CASE ASSIGNMENT #3

 Paper length: 3–4 pages (not counting the cover and reference pages).APA Format, See additional notes to help with assignment. 

Read 

The King Company Background

 and 

Human Resource Development

 to review information on the company.

Address the following questions in an essay format which includes an introduction and conclusion (not a Q & A format):

· As an HR consultant, design a process for the King Company to analyze what changes are needed in their HRD procedures, policies, and practices to improve the development of employees. Discuss the process you would follow and why you selected those process steps.

· Be sure to bring in what you have learned from your change management, internal consulting, and organizational development readings.

Provide private-sector employer examples of HRM programs, systems, processes, and/or procedures as you address the assignment requirements. Provide names of the employers in your examples. Use different employer examples in this course than what have been used previously in your other papers and courses.

Utilize information from at least 4 sources to help strengthen and validate your discussion.  

Paper length: 3–4 pages (not counting the cover and reference pages).

Assignment Expectations

Your paper will be evaluated using the criteria as stated in the Case rubric. The following is a review of the rubric criteria:

· Assignment-Driven: Does the paper fully address all aspects of the assignment?   Is the assignment addressed accurately and precisely using sound logic? Does the paper meet minimum length requirements?

· Critical Thinking: Does the paper demonstrate graduate-level analysis, in which information derived from multiple sources, expert opinions, and assumptions has been critically evaluated and synthesized in the formulation of a logical set of conclusions? Does the paper address the topic with sufficient depth of discussion and analysis?

· Business Writing: Is the essay logical, well organized and well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are section headings included? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding, or is justification/support instead conveyed through excessive use of direct quotations?

· Effective Use of Information: Does the submission demonstrate that the student has read, understood, and can apply the background materials for the module? If required, has the student demonstrated effective research, as evidenced by student’s use of relevant and quality sources? Do additional sources used provide strong support for conclusions drawn, and do they help in shaping the overall paper?

· Citing Sources: Does the student demonstrate understanding of APA Style of referencing, by inclusion of proper citations (for paraphrased text and direct quotations) as appropriate? Have all sources (e.g., references used from the Background page, the assignment readings, and outside research) been included, and are these properly cited? Have all sources cited in the paper been included on the References page?

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

The HRD division at The King Company is managed by training director Karmen Scholl, who supervises two other employees: a trainer and an administrative assistant, who coordinate the logistics of King’s training programs. Recognizing the continuous dynamics of the high-tech industry, King has been a strong supporter of employee development.

With approval of the immediate supervisor, King encourages employees to attend training seminars, and tuition reimbursement is available for college-level courses that are related to the employee’s job. In-house training is conducted regularly to ensure all employees are up-to-date on sexual harassment and safety procedures. Other training is made available as the need arises. Whenever possible, training programs are developed and facilitated by in-house staff members. When that is not practicable, a request for proposal is generated and King hires outside facilitators. 

Since the labor problem a few years back, Scholl aggressively trained management employees with particular emphasis on skills for first-line supervisors. She wants to see improvement in people skills and consistent implementation of King’s policies across department lines. Unfortunately, her efforts are not universally well received. Some managers grumble that HR just gets in the way and ties their hands when dealing with difficult employees. All too often Smith hears managers say that there is the “classroom way” and the “shop floor way.” She sees training for King managers as an ongoing process.

Last year’s strategic planning process identified knowledge management as an area for organization-wide improvement. King has a history of employees working in silos, with little communication across functions. Hoping to bridge the gap and encourage collaborative exchange, Scholl established “communities of practice,” where individuals could meet to problem solve and exchange ideas. Her first community-of-practice group consisted of individuals from research and development, engineering, and production. A number of other communities have since been established. More informally, Scholl encourages “snack and chat” meetings on Friday afternoons, where employees can drop by for a snack and talk about their work.

To increase information exchange with employees working off-site, an idea blog was added to the company’s intranet, where staff could share information about their successes and failures on various projects. At first, people were reluctant to comment, and it took some time before they were willing to share their knowledge and ideas. Scholl had not anticipated how proprietary some individuals would be about their work methods. Progress has been made; with increasing postings, the blog is becoming a source of ideas and information sharing. To manage the volume of information generated by the blog and to make it easier for more employees to use the system, Scholl submitted a budget request to add enhanced knowledge software to the intranet.

To capture knowledge that might be leaving the organization, Scholl worked with Employee Relations Manager Shaun White to improve the exit interview process. Departing employees are encouraged to talk informally about their career at King and to pass on information other employees need to know. There has been some success here, but as expected, not all exit interviews generate a positive exchange.

As part of the recent directives to “tighten up” for increased results, HRD was asked to update and improve the company’s performance management system. In addition, the organization is looking closely at all training expenses, and Scholl was asked to identify the return on investment for all programs. She is worried about her management training program and feels certain that tuition reimbursement will fall under the ax.

Source: This King Case scenario is adapted from SHRM 2014 education documents.

Role of internal consultants in managing change. (2016). Retrieved from 

https://www.prosci.com/change-management/thought-leadership-library/internal-consultant-managing-change

Rothwell, W. J., Anderson, C. S., Corn, C. M., Haynes, C., Park, C. H., & Zaballero, A. G. (2015). Organization development fundamentals: Managing strategic change. Alexandria, VA: Association for Talent Development (ATD).

Optional Sources

Best practice in performance management. (2013). HSJ.Co.Uk, Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.

Coping with workplace change. (2016). Vitality, (2). Retrieved from 

https://www.ucalgary.ca/wellbeing/files/wellbeing/vitality-april-2016-coping-with-workplace-change

Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model: Implementing change powerfully and successfully. (2016). Retrieved from 

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_82.htm