Organization notecards directly from SHRM

Question 1

Digitized instructional content delivered to wireless mobile devices (E.g., smartphones, tablet computers, notecards, and digital readers

Answer 1

Mobile learning

Question 2

Form of corrective discipline that implements increasingly severe penalties for employees; also called progressive discipline

Answer 2

Constructive discipline

Question 3

Umbrella term for the various approaches and techniques, other than litigation, that can be used to resolve a dispute

Answer 3

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)

Question 4

Method of dispute resolution by which disputing parties agree to be bound by the decision of one or more impartial persons to whom they submit their dispute for final determination

Answer 4

Arbitration

Question 5

Line of authority within an organization

Answer 5

Chain of command

Question 6

Various forms of collective employee actions taken to protest work conditions or employer action.

Answer 6

Industrial actions

Question 7

HR structural alternative in which headquarters HR specialists craft policies and HR generalist located within divisions or other locales implement the policies, adapt them as needed, and interact with employees

Answer 7

Functional HR

Question 8

Broadcast-style communications that enable authors to publish articles, opinions, product or service reviews, etc., on a web page

Answer 8

Blogs

Question 9

High-volume, high-velocity, and high-variety information assets that require innovative forms of information processing for enhanced insight and decision making.

Answer 9

Big Data

Question 10

Organizational structure that mixes elements of the functional, product, and geographic structures.

Answer 10

Hybrid Structure

Question 11

Process of creating, acquiring, sharing, and managing knowledge to augment individual and organizational performance.

Answer 11

Knowledge Management (KM)

Question 12

Self-employed individuals hired on a contract basis for specialized services

Answer 12

Independent Contractors

Question 13

Organizational structure that divides an organization into “front” functions, which focus on customers or market groups, and “back” functions, which design and develop products and services

Answer 13

Front-Back Structure

Question 14

Principle of employment in the U.S. that employers have the right to hire, fire, demote, and promote whomever they choose for any reason unless there is a law or contract to the contrary and that employees have the right to quit a job at any time

Answer 14

Employment at-will

Question 15

Orderly way to resolve differences of opinion

Answer 15

Grievance procedure

Question 16

HR structural alternative that allows organizations with different strategies in multiple units to apply HR expertise to each unit’s specific strategic needs

Answer 16

Dedicated HR

Question 17

Process of implementing a talent management strategy for indentifying and fostering the development of high-potential employees or other job candidates who, over time, may move into leadership positions of increased responsibility

Answer 17

Succession Planning

Question 18

Systematic and comprehensive evaluation of an organization’s HR policies, practices, procedures, and strategies

Answer 18

HR Audit

Question 19

Organizational structure in which functional departments are grouped under major product divisions

Answer 19

Product structure

Question 20

Variety of software applications that electronically manage stored data

Answer 20

Database Management System (DBMS)

Question 21

Work groups that conduct the major business of an organization

Answer 21

Line units

Question 22

Positioning of employees at a place of work targeted for the action for the purpose of protest

Answer 22

Picketing

Question 23

Process by which management and union representatives negotiate the employment conditions for a particular bargaining unit for a designated period of time.

Answer 23

Collective Bargaining

Question 24

Situation in which an organization shares responsibility and liability for their alternative workers with an alternative staffing supplier; also known as co-employment

Answer 24

Joint Employment

Question 25

Approach to determining the financial impact of an organization's activities and programs on profitability, through a process of data or calculation comparing value created against the cost of creating that value

Answer 25

Cost- benefit analysis (CBA)

Question 26

Organizational structure in which geographic regions define the organizational chart

Answer 26

Geographic structure

Question 27

Act of deliberately accessing a computer without permission

Answer 27

hacking

Question 28

Style of computing in which scalable IT-enabled capabilities are delivered as a service using internet technolgoies

Answer 28

Cloud computing

Question 29

Situation in which an organization shares responsbility and liability for their alternative workers with an alternative staffing supplier;also known as joint employment

Answer 29

Co-Employment

Question 30

Termination of employment of individual employees and groups of employees for reasons other than performance, for example, economic necessity or restructuring; also known as reduction in force (RIF)

Answer 30

Downsizing

Question 31

Data structure that stores organized information (numeric information as well as sound clips, pictures, and videos)

Answer 31

Database

Question 32

Selective use of game design and game mechanics to drive employee engagement in non-gaming business scenarios

Answer 32

Gamification

Question 33

Refusal by workers to work; also refusal by workers to leave their workstations, making it impossible for the employer to use replacement workers

Answer 33

Sit-down strike

Question 34

Refers to the extent to which rules, policies, and procedures govern the behavior of employees in an organization

Answer 34

Formalization

Question 35

Act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of an organization

Answer 35

Restructuring

Question 36

Arrangement in which an enterprise and a vendor share different tasks within a larger complex, often strategic responsibility.

