Unit 2 - Human ResourceS

Unit 2: Human resource management

2.1 Introduction to human resource management

2.2 Organizational structure

2.3 Leadership and management

2.4 Motivation and demotivation

2.5 Organizational (corporate) culture (HL only)

2.5 Hofestede's Cultural Dimensions  (HL Only)

2.6 Communication

2.7 Industrial/employee relations (HL only)

2.1 Introduction to human resource management

The learning outcomes (or assessment objectives) for this section of the IB Business Management syllabus are:

• Role of human resource management (AO2)

• Internal and external factors that influence human resource planning (for example, demographic change, change in labour mobility, immigration, flexi-time, gig economy) (AO2)

• Reasons for resistance to change in the workplace (AO2)

• Human resource strategies for reducing the impact of change and resistance to change (AO3)

2.2 Organizational structure

The learning outcomes (or assessment objectives) for this section of the IB Business Management syllabus are:

• The following terminology in relation to different types of organizational structures (AO2)

  • • Delegation

    • Span of control

    • Levels of the hierarchy

    • Chain of command

    • Bureaucracy

    • Centralization

    • Decentralization

    • Delayering

    • Matrix structure

• The following types of organization charts (AO2), (AO4)

  • • Flat or horizontal

    • Tall or vertical

    • By product, by function or by region

• Appropriateness of different organizational structures given a change in external factors (AO3)

• Changes in organizational structures (for example, project-based organization, Charles Handy’s “Shamrock Organization”) (HL only) (AO3)

2.3 Leadership and management

The learning outcomes (or assessment objectives) for this section of the IB Business Management syllabus are:

• Scientific and intuitive thinking/management (HL only) (AO2)

• Management and leadership (AO2)

• The following leadership styles. (AO3)

  • • Autocratic

    • Paternalistic

    • Democratic

    • Laissez-faire

    • Situational

2.4 Motivation and demotivation

The learning outcomes (or assessment objectives) for this section of the IB Business Management syllabus are:

• The following motivation theories. (AO3)

  • • Taylor

    • Maslow

    • Herzberg (motivation–hygiene theory)

• The following motivation theories. (AO3)

  • • McClelland’s acquired needs theory (HL only)

    • Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory (HL only)

    • Equity and expectancy theory (HL only)

• Labour turnover (HL only) (AO2), (AO4)

• The following types of appraisal (HL only) (AO2)

  • • Formative

    • Summative

    • 360-degree feedback

    • Self-appraisal

• Methods of recruitment (HL only) (AO2)

• Internal and external recruitment (HL only) (AO3)

• The following types of financial rewards. (AO2)

  • • Salary

    • Wages (time and piece rates)

    • Commission

    • Performance-related pay (PRP)

    • Profit-related pay

    • Employee share ownership schemes

    • Fringe payments

• The following types of non-financial rewards. (AO2)

  • • Job enrichment

    • Job rotation

    • Job enlargement

    • Empowerment

    • Purpose/the opportunity to make a difference

    • Teamwork

• The following types of training. (AO2)

  • • Induction

    • On the job

    • Off the job

2.5 Organizational (corporate) culture (HL only)

The learning outcomes (or assessment objectives) for this section of the IB Business Management syllabus are:

• Organizational culture (HL only) (AO1)

• Types of organizational culture, for example, Charles Handy's “Gods of management” (HL only) (AO2)

• Cultural clashes when organizations change, including but not limited to, when organizations grow and merge and when leadership styles change (HL only) (AO3)

2.6 Communication

The learning outcomes (or assessment objectives) for this section of the IB Business Management syllabus are:

• Formal and informal methods of communication for an organization in a given situation (AO3)

• Barriers to communication (AO2)

2.7 Industrial/employee relations (HL only)

The learning outcomes (or assessment objectives) for this section of the IB Business Management syllabus are:

• Sources of conflict in the workplace (AO2)

• Approaches to conflict in the workplace by: (AO3)

  • • employees—collective bargaining, work-to-rule and strike action

    • employers—collective bargaining, threats of redundancies, changes of contract, closure and lockouts.

• The following approaches to conflict resolution. (AO3)

  • • Conciliation and arbitration

    • Employee participation and industrial democracy

    • No-strike agreement

    • Single-union agreement