Background

Numerous management experts agree that competitive advantage is obtained if a firm can obtain and develop human resources that enable it to learn faster and apply its learning more effectively than its rivals. Further, these experts also state that sustained competitive advantage stems from the acquisition and effective use of bundles of distinctive resources that competitors cannot imitate (Buckingham, 1999, Lawler, 2010, Lepak & Gowen, 2016).

As you review your first 3 months in your position as the GM of the newest, state-of-the-art GE facility in Lafayette, Indiana, you feel really good about your progress. That is, until you receive a call from the VP of HR for GE Aviation. She informs you that a group of Corporate Executives will be visiting the facility to see how the ramp-up is progressing. You had heard rumors about a possible visit, but you did not know any particulars. She proceeds to tell you that the visit will occur in 2 weeks' time. One of the agenda items for the visit is to review your plan for staffing the facility. Since staffing is under her domain, she called to make sure you would be ready. You assure her that you and your top leaders have already discussed a plan in general terms, but that it will be finalized within the next week.

Now that the call has ended, you pull out your file on Staffing. On top of the stack of papers is a news article clip you have read over many times,

"In March [2015] GE Aviation announced plans for a jet engine assembly plant in Lafayette. With it comes 200 jobs. A bulk of the staff, who will open the plant in September of 2016, will be hired about a year to the date of the GE announcement. As the project transitions to the production phase, GE could begin hiring at the new Lafayette facility as early as 2016. Within five years, the plant's workforce is expected to exceed 200 people with the capacity to do final assembly for the engine as well as the engine's hot section (compressor, combustor, high-pressure turbine)."

You send out a meeting invite to all of your top leaders in order to finalize the plans for Recruiting and Selecting your talent.

Your Assignment-

In the previous Report, you developed workforce plans for your facility. For this Report, the focus is on acquiring talent for your Workforce Plan.

• How will you make sure the fit is right between employee and employer?