Business · Year 12

Active learning ideas

Organisational Design and Human Resource Flow

This topic explores the skeleton of a business, its organisational structure, and the lifeblood that flows through it: its people.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• AQA AS-Level Business (7131): 3.6.3 Improving organisational design and managing the human resource flow

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 45 min · Small Groups

Design a Start-Up Structure

In small groups, students design an organisational chart for a new tech start-up, justifying their choice of structure, span of control, and chain of command. They must explain how their design promotes innovation and rapid growth.

Compare the advantages of a tall organisational structure with a flat one.

Facilitation Tip

Provide different business scenarios, such as a creative agency versus a manufacturing firm, to encourage varied responses.

What to look for

A quick-fire quiz on key vocabulary using a tool like Kahoot! to check understanding of terms like 'span of control' and 'chain of command'.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 30 min · Pairs

Recruitment Role-Play

In pairs, one student acts as a hiring manager and the other as a candidate. They conduct a short, structured interview based on a provided job description and person specification, followed by a peer-assessment of the process.

Explain the importance of an effective recruitment and selection process for a growing business.

Facilitation Tip

Give students a simple marking grid to evaluate the interviewer's questions and the interviewee's answers.

What to look for

An essay-style question requiring students to analyse a case study of a business undergoing restructuring, evaluating the impact on stakeholders.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Simulation Game
• 40 min · Whole Class

Centralisation vs. Decentralisation Debate

The class is split into two halves to debate the motion: 'This house believes decentralisation is always the best approach for a large multinational corporation.' Students must use real-world examples like McDonald's or Google to support their arguments.

Analyse the impact of centralisation versus decentralisation on employee empowerment.

Facilitation Tip

Appoint a student chairperson to manage time and ensure all points are heard fairly.

What to look for

Students use a checklist based on the learning objectives to rate their confidence level on each point before and after the topic is taught.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin by using visual aids like organisational charts of well-known companies (e.g., a local council vs. a tech start-up) to make abstract concepts concrete. Use case studies throughout to link theory to practice, encouraging students to apply models like the human resource flow to real-world examples. Group discussions and debates are particularly effective for exploring nuanced topics like centralisation.

By the end of this topic, students will be able to dissect any business's structure and critically evaluate its human resource management processes.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• A 'flat' structure means no one is in charge.

  A flat structure has fewer layers of management, not an absence of it. Authority is more distributed and the chain of command is shorter, but clear lines of accountability and leadership still exist.

• Recruitment and selection are the same thing.

  Recruitment is the process of attracting a pool of suitable candidates for a job vacancy. Selection is the process of choosing the best candidate from that pool through methods like interviews, tests, and assessment centres.

• A wide span of control is always more efficient because it saves on manager salaries.

  While a wide span of control can reduce management costs, it can also lead to overworked managers and a lack of support for subordinates, potentially reducing overall efficiency and employee morale. The optimal span depends on the complexity of the tasks and the skill level of the employees.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game