Assignment

Subject Code: MU0012

Roll no- 1302006411

Q1. Define Strategy. Describe the different strategy levels in an organisation.

A.
The direction and scope of an organisation over the long-term; which achieves
advantages for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a changing
environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfill stakeholders expectations.
Organisations have different levels of strategic decision making. Although these levels
are inter-related, each one of them has its own scope and reach. The different levels of strategy
in an organisation are at the corporate level, business-unit level, functional level and people
level.
Corporate level strategy
Corporate level strategy is usually devised at the board level. It defines the following for an
organisation:

The overall mission

The game plan
The management of the business portfolio
The priorities of each business unit regarding resource allocation
The structuring of the business
The methods of financing the business
The alliances to be made
The acquisitions/mergers to be performed.

Business-unit level strategy

Business-unit level strategy is mainly concerned with how the organisation gains advantage
over its competitors. It deals with the following:

The methods the organisation uses to compete in particular markets

The new opportunities that the organisation identifies or creates
The products or services to develop
The customers that the organisation targets.

Functional level strategy

Functional level strategy is concerned with how different units of the business (marketing,
finance, manufacturing, personnel) transform corporate and business level strategies into
operational goals.
Functional units help in framing the business and corporate strategies by providing input on
resources and capabilities. Once the higher level strategies are framed, action plans are framed
for each department, in order to accomplish the higher level strategies.
People strategy
People strategy aims to match the activities of an organisation with its human resources. An
effective strategy for people management is vital to the success of an organisation. Research
carried out by the Institute of Work Psychology and the Centre for Economic Performance
shows a clear link between the adoption of good human resource business practices and
improved performance. The research proves that focusing on key people management issues
will improve productivity and profitability. People strategy aims to:

Ensure that the employees are satisfied with their jobs, working environment, rewards
and career prospects.
Develop employee commitment by motivating them to move beyond contractual
obligations to emotional commitment. This develops a strong sense of loyalty to the
organisation and its customers.
Manage organisation culture by concentrating on the important cultural aspects of the
organisation.

Q2. Define Organizational Culture. Discuss the dimensions of organizational culture.

Explain Charles Handys classification of organizational culture.
A.
Organisational culture describes the psychology, attitude, experiences, beliefs and
values of an organisation. According to Hill and Gareth (2001), organisational culture is defined
as the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an
organisation and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders
outside the organisation.
Dimensions of organisational culture
National, religious and cultural groupings affect the organisational cultures. The different
dimensions of organisational culture are as follows:

Power distance: This is the degree to which there are differences in levels of power. A
high degree indicates that some individuals have more power than others. A low score
shows that people have more or less equal rights.

Risk avoidance: It reflects how the much organisation is willing to take risks.

Individualism versus collectivism: Individualism refers to the extent to which people

stand up for them. Collectivism refers to the interdependence of individuals in a group.

Gender differences: It concerns the traditionally accepted male and female values. For
example, male values include competitiveness, assertiveness and ambition.

Long- versus short-term orientation: Perseverance is emphasised in long-term

orientation while immediate profits are emphasised in short-term orientation.

Charles Handys classification

Charles Handy (1972) classified organisational culture as follows:

Power culture: Power lies in the hands of a few people. Few rules and a little
bureaucracy are present, but decisions are quickly taken.

Role culture: A highly defined hierarchical structure is present. The position decides the
power wielded.

Task culture: Teams are formed to solve problems. Expertise of a person decides the
power of the individual. Such organisations have a matrix structure.

Person culture: Every individual believes that they are superior to the organisation. Such
organisations cannot succeed.

Q3. Define Disciplinary procedure. Explain the various factors to be considered while
analyzing a disciplinary problem.
A.
Disciplinary procedure is a step-by-step process which an organisation follows while
dealing with indiscipline of any kind. A disciplinary procedure includes a formal system of
documented warnings and hearings, with rights of representation and appeal at each stage.
Disciplinary procedures have to be fair and transparent in order to avoid legal complications.
All disciplinary actions have to be fair and impartial. The nature and the impact of the
misconduct have to be analysed before any disciplinary action is taken. The following factors
have to be considered while analysing a disciplinary problem:

Seriousness of the problem: Consider the severity of the problem. Insubordination is

more severe than reporting late to work.

Duration of the problem: Analyse if there have been any past violations and the period
over which it is happening. First-time violations are dealt with in a different manner
compared to violations which have been repeated for the third time.

