigate the extent to which people are advantaged or disadvantaged with respect to hiring and promotions, and review companies’ diversity-related policies and procedure
diversity audits
a mentoring program in which people of different ages, cultural backgrounds, sexes, or races/ethnicities are paired together to get to know each other and change stereotypical beliefs and attitudes
diversity pairing
