Unit 2: Human Resource Management

2.1 Functions and evolution of human resource management

Human resource planning (workforce planning)
Labour turnover
Internal and external factors that influence human resource planning (such as demographic change, change in labour mobility, new communication technologies)
Common steps in the process of recruitment
The following types of training: on the job (including induction and mentoring), off the job, cognitive, behavioural
The following types of appraisal: formative, summative, 360-degree feedback, self-appraisal
Common steps in the processes of dismissal and redundancy
How work patterns, practices and preferences change and how they affect the employer and employees (such as teleworking, flexitime, migration for work)
Outsourcing, offshoring and reshoring as human resource strategies
How innovation, ethical considerations and cultural differences may influence human resource practices and strategies in an organization

The following terminology to facilitate understanding of different types of organizational structures: delegation, span of control, levels of hierarchy, chain of command, bureaucracy, centralization, decentralization, de-layering
The following types of organization charts: flat/horizontal, tall/vertical, hierarchical, by product, by function, by region
Changes in organizational structures (such as project-based organization, Handy’s “Shamrock Organization”)
How cultural differences and innovation in communication technologies may impact on communication in an organization

The key functions of management
Management versus leadership
The following leadership styles: autocratic, paternalistic, democratic, laissez-faire, situational
How ethical considerations and cultural differences may influence leadership and management styles in an organization

The following motivation theories: Taylor, Maslow, Herzberg (motivation–hygiene theory), Adams (equity theory), Pink
The following types of financial rewards: salary, wages (time and piece rates), commission, profit-related pay, performance-related pay (PRP), employee share ownership schemes, fringe payments (perks)
The following types of non-financial rewards: job enrichment, job rotation, job enlargement, empowerment, purpose/the opportunity to make a difference, teamwork
How financial and non-financial rewards may affect job satisfaction, motivation and productivity in different cultures

Organizational culture
Elements of organizational culture
Types of organizational culture
The reasons for, and consequences of, cultural clashes within organizations when they grow, merge and when leadership styles change
How individuals influence organizational culture and how organizational culture influences individuals

The role and responsibility of employee and employer representatives
The following industrial/employee relations methods used by employees: collective bargaining, slowdowns/goslows, work-to-rule, overtime bans and strike action
The following industrial/employee relations methods used by employers: collective bargaining, threats of redundancies, changes of contract, closure and lock-outs
Sources of conflict in the workplace
The following approaches to conflict resolution: conciliation and arbitration, employee participation and industrial democracy, no-strike agreement, single-union agreement
Reasons for resistance to change in the workplace (such as self-interest, low tolerance, misinformation and interpretation of circumstances)
Human resource strategies for reducing the impact of change and resistance to change (such as getting agreement/ownership, planning and timing the change and communicating the change)
How innovation, ethical considerations and cultural differences may influence employer–employee relations in an organization

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