Human Resource Management (HRM) What? the functional area of an organization that is responsible for all aspects of hiring and supporting employees (e.g., providing and administering employee benefits). all the activities related to the recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, retention, separation, and support of employees. functions within a company that relate to people. Why? is the effective use of human resources in order to enhance organisational performance. the process of evaluating human resource needs, finding people to fill those needs, and getting the best work from each employee by providing the right incentives and job environment, all with the goal of meeting the needs of the firm. applying human resources within complex systems such that people succeed, performance improves, and human error decreases. (Quelle: web definitions for HRM)

Effects of HRM HRM-practices (especially job design and selection/ appraisal/training) better predict company performance than R&D, QM, strategy and technology (West, 2001) Empowerment better predicts company performance than technology-based management practices (Patterson et al., 2004) HRM-practices as cause and effect of company performance (Guest et al., 2003)

HRM from a work and organizational psychology perspective Scientific foundation for HRM tools HRM as a function penetrating the whole organization Focus on working conditions as influences on human competence and motivation Systematic linking of "fit human to task" and "fit task to human"

Organization as socio-technical system Road map for HRM A Motivation Satisfaction Performance Organization as socio-technical system Task / Work process

Performance appraisal / Compensation Road map for HRM B Motivation Satisfaction Performance Personnel selection Performance appraisal / Compensation Personnel development Leadership Team Task / Work process Organization as socio-technical system

Topics HRM B: Leading teams

Organization of course HRM B provides 3 ETCS points (approx. 75-90 work hours). Besides the lecture, the prerequisite for credits points and exam participation is the completion of a semester project in groups of 4 students. The exam is written (1.5 hours; open book) and takes place the first week of the holidays. Overall grade: 30% project & 70% exam. Material for each lecture by the previous friday on www.oat.ethz.ch.

Semester project Choose one of four topics: 1: Leadership assessment 2: Best practice in HRM 3: Pay for performance 4: Promotion of employability Work in groups of four - final product is written report (to be handed in by June 18) Depending on topic chosen, project entails literature reviews, interviews/observations/document analyses in companies, group exercises Selection of topics/assignment to groups: fill out sign-up sheet

1: Leadership assessment Marius Gerber & Barbara Künzle Assessment Center: Evaluation of personal characteristics based on behavior in realistic situations Task: develop and test an assessment method for leadership based on a chosen theory of leadership Methods: determine relevant personal characteristics related to good leadership behavior, create an assessment scenario and carry out an assessment

2: Best Practice in HRM Sabine Raeder & Johann Weichbrodt Best practice: finding businesses with an excellent HRM (Swiss HR-Award), focus on practice, not results Task: evaluate a company’s HRM and create a ranking list Methods: create interview guidelines and conduct structured interviews with HR or general managers

3: Pay for Performance Hannes Günter Pay for performance systems: potential for serious unintended negative results, but also for substantial performance improvements Task: systematically evaluate an existing pay for performance system Methods: interviews with system designers and employees; benchmarking using ProMES

4: Promotion of Employability Anette Wittekind & Daniel Boos Employability: an individual’s chance of getting a job in the labor market; advantageous for employees, but also for employers (social responsibility) Task: identify employability enhancement activities in Swiss companies Methods: send out a questionnaire to Swiss companies and analyze the results

Sign-up sheet

"Benchmarking": Characteristics of HRM in successful companies (Pfeffer, 1998) Employment security Selective hiring Self-managed teams and decentralization High compensation contingent on organizational performance Extensive training Reduction of status differences Sharing information

"Benchmarking": Characteristics of HRM in successful companies (Pfeffer, 1998) 1. Employment security 2. Selective hiring 3. Self-managed teams and decentralization 4. High compensation contingent on organizational performance 5. Extensive training 6. Reduction of status differences 7. Sharing information

"Benchmarking": Characteristics of HRM in successful companies (Pfeffer, 1998) 1. Employment security 2. Selective hiring 3. Self-managed teams and decentralization 4. High compensation contingent on organizational performance 5. Extensive training 6. Reduction of status differences 7. Sharing information

Legal and psychological contracts Formerly Firm $ t Employee Today Employee t + Goal achievement Firm $ + Goals Legal contract Hard Work Loyalty Employability Employee Firm Psychological contract Job security Hard Work Loyalty Employee Firm Work flexibility, Downsizing

Flexible working: Change from a traditional to a new contract Flexible working: Change from a traditional to a new contract? (Raeder & Grote, 2001)

