Human Resources Midterm

Front 1

Frederick Taylor

Back 1

Scientific Management

Incentive Compensation and fit between workers and job

Front 2

Why workers want unions

Back 2

1. Bargaining power
2. Strength in numbers
3. Protection from Management
4. Negotiate over wages and working conditions

Lead to creation of industrial relations departments

Front 3

Why don't managers like unions

Back 3

Dont want to deal with unions
Reduces managerial discretion

Front 4

How to get rid of unions

Back 4

Persuade employees that they don't need them

Employee Relations department that is fair in hiring, firing, wages, and safety

Front 5

Human Relations Movement and Hawthorne Studies

Back 5

Focused on human factors and correspondance with productivity (what temp. gets employees to work hardest)

Demonstrated impact of social workplace environment on employee satisfaction and performance (performance improved because workers thought they were being taken care of)

Front 6

WWI and WWII

Back 6

Big challenge for HR decision making such as selection, placement, training, performance management

A lot of work on leadership, group dynamics, and behavioral tests

Front 7

Post WWII HR

Back 7

Transfer of HR technology to private sector

Standardized evaluations of behavior (job simulations, interviews, and psychological tests)

Leadership training

Front 8

Workplace Regulation (1960s)

Back 8

Equal Pay Act 1963
Title VII of Civil Rights Act
Age Discrimination of Employment Act

Front 9

Current Challenges facing the HR function

Back 9

Lack of human capital
Workforce Diversity
Changes in work family interface
Competitiveness
Globalization
Regulation
Healthcare Costs
Ethics and Social Resp.

Front 10

Resource Based View of Firm

Back 10

What resources serve as a basis for competitive advantage

1. Resource adds positive value to firm
2. Resource is unique
3. Not imitable
4. Resource is not substitutable

Employees are most important source of comp. advantage in a firm

Front 11

High Performance Work Systems

Back 11

Huselid 1995

Selective Staffing, info sharing, job analysis, access to profit sharing, formal training, merit based promotions, performance reviews linked to outcomes

Front 12

Results of High Performance Work System Study

Back 12

Investments in HPWS lead to less turnover, more productivity, positive association with firm performance

One standard deviation increase in HPWS 7% less turnover and $27,000 increase in sales per employee

Front 13

Strategic HR

Back 13

Pattern of planned HR deployments and activities intended to enable an org. to achieve its goals

Proactive management of people, planning ways for company to meet needs of its people and how employees can better meet the needs of the company

Develop recruiting and training programs to meet goals

Identify employee characteristics to support plan

Front 14

Why Don't Organizations implement HPWS

Back 14

Pfeffer Article


1. Strategic and financial barriers (emphasis on stock price and reports, expensive to implement, results delayed)

2. Power and political barriers (hard to implement in existing facilities, low power of HR function in US

3. Hierarchical barriers (middle managers resistance to power shifts to lower levels)

Front 15

7 Practices of successful organizations (Pfeffer article)

Back 15

1. Employment security
2. Selective hiring
3. Self managed teams
4. High compensation
5. Extensive training
6. Reduction of staff differences
7. Sharing information

Front 16

Bureaucratic Organization Structure

Back 16

Pyramid structure, top down management, specialized jobs, independent work, divisions of labor

Likely to choose this when trying to implement a defender strategy

Front 17

Flat Organization Structure

Back 17

Decentralized management, few levels of management, cross functional, broadly defined jobs, team oriented, customer focus

Front 18

Boundaryless Organization

Back 18

JVs, teams that may cross organization boundaries to work with JV

Similar characteristics to flat org.

Front 19

Work Flow Analysis

Back 19

How work creates or adds value to ongoing processes of business

Often can lead to conclusion that some jobs can be combined (Business Process Reengineering)

Front 20

How to develop work flow analysis?

Back 20

Determine Raw Inputs (material, information)

Determine equipment

Determine people needed (skills, knowledge, abilities)

Than determine activity (what tasks are required)

All leads to an output

Front 21

Business Process Reengineering

Back 21

o Fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in cost, quality, and service

Front 22

Job Analysis

Back 22

The systematic process of collecting information used to make decisions about jobs.

Identifies tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a specific position

Front 23

Elements of Job Description

Back 23

List of tasks, duties, and responsibilities

ID information, job summary, job responsibilities, job specifications and min. requirements

Front 24

Job Specification

Back 24

List of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics

Front 25

Who should job analysis information be gathered from?

