IQSSL GMQE key terms

The number of subordinates who report directly to one manager. A narrow span creates tall hierarchies with close supervision; a wide span creates flatter structures that demand more employee self-reliance and stronger systems.

The unbroken line of authority running from the most senior executive down to each front-line position, clarifying who reports to whom and through which route instructions and escalations should travel.

Assigning a task together with the authority needed to complete it, while the manager keeps accountability for the outcome. Effective delegation specifies the result, resources, limits and reporting points in advance.

The obligation to answer for results and decisions to a higher authority or stakeholder. Unlike authority, it cannot be delegated away, so a manager who assigns work still owns the consequences.

A leadership approach in which the style used, from directing to coaching to supporting to delegating, is matched to the competence and commitment of the individual or team for the specific task at hand.

Leadership that motivates people to exceed expected performance by articulating a compelling vision, acting as a role model, challenging assumptions, and giving individual attention to each person's development needs.

The shared values, beliefs, norms and visible practices that shape how members of an organization actually behave when nobody is watching, learned by newcomers through stories, rituals and rewards.

The structured process of moving an organization from a current state to a desired future state, covering communication, stakeholder engagement, capability building, resistance handling and reinforcement so the change sticks.

A structured review of internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats, used to match an organization's capabilities to its environment before choosing strategy. It is a diagnostic input, not a strategy in itself.

A scan of political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental forces outside the organization that may affect its market, costs or freedom to operate over the planning horizon.

An attribute that lets an organization deliver more value to customers, or equal value at lower cost, than rivals in a way that is difficult and costly for them to copy or substitute.

Specific, measurable goals that translate the mission into results to be achieved within a defined period, each with an owner, a target and a way of tracking progress against the plan.

A concise statement of the specific benefits a product or service delivers, for whom, and why it is better than the alternatives the customer could choose instead, including price and convenience trade-offs.

Dividing a broad market into groups of buyers with similar needs, behaviour or characteristics, so that offers, pricing and communication can be tailored to each group rather than aimed at everyone.

The systematic gathering of information about the duties, tasks, responsibilities, working conditions and required competencies of a role, forming the factual base for recruitment, appraisal and pay decisions.

A written summary of a role's title, purpose, key duties, reporting lines and working conditions, produced from job analysis and used to advertise, define and evaluate the position.

A profile of the qualifications, experience, skills and behavioural attributes a successful jobholder needs, usually split into essential and desirable criteria that also support fair, evidence-based selection.

A selection interview in which every candidate is asked the same predetermined questions, scored against defined criteria by trained assessors, to improve reliability and reduce bias in hiring decisions.

Negotiation between an employer or employers' group and a recognized trade union over terms and conditions of employment such as pay, hours, leave and grievance procedures, resulting in a binding collective agreement.

A formal, staged process through which an employee can raise a complaint about treatment at work, have it investigated fairly, and appeal the outcome, aiming to resolve disputes internally before they escalate.

A staged process for addressing alleged misconduct or poor performance, requiring investigation, written notice of allegations, a fair hearing, a proportionate sanction and a right of appeal.

Collective pressure by workers, such as a strike, work-to-rule or overtime ban, usually taken after bargaining fails and normally lawful only when statutory balloting and notice requirements are met.

The difference between a budgeted figure and the actual result, expressed in money or percentage and labelled favourable or adverse, prompting managers to explain causes and take corrective action.

A calculation of the sales volume or revenue at which total revenue equals total cost, so that contribution exactly covers fixed costs and neither profit nor loss arises.

Sales revenue minus variable costs. It measures what each unit or sale contributes towards covering fixed costs and then generating profit, and underpins break-even and short-term pricing decisions.

Setting predetermined costs for materials, labour and overhead per unit, then comparing actual costs against those standards to isolate price and efficiency variances for management attention.

A projection of cash receipts and payments over future periods, showing the expected opening and closing cash balance so that shortfalls can be anticipated and financing arranged in advance.

The funds tied up in day-to-day operations, calculated as current assets minus current liabilities. Positive working capital lets an organization pay wages and suppliers as bills fall due.

An organization-wide approach in which quality is built into processes rather than inspected in at the end, driven by leadership commitment, employee involvement, customer focus and continuous improvement.

An ongoing, incremental effort by the people doing the work to eliminate waste and raise performance, using small tested changes, measured results and standardized gains rather than one-off projects.

A production philosophy that removes activities which consume resources without adding customer value, such as excess inventory, waiting and rework, and levels demand so work flows smoothly.

The total of prevention costs, appraisal costs, and internal and external failure costs. Analysis usually shows that spending more on prevention reduces far larger failure costs overall.

A small set of measures chosen because they signal how well a critical objective is being achieved, each with a defined formula, data source, target, owner and review frequency.

The expected net profit a customer generates over the whole relationship, allowing acquisition and retention spending to be judged against long-term worth rather than a single transaction.

The proportion of customers who stop buying within a period. High churn erodes revenue and raises the cost of growth, so it is tracked alongside retention and complaint data.

The planned response to a service failure: acknowledging the problem quickly, resolving it fairly, compensating where appropriate and fixing the underlying cause so the customer is retained.

Something of legal value exchanged between parties to a contract, such as payment, goods or a promise to do or refrain from doing something. Without it, a promise is generally unenforceable.

Failure to perform a contractual obligation without lawful excuse. The injured party may claim damages, and for a serious breach may treat the contract as ended and claim further losses.

A void contract has no legal effect from the outset, while a voidable one is valid until one party with a right to do so elects to cancel it, for example for misrepresentation or duress.

Termination of employment that breaches the contract or statutory procedure, such as dismissal without the required notice or without a fair process, exposing the employer to compensation claims.

A situation where a person's private interest, financial or personal, could improperly influence decisions made in their professional role, requiring disclosure, recusal or other safeguards.

A written set of expected behaviours and ethical standards for members of an organization, stating principles and examples, with consequences for breaches and a route for seeking guidance.

Reporting suspected wrongdoing, such as fraud, safety violations or corruption, to an internal authority or an external regulator, with legal protection in many jurisdictions against retaliation.