Module Case & SLP

Module- Case

Organizations and Human Resource Management (HRM)

Assignment Overview

A firm's human resources are the people in an organization that are crucial to its performance and the quality of work life within it. Unlike computers, human beings have the potential to grow and develop, to increase our depth, complexity and capacity over time. Human resource management can be defined as designing management systems to ensure that human talent is used effectively and efficiently to accomplish organizational objectives. Furthermore, HRM is considered the nuts and bolts of an organization. Thus, managers and leaders should focus on investing and developing their human resources who have the capacity to make significant contributions to the organization's overall mission. Many organizations have noticed the importance of continuously training their employees and offering educational incentive programs to help keep employees up-to-date in their fields because in a significant number of cases, people actually get worse at their jobs over time. Performance can be enhanced if an employee is able to learn new ways of conceptualizing complex situations and deciphering abstract information. An employee should have knowledge of new research and advancements in his or her respective field in order to be able to adapt and overcome any organizational change. By performing at higher levels and being productive, an employee starts creating value for an organization. Most employees are evaluated by the value they create. Top managers seek employees who can bring value to an organization. When employees feel appreciated, they tend to perform at higher levels, producing more value. Unfortunately, most organizations are unable to "indulge" their employees and as a result, employees all over the world feel neglected and inundated. Interestingly enough, Schwartz, Jones, and McCarthy (2010) explain that:

Only 38 percent of employees worldwide believe their senior managers are genuinely interested in their well-being. More than 50 percent feel they're treated as if they don't matter at all or that they're just another part of the organization to be managed. Only one out of every ten employees feels they're treated as vital corporate assets (p. 162).

With employees all over the world feeling like they "don't matter" in their organizations, it is important for upper level administrators to continuously develop their leadership strategies. Furthermore, with organizations constantly evolving, strategic human resource management is the optimum way to enhance performance levels. At IBM, for example, a thousand software developers working in different time zones have been given the flexibility to decide when they work. Different strategies should be implemented in organizations all over the world to help "humanize" the workplace.

Reference: Schwartz, T., Jones, J., & McCarty, C. (2010). The Way We're Working Isn't Working. New York, NY: Free Press. (This book is not required).

Case Assignment

Drawing on the material in the background readings and doing additional research, please prepare a 3- to 4-page paper (not including the cover and reference pages) in which you:

• Research the role of HR management in any organization. Next, what does human capital mean and why is important?

• What can HR do to help employees feel as if they do matter?

• As an HR manager, how would you humanize the workforce?

Assignment Expectations

Your paper will be evaluated on the following points:

• Precision: Does the paper address the question(s) or task(s)?

• Clarity: Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated properly? Are responses made through paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts? (Or is there excessive use of quotations?) Are headings included in all papers longer than 2 pages?

• Breadth: Is the full breadth of the subject addressed?

• Depth: Does the paper address the topic in sufficient depth?

• Grammar, spelling, and vocabulary: Is the paper well-written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary suitable to graduate-level work?

• Referencing (citations and references): Does the paper use citations and quotation marks when appropriate?

• Critical thinking: Is the subject thought about critically (i.e., accurately, logically, relevantly, and precisely)?

Module- SLP

Organizations and Human Resource Management (HRM)

Disengaged Employees

Disengaged employees and counterproductive behaviors have become the norm in many organizations, and as a result, organizations are implementing more stringent policies, enforcing regular trainings, and installing cameras throughout the workforce. Examples of counterproductive activities include daydreaming, looking busy, moonlighting, and even cyberloafing. When an employee is daydreaming, he or she appears to be working but in reality is distracted by non-work-related thoughts and fantasies. When an employee is looking busy, he or she pretends to be busy or overwhelmed with work. An employee who is moonlighting uses company time and resources to complete personal tasks. An employee who is cyberloafing uses a company computer to send personal emails, chat online, or use the Internet for their personal satisfaction. The following table represents signs of employee disengagement:

Signs of Being Physically

Signs Meaning to HR Management Implications

Tardiness Intentionally arriving to work late or leaving work early Punctuality issues

Long or Excessive Breaks Intentionally taking long breaks or too many breaks Productivity issues

Missing Meetings Intentionally neglecting important work functions Reliability issues

Disregarding Deadlines Intentionally being careless Commitment issues

Excessive Absences Intentionally disrupting the workflow Dependability issues

High-quality organizational citizens refrain from counterproductive activities and being disengaged from their organization.

For this SLP, you will write a paper describing why you or someone you know has been disengaged from the organization. You will provide specific examples throughout your paper. Furthermore, you will discuss solutions for each issue that you discuss from an HR manager's perspective.

SLP Assignment Expectations

Your paper should be 2-4 pages, not including the cover sheet and reference page. You are expected to deal with these issues in an integrated fashion, rather than treating them as a series of individual questions to be answered one by one and left at that.

You will be particularly assessed on:

• Your completion of all the steps in the exercise.
• Your ability to synthesize information and present a concise and meaningful paper.
• The clarity and quality of your writing.

SLP Assignment Expectations (Structure)

1. Make sure that you use your own language (rather than copying sentences from the article).

2. Your paper will be graded based on the following criteria: Precision, Clarity, Breadth, Depth, Grammar/Vocabulary, Referencing, and Application.

3. Use 12-point type size (Times New Roman), double-spacing, and one-inch margins. Add a cover page and a references list.

4. Cite your sources: APA Style - Trident requires all PhD work to be in APA form. We also encourage all other students to comply with guidelines for proper citation of references. You may use the tutorial found on the following link (press "view the tutorial"): http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx?apaSessionKey=4532A4A4911C1E8D5E885C141739A382

Course Materials/Bibliography

Module

Required Material

Lindley, Clyde J. (1984). Putting ''Human'' into Human Resource Management. Public Personnel Management, Volume 13, Issue 4, pp. 501-510.

David Baker. (1999). Strategic human resource management: performance, alignment, management. Librarian Career Development, Volume 7, Issue 5, pp. 51-63. ISSN 0968-0810.

G. Roos, Lisa Fernström, S. Pike. (2004). Human resource management and business performance measurement. Measuring Business Excellence, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp. 28-37.

Dery, Kristine and MacCormick, Judith S. (2012). Engaged or just connected?: Smartphones and employee engagement. Organizational dynamics, Volume 41, Issue 3, pp. 194-201.

Fred Luthans and Suzanne J. Peterson. (2002). Employee engagement and manager self-efficacy. Journal of Management Development, Volume 21, Issue 5, pp. 376-387