Human resource management Flashcards
Define Human resource management
Human resource management (HRM) is concerned with the management of the organization’s workforce. The key role of HRM in the organization is to attract, select, train, evaluate and reward employees as well as providing leadership that contributes to the formation of a positive organisational culture.
HRM also involves conflict resolution and acts as a mediator between representatives of employees and the executive management of the organisation.
Explain the HRM processes
HR policy: every organisation has to develop and implement a human resource policy. The policies will incorporate the overriding criteria that determine the type of skills and experience the organisation needs to attract, the reward system, development process etc.
The recruitment process: firms need to be able to attract and retain skilled staff who possess the correct qualifications and experience to add value to the organisation and help achieve its strategic aims.
HR performance: when organisations recruit staff they expect a return on their investment, all staff should add value to the organisation and contribute to achieving strategic aims.
Feedback from HR: one of the key characteristics of modern organisational structure is the development of self-directed teams with authority and power to make decisions relating to their own projects. Feed back all relevant information to senior management to help in the process of making strategic decisions.
Explain some of the most common approaches to deal with diversity
Increasing diversity awareness through equality and diversity training programmes
Increasing workplace exposure to a diverse range of workers. These help managers to become aware of their own biases and to moderate their attitudes and behaviours to deal with them.
Increasing collaboration with workers from diverse backgrounds to help them better understand cultural differences and their impact on working styles
Practising effective communication with diverse groups
Ensuring top management is committed to diversity by involving them in working practices that expose them to workers from diverse backgrounds.
Define HRM equality
Equality and fairness: the formal and informal means of ensuring that each individual worker or potential recruit is treated with respect and dignity and that they are judged on merit and not on race, gender, age or any other personal characteristics.
Define and explain HRM strategies
HRM strategies: ways in which the skills, experience and expertise of employees can be matched to the long term aims and objectives of the organisation.
Unitarism: all concerned parties in an organisation share the same aims and objectives.
Pluralism: facilitates a number of aims and objectives, not all of which will be compatible with each other.
Radicalism: is to allow the staff to manage resources and make decisions on the deployment of staff in the productive process.
Conflict: to contain and deal with conflict
Conformity: refers to a situation whereby workers disregard their differences and tensions to work in a cohesive manner for the greater good of the organisation.
Consensus: full and complete unanimity of understanding and acceptance of the organisation’s aims and objectives.
5 levels of leadership - John Maxwell
- Positional - rights
- 2 You get hired.
- Permission - relationships, listen, observe and learn
- 1 This stage is about building relationships by listening, observing and learning to earn respect for yourself in the position you hold.
- Production - result, good examples, momentum
- 1 This is when you actually start producing results for the organization you work for and proving yourself continuously. You also start producing cash and profit. Other people start to respect and look up to you.
- People development - recruitment, positioning, equip
- 1 This is the stage of getting the right people through the door with a permanent contract. You don’t want to hire the wrong people long-term. Putting people in the positions they will excel in is important, instead of wasting someone’s talent by putting them in the wrong position. Furthermore, you have to equip them with the right tools to enable them to reach their maximum potential.
- Pinnacle - respect
- 1 This is a rare position that not many people reach. There aren’t many Elon Musks or Bill Gates in the world.
Explain the core activities of HRM
Attract: to devise incentives and rewards that attract people with the best skills and expertise to join the organisation and who can add value in the pursuit of the organisational aims and objectives.
Recruit: undertake the necessary steps to ensure that equal opportunities regulations are observed and that the job specification fits with the portfolio of skills and experience of candidates.
Retain: provide personal development opportunities, rewards and incentives that encourage valuable staff to remain with the organisation.
Explain Values of organisational development
Employee relations: the process of maintaining effective dialogue and communications with employees (or their representatives) to maintain a harmonious working relationship between staff and managers.
Respect for people: individuals are perceived as being responsible, conscientious, and caring and should be treated with dignity and respect.
Trust and support: the effective and healthy organisation is characterised by trust, authenticity, openness and a supportive climate.
Power equalisation: effective organisations de-emphasises hierarchical authority and control.
Problem solving: problems need to be addressed rather than ignored but in an antagonistic or confrontational manner.
Participation: everyone is affected by organisational development issues. Participation in the decision making process should be inclusive.
Explain Developing workers as assets
Health, safety and well-being; the top priority for managers is to ensure that the working environment meets health and safety standards.
Job designs: is the process of matching the elements that comprise a job based on the needs of both the organization and the workers.
Job flexibility: value a work/life balance
Education, training and development: to devise ways of maximising the returns from investment in human resources. The ability of an organisation to acquire ever-increasing value from existing workers.
