Important Questions for IGNOU MAPC MPCE032 Exam with Main Points for Answer - Block 1 Human Resource Planning Unit 3 People Dimensions In HR And Short Term Human Resource Planning

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Block 1 Human Resource Planning

Unit 3 People Dimensions In HR And Short Term Human Resource Planning


1) Discuss people in organisations and management of them by the organisation.

People are the most pertinent variable of any organisation, and managing them is a huge challenge for managers. Organisations must understand the factors that affect how people behave at work. People in organisations have different needs and wants that affect their levels of motivation. They also develop expectations regarding what they will contribute to the organisation and what the organisation will provide in return. To manage people effectively, organisations need to address individual needs, aiming to establish a 'psychological contract' between the worker and the organisation. Organisations also need to understand how to manage the individual differences that make matching workers with jobs complex.


2) What is a Psychological Contract, and why is it important?

A psychological contract is an unwritten, less formal agreement than a legal contract, where an individual makes 'contributions' to the organisation, and in return, the organisation provides 'inducements'. These inducements can be tangible, like pay and career opportunities, or intangible, such as job security and status. This contract is important because when employees feel they receive fair compensation for their efforts, a satisfying relationship is formed, and they are likely to continue contributing positively. However, if either party perceives inequity, changes in behaviour may follow.


3) How does an organisation manage the psychological contract?

Organisations manage psychological contracts by striving to obtain value from their employees while providing them with the right inducements. This involves understanding that both people and organisations change, and what motivates an employee today may not tomorrow. Recent trends like downsizing have complicated this process, making job permanence seem unlikely and requiring organisations to offer alternative inducements.


4) What is meant by person-job fit?

Person-job fit refers to the extent to which an individual's contributions match the inducements offered by the organisation. It is about achieving an optimal match between people and jobs, which can be challenging due to individual differences between employees.


5) Discuss personality traits and how they affect organisations. Discuss the relationship between personality and organisation.

Personality is a relatively stable set of psychological attributes that distinguishes one person from another. Both biological and environmental factors influence personality, and managers should understand basic personality attributes and how they can affect people's behaviour. Personality traits can impact how individuals interact with colleagues, approach tasks, and respond to organisational situations. For instance, a highly agreeable person will develop good working relationships whereas a less agreeable person might not.


6) What are the Big Five Personality traits? Describe.

The Big Five personality traits are a set of traits that psychologists have identified as being predictors of behaviour. They are: 

  1. Agreeableness: A person's ability to get along with others. Highly agreeable people tend to be cooperative, gentle, and understanding, and are better at building good working relationships. 
  2. Conscientiousness: This refers to how organised, responsible, and dependable a person is. 
  3. Negative Emotionality: Also referred to as neuroticism, this reflects the tendency to experience negative emotions like anxiety and insecurity. 
  4. Extraversion: This indicates how outgoing, sociable, and assertive a person is. 
  5. Openness: This is a person's willingness to try new things, be creative and open to new experiences.


7) Elucidate Myer Briggs framework.

The Myers-Briggs Framework differentiates people based on four general dimensions: sensing, intuition, judging, and perceiving. Higher and lower positions within each dimension classify people into one of sixteen personality categories. This framework is used to assess personality types and determine communication styles and interaction preferences within organisations. It is also used as a selection instrument.


8) Name the other personality traits that are relevant for organisation.

Besides the Big Five and the Myers-Briggs framework, other personality traits that influence behaviour in organisations include: 

  • Locus of Control: The extent to which people believe their behaviour has a real effect on what happens to them, with internals believing they control their lives and externals believing fate or chance does. 
  • Self-efficacy: A person’s belief in their ability to perform a task.
  • Authoritarianism: The belief that power and status differences are appropriate within hierarchical systems.
  • Machiavellianism: The extent to which a person is manipulative and uses others for their own benefit.
  • Self-esteem: The extent to which a person believes they are worthwhile and deserving.
  • Risk propensity: The degree to which a person is willing to take chances and make risky decisions.


9) Define attitudes in organisation.

Attitudes are a complex of beliefs and feelings that people have about specific ideas, situations, or other people. They affect behaviour in organisations, as they are a mechanism through which people express their feelings. For example, an employee's belief that they are underpaid reflects their feelings about their pay.


10) How are attitudes formed?

Attitudes are formed through various mechanisms, including:

  • Direct experience: Personal experiences often shape attitudes.
  • Social learning: Observing the attitudes of others. 
  • Persuasion: Being influenced by others to adopt a certain attitude. 
  • Cognitive processes: Processing information and developing beliefs that form the basis of attitudes.


11) What is the basic structure of an attitude? What are the components of individual’s attitude?

The basic structure of an attitude includes three components: 

  • Cognitive component: This component refers to the beliefs and knowledge a person has about the object of the attitude.
  • Affective component: This component includes the feelings and emotions associated with the attitude object. 
  • Behavioural component: This is the person's intention to behave in a certain way towards the object of the attitude.


12) What is cognitive dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance occurs when an individual experiences conflict between different attitudes or between their attitudes and their behaviour. This dissonance can cause discomfort, leading individuals to change their attitudes, behaviours, or perceptions to reduce the conflict.


13) Elucidate the keywords related to attitudes.

Key words related to attitudes include: 

  • Job satisfaction: The degree to which an employee feels content with their job. 
  • Organisational commitment: The extent to which an employee identifies with and is attached to an organisation.
  • Attitude change: The process by which an individual's attitudes shift over time as they receive new information.


14) Discuss affect and mood in organisation.

