Question 1

Strategic HRM Approaches

The role of Human Resources (HR) has evolved in the past 30 years from reactive to proactive. Instead of waiting for an issue to occur, many HR departments attempt to identify probable issues and their symptoms. Then, they consider the following questions:

• How did we get here?

• Where do we go from here?

• How do we get to there (Lussier and Hendon, 2013)?

By being more proactive, HR departments are able to take the appropriate steps to analyse the symptoms, propose solutions and create a strategy before an issue begins.

Your Final Project in this module will allow you to develop a set of HRM recommendations for an assigned scenario organisation. The organisation is facing an upcoming transition, and you are hired to develop a HRM Consultancy Report to address HR issues during the upcoming change. The goal of your report is to analyse the organisation in your scenario critically in order to identify potential people management challenges, propose solutions and evaluate proposed recommendations for implementation.

Each of the Individual Assignments in this module will focus on a portion of your HRM Consultancy Report. Then, in Unit 6, you will submit the Final Project using Individual Assignments to complete your analysis and make your recommendations to the organisation.

In this Individual Assignment, you will focus on your scenario organisation's upcoming transition. You will analyse relevant HR processes and OB concepts that may arise in the scenario.

References

Lussier, R. N, & J. R. Hendon, (2013) Human Resource Management: Functions, Applications, Skill Development, Los Angeles: Sage

Question 2

Organisational Analysis - Diversity Management

Think back to an organisation where you enjoyed working. What were the top three reasons that you enjoyed working there? For many, one of those responses is the people. Now, think about the people that were at that organisation. Was everyone the same, or were they a diverse group of people. Within a diverse group, do you think team members would complement or detract from your skills and abilities?
As innovation processes depend on harnessing creativity, and while dynamic as well as supportive systems of management can elicit the best from staff, like-minded people will usually produce like-minded results. Diversity in the workforce can, however, help companies to break this mould and the cycle of limited unilateral thinking and, in so doing, set them free to discover new products, markets, and ways of doing or leading business.

Although you may understand the reasoning behind diversity within an organisation, it may be more difficult to explain to others who have primarily worked with like-minded people. As a manager, you may be called upon to train others about the purpose of diversity management within an organisation. Consider how you would explain the benefits and costs of diversity management to your assigned organisation, as well the potential issues that may arise from your organisation building a more diverse workforce. In this Individual Assignment, you will analyse approaches to diversity management within your scenario organisation.

References

European Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (2007-2013), (n.d.) Diversity and Innovation: A Business Opportunity for All, Available at: http://www.iegd.org/pdf/Task%203%20-%20Innovation.pdf, (accessed: 18/12/12)

Question 3

Power and Politics in Your Organisation

The historic Enron Scandal of 2002 highlights the devastating effects of power, politics and conflict, as well as how quickly a successful organisation can fall. Therefore, your scenario organisation asks you to examine the influence of internal power and politics within the organisation in order to prevent a similar conflict. The organisation is concerned that with the upcoming transition there may be employee dissatisfaction due to perceptions of unfair treatment and inequality of benefits for current employees.

The complex relationship of power and politics includes legal, economical, social and psychological dimensions. As a consultant, you know that an organisation's actions, whether intentional or merely perceived, can create dissatisfaction among employees (Wilton, 2011). Sometimes there is a fine line between misperception and deception. Therefore, consider the role that power and politics plays within your scenario organisation and specifically focus on the human resource processes, such as recruitment and promotion. For example, consider the role politics might play in deciding to recruit external versus internal candidates and the effect that can have on existing employees. Consider an employee that believes a co-worker was unfairly promoted and the effect that might have on existing relationships. In this Individual Assignment, you will analyse the impact of power and politics and recommend human resource processes to minimise conflict.

References

Wilton, N., (2011) An Introduction to Human Resource Management, Los Angeles: Sage

Question 4

Managing Diverse Virtual Teams

As organisations merge and grow in a global environment, it is more likely that you will encounter a virtual team. The concept of virtual teams varies by organisations, and it can involve a variety of scenarios. All team members may work remotely; there may be several office locations and team members from each location; or it may be a mix of the two. Virtual teams allow organisations to provide longer business hours, reduced employee travel costs and flexible employee work schedules. Yet, performance issues may arise when working in virtual teams (Schermerhorn et al, 2012). Therefore, a manager may need additional strategies to help virtual teams address those issues.
During your consultancy for your scenario organisation, you are concerned with how the upcoming transition may impact employees. During and after the transition, many of the current and future employees may have to work remotely. Although a small percentage of the organisation (generally on the executive level) has participated in virtual teams, most of the employees are used to face-to-face teams. You suggest sending a newsletter to employees about virtual teams to help support a more successful transition. In this Individual Assignment, you will recommend strategies for managing diverse virtual teams.

References

Schermerhorn, Jr., J. R., R. N. Osborn, M. Uhl-Bien, & J. G. Hunt, (2012) Organisation Behavior, 12th edition, New York: John Wiley

Question 5

Performance Management Systems and Motivation

Throughout this unit, you may be discovering new ways that organisations manage performance. How would you do it? Some may respond with a performance management system, and others may say a performance appraisal. While many may think they are the same, they are indeed different. Performance management systems are the processes that organisations use to analyse and develop the employees' skills and capabilities. Organisations implement these systems to improve employees' performance on a long-term basis. On the other hand, performance appraisals, also referred to as performance evaluations, evaluate the performance or the skills of employees. They are just one component of the performance management process. (Lussier and Hendon, 2013)

Many organisations align rewards within their performance management systems to motivate their employees. Rewards can be provided to employees that reach organisational goals, objectives and/or continually contribute to the organisational vision as demonstrated in their performance appraisals. The use of rewards focuses on both the extrinsic motivation (financial reward and benefits) and intrinsic motivation (employee recognition) of employees (Wilton, 2011). Yet, the use of rewards can have a negative impact by creating perceptions of bias and lack of fairness. Consider the impact that a rewards system may have on employees within your scenario organisation. In this Individual Assignment, you will analyse the relationship between motivation and performance management systems. You will also evaluate a performance management system in the context of your scenario organisation.