Back 25

Current employees, HR staff, managers

Front 26

Techniques of job analysis

Back 26

Task Inventory Analysis-identifies knowledge, skills and attributes needed to perform job successfully using matrix and interview

Position Analysis Questionnaire-used to document details of position attributes to update or prepare job description

Functional Job Analysis-Collects information about job position and published by government (public positions)

Front 27

Job Design

Back 27

Process of organizing work into the tasks required to perform a specific job

Front 28

Approaches to job design

Back 28

Job Enlargement

Job Enrichment-puts specialized work back together so that one person is responsible for task from start to finish

Job Rotation

Front 29

Theories of Job Design

Back 29

Two Factor Theory
Work Adjustment Theory
Goal Setting Theory
Job Characteristics Theory

Front 30

Herzberg Two-Factor Theory

Back 30

Attempts to identify and explain the factors that employees find satisfying and dissatisfying about job

Motivators-internal job factors that lead to job satisfaction (tasks, achievement, responsibility, advancement)

Hygiene-factors external to job but located in work environment (job security, benefits, salary, relationships)

Front 31

Work Adjustment Theory

Back 31

Employees motivation levels depend on the fit between their needs and abilities and the characteristics of the job

Front 32

Goal Setting Theory

Back 32

Goals that are clear and challenging will result in higher levels of employee motivation

Front 33

Job Characteristics Theory

Back 33

Employees are motivated by core characterstics

Skill variety, task identify (do job from beginning to end), task significance, autonomy, and feedback

All lead to experienced meaningfulness, experienced responsibility, and knowledge of results

Front 34

Work Simplification

Back 34

Work can be broken down into simple repetitive tasks that maximize efficiency

Front 35

Flexible Workforce

Back 35

Contingent workers, contract workers, job sharing, outsourcing, internships, flexible work schedules (telecommuting, flexible hours, compressed weeks)

Front 36

Human Resource Strategy

Back 36

Firm's deliberate use of human resources to help it gain or maintain an edge against competitors

Front 37

Environmental Challenges

Back 37

Forces external to firm that influence performance but are beyond management control (legislation, globalization, diversity)

Front 38

Organizational Culture

Back 38

Basic assumptions and beliefs shared by members of an organization

Front 39

Strategic HR Choices

Back 39

Workflows
Staffing
Employee Separations
Training
Compensation
Labor Relations
Performance Appraisal

Front 40

Environment

Back 40

Degree of uncertainty
Volatility
Magnitude of change
Complexity

Front 41

Prospector Strategy

Back 41

Emphasize growth and innovation

Environment always changes

Flexible and decentralized organizational structures

Front 42

Role of Human Resources vs. Manager in the HR process

Back 42

Role of HR department is to support, not supplant manager's HRs responsibilities

All managers should be involved in the HR process

Front 43

Why understanding legal environment is important?

Back 43

Do the right thing
Limit liability
Create fair and human environment

Front 44

Equal Employment opportunity

Back 44

Government attempt to ensure that all individuals have an equal chance at employment regardless of race, religion, sex, or origin

Front 45

Equal Pay Act of 1963

Back 45

Requires equal pay for jobs with the same content for men and women

Front 46

Protected Class

Back 46

Part of Title VII of Civil Rights Act

Groups of people who suffered discrimination in the past require special protection by the legal system (blacks, native americans, asians, latinos, women)

Front 47

Civil Rights Act of 1991

Back 47

Extends Title VII

Allows for compensatory or punitive damages above and beyond what was actually lost due to discrimination depending upon extent of discrimination

Front 48

Discrimination

Back 48

To differentiate or distinguish

To act on the basis of prejudice or bias

Employment discrimination deals with protected characteristics (race, color, disability, age)

Two types of discrimination: disparate treatment and adverse impact

Front 49

Disparate Treatment

Back 49

Different treatment based on an individual's protected characteristics

Must prove that applicant had all necessary qualifications and that someone else hired had similar qualifications

Front 50

Adverse Impact

Back 50

When same standard is applied to all applicants but standard affects a protected class more negatively (height standards since asians are short)

Front 51

Disparate Treatment Defenses

Back 51

1. Business Necessity/job related-practice is essential for safe and efficient operation of org.

2. Bona Fide Occupational Qualification-characteristic that must be present in all employees for a job (male prison guard in male prison)

