Chapter 12 Human Resource Mng Flashcards
What is the main role of the Human Resource function?
To be that of strategic partner and human resource strategies should clearly demonstrate the org strategy regarding people profit and overall effectiveness
What is the crucial role of the HR manager?
To improve the skills base of employees
and
To contribute to the profitability of the organisation
Name the 5 attributes all successful organisations share.
1) primary benefits (pension, medical aid)
2) secondary benefits + working conditions (leave allowance, well-being policies)
3) training + development (help employee grow)
4) career development (talent mng, succession planning)
5) company culture + diversity (social + networking opportunities)
The contribution of HR to org effectiveness includes 8 elements. Name them.
1) assisting everyone in org to reach stated goals
2) efficient use of skills + abilities
3) providing well trained + motivated employees
4) attaining employees’ job satisfaction
5) develop quality work life that makes the org desirable
6) maintain ethical policies + socially responsible behaviour
7) managing change to mutual advantage
8) executing HR function in professional manner
What size of company would justify a HR department?
200 - 500 employees
What are the 3 steps in Human Resource planning?
Step 1: Job analysis + job description
Step 2: Job specification (type employees needed)
Step 3: forecasting + planning ( number employees needed)
In HR planning, what is Job Analysis about?
The process by which mng
systematically investigates tasks, duties and responsibilities of a job in an organisation.
Name the 3 methods in which Job Analysis in HR planning can collect the info.
1) qualified job analysis (observation)
2) interviewing
3) questionnaires
What is a Job Description in terms of HR planning?
Contents of a job
Starts with summary of job
then brief description of each main task
Content diff from business to business.
Must however be put on record in understandable way.
In HR planning, what does Job Specification refer to?
The knowledge, experience, qualification and education + personal traits needed for particular job.
Explain Human Resource Forecasting.
To balance human resource supply and human resource demand.
Name 3 factors that should be considered during human resource forecasting.
1) Economic Growth - expected growth / shrinkage of business
2) New developments - planned extensions like new branches
3) The labour market - availability, skills ect
What is the purpose of the Human Resource plan?
To provide concrete guidelines + steps that indicate how the business’
short, medium and long term human resource requirements can be provided for.
Ie - what must we do today to be prepared for tomorrow?
What are the basic 2 sours for recruitment to a company?
From inside the company (internal recruiting)
From outside the company (external recruiting)
What are the ADVANTAGES of recruiting from within a company?
Career planning becomes possible
Assessments of candidates easier
Lower costs of recruitment
What are the 3 DISADVANTAGES of recruiting internally?
Business stagnates
Staff do not always have potential for senior positions
Creates personal competition among colleagues to determent of business
What are the 2 ADVANTAGES of recruiting externally?
Active effort to obtain right person for the job
Opportunity created for new ideas
What are 3 DISADVANTAGES of recruiting externally?
Recruitment costs much higher
Risky as assessment can never be perfect
Morale of existing staff can be negatively affected
What does HRIS stand for?
Human Resource Information System
Define labour market.
The social or geographical area from which a business draws its employees.
In terms of the labour market, what is ,eant with social area?
Eg. Employ mainly women who wants to work half day.
Name 6 Recruiting Methods.
1) advertisements
2) recruitment agencies
3) referral from existing employees
4) head hunting (aka personal approach)
5) e-recruiting (media , newspapers)
6) sundry recruiting strategies (schools, universities)
Name the 3 phases in the selection process.
Preliminary screening
Intensive assessment
Final selection
Which 2 Acts influenced the recruitment / selection process to be less discriminatory?
Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998
What does the intensive assessment involve?
2 steps:
Psychological testing
and
Diagnostic interviewing
What does Psychological Testing involve?
A measurement of the applicant’s
personality
abilities
management skills
What is a diagnostic interview used for?
To obtain information that was not highlighted in the tests or application form.
What happens at final selection in the recruitment process?
A shortlist of possible candidates.
Refs are checked
A second interview may be requested to compare
Chosen applicant will undergo medical
What is the process of orientation for?
Aka orientation or socialisation
Purpose to introduce employee to rest of company + make them familliar with details and requirements for the position.
What are the 5 things an induction will achieve.
1) introduction to other employees
2) explain buss policy and rules, facilitate socialising
3) inform about practical arrangements (payment procedures, overtime, leave benefits + lunch)
4) inform of business history, products and services plus reputation in market
5) explain org structure + where they fit in + all communication channels available.
What happens after recruitment and placement of the employee in the job?
Training
What does HRD stand for?
Human Resource Development
Define Human Resource Development.
