The language of people & work.

The knowledge and skills needed to carry out a task. Capability also depends on whether someone can use them in the actual work environment.

The processes used to understand and respond to time away from work, including support, recording, pay and appropriate review.

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service: a public body providing workplace advice and dispute-resolution services in Great Britain.

Adair’s framework for attending to task achievement, the team and each individual as connected needs.

The external-focus, flexible quadrant of the Competing Values Framework, associated with innovation.

The ending phase added to Tuckman’s team-development framework with Jensen. It draws attention to closure, transition and learning.

Ability, motivation and opportunity: a framework for examining the conditions that enable people to contribute at work.

A route to challenge an employment decision and have the outcome or process reviewed. The applicable procedure depends on the issue.

Visible features of an organisation, such as rituals, language and physical arrangements. In Schein’s framework, their meaning needs investigation.

Dismissal for certain prohibited reasons, often protected without the ordinary unfair-dismissal qualifying service. The precise reason and statutory protection matter.

A sense of volition in self-determination theory, or discretion over work in job design. It does not mean working without boundaries or support.

An observable change in how people act, positioned between HR outcomes and organisational performance in a causal explanation.

Comparison with another period, unit or reference population, requiring attention to definitions and comparability.

An approach that asks whether people practices suit a particular strategy and context, rather than assuming one universally optimal system.

An HR role intended to connect people decisions with organisational needs. Its impact depends on the work and system, not the title.

Agreement between predicted probabilities and observed outcome frequencies in an appropriate evaluation population.

The capacity to perform an activity reliably. At organisational level it can combine skills, relationships, tools and routines.

A proposed sequence linking an intervention to intermediate changes and eventual outcomes. It makes assumptions visible; it does not prove causation.

In Ulrich’s framework, a contribution focused on enabling organisational change and developing the capacity to adapt.

The internal-focus, flexible quadrant of the Competing Values Framework, associated with collaboration.

A group sharing a defined starting event or period, followed over a specified observation window.

A process involving employee representatives on matters such as qualifying redundancy proposals. Specific legal duties determine when and how it applies.

An attachment to a goal or organisation. Its meaning and measurement should be specified rather than assumed from attendance or compliance.

Experienced effectiveness in self-determination theory; in other HR contexts, the ability to meet a defined standard. State which meaning you intend.

An interval produced by a statistical procedure with a stated long-run coverage under its assumptions; it communicates estimation uncertainty.

A situation in which another factor helps explain an observed relationship, complicating causal interpretation.

A process of seeking and considering views while a proposal can still be influenced. It is different from simply communicating a final decision.

A contextual condition that affects which organisational arrangement is likely to work. A useful analysis names the condition and its mechanism.

Recognition or another agreed outcome linked to specified performance expectations.

A benefit provided through contractual terms, which may go beyond the statutory minimum. The exact terms need checking.

What would have happened without the intervention; impact evaluation seeks a defensible approximation.

In the Cultural Web, the central assumptions through which organisational life is interpreted.

Shared patterns of meaning and assumptions that shape how work is understood and done. It is broader than a published list of values.

An observed association between cultural measures and organisational outcomes; this alone does not establish which causes which.

Use of information unavailable at the intended prediction time, or other contamination that makes evaluation unrealistically favourable.

An aspect of work requiring sustained effort, such as volume, complexity or emotional demands. Its effect depends on context and available resources.

The population or exposure used as the base of a rate; changing it can change the meaning of the result.

Analysis of what has happened or what the data currently shows, without necessarily explaining why.

Investigation of possible explanations for an observed pattern; it does not automatically establish causation.

The development of different orientations or arrangements between organisational units. Contingency theory pairs it with the need for integration.

Less favourable treatment because of a protected characteristic, subject to the relevant legal tests and exceptions.

Clarifying what is required and how work should be performed; the appropriate amount depends on the task and context.

Contribution beyond a narrow minimum. It should not be confused with unpaid overwork or treated as an unlimited resource.

An error made when a relationship or average observed for a group is treated as a fact about an individual member.

An employment status carrying particular rights and obligations. The actual relationship matters, not just the label used in a document.

