Human Resources Flashcards
What is span of control?
The number of employees for whom a manager is responsible for.
What is delayering?
Reducing the number of levels in the hierarchy of an organisation
What are advantages of a centralised organisation?
Decisions are made quicker
In a crisis there is strong leadership
What are the disadvantages of a centralised organisation?
Lack of motivation for employees
State features of a tall structure?
High number of levels of hierarchy
Smaller span of control
Explain the term ‘organisational structure’
A diagram that shows the hierarchy of the business, usually from top to bottom, showing the span of control at each stage.
State four pieces of information that can be found about a business by looking at its organisation structure?
Span of control
Number of layers
If its centralised or decentralised
(Tall or flat)
Explain why a flat organisational structure is more likely to motivate employees?
There are less layers in a flat structure meaning, its easier to provide ideas and prove creativity to managers, resulting it easier to be able to reach higher hierarchy in the business resulting in increased motivation due to higher chance of promotion.
More span of control resulting in more delegation from the manager of the span, resulting in more chances to for staff to be promoted as well as one person cannot manage everything giving employees chances to show their skills.
What is meant by the term decentralization?
Removing layers of a organisational structure allowing, increased span of control removing all the decisions from the head office as it allows employees to give their voice.
What are the benefits of internal recruitment?
Recruitment will take less time because the candidate is already known to the business
There is no need to spend time or money on advertisement
There will be less induction training
Less risk
Motivation
What are the benefits of appointing an external candidate
He or she is likely to bring new ideas and enthusiasm
More selection of applicants
You won’t have to advertise for a place of the old job(from internal)
What are the advantages of on the job training?
It is likely to be much cheaper, as it will likely be provided by the businesses staff.
It can be tailored to specific requirements of the business
What are the disadvantages of on the job training?
It can be regarded as less valuable, especially if it is delivered by people who work within the business.
It can be seen as a waste of time and tedious, demotivating employees as they feel less valued.
What are the advantages of off the job training?
Many workers regard this as a perk, involving time away from work in a pleasant surrounding, resulting in motivation as they feel valued.
It is an opportunity to spend time with people in a different environment, which can break down barriers between managers and other workers, resulting in an increased productivity due to less conflicts.
What are the disadvantages of off the job training?
It is more expensive than on the job training
If not all employees get the same training, other employees may feel less valued.
State four elements of the recruitment process.
Job specification, Personal Profile, Advertising, Interviews, Shortlisting.
What is an appraisal?
A formal assessment of an employee’s performance.
What will make an appraisal ineffective?
A lack of commitment by senior staff, a proper system of appraisal can be expensive.
A failure to respond to employee concerns or goals, e.g. if an employee acknowledges that he or she needs trained but doesn’t receive it will create a lack of confidence in the process.
Unrealistic targets being set. Employees may have unrealistic expectations of what can be achieved.
If they are not SMART targets
What will make appraisal effective?
Senior managers ensure that all managers are committed to the process.
Ensuring that employees understand the system
Ensuring that all target set are SMART
What is self-assessment?
Self-reflection on how they think the year went, usually used a starting point in appraisal.
What is a 360 degree appraisal
A 360 degree appraisal is receiving feedback from several people, however it can be used to get back at your workers if the comments are anonymous.
What is peer assessment?
The assessment of a staffs work over the year by another peer.
What is the formula for labour turnover?
Average no. of employees leaving per year /
Average no. of employees employed per year
What is the formula for absenteeism?
Total days absent in the month/
Total available working days in the month
What is the formula for lateness?
Total number of late arrivals/
Total number of scheduled attendances
What is the formula for productivity?
Output(Per week/month/year)/
Average number of employees
Why are average labour turnover for a business misleading?
Different sections of a business can have different number of employees, e.g. Human Resources may only have 2, so if 1 left it would be a 50% labour turnover that could rise the overall average of the business.
What are the benefits to employees of improving performance?
Job security
Higher pay
Bonuses
More holiday entitlement
What do managers or leaders do?
Communicating Controlling Co-ordinating Decision making Evaluating progress Leading Motivating Planning
What are the different types of management and leadership?
Autocratic
Democratic
Laissez-faire
Paternalistic
What is a autocratic leader?
Sets the work and expects it to be performed as directed, doesn’t involve employees, very strict.
What is a democratic leader?
Encourages employee input into decision making, believes in employee autonomy.
Allows employees to use initiative
Believes that motivation from employees is not just financial..
What is a Laissez-faire leader?
A leader that is remote from employees, providing little direction to employees.
Adopts a ‘let them get on with it’ approach
Requires employees to set their own tasks and objectives.
What is centralisation?
The amount of control exercised by senior executives over decision making. The business is highly centralised when middle managers and employees have little autonomy.
What is Theory X?
Theory X states that managers view employees as inherently lazy, disliking work and responsibility. They lack the will and ability to work unsupervised, having no initiative.
Largely motivated by money
What is Theory Y?
A theory Y manager views employees as enjoying their work if the correct conditions are created. Willing to accept responsibility and challenges, creative and willing to contribute. Able to exercise self discipline.
Motivated by many factors not just money.
What are the different types of managers there are?
Senior managers, middle managers, Junior managers, Line and Staff Managers.
What is the job of senior manager?
Top of the organisation, led by a CEO, working with the board of directors. They are more concerned with the long term planning, rather than the day to day work in the business.
What are middle managers?
These managers will have more operational, day to day control, they are responsible for implementing the strategy chosen by the senior managers.
What are junior managers?
They are managers destined for higher positions in the future, who have a degree of authority, generally supervisory work.
What is a line manager?
Line managers have direct input and responsibility for policy on the businesses products. Has control in their department to perform appropriate tasks.
What are staff managers?
Staff managers exist to provide advice and support to the line managers.
What are the characteristics of a manger?
Minimises risks
Sets an example
Not very outgoing
Tells employees to follow procedures.
What are the characteristics of a leader?
Risk-taker Embraces change Creative Inspirational Charismatic
What does Carlyle and Galton’s theory relate to?
Leadership traits.
What is organisation by system?
This refers to the business having specialist areas, that operate together to contribute towards the input of the product.
What is a line manager?
The personal who has direct input into the policy and responsibilities of the businesses products.
What is Taylors Theory of scientific management?
This refers to the fact that employees are motivated mainly by pay, thus by implementing piece rate into a business this will increase productivity and result in increased profits and increased wages. As they become specialised there productivity would increase further, as they jobs are broken down into separate sections.
What is Mayo’s Theory?
Psychological factors were also important as was teamwork, communication and interest from management . This could motivate staff.
What is McClelland’s Theory?
Three needs theory, states the need for achievement, The need for affiliation and the need for power.
What is Herzberg’s theory?
The two factory theory states that staff need hygiene factors and motivating factors such as responsibility and recognition.
What is Maslow’s theory?
The hierarchy of needs states that a employees have a variety of needs to stay motivated, including Physiological needs, Safety needs, Social Needs, Esteem needs and Self actualisation needs.
What are the limitations of Maslow’s theory?
Was not designed for use in the business world
General- self-actualisation may be met by the employee himself from leisure activities.
What theory actually is right at motivating?
There is not a definitive answer, its nevertheless apparent that certain factors ‘motivators’ work, such as fair pay, managers taking genuine interest in employees, work and development, social needs.
State the difference between motivation and morale?
Motivation is when the employee behaviours in a certain way to increase the rate of which goals and objectives are reached, where as morale is the feelings and behaviours of an employee the feeling of being part of a team with a purpose.
What is the basic premise of trade unionism?
Unity is strength