Frequency of the problem: Examine if the current problem is a part of a pattern of

disciplinary infractions. Continual violations require more severe punishments.

Extenuating circumstances: Examine if there are any external factors which are
leading to the indiscipline. Reporting late to work due to the illness of a family member
has to be dealt with more leniently than reporting late to work because of oversleeping.

Degree of familiarisation: Find if the employee causing the problem has been
familiarised with the rules and procedures of the organisation. Consider if the violator
knows the organisational standards of acceptable behaviour. Organisations that have
formalised written disciplinary rules are more justified in enforcing discipline than
organisations that only have informal and unwritten rules.

History of the organisations disciplining practices: Find how similar misconducts

have been dealt with in the past. Find out if the organisation has consistent disciplining
practices. Impartial treatment of violations requires certain benchmarks.

Management backing: Ensure that the higher authorities back the disciplinary process.
Disciplinary actions are not effective if they are over-ridden by the upper levels of the
management.

Q4. What do you mean by Human Resource Information System (HRIS)? Describe the
various modules of HRIS. Discuss some of the HRIS software.
A.
Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) is a software application that caters to the
human resource information needs of an organisation like monitoring employee attendance,
payroll and benefits administration, career development, employee information, performance
management, and training.

HRIS comprises the following modules:

Payroll: This module of HRIS keeps track of the pay grades and positions of the
employees. Pay raise details are also recorded. This module gathers information on
employee time and attendance. It calculates the deductions and taxes and generates
pay slips and tax reports. Cheques get automatically deposited in the employee bank
accounts. Inputs for this module are obtained from HR and time-keeping modules. This
module integrates with the current financial systems of the organisation.

Benefits administration: This module tracks and administers employee benefit

programmes. The benefit programmes include insurance, reimbursements, profit sharing
and pension programmes.

HR management: This module covers many HR aspects, ranging from employee

recruitment to retirement. It records employee details like addresses, training
programmes undergone, skills, position and so on. The functions addressed by this
module are recruitment, placement, evaluation and career development of the
employees. Job sites on the Internet are increasingly being used for recruitment. This
module tracks job applications. Interviews and selection details are also maintained.

Training: This module administers and tracks employee training and development
programmes. Records of employee education, qualification, and skills are maintained. It
also outlines the training courses and training materials (CDs, books, web-based
learning programmes, etc), which help employees develop their skills. Courses can be

planned and scheduled using the data stored. Managers can approve training and
budgets.

Performance appraisal: This module evaluates the job performance of employees in

terms of quality, time and cost. This helps in analysis of employee strengths and
weaknesses and suitability for promotions. It gives feedback to employees on
performances and identifies employee training needs. It also documents criteria which
can be used for organisational rewards.

Work time: This module helps to track the work done by the employees. This module
merges the functions of work management and time management across a wide range
of activities that include project, tasks, requests and deployment. This module maintains
attendance and leave details of employees, which are exported in various formats for
further processing.

Employee self-service: This module permits employees to update their personal

details, query HR databases and perform HR transactions. Employees are allowed to
apply for leave, raise purchase requests, file expenses, view their salary details and
keep track of their project-related activities. Employees use this to update their tax
savings details and bank-related information.
There are many HRIS software available in the market today. Some of them are listed

below:

Sage Abra HRIS: It has modules for benefits enrollment, benefits messenger,
recruitment, employee self-service, payroll, HR features and training features. It
simplifies routine employee management tasks, ensures compliance with
government regulations, keeps track of employee attendance, makes recruitment
more effective, automates employee training and updates employees on benefit
programmes.

Oracle HRMS: This has different modules for HR, payroll, training administration
and time management. Oracle HRMS supports application processing, employee
profiling, career development, and management of compensation and benefit
plans.

SAP HR: This has modules for personnel administration, recruitment, training,
time management, payroll, compensation management, budget management,
travel management and personnel development.

PeopleSoft: This has modules for payroll, benefits administration, employee and
manager self-service, talent management, learning management and HR
business intelligence.

iVantage HRIS: This is a web-based talent management and HR management

suite, which offers modules for recruitment, candidate self-service, performance
management, work flow with conditional routing, salary planning, alerts,
notifications, compensation management, and reporting.

Kronos: This web-based HRIS offers various solutions for time and attendance,
scheduling, absence management, labour analysis, hiring, HR and payroll.

