Flashcards · IB Diploma Programme Business · Topic 2

Unit 2: Human resource management flashcards

39 cards on Topic 2, subtopics 2.1 to 2.7. Pick a subtopic or study them all.

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2.1 Introduction to human resource management

Human resource planning: Forecasting the numbers and skills of staff needed and matching them to staff available.
Labour mobility: Ease with which workers move between jobs, places or countries.
Gig economy: Short-term, task-based or freelance work, often arranged through digital platforms.
Internal and external factors in human resource planning: Internal: objectives and growth plans, current workforce, budget, structure, culture. External: demographic change, labour mobility, immigration, flexi-time, the gig economy, and other STEEPLE factors.
Why do employees resist change, and how can HR reduce it?: Causes: fear of job loss or the unknown, lost status, skills gaps, low trust, extra workload. Strategies: honest information, redeployment, training, a role in designing the change, consultation, phasing or a pilot.
Force field analysis: List the driving and restraining forces for a change, then weigh them; resistance sits on the restraining side. (HL only)

2.2 Organizational structure

Delegation vs decentralization: Delegation is one manager passing a task and its authority to a subordinate; decentralization is an organization-wide pattern of decisions made lower down.
Delayering vs downsizing: Delayering removes a level of the hierarchy; downsizing cuts the number of employees at any level.
Tall vs flat structures: Tall: many levels, narrow spans, long chain of command, close supervision, slower communication, higher management cost. Flat: few levels, wide spans, short chain, faster communication, more delegation, lower cost.
Span of control: a manager supervises 40 staff through 5 supervisors of 8 each: The manager's span of control is 5 (the supervisors who report directly), not 40.
Matrix structure: advantages and disadvantages: Employees report to two managers, such as function and project. For: shares skills across projects, better cross-function communication. Against: conflicting orders, unclear accountability.
Handy's Shamrock Organization: Three leaves: core staff (essential, permanent), contractors (non-core tasks) and a flexible workforce (part-time or temporary). Project-based organization is the other HL change in structure. (HL only)

2.3 Leadership and management

Management vs leadership: Management: organizing resources and people to reach objectives through planning, directing, coordinating and controlling. Leadership: influencing and guiding people towards a vision. The roles overlap.
The five leadership styles in the guide: Autocratic, paternalistic, democratic, laissez-faire and situational.
Paternalistic vs autocratic leadership: Both leaders decide. The paternalistic leader explains and shows concern for staff welfare; staff may resent being managed "for their own good". The autocratic leader simply instructs.
Democratic vs laissez-faire leadership: Democratic: the group is consulted or votes and the leader guides discussion; suits skilled staff but slow. Laissez-faire: the leader sets goals and steps back; suits experts but risks no direction.
Situational leadership: No single best style: the leader adapts to the task, the team and the circumstances (urgency, skill, risk, culture). Flexible, but staff may feel unsure what to expect.
Scientific vs intuitive thinking/management: Scientific: based on data, analysis and testing; evidence-based but slow and needs good data. Intuitive: based on experience and judgement; fast with little data, but open to bias. (HL only)

2.4 Motivation and demotivation

Taylor, Maslow and Herzberg: core claims: Taylor: pay motivates; design jobs scientifically (piece rate). Maslow: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, self-actualization needs, met in order. Herzberg: hygiene factors prevent dissatisfaction; motivators create satisfaction.
Herzberg: examples of hygiene factors and motivators: Hygiene: pay, working conditions, policy, supervision, job security. Motivators: achievement, recognition, responsibility, the work itself, advancement.
Financial rewards: Salary, wages (time rate or piece rate), commission, performance-related pay, profit-related pay, employee share ownership schemes, fringe payments. Example: 6% commission on 48,000 sales = 2,880.
Job enrichment, job enlargement and job rotation: Enrichment: more responsibility and challenge (vertical). Enlargement: more tasks at a similar level (horizontal). Rotation: moving between tasks.
McClelland, self-determination, equity and expectancy theories: McClelland: needs for achievement, affiliation, power. Deci and Ryan: autonomy, competence, relatedness. Equity: fair comparison of inputs and rewards. Expectancy: effort → performance → valued reward. (HL only)
Labour turnover: opening staff 80, closing 100, 27 leavers: Leavers ÷ average employees × 100. Average = 90, so 27 ÷ 90 × 100 = 30%. (HL only)

2.5 Organizational (corporate) culture (HL only)

Organizational (corporate) culture: The shared values, beliefs and accepted behaviour in a business: "the way we do things here". Shaped by founders and leaders, history, structure, size, industry, national culture and who is hired. (HL only)
Handy's Gods of management: Zeus: power culture (a central person). Apollo: role culture (rules and procedures). Athena: task culture (expertise and teams). Dionysus: existential or person culture (individual professionals). (HL only)
Hofstede's cultural dimensions: Power distance; individualism vs collectivism; uncertainty avoidance; masculinity vs femininity; long-term orientation; indulgence vs restraint. They describe national culture, not one firm. (HL only)
Triggers of a cultural clash: Growth (informal habits meet rules and layers), mergers or takeovers (two sets of values: "us and them"), and changes of leadership style. Signs: rising staff turnover, falling productivity, conflict, absenteeism. (HL only)
Ways to manage a cultural clash: Culture audit before a merger; explain the reasons and what stays the same; consultation and mixed teams; managers model the new values; training and induction. (HL only)

2.6 Communication

Formal communication: Through official channels, usually planned and recorded.
Informal communication: Outside official channels, unplanned and rarely recorded.
Grapevine: The unofficial network through which news and rumour travel.
Formal vs informal communication: strengths and limits: Formal (minutes, emails, reports, intranet): a record, consistency, clear authority, but slow and impersonal. Informal (chat, messaging, social events): fast and builds relationships, but no record and risk of rumour.
Barriers to communication: Language and jargon, cultural differences, noise, information overload, many levels of hierarchy, status and attitude, poor channel choice, technology problems, lack of feedback, distance and time zones.

2.7 Industrial/employee relations (HL only)

Sources of conflict in the workplace: Pay and benefits; working conditions and hours; job security and closure fears; changes in technology or working practices; management style and poor communication; different aims of owners and employees. (HL only)
Employee approaches to conflict: Collective bargaining (negotiation through representatives); work-to-rule (do only what the contract requires, so output falls while pay continues); strike action (stop work completely). (HL only)
Employer approaches to conflict: Collective bargaining, threats of redundancies, changes of contract, closure, and lockouts (staff kept out until terms are accepted). (HL only)
Conciliation vs arbitration: Conciliation: a neutral third party helps the sides reach their own agreement. Arbitration: a neutral third party rules on the dispute, giving a definite result. (HL only)
No-strike and single-union agreements: No-strike: the union agrees not to strike, usually for an agreed disputes procedure; continuity, but staff lose their strongest tool. Single-union: the employer bargains with one union for all staff; simpler, but may not represent every group. (HL only)