Study Notes: People Management

HRM - Delayering

Many businesses are moving towards flatter organisational structures through de-layering.

De-layering involves removing one or more levels of hierarchy from the organisational structure.

Frequently, the layers removed are those containing middle managers. For example, many high-street banks no longer have a manager in each of their branches, preferring to appoint a manager to oversee a number of branches. Some schools adopt this policy too – with a director of studies looking after several schools in a local area.

De-layering can offer a number of advantages to business:

• It offers opportunities for delegation, empowerment and motivation as the number of managers is reduced and more authority is given to shop-floor workers.
• It can improve communication within the organisation as messages have to pass through fewer levels of hierarchy.
• It can remove departmental rivalry if department heads are removed as the workforce is organised in teams.
• It can reduce costs as fewer employees are required and employing middle managers can be expensive.

But disadvantages exist too, making a decision to delayer less clear cut:

• Not all organisations are suited to flatter organisational structures - mass production industries with low-skilled employees may not adapt easily.
• De-layering can have a negative impact on motivation due to job losses, especially if it is really just an excuse for redundancies.
• A period of disruption may occur as people take on new responsibilities and fulfil new roles.
• Those managers remaining will have a wider span of control which, if it is too wide, can damage communication within the business.

HRM Strategy

HRM introduction  HRM objectives  HRM influences  Hard & Soft HRM  

Organisational Structure

Org charts  Delayering  Span of control  Centralisation & decentralisation  Matrix structures  

Motivation at work

What is motivation?   Theory - Maslow  Theory - Herzberg  Theory - Taylor  Theory - McGregor  

Financial motivation  Pay Package  Time rate  Piece rate  Commission  Performance pay  

Share options  Job rotation  Job enlargement  Delegation & empowerment  

Recruitment & Training

Recruitment intro  Internal / external  Job descriptions  Interviews  Job analysis  

Job advertising  Person specification  Training - intro  Induction training  On-the-job training  Off-the-job training  

Workforce planning

Workforce planning  Flexible working  Benefits & issues  Labour supply  Workforce roles & workload  

Annual hours  Job sharing  Temporary staff  Teleworking   Flexible hours  

Communication

Overview  Barriers  Benefits  Employee Representation