Affect and mood refer to the emotional component of attitudes. Affect includes short-term fluctuations in feelings, while mood refers to underlying stable predispositions. People with positive affectivity are optimistic and see things in a positive light, while those with negative affectivity are pessimistic and tend to see things negatively.


15) What are basic perceptual processes? What are the basic perceptual processes in organisation?

Perception is how individuals interpret and organise sensory input to understand their environment. Basic perceptual processes include:

  • Selective perception: The tendency to pay attention to some stimuli while ignoring others. 
  • Stereotyping: Categorising people based on group membership. 
  • Attribution: The process of assigning causes to behaviours, either internal (due to the person) or external (due to the environment).


16) Relate perception to attributes.

Perception is linked to attributes through the attribution process, where individuals try to understand the causes behind behaviour. This involves analysing a person's behaviour based on consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness, which help determine whether the behaviour is caused by internal or external factors.


17) Define creativity. Discuss creativity in organisation.

Creativity is the ability to generate new ideas. In organisations, creativity is essential for innovation, problem-solving, and adapting to change. Creative individuals are characterised by their independence, open-mindedness, and willingness to take risks.


18) How can creativity be enhanced in an organisation?

Creativity can be enhanced by: 

  • Providing a supportive environment that encourages experimentation and risk-taking. 
  • Promoting open communication and collaboration. 
  • Encouraging diverse perspectives and ideas. 
  • Providing resources and training for creative thinking.


19) Discuss the different types of workplace behaviours.

Workplace behaviours are actions by members of an organisation that directly or indirectly influence its effectiveness. These behaviours can be classified into:

  • Performance behaviour: The total set of work-related behaviours an organisation expects from an individual.
  • Organisational citizenship: Behaviours that make a positive overall contribution to the organisation.
  • Dysfunctional behaviour: Actions that detract from organisational performance, such as absenteeism, turnover, theft, and sabotage.


20) What is performance behaviour?

Performance behaviour refers to the total set of work-related behaviours that an organisation expects an individual to display. Performance behaviour can be assessed quantitatively (e.g., counting the number of units produced) or qualitatively.


21) Discuss the dysfunctional behaviours and indicate the remedial measure for the same.

Dysfunctional behaviours are actions that detract from organisational performance. Common examples include: 

  • Absenteeism: Can be reduced by promoting job satisfaction and work-life balance.
  • Turnover: Can be addressed by improving recruitment and selection processes, motivation, and training.
  • Theft and Sabotage: These can be mitigated through stringent policies, security measures, and addressing employee dissatisfaction.
  • Workplace Violence: Can be addressed through zero-tolerance policies, security measures and conflict resolution strategies.
  • Inflexibility: Can be mitigated through providing work-life balance, flexibility, and employee choice plans.


22) What is organisational citizenship?

Organisational citizenship refers to the extent to which an individual’s behaviour makes a positive overall contribution to the organisation. These are voluntary behaviours that go beyond the minimum requirements of a job.


23) How is it to be promoted?

Organisational citizenship can be promoted by:

  • Fostering a culture of trust and respect.
  • Recognising and rewarding positive behaviours.
  • Creating a sense of belonging and shared purpose.


24) What do you understand by short term HR planning?

Short-term HR planning involves addressing the immediate human resource needs of an organisation. This type of planning is flexible and addresses resourcing, flexibility, and downsizing.


25) Discuss the organisation’s context of HR planning.

HR planning takes place within the context of the organisation, and the extent to which it is used depends on management's recognition that success depends on forecasting future people requirements. This approach is also affected by the degree to which it is possible to make accurate forecasts. Organisations in turbulent environments may rely on short-term measures to recruit and keep people.


26) Define and describe resource planning.

Resource planning involves analyzing the availability of suitable people from within the organisation and deciding how to address resourcing needs, either internally or externally. This involves identifying suitable employees through skills databases and assessments of potential, as well as making plans for promotions and re-deployments. Resource planning also considers how to make better use of existing employees, which includes flexibility arrangements or home working.


27) What is recruitment planning?

Recruitment planning involves developing strategies for attracting high-quality candidates, whether from within or outside the organisation. This requires effective planning of the recruitment process to generate a pool of qualified and technical employees, which will then lead to a better selection process.


28) Discuss the employee choice plans in detail.

Employee choice plans offer flexibility to employees in terms of work arrangements. These include: 

  • Flexibility Plans: These can encompass various flexible work arrangements designed to accommodate employees' needs. 
  • Part-time workers: Employing individuals on a part-time basis to meet staffing needs.
  • Job sharing: Allowing two or more employees to share a single full-time position.
  • Home-working and Tele-working: Enabling employees to work remotely, often from home.


29) What is meant by subcontracting?

Subcontracting involves hiring external individuals or companies to perform specific tasks or functions for the organisation.


30) Discuss flexible hour arrangement.

Flexible hour arrangements allow employees to vary their work hours, often within certain parameters, to better manage their work and personal lives.


31) How do managers manage their short term requirement of human resources?

Managers manage short-term HR requirements by: * Developing short-term and flexible action plans derived from broad resourcing strategies. * Implementing employee choice plans to manage varying workloads. * Utilising subcontracting when necessary. * Employing flexible hour arrangements to meet staffing needs.


32) Would downsizing plan work? Critically evaluate.

Downsizing is a reduction in the number of employees in an organisation, and is a measure often resorted to as a last resort in short term HR planning. While downsizing can reduce costs and increase efficiency, it may also result in lower morale and loss of valuable employees. Additionally, the long-term effectiveness of downsizing depends heavily on how it is implemented, and if it is coupled with careful planning, clear communication, and strategies to support remaining employees. Downsizing also complicates the process of managing the psychological contract.

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