Decision Making To Improve HR Performance Flashcards

1
Q

HR objectives

A
  • Employee engagement and involvement
  • Talent development
  • Training
  • Diversity
  • Alignment of values
  • Number skill and location of employees
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2
Q

Internal influences on HR objectives

A
Financial constraints 
Corporate culture
Organisational structure 
Trade unions and employee relations 
Overall performance of businesses
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3
Q

External influences of HR objectives

A
Political.            PEST
Economic
Social 
Technological
Legislation 
Action of competitors 
Structure of population
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4
Q

What is a hard HR approach - short term

A
Employees have limited control 
Pay is minimum 
Employees treated as a resource to be monitored and used efficiently 
Linked to authoritarian 
Theory x leadership
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5
Q

What is a soft HR approach - long term

A

Treats employees as valuable assets
Objectives focus on motivational issues,culture
Develops workforce rather than recruiting
Linked to democratic style of management

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6
Q

Organisational design

A

A process of reshaping an organisational structure and roles to fit in with the strategy of the business

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7
Q

Organisational structure

A

Relationship between different people and functions in an organisation

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8
Q

Influences on organisational design

A
  • Size
  • Nature of the business
  • Culture and attitudes of senior management
  • Skills And experience
  • External environment
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9
Q

Delegation

A

Assignment of responsibility/authority to another person to carry out specific activities

Person who delegates remains accountable for outcomes

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10
Q

Authority

A

The power to give orders, make decisions and enforce obedience

Having power or control over subordinates

Ultimate responsibility remains with senior managers

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11
Q

Accountability

A

The responsibility of an individual to account for their activities positively or negatively

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12
Q

Span of control

A

Number of functions or people which an individual is responsible for

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13
Q

Hierarchy

A

The pyramidal like ranking of individuals within an organisational structure

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14
Q

Centralisation

A

Greater degree of central control over the business

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15
Q

Decentralisation

A

Authority is delegated to regions or subordinates

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16
Q

Influences of centralisation

A
  • Can gain economies of scale
  • Can utilise specialisation more easily
  • Strong leadership
  • Authoritarian style of leadership
  • Organisation with many common policies and practices
  • Bureaucratic organisation
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17
Q

Influences of decentralisation

A
  • Decisions are made with closer links to customers
  • Links with local communities
  • Organisation recognised for customer service
  • Democratic leadership
  • Used as a motivational tool
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18
Q

Advantages of a narrow span of control ( tall structure)

A
  • Allows for tight control and close supervision
  • Communication with subordinates is easier
  • Good for unskilled workers
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19
Q

Disadvantages of a narrow span of control( tall structure)

A
  • Subordinates may feel left out of decision making process and lack motivation
  • Management and administration costs are high
  • Coordinating decisions of numerous managers can be difficult
  • Too much supervision can stifle initiative and motivation
20
Q

Advantages of a wide span of control( flat structure)

A
  • Fewer levels of management and decision making
  • Lower supervision costs
  • Greater decision making authority for subordinates can increase job satisfaction
21
Q

Disadvantages of a wide span of control (Flat structure)

A
  • Direct supervision of subordinates can become difficult and management can loose control
  • Subordinates may have more than one boss
  • Motivation and output may be impaired if orders become confused
  • The structure may become unworkable as business expands
22
Q

What is human resources

A

The management of people in the workplace to assist the organisation to achieve its objectives

23
Q

Labour productivity

A

Output per period /number of employees

24
Q

Labour cost per unit

A

Labour costs /units of output

25
Q

Employee costs as % of turnover

A

Employee costs / sales turnover *100

26
Q

Labour turnover

A

Number of staff leaving/average number of staff employed *100

27
Q

Benefits of high staff turnover

A
  • Constant stream of new ideas through new staff
  • They can recruit staff who have already being trained by competitors -saves money
  • Enthusiasm of new staff influences others
28
Q

Disadvantages of high staff turnover

A
  • Lack of loyal and experienced staff who know the business
  • Firm looses staff it has trained, often to competitors
  • Training costs money and productivity drops while new staff get trained
  • Recruitment costs are high
29
Q

Labour retention - company’s ability to keep hold of its employees

A

Number of employees employed for one year or more / average number of staff* 100

30
Q

Absenteeism

A

Number of days lost to unauthorised absence/total possible days worked by workers *100

31
Q

How to reduce staff turnover

A
  • Training and Carter development
  • Appropriate motivation
  • Involving employees in making decisions
  • Setting realistic targets
32
Q

How to increase labour productivity

A
  • Improve technology
  • Recruiting suitably skilled and trained employees
  • Training to improve skills and attitudes if existing employees
  • using appropriate remuneration
  • Improving working practices
33
Q

Labour costs per unit of production

A

Average wage rate per hour * average labour hours per unit

34
Q

What’s employee engagement

A

Exists when an employee is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and take positive actions to meet the organisations goal

35
Q

What’s employee involvement

A

People are able to have an impact on decisions and actions that affect their working lives. Enables employees to contribute to continuous improvement and performance

36
Q

Benefits of high levels of engagement and motivation

A
  • Low absenteeism
  • Low labour turnover
  • Good relations between manager and other employees
  • High levels of productivity
  • better customer service , customer loyalty
37
Q

Motivation

A

Describes the factors that arouse,maintain and channel behaviour towards a goal

38
Q

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

A

Physiological , safety ,social, Esteem and self actualisation

39
Q

Herzbergs Hygiene factors

They don’t motivate but without them workers are dissatisfied

A

Good company policy,supervision,work conditions,pay and relations

40
Q

Herzbergs motivating factors

A

Interesting work, personal achievement, recognition of achievement, scope for more responsibility, personal development

41
Q

Herzbergs theory

A

Recognises motivation comes from individuals needs
Provides clear solutions to businesses

Although based on small sample, doesn’t consider people ave different hygiene and motivation needs

42
Q

Non financial motivation.

A
Job enlargement
Job enrichment 
Empowerment 
Team Working
Good working environments and providing facilities eg free gym
43
Q

Financial methods of motivation

A

Piece rate - paid per unit produced
Salary schemes
Commission
Performance related pay

44
Q

Taylor’s motivation theory

A

Workers motivated by money and do minimum work if left
Used scientific management - jobs done most efficient way, all workers do job like that, right workers
Favours division of labour ( small repetitive tasks)
Pay according to quantity produced - motivate workers, higher productivity so fewer workers needed

45
Q

Advantages of employee representation

A
  • Often more effective to approach an organisation as a group as they have bigger influence and more forceful
  • Collective bargaining helps achieve long term aims
  • Helpful for management to have a small representative group
  • senior management get direct insight into concerns of workforce
46
Q

Disadvantages of employee representation

A
  • It can lead to industrial action eg decreased productivity or strike
  • Strikes can turn violent
  • Leads to lost profits
  • Industrial action may undermine trust between employer and employee .breakdown. Communication will damage the relationship