Answer 36

Cosourcing

Question 37

HR structural alternative in which centers with specific areas of expertise develop HR policies in those areas;

Answer 37

Shared Services HR model

Question 38

Ownership of innovation by an individual or business enterprise; includes patented, trademarked, or copyrighted property

Answer 38

Intellectual Property (IP)

Question 39

Type of analysis in which factors that can influence an outcome in either a negative or positive manner are listed and then assigned weights to indicate their relative strengths

Answer 39

Force-field analysis

Question 40

Situation in which workers slow processes by performing tasks exactly to specifications or according to job or task descriptions

Answer 40

Work-to-rule

Question 41

Reporting mechanisms that aggregate and display metrics and key performance indicators

Answer 41

Dashboards

Question 42

Business management software, usually a suite of integrated applications, that a company can use to collect, store, manage and interpret data from many business activities

Answer 42

Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

Question 43

Annualized formula that tracks number of separations and total number of workforce employees per month

Answer 43

turnover rate

Question 44

Strategic process by which an organization analyzes its current workforce and determines the steps required to prepare for its future needs

Answer 44

Workforce Planning

Question 45

Information technology framework and tools for gathering, storing, maintaining, retrieving, revising, and reporting relevant HR data.

Answer 45

Human Resource Information System (HRIS)

Question 46

Violation of employee rights; act prohibited under labor relations statutes

Answer 46

Unfair labor practice (ULP)

Question 47

Organizational structure in which departments are defined by the services they contribute to the organization's overall mission, such as marketing and sales, operations, and HR

Answer 47

Functional Structure

Question 48

Conversion of data into a format that protects or hides its natural presentation or intended meaning

Answer 48

Encryption

Question 49

use of information from past and present to predict future conditions

Answer 49

Judgmental forecasts

Question 50

Group of workers who formally organize and coordinate their activities to achieve common goals in their relationship with an employer or group of employers; also called trade union.

Answer 50

Labor union

Question 51

Groups that represent employees, generally on a local or organizational level, for the primary purpose of receiving from employers and conveying to employees information about the workforce and the health of the enterprise.

Answer 51

Works councils

Question 52

Work stoppages at union contract operations that have not been sanctioned by the union

Answer 52

Wildcat strike

Question 53

Part of a service contract where the service expectations are formally defined

Answer 53

Service-level agreement (SLA)

Question 54

Process by which an organization contracts with third-party vendors to provide selected services/activities, instead of hiring new employees

Answer 54

Outsourcing

Question 55

Software that is owned, delivered, and managed remotely and delivered over the internet to contracted customers on a pay-for-use basis or as a subscription based on use metrics

Answer 55

Software as a service (SAAS)

Question 56

Systems of integrated HR processes for attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining employees who have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to meet current and future business needs

Answer 56

Talent management

Question 57

Organizational structure that combines departmentalization by division and function to gain the benefits of both; results in some employees reporting to two managers rather than one, with neither manager assuming a superior role.

Answer 57

matrix structure

Question 58

Umbrella term for specialized collaborative software applications

Answer 58

groupware

Question 59

Work groups that assist line units by providing specialized services, such as HR

Answer 59

Staff units

Question 60

Process of studying data to detect patterns and relationships that can be used to make predictions and improve decisions

Answer 60

Data analytics

Question 61

Method of nonbinding dispute resolution by which a neutral third party tries to help disputing parties reach a mutually agreeable decision;also called mediation

Answer 61

Conciliation

Question 62

Termination of employment of individual employees and groups of employees for reasons other than performance, for example, economic necessity or restructuring; also known as downsizing.

Answer 62

Reduction in force (RIF)

Question 63

Use of technology to collect, process and condense information, for the purpose of managing the information efficiently as an organizational resource

Answer 63

Information Management (IM)

Question 64

Method of nonbinding dispute resolution by which a neutral third party tries to help disputing parties reach a mutually agreeable decision; also called conciliation

Answer 64

Mediation

Question 65

Way an organization groups jobs to coordinate work

Answer 65

Departmentalization

Question 66

Group of workers who formally organize and coordinate their activities to achieve common goals in their relationship with an employer or group of employers; also called labor union

Answer 66

Trade union

Question 67

Systematic approach to anticipate human capital needs and data HR professionals can use to ensure that appropriate knowledge, skills, or abilities will be available when needed to accomplish organizational goals and objectives

Answer 67

Workforce analysis

Question 68

Action taken in support of another union that is striking the employer

Answer 68

Sympathy strike

Question 69

Process of enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization and the well-being of its members through planned interventions

Answer 69

Organizational Development

Question 70

Decision-making tool in which a team determines critical characteristics of a successful decision; a matrix is used to score each alternative and compare results

Answer 70

Multi-criteria decision analysis

Question 71

Broad statement that reflects an organization's philosophy, objectives, or standards concerning a particular set of management or employee activities

Answer 71

Policy

Question 72

HR structural alternative established as an independent department that provides services within a focused area to internal clients

Answer 72

Center of Excellence (COE)

Question 73

"Snapshot" assessment of the availability of qualified backup for key positions

Answer 73

Replacement Planning

Question 74

All activities needed to ensure that the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics of the workforce meet current and future organizational and individual needs

Answer 74

Workforce management

Question 75

Attempt by a union to influence an employer by putting pressure on another employer, for example, a supplier

Answer 75

Secondary action

Question 76

Form of corporate governance that requires a typical management board and a supervisory board and that allows management and employees to participate in strategic decision making

Answer 76

Codetermination

Question 77

Act of replacing employees leaving an organization; attrition or loss of employees

Answer 77

Turnover

Question 78

Refers to the number of individuals who report to a supervisor

Answer 78

Span of control