Q5. As an HR of a Company, you are asked to focus on the causes of Grievance and the
Grievance handling procedure. What according to you are the reasons of Grievance?
Explain the pre-requisites you will consider while addressing Grievance handling
procedure.
A.
There are a number of causes of employee grievances. Some of the reasons are as
follows:

Economic: Issues related to wages like wage calculation, overtime, and bonus.
Employees often feel that they earn less than what they deserve. Working environment:
Issues related to the employees work environment like poor working conditions,
defective equipment and machinery, tools, materials.

Supervision: Issues like behaviour of the boss towards the employee, perceived ideas
of partiality, discrimination, preferential treatment, prejudice. Work group: Issues with coworkers like stressed peer relations or inaptness with peers.

Work organisation: Issues related to the organisation like rigid and unfair rules and lack
of recognition.

It is not always the case that the organisation is at fault. There are times when the
grievances are due to the employees. Some of the instances where grievances of management
are against its employees are the following:
Disobedience on the part of employees
Going on leave without prior permission, absenteeism
Indiscipline
Illegal strikes
Wrong conclusions
Go-slow tactics
Improper methods adopted by the trade unions in dealing with management
Arrogant behaviours of the employees
Reckless charges by the employees. trade union leaders against the supervisors or
management
The pre-requisites I shall consider while addressing Grievance handling procedure are
as follows:

Conformity with statutory provisions: Due thought must be given to the laws of the
land while formulating the grievance handling procedure.

Clarity: Every aspect of the grievance handling procedure has to be clear and definite.
All employees have to know whom to approach first when they have a grievance,
whether the grievance is to be written or oral, and the maximum time in which the

redressal is guaranteed. The redressing spokesperson also has to know the limits within
which the employee can take the required action.

Simplicity: The grievance handling procedure has to be simple and short. If the
procedure is complex it may discourage employees and they may fail to make use of it in
a proper manner.

Promptness: The grievance of the employee has to be quickly handled and essential
action must be taken at once. This is good for both the employee and the management
because if action is delayed or deferred, it may affect the confidence of other employees
as well.

Training: The manager and the union representatives need appropriate training in all
matters of grievance handling so that no complications arise during the grievance
handling process.

Follow-up: The personnel department needs to keep track of the efficiency and the
performance of the grievance handling process and make necessary changes to
improve it with time.

Q6. Write a brief note on the following:

a) Trait theory
b) ERG theory
A.
a) Trait Theory
This theory uses traits (characteristics) to distinguish between leaders and non-leaders.
The traits that indicate strong leadership are as follows:

Intelligence: This refers to the mental ability of a person and is only a moderate predictor
of leadership. The Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of a person can be used as a qualifier for
high management jobs, but once the high position is attained, an effective leader also
displays good levels of Emotional Intelligence (EI). EI helps a leader to empathise with
the emotions of others. Many people feel that Carly Fiorina, the ousted leader of
Hewlett-Packard, had a high IQ, but a low empathy for the people around her and
ignored the human aspects of her decisions.

Extraversion: Extraverts have higher social and interpersonal skills. They are more
energetic, assertive and self-confident. As extraverts are more dominant, they emerge
as natural leaders. For example, Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft, is an extraverted
leader.
Conscientiousness: Conscientious people are organised, dependable, systematic,
punctual and achievement oriented. They take initiative and are persistent in all they do.

Openness: People who are open to new ideas and try new things become effective
leaders.

Self-esteem: People with good self-esteem assess their worth and capabilities in a more
positive manner. Leaders with high self-esteem are more supportive to their
subordinates. People with higher self-esteem are more confident and have greater
charisma.

Integrity: Effective leaders display honesty and integrity. Such leaders are more
trustworthy.

b) ERG Theory
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must
be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or
higher level needs. To bring Maslows need hierarchy theory of motivation in synchronisation
with empirical research, Clayton Alderfer redefined it in his own terms. His theory is called the
ERG theory of motivation. He re-categorised Maslows hierarchy of needs into three simpler and
broader classes of needs:
Existence needs: These include need for basic material necessities. In short, it includes
an individuals physiological and physical safety needs.

Relatedness needs: These include the aspirations individuals have for maintaining
significant interpersonal relationships (be it with family, peers or superiors), getting public
fame and recognition. Maslows social needs and external component of esteem needs
fall under this class of need.

Growth needs: These include need for self-development and personal growth and
advancement. Maslows self-actualisation needs and intrinsic component of esteem
needs fall under this category of need.