A set of systematic and planned activities
designed by an org
to provide members with the opportunity to learn new skills
What is at the core of HRD activities?
Learning
What is meant with”technical” learning?
Tasks performed physically
Name the 6 methods of on-the-job training and development .
1) Job rotation
2) Enlarged and enriched job responsibilities
3) Job instruction training (JIT)
4) Coaching
5) Mentoring
6) Apprenticeships (learnerships) / internships
Name 8 methods of Away-from-the-job training and development.
1) Lectures
2) Conference / DIscussions
3) Seminar
4) Vestibule or Simulation
5) e-learning
6) Case studies
7) Role Playing
8) In-basket exercise
Redesigning a job by enlarging / enriching the duties can be seen as:
Training and development
What are the 4 steps in JIT (job instruction training)
Preparation
Presentation
Performance try-out
Follow-up
Give an example of Coaching.
When a supervisor gives a subordinate certain responsibilities and show the employee how to perform them.
What are Apprenticeships / internships?
Formal development - qualification is received afterwards
What are the 2 disadvantages of Lectures as a form of training and development?
- Behavioural skills are not learnt when no interaction
- learners become quickly bored
What is a seminar?
Method of training and development. Presented by an outside institution.
Disadvantage - training material becomes generalised.
What are the dangers in the ShotGun approach to development?
Companies think if a training program is good, then it must be good for everyone. Clearly no analysis of training needs were made.
Name the 4 ways in which a manager can avoid the shotgun methods of training?
1) Thorough analysis of training needs
2) Ensure training money is spend on people who show potential for the training
3) HR Manager make plans with supervisor to utilise new skills
4) undertakes followup studies to determine if training had desired effects.
What is the purpose of a performance appraisal? Name 3.
To determine if the employee: - surpassed requirements of the job - complied with requirements of the job Or - did not comply with requirements of the job.
Name 5 other names Performance Appraisals go by.
Employee Rating Employee Evaluation Performance Review Performance Evaluation Results Appraisal
What is important for the Appraisal to be successful?
It has to be objective
What would the ideal performance appraisal involve?
Objective criteria where the work results are compared with quantitive objectives.
What is the least effective form of appraisals?
Where employees are compared with each other in general.
Due to numerous problems with the traditional performance appraisal methods a new approached was developed called the 360 o system. How does it work?
It is a multi-source rating system where input is obtained from various colleagues and constituencies.
The results of performance appraisals can be used for? Name 3.
- provide basis for financial reward
- determine promotions
- feedback on own performance
What does Compensation refer to?
Not only extrinsic rewards such as salary and benefits
but also
intrinsic rewards such as personal goal achievement and more challenging job opportunities
Name 2 reasons why employees start looking for alternative employment.
Job not challenging enough
Compensation too low
Name 3 important points to remember when drawing up a Compensation Policy.
- Decide how company’s compensation will compare with other companies.
- Decide on policy with regards to cost-of-living
- Must determine what form reward will take
Name the 3 types of compensation.
Direct compensation (salary) Indirect compensation (fringe benefits, leave ) Reward (recognition of good work)
What is a Piece-wage under direct compensation?
Employee is paid for the amount of work performs regardless how long it takes them to perform it.
What are fringe benefits?
These are benefits received from their membership of a particular organisation. The higher level the employee reach in organisation the more the benefits increase.
Name the 4 main fringe benefits received as part of compensation.
- Leave benefits (holidays, sick, study)
- Insurance benefits (medical aid, UIF, pension ect.)
- Housing benefits (free housing or low rental)
- Car benefits (free car / financial assistance to buy a car)
Is direct / indirect compensation linked to an employees performance?
No - only reward is
Name 3 forms a reward can take?
- salary increase
- financial bonusses
- paid holiday / overseas trip
Job descriptions have a twofold purpose. What are they?
- the basis for a job specification with a view to recruit, select or train.
- basis for job comparison with view on job evaluation
Define motivation within a person.
Motivation refers to those forces
within a person
that affects his/her direction, intensity and persistence of behaviour
that is within the control of the person.
The level of motivation has a direct influence on…
The person’s performance
Explain the “Content Approach” to motivation.
Determine “what” actually motivates people to do their jobs.
These theories focus on factors within a person that direct, energise, maintain or stop behaviour (need theories)
Try to identify employees’s needs and goals they want to attain.
Explain the Process theories in motivation.
Employees have a cognitive decision making role in selecting their goals and the means to achieve them.
Here one tries to understand HOW employee behaviour is energised, maintained and stopped.
Name the 4 approaches (theories) considered in the Content Approach to motivation.