3. Seniority-employment decisions based on formal seniority systems are allowed

Front 52

Prima Facie

Back 52

When discrimination occurs it us up to plaintiff to show that discrimination has occurred

Front 53

Four-Fifths Rule

Back 53

Compares hiring rates of protected class to those of majority class

Assumes adverse impact if hiring rate of protected class is less than 4/5 of majority class

Front 54

Age Discrimination in Employment Act

Back 54

Prohibits discrimination against people who are over 40

Front 55

Americans with Disabilities Act

Back 55

Prohibits discrimination against a qualified individual due to a disability (physical or mental impairment that affects more than one major life activities)

Employer must make reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities

Front 56

What employers are prohibited from conducting

Back 56

Pre employment medical exam (besides drug test)

Post hire medical exam (unless everyone must go through it)

Interviews which inquire about disabilities

Front 57

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Responsibilities

Back 57

1. Investigates and resolves discrimination complaints

2. Gathers information

3. Issues regulations and guidelines

Front 58

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs

Back 58

Requires employers to submit annual report on affirmative action programs. Includes...

1. Utilization-how org compares with general labor population

2. Goals and timetables for achieving balance

3. Action steps

Front 59

Executive Order 11246

Back 59

Same as Title VII but for public employees

Outlaws discrimination and mandates utilization analysis

Front 60

Affirmative Action Guidelines

Back 60

1. Goals and timetables not quotas
2. Does not unnecesarally restrict rights of white workers
3. Designed to be temporary
4. Used to remedy imbalance not maintain balance

Front 61

Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment

Back 61

Benefits made available to employee only by compliance with sexual demands

Front 62

Three Requirements for Sexual Harassment Cases

Back 62

1. Employee could not have incited action
2. Harassment must have been severe
3. Court must determine liability of organization for actions of employees

Front 63

Sexual Harassment and Employee Relation Liability

Back 63

Quid Pro Quo-Org has strict liability

Hostile Environment-If employer should have known, if complaint was not investigated, explicit policy not in place

Front 64

Employee Relation Protection Against Sexual Harassment

Back 64

1. Have clear policy
2. Demonstrate employees are aware of policies
3. Clear mechanisms for dealing with claims internally
4. Consistent punishment for offenders

Front 65

What management can do to limit sexual harassment

Back 65

1. Establish policy
2. communicate policy
3. establish complaint procedure
4. Quick investigations
5. Follow up
6. Make sure complainer does not end up in worse spot if transfered

Front 66

Negligent Hiring

Back 66

Hiring employee with history of violent behavior without doing background check first

Front 67

Demographic Diversity

Back 67

Race, gender, religion, origin, sexual orientation

Front 68

Cognitive Diversity

Back 68

Personality, interests, work styles, values

Front 69

Why manage employee diversity?

Back 69

1. Demographic trends in workplace
2. Diversity is an asset
3. Marketing concerns

Front 70

Challenges to managing employee diversity

Back 70

1. Valuing employee diversity
2. Individual v. group fairness
3. Resistance to change
4. Group cohesion
5. Resentment
6. Retention
7. Competition for opportunities

Front 71

How to improve management of diversity?

Back 71

1. Commitment from top
2. Training programs
3. Support groups
4. Diversity audits

Front 72

Pitfalls of managing diversity

Back 72

Need to avoid white male bashing, need to avoid promotion of stereotypes

Differences between individuals within a group are almost always greater than differences between groups

Front 73

Expatriate

Back 73

Citizen of one country living and working in another country

Front 74

Reliance on expatriates increases when...?

Back 74

1. Sufficient local talent is not available
2. International and domestic units are interdependent
3. Significant cultural differences between host and home country

Front 75

Advantages of expatriates

Back 75

1. Ensures transfer of business/management practices
2. Closer coordination between HQ and local subsidiaries
3. Pool of internationally experienced executives
4. Broader global perspective

Front 76

Disadvantages of expatriates

Back 76

1. High transfer costs
2. Personal and family problems
3. Bad for local management morale
4. Problem of adaptability to foreign culture

Front 77

Why international assignments fail?

