HRM, Direction and Coordination

HRM: A broad term that encompasses recruitment, selection, training and development and performance appraisal. 

Management's basic job is the effective utilization of human resources for the achievement of organizational objectives. HRM is that part of the process of management specifically concerned with the people employed in an organization - its purpose is to establish and maintain sound relations at all levels of the organization and to secure the effective use of personnel by ensuring such conditions of employment as well as to attain fro these personnel social satisfaction which they tend to naturally seek within their working environment. 

Human Resources: The total knowledge, skills, creative, abilities, talents, and aptitudes of an organization's workforce, as well as the values, attitudes, approaches and beliefs of the individuals involved in the affairs of the organization. 

Personnel Management: More administrative in nature - more specific, focuses on operational activities. 

Functions of a Human Resources Manager can be divided into:

1. Managerial Functions: Functions of planning, organizing, directing and controlling as related to the HR department.  
2. Operative Functions: Those tasks or duties which are specifically entrusted to the personnel department under the general supervision of the personnel manager.  
3. Advisory Functions: Specialized education and training in managing human relations - expert in his area so he can advice on matters relating to human resources of the organization. Advises top management and department heads. 

Recruitment: The process of searching for prospective employees and encouraging them to apply for the jobs in an organization. 

Sources of Recruitment:

1. Internal sources 
2. External sources 

Selection: Logically choosing individuals who possess the necessary skills and ability to successfully fill specific jobs in the organization. 

Training: A systematic procedure whereby employees are imparted technical knowledge and skill for specific jobs. 

Development: An educational process aimed at the growth and maturity of managerial personnel in terms of insight, attitudes, adaptability, leadership and human relations. 

Performance Appraisal: Facilitate orderly determination of an employee's worth to the organization of which he is a part. Methods of appraisal can be classified as traditional or modern.

1. Traditional methods
1. Unstructured appraisal
2. Employee Ranking
3. Forced Distribution 
4. Graphic rating scales 
5. Check lists
6. Critical incidents 
7. Field review 
2. Modern methods:
1. management by objectives 
2. behaviourally anchored rating scales. (BARS) - designed to identify critical areas of performance for a job and to describe the more effective and less effective job behaviour for getting results. 

Direction: An important function of management which involves communicating with and providing leadership to the subordinates and motivating them to contribute their best for the achievement of organizational objectives. Effective direction depends on the harmony of objectives. 

Principles:

1. Harmony of Objectives 
2. Unity of command 
3. Unity of direction 
4. Direct supervision  
5. Democratic leadership 
6. Follow up 

Features:

1. Used to initiate actions in organizations
2. Performed at every level of management 
3. Continuous process
4. Flows from top to bottom 
5. Dual objectives 
1. Subordinates get work done 
2. Superiors get more important work done 

Elements:

• Supervision
• Motivation
• Leadership
• Communication 

Supervision

Direct and immediate guidance and control of subordinates in performance of their work.

- Exists at all levels, but most pronounced at the lower levels.

- Aimed at guiding work performance. 

Requires three types of skills:

1. Technical 
2. Human relations 
3. Conceptual 

- Requires a specific leadership position, and a superviser has to decide between general and close supervision. 

- Group cohesiveness:  Degree of attraction each member has towards the group. 

Motivation

Forces that maintain and alter the direction, quality and intensity of behaviour. 

- Exact nature of motivation can only be inferred, not seen. 

- Needs and expectations of individuals tend to conflict and vary depending on context and from person to person. 

- Satisfaction of a need may also lead to an increase in its intensity. 

- Goal directed behaviour doesn't always lead to satisfaction. 

Types:

1. Psychological 
2. Transactional Analysis 
3. Ego states 
4. Crossed Transactions

Transactional Analysis: Transaction is a unit of social intercourse - Berne. 

Transactional stimulus: a person doing something to initiate interaction.

Transactional response: the other person doing something to receive/ acknowledge interaction 

Ego States:

• Parent / Taught state 
• Adult / Thought state 
• Child / Felt state 

Parallel transactions: P-P/ A-A/ C-C

Crossed transactions: P-A/A-C/C-P

Gives insight into our own personalities and other of others.

Theories of Motivation

1. Monistic/ Economic: Man is essentially economic in nature, and therefore highly responsive to money rewards.
1. Motivation is more effective and direct when based on individual rather than group incentives. 
2. More effective when reward follows effort immediately. 
3. Quantum of effort directly related to amount of reward. 
2. Hierarchy of Needs - Maslow's Pyramid
3. McGregor
1. Theory X:
1. Average man indolent and inherently dislikes work.
2. Implies that people need to be directed and controlled, persuaded, rewarded, punished and threatened with sanction. 
3. Inherently resistant to change and passive to organizational needs
4. Lacks ambition, avoid responsibility and prefers to be led. 
5. Hard vs. Soft Approach
2. Theory Y
1. Man not inherently passive to organizational needs or resistant. 
2. Incentive, threats, external control etc not the only means of motivation. 
3. Motivation, potential for development and capacity for assuming responsibility all present in people. 
4. Can be brought out with proper organizational conditions and methods of operation.
4. Herzberg - 2 factor theory 
1. Good feeling - intensive factors 
2. Bad feelings - context factors 
5. Equity - Less reward in relation to others in the organization for the same contribution and outcome will lead to negative responses. 

Leadership

Interpersonal process of influencing individual and group behaviour so that defined objectives are accomplished willingly and enthusiastically. 

• Part of group + separate identity
• Formal and informal leadership 

Theories of Leadership

1. Trait Theory: Leaders possess certain personal traits - skills can be mistaken for traits, and there is no consensus on list of traits. 
2. Style Theory: Different sets of leadership styles.
1. Lewin, Lippitt and White - Autocratic, Democratic and Laissez-Faire 
2. Ohio State - Consideration // initiating structure 
3. Michigan - Production centred // employee centred 
4. Blake and Mouton - Managerial Grid

Communication 

Exchange of thoughts, facts, opinions of information between two or more persons so as to bring about mutual understanding or confidence. 

- At least 2 people

- Understanding 

6 steps:

1. Develop an idea
2. Encode
3. Transmit 
4. Receive 
5. Decode
6. Feedback 

Principles:

1. Clarity 
2. Integrity 
3. Strategic use of informal organizations

Classification:

1. Formal
1. Vertical 
1. downward
2. upward 
2. Horizontal - at the same level of organization 
2. Informal - grapevine 
1. Positives:
1. natural desire to communicate 
2. fast 
3. managerial insight obtained 
4. disseminating informal information 
5. outlet for misgivings 
2. Negatives 
1. rumours and misinformation 
2. unstable, unpredictable, spontaneous 
3. no accountability 
3. Crosswise/ Diagonal - Different departments of equal, higher or lower levels 

Media

- Words: Oral or written 

- Pictures

- Actions 

Barriers:

1. Distortions of superior-subordinate relations
2. Semantic distortion 
3. Premature evaluation 
4. Perfunctory attention 
5. Failure to communicate 
6. Resistance to change 
7. Miscellaneous information distortion 

Overcoming barriers:

1. Employee orientation 
2. Proper interpersonal relations
3. Prot. listening (??)
4. Proper language 
5. Acts and deeds
6. Strategic use of the grapevine 
7. Feedback 

Coordination

Orderly synchronization of group efforts to provide unity of actin in pursuit of common purpose.

Features:

- Group efforts 

- Continuous and dynamic process

- Unity of efforts

Can be internal or external; and internal can be vertical or horizontal.