Which term describes the trend of HRM tasks being redistributed from the central HR department to individual departments?

• A. DISTRIBUTED HR
• B. CENTRALIZED HR
• C. OUTSOURCED HR
• D. HYBRID HR

Answer: (A)

Distributing HR tasks from the central HR department to individual departments is described as distributed HR. This approach shifts day-to-day HR responsibilities—like recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and learning coordination—from a central team to the managers and teams within each department. The central HR function then focuses more on policy, governance, and strategic guidance, while line managers handle the local, day-to-day HR needs.

This differs from centralized HR, where most activities stay within a single HR unit; outsourced HR, where external providers handle functions; and hybrid HR, which blends centralized control with some decentralization. Distributed HR best captures the idea of pushing authority and tasks out to the department level to better fit local context and needs.