Basic Management Functions Quiz

Basic Management Functions

• Management involves planning, organizing, leading, staffing, and controlling.
• Managers accomplish organizational goals by managing people's efforts.

Key Management Roles

• Planning: Defining goals, establishing standards, creating rules, and procedures.
• Organizing: Delegating authority, setting up communication channels.
• Controlling: Setting standards (e.g., sales quotas, quality), monitoring performance.
• Staffing: Determining hiring needs, recruiting, selecting employees.
• Leading: Motivating, maintaining morale, guiding employees to achieve goals.

Human Resource Management (HRM)

• HRM involves acquiring, training, appraising, compensating employees and handling labor relations.
• Essential HRM activities include managing compensation, employee orientation, performance appraisal, and building employee commitment.

Management Authority

• Authority: The right to make decisions, direct others, and issue orders.
• Line Authority: Formal authority to give orders to subordinates (superior-subordinate relationship).
• Staff Authority: Advisory authority (offering advice, recommendations rather than orders).

HRM Roles and Specializations

• Recruiter: Finds qualified job applicants.
• Line Functions: Direct activities of subordinates (within HR department).
• Staff Functions: Assist and advise line managers (outside HR department).
• Labor Relations Specialist: Advises management on union-management relations.
• Compensation Manager: Creates compensation plans and employee benefits.
• Job Analyst: Collects and analyzes job information to develop job descriptions.
• Training Specialist: Develops training programs.
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Coordinator: Ensures equal employment opportunities.

HRM Structures

• Shared HR Groups: Centralized call centers, outside vendors.
• Embedded HR Groups: Located within departments, provide localized assistance.
• Corporate HR Groups: Assist top management with strategic planning.

Workforce Trends

• Human Capital: Knowledge, skills, abilities of workers.
• On-Demand Workers: Freelancers, independent contractors.
• Nontraditional Workers: Multiple jobs, temporary, part-time.
• Unbalanced Labor Force: Unequal unemployment rates across occupations.
• Offshoring: Moving jobs to lower-cost locations.

Evidence-Based HRM

• Relies on data, research, critical evaluation, and analytics.

Strategic HRM

• Involves developing and executing HR policies to meet business goals.

HR Department Evolution

• Distributed HR: More HR tasks are decentralized.
• HR department "levers" : the effective delivery of HR services, policies that create employee competencies, and skills.

Key Concepts

• Employee Engagement: Psychological involvement in and connection with work.
• Ethics: Standards of conduct.
• Communication: Effective exchange of information with stakeholders.