Human Resources Management

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

The formative assessment for this module is to prepare and make a team-based poster presentation of 10 to 12 minutes (plus 3-4 minutes for Q&A) to your seminar in your assigned sub-group. All group members must participate in the preparation work, all must be present at the seminar and be available for the Q&A session, but it is up to you to decide who or how many people should make the presentation. The presentations are scheduled for the final seminar.

Each seminar has three sub-groups, and you will be assigned a case study to work on, as shown below. Please note that you are asked to read all the cases prior to the seminar, since presenting groups are asked to analyse the case rather than to present a lot of descriptive detail. In preparing your presentation, please assume that the audience has read the case.

Below are questions for each case to help you focus your presentation. If you wish to answer very different questions in your presentation, please see Barbara Bechter at least one week before the seminar.

Sub-group ACase study 1: Managing individual performance and commitment

1. The cases (a&b) are about principles involved with managing individual performance and commitment, case study 1 actually involves examining two(short) cases. The first case is about Xavier, he is a product manager in a medical products company, he is rated as fully competent by his manager and said to be a good ‘average' performer.Amelia, the second case, she was headhunted into Femme Fashion Ltd because she's known as a brilliant sales rep in the industry.

2. Answer the questions set at the end of each case study and explain: What lessons does the case provide for other organisations?

Sub-group BCase study 2: The IT firm and the performance appraisal system

1. The company is an innovative IT service business, providing consulting and software applications to insurance companies. It has 700 employees, all of whom are employed on individual employment contracts. If its historical rate of growth continues, it expects to have 1000 staff fairly shortly. The firm has expanded very quickly in its specialist segment of the industry and senior management realises its HR policies have not kept pace. Given the company's desire to be professionalise all parts of the business, two years ago, Angus, the CEO, appointed an HR Director, Glenys. Since then, she has built a small HR department of 3 staff.

2. Answer the questions set at the end of each case study and explain: What lessons does the case provide for other organisations?

Preparing poster presentations:

In preparing your presentation, you should draw on material covered in lectures and in your further reading for the module. In particular, note that you are being asked to evaluate the initiative described in the case and also to consider the lessons it provides for other employers. You are expected to prepare a poster and a 1 pagehandout.

The assessment and feedback will be based on both the presentation of the poster and the handout which should summaries the argument and highlight the theories and empirical evidence used to support the argument. You are not required to submit a written report, but you should submit a copy of your poster and the handout.

The presentations are scheduled for the final seminar, at the normal time and place.

Case study 1: Managing individual performance and commitment

The cases a & b are about principles involved with managing individual performance and commitment, this case study actually involves examining two cases, as follows:

Case a)

Xavier is a product manager in a medical products company. He is rated as fully competent by his manager, Steve, or, as some would say, he is a good ‘average' performer. He demonstrates sound planning skills, and relates effectively to clients and peers. However, he is not among the outstanding 20% of the company's staff in terms of results achieved. The problem is he thinks he is. Whenever there is a pay adjustment, he bangs on his manager's door and asks why it isn't more. Steve goes through the rigmarole of explaining how his pay is constructed in terms of job evaluation, experience and performance. All of this is watertight: the company has good HR policies and excellent manager training in HRM. Xavier is never satisfied: he always feels he's worth more. Steve is fed up and comes to you for advice.

The questions

1. What kind of attitude or syndrome does Xavier seem to exhibit?

2. How should Steve deal with Xavier's behaviour? Consider the goals or perspective that Steve should have in mind and how he should behave interpersonally.

3. What lessons does the case provide for other organisations?

Case b)

Amelia was headhunted into Femme Fashion Ltd because she's known as a brilliant sales rep in the industry. As the headhunter had surmised, her former employer was not very proactive and hadn't moved her pay up the range fast enough. It was not surprising, then, that Amelia responded positively to Femme Fashion's offer of 25% more pay and a better car. Femme Fashion did embellish the offer somewhat with talk at the job interview (by the sales manager) that the company would offer lots of internal development opportunities if she was prepared to move. Since joining, her performance has been everything the company dreamed it would be. That was a year ago. She has now asked the sales manager, Beatrice, to make good on the promise of internal development. Unfortunately, Beatrice can't think what to do: it's a really flat organisation and she's sticking to her job, thank you very much. She has said as much to Amelia who finds this dishonest and is considering her options.

Questions

1. Using the theory of psychological contracting, explain how the current situation with Amelia has come about. Explain the lessons the management of Femme Fashion should take from your analysis.

2. After a bad start, how should Beatrice handle the situation if she wants to retain Amelia, who is clearly a star?