Ulrich’s role concerned with employee contribution and needs. It draws attention to employee experience alongside organisational requirements.

An assumption-based planning concept for contribution and cost across an employment journey, not a price assigned to a person.

Ways people express views and influence matters affecting their work, individually or collectively. A channel is only useful if someone responds.

Passed into law. An enacted provision may still need commencement before it becomes an operative right or duty.

Perceived fairness in the relationship between contributions and outcomes, often assessed comparatively in Adams’ theory. It is not synonymous with equality.

The values an organisation says it holds. Schein’s framework asks how these relate to observable behaviour and deeper assumptions.

The belief that effort can lead to the required performance. In Vroom’s framework, it is distinct from whether performance will be rewarded.

Information about performance or results that can guide adjustment. Useful feedback is specific enough to support the next action.

In Deal and Kennedy’s model, how quickly people learn the outcomes of decisions, rather than how often a manager gives an appraisal.

An arrangement varying when, where or how work is done. A statutory request process and a disability adjustment are distinct routes.

Tuckman’s label for early orientation in a team, where purpose, relationships and expectations may still be uncertain.

Full-time equivalent: a capacity unit relative to an agreed full-time basis, distinct from the number of people.

A unit expressing working capacity relative to an agreed full-time standard. It is different from the number of people employed.

A concern, problem or complaint raised by an employee about work. Formal procedures should provide a fair route to address it.

The number of people in a defined workforce at a specified point or over a stated period. Define who is included.

The internal-focus, control-oriented quadrant of the Competing Values Framework, associated with dependable coordination.

Consistency and reinforcement between HR practices—for example, whether rewards support the behaviours that training and job design encourage.

Intermediate people-related changes, such as capability or commitment, through which HR practices may influence behaviour and performance.

A broad financial ratio using revenue, non-workforce operating costs and employee costs; its interpretation depends on consistent accounting definitions.

Herzberg’s term for conditions associated with dissatisfaction, such as policy and working conditions. The term does not mean these factors are unimportant.

Assessment of the change attributable to an intervention, using a defensible comparison with what would otherwise have happened.

Legally operative. Check the commencement date, scope and transitional provisions rather than relying only on the date an Act was passed.

A rule or practice that creates relevant group and individual disadvantage, subject to the applicable legal test and justification analysis.

The belief that performing well will lead to a particular outcome. A reward scheme loses credibility when this link is unclear or unreliable.

The coordination needed to bring differentiated organisational units together around shared work or goals.

Doing an activity for its inherent interest or satisfaction. It is not the only form of autonomous motivation described by self-determination theory.

Changing the substance of a role to increase meaningful responsibility or development. Adding volume alone is not enrichment.

Features of work that help people achieve goals, manage demands or develop, such as usable support, feedback and appropriate discretion.

The legal system relevant to an issue. Great Britain and Northern Ireland do not share an identical employment-law framework.

A time-to-event estimate that updates at observed events and can accommodate right-censored records under its assumptions.

A hands-off approach with little leader direction; it should not be assumed equivalent to well-supported delegation.

A theory focusing on the quality of each leader–colleague relationship and its implications for trust and opportunity.

A way of discussing the distribution of decision authority between a manager and colleagues, associated with Tannenbaum and Schmidt.

A goal focused on acquiring or testing an effective approach, particularly useful when a task is new or complex.

An explicit account of how resources and activities are expected to produce outputs, outcomes and wider effects.

Attention to departures from standards; active monitoring differs from waiting until a problem has already developed.

Blake and Mouton’s framework comparing concern for people with concern for production.

The external-focus, control-oriented quadrant of the Competing Values Framework, associated with competition and results.

Processes affecting the direction, intensity and persistence of effort. Different theories examine different mechanisms; it is not a fixed employee trait.

Tuckman’s label for the development of shared expectations and ways of working. Norms can be unhelpful as well as productive.

The practical chance to contribute: time, access, authority and channels to use ability and motivation.

The degree to which strategy, arrangements and capabilities support a coherent direction; the 7-S framework offers one way to investigate it.

How well an organisation achieves worthwhile objectives. A useful definition considers stakeholders and consequences, not just one financial measure.

