manpower planning

Definition
Estimating or projecting the number of personnel with different skills required over time
or for a project, and detailing how and when they will be acquired.

job
Definition
Group of homogenous tasks related by similarity of functions. When performed by an
employee in an exchange for pay, a job consists of duties, responsibilities, and tasks
(performance elements) that are (1) defined and specific, and (2) can be accomplished,
quantified, measured, and rated. From a wider perspective, a job is synonymous with a
'role' and includes the physical and social aspects of a work environment. Often,
individuals identify themselves with their job or role (foreman, supervisor, engineer, etc.)
and derive motivation from its uniqueness or usefulness.

task
Definition
Smallest identifiable and essential piece of a job that serves as a unit of work, and as a
means of differentiating between the various components of a project. Often used as an
alternative term for activity.

job analysis
Definition
Detailed examination of the (1) tasks (performance elements) that make up a job
(employee role), (2) conditions under which they are performed, and (3) what the job
requires in terms of aptitudes (potential for achievement), attitudes (behavior
characteristics), knowledge, skills, and the physical condition of the employee. Its
objectives include (a) determination of the most efficient methods of doing a job, (b)
enhancement of the employee's job satisfaction, (c) improvement in training methods, (d)

development of performance measurement systems, and (e) matching of jobspecifications with the person-specifications in employee selection. Comprehensive job
analysis begins with the study of the organization itself: its purpose, design and structure,
inputs and outputs, internal and external environments, and resource constraints. It is the
first step in a thorough understanding of the job and forms the basis of job description
which leads to job specification. Also called human resource audit, job study, or
occupational analysis. See also activity analysis, performance analysis, and task analysis.

job design
Definition
Work arrangement (or rearrangement) aimed at reducing or overcoming job
dissatisfaction and employee alienation arising from repetitive and mechanistic

competence
Definition 1
General: (plural competences) cluster of related abilities, commitments, knowledge, and
skills that enable a person (or an organization) to act effectively in a job or situation. In
comparison to 'competency' (plural competencies) which refers to a cluster of abilities
relating to excellence in a specific activity, competence indicates sufficiency (state of
being 'good enough') of knowledge and skills that enable one to act in a wide variety of
situations. Because each level of responsibility has its own requirements, competence can
occur in any period of a person's life or at any stage of his or her career.

Definition 2
Legal: Capacity of a person to understand a situation and to act reasonably. Disputes
regarding the competence of an individual are settled by a judge and not by a professional
(such as a doctor or a psychiatrist) although the judge may seek expert opinion before
delivering at a judgment. Also called legal capacity.

organization
Definition 1
Non-random arrangement of components or parts interconnected in a manner as to
constitute a system identifiable as a unit.

Definition 2
Sequential or spatial (or both) form in which a body of knowledge, data, people, things,
or other elements, is purposefully arranged.

Definition 3
Social unit of people, systematically arranged and managed to meet a need or to pursue
collective goals on a continuing basis. All organizations have a management structure
that determines relationships between functions and positions, and subdivides and
delegates roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out defined tasks. Organizations
are open systems in that they affect and are affected by the environment beyond their
boundaries

productivity
Definition
Relative measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, etc., in
converting inputs into useful outputs. Computed by dividing average output per period by
the total costs incurred or resources (capital, energy, material, personnel) consumed in
that period, productivity is a critical determinant of cost efficiency.

efficiency
Definition
Comparison of what is actually produced or performed with what can be achieved with
the same consumption of resources (money, time, labor, etc.). It is an important factor in
determination of productivity. See also effectiveness.

effectiveness
Definition
Degree to which objectives are achieved and the extent to which targeted problems are
resolved. In contrast to efficiency, effectiveness is determined without reference to costs
and, whereas efficiency means "doing the thing right," effectiveness means "doing the
right thing."

job evaluation
Definition
Assessment of the relative worth of varied jobs on the basis of a consistent set of job and
personal factors, such as qualifications and skills required. The objective is to determine
which jobs should get more pay than others. Several methods such as job ranking, job
grading, and factor comparison are employed in job evaluation. Research indicates,
however, that each method is nearly as accurate and reliable as the other in ranking and
pricing different jobs. Job evaluation forms the basis for wage and salary negotiations.

