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HRM3704 SU 5 REVIEW QUESTIONS
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STUDY UNIT 5 REVIEW QUESTIONS
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Chapter 5 - Answers to review questions in textbook, page 1201. A major goal implicit in the idea of flexible labour is to render HRM
as a strategic activity. By this is meant a multi-fold process involving
a number of issues. Discuss briefly.
Answer: (Introduction to Chapter 5)
A major goal implicit in the idea of flexible labour is to render HRM as a
strategic, rather than merely a tactical activity. ... By this is meant a
multifold process involving one or many of the following:
(i) for any individual worker, a wider range of tasks and abilities and a
willingness to employ them on behalf of the organisation which
purchases them;
(ii) a greater variety in the time periods of employment;
(iii) a greater ability by the employer to dispense with certain workers
when not strictly essential to the production process (an ability
which may be grounded in the replacement of traditional contracts
of employment by franchise and subcontractor relations, and/or the
greater use of part-time and temporary employees); and
(iv) a greater capacity among workers (in both internal and external
labour markets) to be so deployed, necessitating changed attitudes
for all, and skill and time-management change for some.
The inference from the development of these work patterns and practices
is a new-found strategic focus by management, integrating both the 'hard'
or quantitative approach to human resources which emphasises the link to
organisational strategy and the 'soft' or qualitative approach which focuses
on the developmental aspects of managing human resources.
, 2. Explain the major differences between numerical flexibility and
functional flexibility.
Answer: (Section 5.1)
Numerical Flexibility Functional Flexibility
is a quantitative approach to the refers to management's ability to deploy
utilisation of the workforce and redeploy particular sections of the
workforce on a wide range of tasks, in
response to market demand, as and
when required
based on the principle of relating to ensure that this can be achieved
the size of the workforce to the efficiently, employees are trained in
levels of economic activity easily a wide range of skills. As Atkinson
and at short notice notes:
as the workload fluctuates, This might mean the
management has the option to deployment of multi-skilled craftsmen
adjust or redeploy its human from mechanical, electrical and
resources accordingly pneumatic jobs; it might mean moving
the use of seasonal, casual, part- workers between indirect and direct
time and subcontracted workers production jobs or it might mean a
typically provides this form of complete change of career. ...
flexibility As products and production methods
the pressures of unpredictable change, functional flexibility implies
short-term fluctuations in demand, that the same labour force changes
combined with increased with them, in both short and medium
competitiveness, make these work term.
patterns efficient and effective to the volatility of product markets and
sustain, as organisations are the blurring of skill boundaries
relieved of the cost of a fixed through technological change
labour force - while these patterns provide the environment for the
of work organisation have been development of this form of
traditional aspects of some flexibility.
segments of the labour market central to the development of
(e.g. the service and retail functional flexibility is the reversal of
sectors), the use of these work the Taylorist (or scientific
practices to externalise traditional management) practices of
core organisational activities is the fragmentation and de-skilling
major factor in increasing working practices which incorporate
enterprise efficiency through elements of functional flexibility
numerical flexibility include team working,
empowerment, multi-skilling, re-
skilling and project-working
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