Back 77

1. Career blockage-fear moving will damage career prospects
2. Culture shock
3. Lack of pre-departure training
4. Overemphasis on technical ability
5. Way of getting rid of troublesome employee
6. Family problems

Front 78

Why repatriates usually leave org after coming back?

Back 78

1. Lack of respect for skills learned abroad
2. Loss of status
3. Reverse culture shock
4. Poor planning

Front 79

Recruiting and selecting for expatriates

Back 79

Emphasize cultural sensitivity as selection criterion

Selection board of expatriates

Require previous international experience

Hire foreign born employees who can serve as expatriates at later date

Front 80

Training and career development for expatriates

Back 80

Briefings, language training, field experiences, on the job training, support, career advancement incentives

Front 81

Compensation for expatriates

Back 81

Provide disposable income equivalent to what they would get at home

Add on incentive for accepting international assignment

Avoid having expatriates take jobs of low ranking or local workers

Front 82

Hofstede's dimensions of national culture

Back 82

Power distance-extent to which culture accepts power is distributed equally

Individualism-extent of which culture believes people should care for themselves and remain distant from others

Uncertainty avoidance-lack of tolerance in a culture for ambiguity

Masculinity-extent to which masculine values such as assertiveness, money, and things prevails over feminine values of quality of life and people

Front 83

HR Forecasting

Back 83

What is strategic direction of firm?

What talent is needed in workforce to ensure strategy is successful

Demand for product

Labor productivity

Discrepancy leads to labor surplus or labor shortage

Front 84

Labor shortage options

Back 84

OT, temp employees, outsourcing, retrained transfers, new hires, tech innovations

Front 85

Labor surplus options

Back 85

Downsize, pay reduction, demotion, transfer, work sharing, hiring freeze, early retirement, retraining

Front 86

Recruitment

Back 86

Activity designed to identify and attract potential employees

Front 87

Performance

Back 87

Ability x motivation

Front 88

Recruitment activities are designed to affect..

Back 88

1. Number of qualified people who apply for a position
2. Type of people who apply
3. Likelihood they will accept offer

Front 89

Recruitment Sources

Back 89

Current employees, referrals, print and radio ads, employment agencies, internet, college recruiting

Front 90

Traditional Recruiting Message

Back 90

Trying to sell org and job
Tell applicant what they want to hear (normally false statements)

Front 91

Realistic Message

Back 91

Portrays organization and job as it really is

Positives and negatives

Results in less turnover, higher job satisfaction

Front 92

Types of Reliability

Back 92

Test-retest-how scores on the measure at one time relate to scores on the measure at another time

Inter-rater-consitency of scores across more than one rater

Inter-item-average correlation among multiple questions focused on particular attribute

Front 93

Validity

Back 93

Extent to which the technique measures the intended knowledge, skill, or ability

Front 94

Criterion Related Validity

Back 94

Relationship between selection test scores and job performance (predictive)

Uses stats

Front 95

Content Validity

Back 95

Relies upon judgement

Degree to which content of selection method is representative of job content

Front 96

Concurrent Validity

Back 96

Extent to which scores on a selection measure are related to job performance when both are measured at the same time

Front 97

Typical Interviews

Back 97

Unstructured and based on interviewer pet questions

Very subjective and biased

Low validity and reliability

Front 98

Integrity Tests

Back 98

To identify applicants who are likely to engage in unhonest behavior

Generally predictive but casts a wide net

Integrity testing can lead to less money paid out in workers comp claims

Overt (obvious question phrasing) and covert testing

Personality tests gives you a more complete picture

High validity, hight ROI, and completely legal

Front 99

Cognitive Ability Test

Back 99

Perception, reasoning, memory, verbal, mathematics

MOST valid of selection tests

Front 100

Assessment Centers

Back 100

Multiple days

Series of simulations and exercises

Cases, role playing, games, personality tests, ability tests

Measures leadership, interpersonal skills, decision making, communication, flexibility

Expensive but high validity

Good for development

Front 101

Personality Tests

Back 101

Big 5 (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, stability, openness to experience)

Valid Measures of performance

Front 102

Multiple Hurdle Strategy

Back 102

Needs to make preliminary selection decision after completion of each method

Front 103

Clinical Strategy

Back 103

Wait until all information is combined and subjectively evaluates all info for making overall judgement

Front 104

Statistical Strategy

Back 104

Info is combined by mathematical formula and job goes to applicant with highest score