Primary Needs
1) Maslow’s - Hierarchy of needs
2) Alderfer’s - ERG theory
3) Herzberg’s - 2 factor theory
Needs learnt and reinforced
4) McClelland’s - learnt needs theory
Name the needs in Maslow’s hierarchy.
1) Physiological needs
2) Safety + security needs
3) Social needs
4) Esteem needs
5) Self-actualisation needs
Explain Alderfer’s ERG theory in terms of motivation.
Refinement of Maslow’s theory
Alderfer identified 3 core needs:
- Existence needs
- Relatedness needs
- Growth needs
Unlike Maslow’s theory Alderfer believes 2 or even all 3 needs can be entertained at once. With Maslow 1 hierachy has to be services before one can move to next level.
Explain Herzberg’s two-factor theory.
Theory consists of Maintenance and Motivation factors.
Maintenance (hygiene) - not considered as motivation factors but can demotivate if not met eg. Organisational policy, salary, working conditions.
Motivation (growth factors) - focus on content of job. Eg. Achievement, recognition, responsibility and feedback)
According to Herzberg’s theory a distinction can be made between:
Internal motivation External motivation (involves action by 3rd party)
Explain McClelland’s theory of needs.
Focusses on 3 needs.
nArch - need for achievement
nPow - need for power (influence)
nAff - need for affilliation
What is Job Enrichment?
Form of motivation
It entails incorporating vertical loading - responsibilities normally given to more senior employees - to create the experience of achievement, recognition, responsibility and advancement.
What are the 4 implications relating to Content-based approaches?
- Needs change. Diff employees have diff needs at diff times.
- Manager need to balance the “power need” (competition) with the affiliation need (cooperation).
- Needs may be unconscious.
- managers are warned against relying too much on financial reward as a source of motivation
Who is known for his theory on Expectancy?
Victor Vroom
Name the 4 assumptions on which Vroom’s theory rest.
1) behaviour is a combination of forces controlled by the individual and the environment.
2) people make decisions about their own behaviour in organisations
3) diff people have diff needs, goals and desires
4) the way people act depends on the strength of the expectation that the action will be followed by a given outcome.
What are the 3 key concepts in Vroom’s Expectancy Theory?
Expectancy - belief that certain level of effort will lead to a particular level of performance.
Instrumentality - strength of a persons belief that certain performance will lead to specific outcome
Valence - desirability of the outcomes
Name the 5 factors that influence Expectancy.
- person’s self esteem
- previous success
- support from others
- access to information
- self-efficacy (belief in one’s own ability)
What is Stacey Adams’s Equity Theory about?
Employees compare their effort and reward with those of other employees in similar situations.
What motivation is drawn from the Expectancy theory?
Based on the assumption that people are motivated by the desire to be treated equitably in the workplace.
What problems does the Equity theory pose?
It incorrectly assumes that people are only rational, individualistic and selfish.
The role of Equity Theory has been expanded to develop the concept of?
Organisational justice
What does Organisational Justice reflect?
The extent to which employees perceive that they are treated fairly at work.
Name the 3 components of Organisational Justice.
DISTRIBUTIVE justice - perceived fairness of hoe resources and rewards are distributed or allocated.
PROCEDURAL justice - perceived fairness of the process and procedure used to make allocations or distributions.
INTERACTIONAL justice - quality of the interpersonal treatment when procedures are implemented
What is Goal-setting theory about?
Built on the assumption that,
all things being equal,
the performance of employees will improve if they strive towards a definite goal.
Why does Goal-setting theory have motivational value?
Goals not only direct attention but also regulate effort increase persistence and foster the development + application of task strategies and action plans
What is the Thrust of Goal-setting theory?
The more difficult the goal, the higher the level of performance will be if the employee is committed to the goal.
Name the 6 principles management can use to give effective feedback to employees.
1) give feedback immediately
2) evaluations should be descriptive
3) focus on behaviour not personality
4) should be specific not general
5) only directed at behaviour that can change
6) development activities should be agreed upon
What concept is central to Goal-Setting Theory?
Self-efficacy
Name 4 ways in which Self-efficacy can be increased.
- provide guidance + support
- mentors
- cheerleading :emphasise employees knowledge and ability
- reduce unrelated stress
Name 9 possible strategies to motivate employees.
1) Job design
2) Employee involvement programmes
3) MBO strategies (mng by objectives)
4) Intrapreneurial incentives
5) Training + education
6) Employee recognition programmes
7) Empowerment programmes
8) Reward systems
9) Career management
In motivational strategies, what are Quality Circles?
Work groups that take over from management for solving quality problems
