
Accountability
The obligation of an individual to account for his or her activities and to disclose results in a transparent way
Arbitration
Resolving an industrial dispute by using an independent third party to judge and recommend an appropriate solution
Autocratic leadership
A style of leadership that keeps all decision- making at the centre of the organisation
Bureaucracy
An organisational system with standardised procedures and rules
Centralisation
Keeping all of the important decision-making powers within head office or the centre of the organisation
Chain of command
This is the route through which authority is passed down an organisation – from the chief executive and the board of directors
Collective bargaining
The negotiations between employees’ representatives (trade unions) and employers and their representatives on issues of common interest
Commission
A payment to a sales person for each sale made
Communication barriers
Reasons why communication fails
Communication media
The methods used to communicate a message
Conciliation
The use of a third party in industrial disputes to encourage both employer and union to discuss an acceptable compromise solution
Contingency planning
Preparing the immediate steps to be taken by an organisation in the event of a crisis or emergency
Contract of employment
A legal document that sets out the terms and conditions governing a worker’s job
Crisis management
Steps taken by an organisation to limit the damage from a crisis by handling, retaining and resolving it
Decentralisation
Decision-making powers are passed down the organisation to empower subordinates and regional/product managers
Delayering
Removal of one or more of the levels of hierarchy from an organisational structure
Delegation
Passing authority down the organisational hierarchy
Democratic leadership
A leadership style that promotes the active participation of workers in taking decisions
Dismissal
Being removed or ‘sacked’ from a job due to incompetence or breach of discipline
Entrepreneurial culture
Encourages management and workers to take risks, to come up with new ideas and test out new business ventures
Extrinsic motivation
Comes from external rewards associated with working on a task
Formal communication networks
The official communication channels and routes used within an organisation
Flexi-time contract
Employment contract that allows staff to be called in at times most convenient to employers and employees
Geographical mobility of labour
Extent to which workers are willing and able to move geographical region to take up new jobs
Hourly wage rate
Payment to a worker made for each hour worked
Human resource management (HRM)
The strategic approach to the effective management of an organisation’s workers so that they help the business gain a competitive advantage
Human resource or workforce planning
Analysing and forecasting the numbers of workers and the skills of those workers that will be required by the organisation to achieve its objectives
Hygiene factors
Aspects of a worker’s job that have the potential to cause dissatisfaction
Induction training
Introductory training programme to familiarise new recruits with the systems used in the business and the layout of the business site
Industrial action
Measures taken by the workforce or trade union to put pressure on management to settle an industrial dispute in favour of employees
Informal communication
Unofficial channels of communication that exist between informal groups within an organisation
Informal organisation
The network of personal and social relations that develop between people within an organisation
Information overload
So much information and so many messages are received that the most important ones cannot be easily identified and quickly acted on – most likely to occur with electronic media
Intrinsic motivation
Comes from the satisfaction derived from working on and completing a task
Job description
A detailed list of the key points about the job to be filled, stating all the key tasks and responsibilities of it
Job enlargement
Attempting to increase the scope of a job by broadening or deepening the tasks undertaken
Job enrichment
Aims to use the full capabilities of workers by giving them the opportunity to do more challenging and fulfilling work
Job redesign
Involves the restructuring of a job – usually with employees’ involvement and agreement
Laissez-faire leadership
A leadership style that leaves much of the business decision-making to the workforce – a ‘hands-off’ approach and the reverse of the autocratic style
Leadership
The art of motivating a group of people towards achieving a common objective
Level of hierarchy
A stage of the organisational structure at which the personnel on it have equal status and authority
Manager
Responsible for setting objectives, organising resources and motivating staff so that the organisation’s aims are met
Matrix structure
An organisational structure that creates project teams that cut across traditional functional departments
Motivating factors (motivators)
Aspects of a worker’s job that can lead to positive job satisfaction such as achievement, recognition, meaningful and interesting work and advancement at work
Motivation
The intrinsic and extrinsic factors that stimulate people to take actions that lead to achieving a goal
Non-verbal communication
Messages sent and received without verbal information such as facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice, body posture and gestures and position within a group
Occupational mobility of labour
Extent to which workers are willing and able to move to different jobs requiring different skills
Off-the-job training
All training undertaken away from the business
On-the-job training
Instruction at the place of work on how a job should be carried out
Organisational culture
The values, attitudes and beliefs of the people working in an organisation
Organisational structure
the internal, formal framework of a business that shows the way in which management is organised and linked together and how authority is passed through the organisation
Outsourcing
Not employing staff directly, but using an outside agency or organisation to carry out some business functions
Part-time employment contract
Employment contract that is for less than the normal full working week
Performance-related pay
A bonus scheme to reward staff for above-average work performance
Person specification
A detailed list of the qualities, skills and qualifications that a successful applicant will need to have
Piece rate
A payment to a worker for each unit produced
Portfolio working
The working pattern of following several simultaneous employments at any one time
Power culture
Concentrating power among a few people
Profit-related pay
A bonus for staff based on the profits of the business (usually paid as a proportion of basic salary)
Recruitment
the process of identifying the need for a new employee, defining the job to be filled and the type of person needed to fill it, attracting suitable candidates for the job and selecting the best one
Redundancy
When a job is no longer required so the employee doing this job becomes redundant through no fault of his or her own
Role culture
Each member of staff has a clearly defined job title and role
Salary
Annual income that is usually paid on a monthly basis
Self-actualisation
A sense of self-fulfilment reached by feeling enriched and developed by what one has learned and achieved
Situational leadership
Effective leadership varies with the task in hand and situational leaders adapt their leadership style to each situation
Span of control
The number of subordinates reporting directly to a manager
Staff appraisal
The process of assessing the effectiveness of an employee judged against pre-set objectives
Task culture
Based on co-operation and team work
Team working
Production is organised so that groups of workers undertake complete units of work
Teleworking
Staff working from home but keeping contact with the office by means of modern IT communications
Temporary employment contract
Employment contract that lasts for a fixed time period
Training
Work-related education to increase workforce skills and efficiency
Trade union
An organisation of working people with the objective of improving the pay and working conditions of its members and providing them with support and legal services
Trade union recognition
When an employer formally agrees to conduct negotiations on pay and working conditions with a trade union rather than bargaining individually with each worker
Unfair dismissal
Ending a worker’s employment contract for a reason that the law regards as being unfair
Workforce audit
A check on the skills and qualifications of all existing employees
Workforce plan
Thinking ahead and establishing the number and skills of the workforce required by the business to meet its objectives