organizational culture
Definition
Pervasive, deep, largely subconscious, and tacit code that gives the 'feel' of an
organization and determines what is considered right or wrong, important or unimportant,
workable or unworkable in it, and how it responds to the unexpected crises, jolts, and
sudden change. All new employees must assimilate this code ('learn the ropes') to know
the correct way to behave and what to expect from other employees. Organizational
culture is the sum total of an organization's past and current assumptions, experiences,
philosophy, and values that hold it together, and are expressed in its self-image, inner
workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations. It is based on
shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, express or implied contracts, and written and unwritten
rules that the organization develops over time and that have worked well enough to be
considered valid. Also called corporate culture, it manifests in (1) the ways the
organization conducts its business, treats its employees, customers, and the wider
community, (2) the extent to which autonomy and freedom is allowed in decision
making, developing new ideas, and personal expression, (3) how power and information
flow through its hierarchy, and (4) the strength of employee commitment towards
collective objectives. It is termed 'strong' or 'weak' to the extent it is diffused through the

organization. It impacts the organization's productivity and performance, and provides

guidelines on customer care and service; product quality and safety; attendance and
punctuality; and concern for the environment. It extends also to production-methods,
marketing and advertising practices, and to new product creation. Expressed commonly
as "It's how we do things here," it is unique for every organization and one of the hardest
thing to change.

organizational development (OD)

Definition
Theory and practice of planned, systematic change in the attitudes, beliefs, and values of
the employees through creation and reinforcement of long-term training programs. OD is
action oriented. It starts with a careful organization-wide analysis of the current situation
and of the future requirements, and employs techniques of behavioral sciences such as
behavior modeling, sensitivity training, and transactional analysis. Its objective is to
enable the organization in adopting-better to the fast-changing external environment of
new markets, regulations, and technologies.

organizational design
Definition
Manner in which a management achieves the right combination of differentiation and
integration of the organization's operations, in response to the level of uncertainty in its
external environment. Differentiation refers to the sub-division of functional or
departmental units, each concentrating on a particular aspect of the organization's
operations. Integration refers to the linking of differentiated units to achieve unity of
effort in working toward organization's goals. In times of high uncertainty, greater
organizational effectiveness is achieved through high differentiation coupled with high
integration. In times of low uncertainty, through low differentiation and low integration.
See also organizational structure.

organization chart
Definition
Visual representation of how a firm intends authority, responsibility, and information to
flow within its formal organizational structure. It usually depicts different management
functions (accounting, finance, human resources, marketing, production, R&D, etc.) and
their subdivisions as boxes linked with lines along which decision making power travels
downwards and answerability travels upwards. Also called organizational chart.

Organization and Methods (O&M)

Definition
Systematic examination of an organization's structure, procedures and methods, and
management and control, from the lowest (clerical or shop-floor) level to the highest
(CEO, president, managing director). Its objective is to assess their comparative
efficiency in achieving defined organizational aims. O&M concerns itself mainly with
administrative procedures (not manufacturing operations) and employs techniques such
as operations research, work-study, and systems analysis.

benefit
Definition 1
General: Advantage, privilege, right, or financial reimbursement (such as that made under
an insurance policy, medical plan, or pension plan).

Definition 2
Finance: Desirable and measurable outcome or result from an action, investment, project,
resource, or technology.

Definition 3
Marketing: Desirable attribute of a good or service, which a customer perceives he or she
will get from purchasing. Whereas vendors sell features ("high speed drill bit with
tungsten-carbide tip"), buyers seek the benefit (the holes).

human capital
Definition
Health, knowledge, motivation, and skills, the attainment of which is regarded as an end
in itself (irrespective of their income potential) because they yield fulfillment and
satisfaction to the possessor. In an organizational context, human capital refers to the
collective value of the organization's intellectual capital (competencies, knowledge, and
skills). This capital is the organization's constantly renewable source of creativity and
innovativeness (and imparts it the ability to change) but is not reflected in its financial
statements. Unlike structural capital, human capital is always owned by the individuals
who have it, and can 'walk out the door' unless it is recorded in a tangible form, or is
incorporated in the organization's procedures and structure.

human resource management (HRM)

Definition
Administrative activities associated with human resources planning, recruitment,
selection, orientation, training, appraisal, motivation, remuneration, etc. HRM aims at
developing people through work.

Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS)

Definition
A system which seeks to merge the activities associated with human resource
management (HRM) and information technology (IT) into one common database through
the use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. The goal of HRIS is to merge the
different parts of human resources, including payroll, labor productivity, and benefit
management into a less capital-intensive system than the mainframes used to manage
activities in the past. Also called Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS)

performance analysis
Definition 1
Finance: Examination of various financial performance indicators (such as return on
assets and return on equity) in comparison with the results achieved by the competing
firms of about the same size.

Definition 2
Human resource management: Examination of the performance of current employees to
determine if training can help reduce performance problems such as low output, uneven
quality, excessive waste. See also activity analysis, job analysis, and task analysis.

cost accounting
Definition
Method of accounting in which all elements of cost incurred in carrying out an activity or
accomplishing a purpose are collected, classified, and recorded. This data is then
summarized and analyzed to arrive at a selling price, or to determine where savings are
possible. In contrast to financial accounting (which considers money as the measure of
economic performance) cost accounting considers it as the economic factor of
production.