A change in behaviour, capability, experience or performance that an intervention aims to influence.

An immediate deliverable of an activity, such as a completed training session; distinct from the change it is intended to produce.

The use of evidence about people and work to answer organisational questions and evaluate decisions.

The arithmetic difference between two percentages: a rise from 80% to 88% is eight percentage points.

A measure used to understand progress or results. It becomes misleading if its scope, denominator or intended interpretation is unclear.

Tuckman’s label for a team able to coordinate effectively around its task. It is not a permanent status immune to disruption.

Handy’s organising logic in which the organisation serves the work of its participating individuals.

Handy’s organising logic in which influence centres on a person or small group.

Among cases flagged positive by a classifier, the proportion that are actually positive under the defined outcome.

Estimation of future or unknown outcomes using a defined model and information available at the relevant time.

Comparison or recommendation of possible actions, requiring assumptions about consequences, constraints and objectives.

A characteristic covered by equality legislation. The relevant protections and exceptions depend on the legal provision and jurisdiction.

Compensation associated with failure to meet certain consultation duties. It is distinct from statutory redundancy pay.

An individual’s beliefs about reciprocal obligations with an organisation. It is different from the written legal contract.

A shared team belief about the safety of interpersonal risk-taking, such as asking for help or raising a concern.

For statutory sick pay, normally a day the person would have worked. Working patterns matter when identifying these days.

A change intended to remove or reduce a disability-related disadvantage, considered in the circumstances of the work and person.

Among actual positive outcomes, the proportion identified by a classifier at the chosen threshold.

A statistical method for estimating relationships under a specified model; adjustment for measured factors is not automatic proof of causation.

A sense of connection with others, identified as a basic psychological need in self-determination theory.

A strategy perspective examining how distinctive resources and capabilities may support sustained advantage.

Incomplete observation of an event time because the event has not occurred by the end of follow-up.

Handy’s organising logic based on defined responsibilities and formal authority.

Exploration of consequences under alternative explicit assumptions, rather than a claim to predict one future.

Exploring more than one plausible future to test decisions and identify triggers, rather than presenting one forecast as certain.

A distortion arising when the people or observations included differ systematically in ways relevant to the question.

Greenleaf’s service-oriented leadership philosophy, concerned with the growth and agency of those served.

An approach that adapts leadership to a particular task and the support or direction needed; Hersey’s model and Blanchard’s SLII are distinct later versions.

The extent to which a job uses different skills and activities, one of Hackman and Oldham’s core job characteristics.

A person or group affected by, or able to affect, an organisational decision. Their interests may conflict.

Established by legislation. A statutory minimum and an enhanced contractual provision should be identified separately.

Tuckman’s label for conflict and negotiation within a developing group. It is not a justification for bullying or exclusion.

An approach connecting people practices with organisational direction and their combined effects on people and performance.

Listening, encouraging and involving a colleague in problem-solving; it is distinct from giving detailed task instructions.

Handy’s organising logic that brings relevant expertise together around a problem or project.

The extent to which a job involves completing an identifiable piece of work, rather than only an isolated fragment.

The perceived impact of a job on other people’s lives or work, a dimension in the job characteristics model.

McGregor’s contrasting sets of managerial assumptions about people and work. They are not employee personality types.

Leadership based on clear performance expectations and exchanges, including contingent reward and responses to exceptions.

Leadership that develops shared purpose, learning and individual growth, commonly associated with Burns and Bass.

Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment): rules protecting employees in qualifying transfers, with scope and exceptions requiring careful analysis.

Deeply taken-for-granted beliefs shaping how a group interprets situations, in Schein’s account of organisational culture.

The value an individual places on a possible outcome in expectancy theory. The same reward can have different value for different people.

Alignment between people practices and organisational strategy. It needs to be tested against changing circumstances and employee consequences.

Valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and non-substitutable: resource characteristics associated with Barney’s 1991 argument.

An employment-rights status with protections that may differ from those of an employee. Contracts and working reality both require examination.

Balancing future work and capability needs with available supply, then choosing and reviewing responses to the gaps.

Dismissal involving a contractual breach, often concerning notice. It is distinct from statutory unfair dismissal.