Fit between expectations and offers – Employee perspective

(Non-)Fit of employer offers and employee expectations (Wittekind, Raeder & Grote, 2005)

(Non-)Fit of employee offers and employer expectations (Wittekind, Raeder & Grote, 2005)

Career orientations in Switzerland (Swiss HR-Barometer 2006, Grote & Staffelbach) Traditional career Independent career Disengaged career

Psychological contract as leadership instrument Psychological contracts ... complement and super-impose legal contracts. contain reciprocal, though not necessarily correspon-ding expectations and offers between employee and employer. are derived from verbal agreements as well as from behaviors of contract partners and other members of the organization. The more corresponding and the more explicit the agreement the sounder the psychological contract.

Using the psychological contract to handle employment uncertainties Communicate and match reciprocal expectations and offers Early, comprehensive information also on uncertain developments (individual and organizational) Support employability through training, job design, and systematic career management Distribute risks between organization and employee according to individual coping capabilities Further organizational commitment which allows for flexibility and "thinking in options"

"Benchmarking": Characteristics of HRM in successful companies (Pfeffer, 1998) 1. Employment security 2. Selective hiring 3. Self-managed teams and decentralization 4. High compensation contingent on organizational performance 5. Extensive training 6. Reduction of status differences 7. Sharing information

Fundamentals of organizational design (Kieser & Kubicek, 1983) Specialization: Distribution of labor, resulting in different kinds of work tasks Coordination: management of dependencies among subtasks, resources, and people Configuration: Structure of line of command Delegation of decision authority: Distribution of decision authority regarding actions and decision rules Formalization: Determination of rules and procedures, e.g. structures, flow of information, performance measurement/assessment So wenig wie die Rede von einer Stunde Null im betrieblichen Wissensmanagment Sinn macht - d.h. Betriebe haben immer schon Wissensmanagemten betrieben - kann auch in der Forschung und Entwicklung von Mitteln und Medien des Wissensmanagements von einer Stunde Null gesprochen werden. In der Geschichte sind folgende Hauptströmungen zu verzeichnen: 2-3 HCI (Human Computer Interaction) / KI (Künstliche Intelligenz) 3-5 CMC (Computer Mediated Communication) CSCL (Computer Supported Cooperative Learning / mit CBT - Systemen) CSCW (Computer Supported Cooperative Work) Knowledge Management Systems

Organization as socio-technical system

Prerequsites for good team work Adequate common task Complexity higher than individual competencies Clear performance criteria Collective decision competence Shared goal orientation Positive goal coupling Goal transparency and feedback Adequate group composition Different perspectives on the task Shared language Development of group rules Adequate group size Support for team development (form, storm, norm, perform) Explicit handling of conflicts between individual and collective autonomy

"Benchmarking": Characteristics of HRM in successful companies (Pfeffer, 1998) 1. Employment security 2. Selective hiring 3. Self-managed teams and decentralization 4. High compensation contingent on organizational performance 5. Extensive training 6. Reduction of status differences 7. Sharing information

Integration of "fit human to task" and "fit task to human" Strive for dynamic relationship between people and work to keep people and organization moving Select people that want to and can develop = learning ability and willingness as important selection criterion Personnel development via training and via work assignments that further learning Support for lateral und vertical careers in systematic processes of selection and development

Fit task to human (focus in HRM A) Job design Job crafting supports dynamic relationship between person and work if tasks are created that include autonomy and learning requirements

Job design as crucial measure for personnel development Design of humane work tasks in order to further health competencies personality based on the psychosocial functions of work

The product of work is people Relationship between work and leisure activities no relationship - empirical finding only for subjective assessment by people themselves, especially for "identity threating work" (Hoff, 1986) work changes leisure - most frequent empirical finding (e.g. Meissner, 1971; Leitner, 1993) leisure compensates for work - empirical finding especially regarding compensation of strain (e.g. Bamberg, 1986) Reciprocal relationship between intellectual job demands and development of intelligence (Schallberger, 1987) selection effect (more intelligent people get more demanding jobs) and socialization effect (demanding jobs further intelligence) result in widening gap (for more intelligent people intelligence increases, for less intelligent people intelligence stays the same/decreases)

Fit human to task (focus in HRM B) Personnel selection Training supports dynamic relationship if people are chosen/trained for motivation and capability to learn

Topics HRM B: Leading teams