Case Analysis For Case analysis, the cases are as given below. Students will form a group with 3-4 members. Each group will be allotted one case study as given below related to !" aspects in organi#ations. $e%t, each group will prepare a &'-() minutes case analysis presentation to the class. *he scheduled date for Case analysis presentation is +une . *his e%ercise carries &) mars.
Case 1: Northwest State College $orthwest State College a disguised name/ is a four-year regional state college and has an enrollment of about 3,')) students. 0ts business department has a faculty of seven full-time instructors, and other part-time instructors are used as needed. Currently about )) )) students are ma1oring in business. business. *he college college is located located in a medium-si#ed medium-si#ed northern community community of about 2),))). "ost of the faculty recruiting is done done by one person, the department head, who maes the initial contact with prospective prospective faculty members at various various professional professional meetings held during during the school year. year. 0f the department department head cannot attend attend a meeting meeting recruiting recruiting is done by an instructor from the business department. ro1ections are that enrolment at $orthwest State will increase about (' in the ne%t five years. years. "ost of of the increase increase is e%pecte e%pected d in the the business business area. *he ideal ideal faculty faculty si#e would be about about &5 full-time instructors instructors.. "ost of the full-time full-time instructors instructors currently in the 6epartment of 7usiness 8dministration hold "8s or "78s from various northern colleges. *he *he sala salary ry scal scales es and and frin fringe ge bene benefi fits ts are are cons consid ider ered ed to be slig slight htly ly lowe lowerr than than the the compen compensati sation on available available at simila similarr colleg colleges es in the region region.. 0n addition addition to any increase increase in faculty members members needed due to enrolment, enrolment, three replacements replacements are needed for this fall in the business area to replace individuals who have gone elsewhere. $orthwest State has a recruiting policy that re9uires final approval of candidates by the department head, the vice president for academic affairs, and the president of the college. 0n addition, the school has a policy re9uiring that at least two candidates be invited to the campus campus before any candidate candidate can be hired so that ade9uate screening screening can tae place. :ften the result is a waiting period of two months between initial contact, application, and campus interview for most applicants. Some other small colleges in the area pay full travel e%penses for potential potential candidates, candidates, while the ma1ority of the others pay at least half. $orthwest $orthwest State does not pay any travel e%penses if the candidate is not hired. :nly if the candidate is offered offered a position and accepts is full reimbursement for travel e%penses given. ;sually the payment comes about two months after the campus interview. 0n the past $orthwest State has not been very successful in filling empty positions. *he president president is concerned and wants to evaluate evaluate the recruiting recruiting program so that a better one can be designed.
hat would be the components in a recruiting system you design?
Case 2: 21st-Century Onboarding $ew employees at Sun "icrosystems begin their orientation sessions after being hired with a computer game. 0t is part of an attempt to integrate new people, improve the image of the company, get feedbac, and start training. =ooing over the shoulder of a new employee, one would see the person playing a computer game called @6awn of the Shadow Spectors,A battling evil forces that are trying to destroy SunBs networ. 7efore Sun changed its orientation program, an employeeBs first day at wor consisted mostly of filling out paperwor, as in most companies. Some new employees waited ( wees to get e-mail, and people who wored remotely sometimes waited wees or months before meeting their managers. *he chief learning officer at Sun said, @>e wanted to mae a better first impression,A unlie that made on an employeeBs first day if the companymanager is not ready and the person 1ust sits there. *hat can mae a bad impression that is lasting. $ow at Sun the onboarding starts as soon as a person accepts a 1ob. *he new employee logs on to the companyBs new hire website and learns about the company by playing video games. *he person sees a welcome video from the CE: and connects with other employees via social networs. $ew employees also fill out their >-4s, 0-s, and other paperwor on the website. Sun, which has about 34,))) employees, believes orientation should start the moment a person is hired and continue until the person is productive. 8 ouston-based company, El aso Corporation, which employs about ',))), has a different onboarding process. $ew hires attend a first-day orientation and then another a month later. 6uring their first wee at the company, they get an e-mail with lins to everything from ordering business cards to 1oining the credit union. 7efore the new system was instituted, employees sometimes waited to even get a computer. :ne company official noted that new employees @were here but 1ust sitting around because they didnBt have the tools to wor.A $ow they have a worspace, computer, and networ access on their first day. 8n advertising agency in Fort =auderdale, Florida, taes yet a different approach. Dimmerman 8dvertising, which has about &,))) employees, wants employees to understand the company, so new hires log on and learn from the new hire website what the company does, its client philosophy, and about its leadership. *hen they meet for an hour with the CE: who tals about how he built the company. $ew hires get a 3)-, 5)-, and )-day training checlist that must be completed on time and signed by their supervisor. *hey also have an opportunity to provide feedbac via the website. "odern onboarding systems help new employees understand what the company is all about so they are prepared to integrate into it, says DimmermanBs ice resident of !. <; E S * 0 : $ S &. *he case introduces three companies of very different si#es with three different onboarding approaches. >hat differences do you see in their approaches? >hat similarities?
