CMI (Other exams) key terms

A goal-setting format requiring objectives to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, so that progress can be tracked and performance judged against clear criteria.

The continuous cycle of agreeing standards, monitoring output and behaviour, giving feedback and addressing underperformance so that individual effort aligns with organisational goals.

A structured, usually periodic conversation in which a manager and team member review past performance, discuss development needs and agree future objectives and support.

Information about performance given promptly, specifically and behaviourally, describing the impact of actions and inviting improvement rather than attacking the person.

A non-directive development approach in which questioning and listening help an individual find their own solutions, build capability and take ownership of actions.

A model in which a leader adjusts the amount of direction and support given according to the competence and commitment of the individual for a specific task.

The internal and external forces that start, direct and sustain effort towards a goal; managers influence it through recognition, autonomy, fairness and meaningful work.

The recognised progression of a group through forming, storming, norming, performing and later adjourning, each needing different leadership emphasis on direction, conflict and autonomy.

The patterns of interaction, influence, roles and informal norms that shape how a team behaves and performs, including alliances, conflict and conformity.

A shared belief within a team that speaking up with questions, mistakes or dissent will not be punished, which supports learning, innovation and error reporting.

The deliberate transfer of a task, together with the necessary authority and resources, to a competent person who remains accountable to the manager for the outcome.

The obligation to answer for decisions, results and use of resources to a named authority, distinct from responsibility for carrying out the work itself.

A technique for identifying who is affected by or can influence a decision, then mapping their interest and power to plan appropriate communication and engagement.

The ongoing process of informing, consulting and involving stakeholders so that their needs are understood and support or resistance is managed constructively.

A documented schedule setting out what information will be shared with which audiences, by what channel, at what frequency and by whom.

Attending fully to a speaker, reflecting back content and feeling, and asking clarifying questions in order to understand meaning rather than merely waiting to reply.

A structured approach to addressing disagreement by uncovering underlying interests, separating people from problems and agreeing workable actions or compromises.

A dialogue aimed at reaching agreement between parties with differing interests, using preparation, trading of variables and movement towards an acceptable settlement.

A short-term document translating strategy into specific activities, owners, timelines, resources and measures for a team, function or department.

A small set of measures chosen because they signal progress towards a critical objective, each with a defined formula, target, data source and review frequency.

A performance framework that tracks financial, customer, internal process and learning perspectives together, preventing short-term financial measures from dominating management attention.

Forecasting the people, budget, equipment and time needed to deliver planned work, then scheduling and allocating them to avoid bottlenecks and idle capacity.

The process of estimating income and expenditure for a defined period, securing approval and then monitoring actual spend against the agreed figure with explanations for variance.

Comparing actual results with budget or forecast and investigating the size and cause of differences so that corrective action or revised forecasts can be taken.

A live log recording identified risks, their likelihood and impact, owners, mitigation actions and current status, reviewed regularly as part of project and operational control.

The systematic process of identifying, assessing, prioritising and treating threats and opportunities so that exposure is kept within the organisation's stated tolerance.

Preparing agreed fallback actions and reserves in advance so that a team can respond quickly and proportionately if a known risk materialises.

Arrangements that keep critical services running, or restore them within agreed timescales, during disruption such as system failure, loss of premises or staff absence.

The structured approach to moving people and processes from a current to a desired state, addressing communication, capability, resistance and reinforcement of new ways of working.

A widely used change model covering urgency, coalition, vision, communication, empowerment, short-term wins, consolidation and embedding change in culture.

A repeatable sequence for choosing between options, typically defining the problem, generating alternatives, weighing criteria and risks, deciding, then reviewing the outcome.

The ability to recognise and regulate one's own emotions and to read and respond to others' feelings, supporting judgement, relationships and conflict handling.

The condition in which team objectives, measures and resourcing clearly support the wider organisational strategy, so effort is not spent on competing priorities.

The framework of decision rights, reporting lines, policies and controls that determines who may decide what, and how accountability is demonstrated to stakeholders.

Disclosure of environmental, social and governance performance against recognised frameworks, enabling stakeholders to compare commitments with measured outcomes.

The principle that an issue is reported or prioritised when it could reasonably influence stakeholder decisions or significantly affect the organisation's impact and performance.

An accounting perspective that evaluates performance across profit, people and planet, treating social and environmental outcomes as results to be managed alongside financial return.

An economic model that designs out waste by keeping materials in use through reuse, repair, remanufacture and recycling, rather than the take-make-dispose linear model.

The total greenhouse gas emissions attributable to an organisation, product or activity, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent and used as a baseline for reduction targets.

A state in which the greenhouse gases released are balanced by removals from the atmosphere, achieved mainly through deep emission cuts rather than offsetting alone.

Emission reduction goals set in line with the level of decarbonisation climate science indicates is needed to limit global warming to agreed thresholds.

A working understanding of what AI systems can and cannot do, how they are trained on data, and where their outputs may be biased, inaccurate or unsafe.

Systematic unfairness in AI outputs arising from unrepresentative training data, flawed labelling or objectives that disadvantage particular groups.

A design and control principle in which a person reviews, approves or overrides automated decisions at defined points, retaining meaningful accountability for outcomes.

The policies, roles and controls that determine how data is collected, quality-assured, accessed, shared and retained, supporting trustworthy analytics and AI use.

A concise description of the future state an organisation or team is trying to create, used to give direction and meaning to day-to-day decisions.

A short statement of the organisation's core purpose, who it serves and how it creates value, guiding priorities when resources and opportunities compete.

The organisation's voluntary commitment to act ethically towards employees, communities and the environment beyond minimum legal requirements.

Choosing between options by weighing fairness, honesty, harm, rights and the interests of affected parties alongside commercial and legal considerations.

A developmental relationship in which a more experienced person shares insight, networks and perspective to support another person's longer-term growth.

Identifying and developing people who could fill critical roles in future, reducing dependency on individuals and protecting continuity of capability.

The integrated practices of attracting, developing, retaining and deploying people with the capability the organisation will need to deliver its strategy.

Timely acknowledgement of individual or team contribution, which reinforces desired behaviour and supports motivation and retention when it is specific and fair.

The extent to which employees feel committed to and willing to invest discretionary effort in their work, shaped by purpose, voice, fairness and support.