Flashcards · 9609 · A Level Topic 7

Human resource management (A Level) flashcards

27 cards on A Level Topic 7, subtopics 7.1 to 7.4. Pick a subtopic or study them all.

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7.1 Organisational structure

Span of control and levels of hierarchy: Span of control: the number of subordinates reporting directly to one manager. Levels of hierarchy: the layers of management from top to bottom. For a given workforce, a wider span means fewer levels.
How many people are in a four-level hierarchy where every manager, including the top post, has a span of 3?: 1 + 3 + 9 + 27 = 40 people.
Tall (narrow) vs flat structures: Tall: close control and promotion steps, but slow, costly communication. Flat: fast communication and lower cost, but overloaded managers with wide spans.
Matrix structure: advantage and disadvantage: Advantage: skills are shared across projects. Disadvantage: staff answer to two bosses, which can cause conflict or confusion.
Delegation and accountability: Delegation passes the authority for a task down to a subordinate. Ultimate accountability stays with the delegator. Authority is the power to decide; responsibility is the duty to do the task.
Delegation vs decentralisation: Delegation passes a task and its authority to one subordinate. Decentralisation spreads decision-making across the whole organisation as a policy.
Centralisation vs decentralisation: Centralised: consistency, control, scale economies; but slow, an overloaded top and local needs ignored. Decentralised: speed, local knowledge, motivation; but inconsistency, duplication, weaker control.
Line vs staff functions: Line: directly produces or sells (operations, sales) and has authority in the chain of command. Staff: supports and advises (human resources, finance, IT, legal). Conflict can arise over standard policy versus freedom to hit targets.
Delayering: Removing layers of management to cut cost and speed decisions. Weigh the salary saving (less redundancy and retraining costs) against wider spans, lost experience, morale and communication.

7.2 Business communication

Spoken, written, electronic and visual communication: one strength and weakness each: Spoken: immediate feedback; no record. Written: permanent record; slow, no instant feedback. Electronic: fast, wide reach; overload, impersonal. Visual: quick for data; can oversimplify.
One-way vs two-way communication: One-way: from sender to receiver with no feedback (a memo). Two-way: the receiver gives feedback and a response (a team meeting with questions).
Vertical vs horizontal communication: Vertical: up and down the hierarchy. Horizontal: between people at the same level.
Barriers to effective communication, with a remedy each: Jargon: plain language. Wrong method: match method to message. Overload: prioritise and summarise. Distance: scheduled video calls. Mistrust: honest, regular updates. Many levels: delayering, direct briefings.
Informal communication: benefit and risk: Benefit: speeds information and shows staff concerns. Risk: spreads rumour. (Formal communication follows the chain of command.)

7.3 Leadership

The five types of leadership theory in the syllabus: Trait (leaders are born with personal traits), behavioural (what leaders do; it can be learned), contingency (the best leadership depends on the situation), power and influence, and transformational (inspiring followers to a shared vision).
The five bases of power: Legitimate (the position), reward, coercive, expert and referent (personal admiration). Some sources win compliance rather than commitment.
Goleman’s four competencies of emotional intelligence: Self-awareness (understands own emotions, strengths and limits), self-management (controls own reactions), social awareness (understands others’ feelings and needs) and social skills (builds relationships, resolves conflict).
A manager stays calm while handling an angry complaint. Which EQ competency is this?: Self-management. A leader who ignores signs of stress in the team lacks social awareness instead.
Leader vs manager: A leader inspires direction and change; a manager organises resources to meet plans. One person can be both.
Roles of directors, managers, supervisors and worker representatives: Directors: strategy, accountable to owners. Managers: plans, resources, departments. Supervisors: daily work on the front line. Worker representatives: the employees’ voice in consultation.

7.4 Human resource management (HRM) strategy

Hard HRM vs soft HRM: Hard HRM: employees as a cost to be controlled; tight targets; flexible, short-term contracts. Soft HRM: employees as an asset to be developed; training, involvement and long-term commitment.
Zero hours and annualised hours contracts: Zero hours: no guaranteed hours, so no pay when there is no work; but low commitment. Annualised hours: a set number of hours per year, so hours follow demand and overtime falls; but rotas are complex.
Absenteeism rate: formula and example (80 staff, 250 working days, 800 days lost): Absenteeism rate (%) = days lost ÷ days available × 100. Days available = 80 × 250 = 20,000. 800 ÷ 20,000 × 100 = 4%.
An annualised contract is 1,500 hours a year. The busy season uses 36 hours a week for 20 weeks. How many hours a week are left for the 30 quiet weeks?: 36 × 20 = 720 hours. (1,500 − 720) ÷ 30 = 780 ÷ 30 = 26 hours a week.
Management by Objectives (MBO): the steps: Set business objectives, cascade them, agree individual objectives with each employee, provide resources, monitor and review, then reward and reset.
MBO: when useful, and its limits: Useful when staff are skilled and trusted and results can be measured. Limits: time-consuming, targets can go out of date, may encourage focus only on what is measured, poorly suited to routine, tightly controlled tasks.
IT and AI in HRM: uses and risks: Uses: online applications and automated screening, online training, central records and payroll, performance tracking, chatbots. Risks: hidden bias, data security and privacy, staff feeling watched, impersonal service. People decisions still need human oversight.