(. 8re there important ideas missing from all three approaches? 0f so, what are they? 3. >hich approach sounds best to you? >hy?
Case 3: Building Performance Management through Employee Participation 8 process of performance management is developed in companies to better shape how employees e%ecute their 1ob responsibilities and complete their wor. 0deally, employees should feel comfortable with this process, believing that the communication occurring between managers and worers facilitates the completion of important worplace goals. ;nfortunately, many employees become dissatisfied with how their organi#ations encourage goal-directed behavior, which can result in poor 1ob attitudes, decreased motivation, and reduced effort on the 1ob. *hese negative factors lead some companies to see alternative ways to design and implement performance management systems so that employees are encouraged to wor hard in their 1obs. +ewelers "utual 0nsurance Company +"0/ is one such company that has actively improved its performance management approach, and the results have been very encouraging. Employees were initially dissatisfied with the feedbac and goal-setting approaches that were being utili#ed to manage 1ob performance, so company leaders decided to involve employees in the redesign efforts to create a more viable program that would be satisfactory for all the parties involved. 8n outside consultant started the process by interviewing top leaders in the company, and focus groups were used to solicit feedbac from various other members of the organi#ation. 7y utili#ing a more participative and inclusive approach, the company was able to identify the problems with the current performance management system and generate greater support for the proposed changes that would ultimately fi% these issues. *his case illustrates how important employee participation is in the effective management of human resources, particularly when developing a viable performance management system. Several ey changes were made to the performance management system based on the feedbac received from managers and employees. 0n particular, inconsistencies in the administration of the performance management system, problems with the rating techni9ues and forms, and various challenges lining pay to performance were specifically targeted as part of the redesign effort. Such reflection and self-assess ment prompted a number of specific improvements to management of 1ob performance within the company. Evaluations are now based on narratives, various metrics of accountability, and 1ob goals. Further, feedbac is provided to employees on a 9uarterly basis, compensation is more strongly lined to individual effort, and the performance management system functions in concert with the other elements of human resource management. *he changes made to the performance management processes at +"0 Company demonstrate how human resource professionals can wor with other staff members to create a system that e%cites employees and, ultimately, yields greater 1ob performance. QU E S T I O N S &. 6iscuss how this case illustrates how greater support for a performance management system can be developed through employee participation. (. 0dentify some of the ways that performance management systems can be improved based on the e%peri ences at +"0.
Case 4: The New Payroll Clerk 0rene emp has 1ust completed her first day on a new 1ob at ey 6ata rocessing Co. 6/. 8lthough she had been out of the force while raising a family, she was hired recently as a payroll cler, based primarily on three yearsB e%perience she had &' years ago. hy donBt you observe what !oy is doing while 0 return some calls.A 8t &)A4' Fran called 0rene into her office and spent 4' minutes reviewing wor rules and the 1ob responsibilities of payroll clers. *hen Fran left for lunch after asing one of the other clers to @let 0rene tag along with you for lunchA 8fter returning from lunch, Fran showed 0rene the forms, where her des was, and gave her some time cards, which needed the hours, computed. 0rene spent most of the rest of the day completing the time cards, e%cept for a brea in mid-afternoon. 8t 4G&) Fran checed bac with +udy, noted a few errors, and e%plained that she would have more time to spend with 0rene tomorrow. 0rene then punched out at 4G3) and went home. 0reneBs son +im, with the candor of a &'-year-old, said, @"an, they sound disorgani#ed.A =ater that evening 0rene told her son that she was having doubts about taing a 1ob at 6.
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>hat problems can you identify with the orientation activities e%perienced by 0rene? ow would you mae changes in the orientation process? >hat changes would you mae?
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