Human-Resource Management Interview - Assignment Example

Human-Resource Management Interview Abstract The objective of this paper is to analyze the interview responses from the respondent. The interview concerns the utilization of groups in the marketing department. The paper introduces the interviewee and the rationale for selecting the person to take part in the interview. The interview questions comprise of 5W1H questions: who, what, when, where, how and why. Understanding the knowledge and experience of the person facilitating the groups is crucial because quality management is proportional to group performance. There are several groups used in organizations, including, cross-functional groups, problem-solving groups, self-managed work groups, and virtual groups. The paper will also focus on effective utilization of groups and reflection from the interview. Key words: groups, management, marketing, interviewee Introduction Rao (2009) defines a group as a team of members who influence one another towards accomplishment of organizational objectives. A group comprises of a smaller number of people equipped with complementary skills and committed to common purpose, performance goals, and the approaches that they hold themselves mutually accountable (Chiarini, 2012). Groups are highly effective in the marketing department, just as they are in other departments of organizations. The first step in understanding the functionality of groups in human-resource management requires interviewing a person who holds a leadership position in an organization, especially in the marketing department. The Interviewee The name of the person interviewed is Harrison. Harrison is an overall marketing manager of the leading banking organization in Europe. Harrison holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. The company hired Harrison in the year 2003; he has ten years experience in the company, but fifteen years in the marketing department. Previously, Harrison has worked for two middle-level corporations; a construction company and a micro-finance institution. Harrison says that he has always worked with groups and organized teams that were successful in organizational performance. The interviewer selected Harrison as a respondent to the issues regarding the use of groups because he has many years experience in marketing departments, where he engages various teams to achieve the marketing targets of the company. Harrison’s Experience with Utilizing Groups Harrison has used groups two times during his time as a marketing manager. Harrison was first involved in developing a marketing group, where he headed the formation process. The stages of team development that Harrison oversaw included forming, storming, norming and performing. Forming involved orienting and acquainting with the team members, which was characterized by uncertainties and stress (Chiarini, 2012). The primary role of Harrison in this stage was to recognize that team members were struggling to adjust to their new functions and the environment. Harrison had to remain tolerant of lengthy interactions probing team specifics, facilitating role clarity and emphasizing the need for customer focus. The stage of storming involved encouraging open discussion, developing interpersonal competence and urging group members to arrive at agreements that will help the group to achieve its objectives. Norming was another critical stage where Harrison was involved in encouraging the group towards developing team norms and values, and the process of determining unacceptable behaviors that are significant for the future productivity of the organization (Rao, 2009). The last stage of group development was performing, which involved recognizing the accomplishments of the group and the desired behavior of the team to ensure sustainability and continuance of the team for an unforeseeable future. The second time that Harrison involved himself with groups was when hired to evaluate group performance. His company involved groups in designing an effective advertising campaign. Harrison reported that the campaign was effective and cited various advantages of groups in organizations. Groups increase the organization’s problem-solving and decision-making abilities because people from diverse backgrounds share in finding the most appropriate solution to a certain problem (Chiarini, 2012). Groups also enhance the development and effectiveness of interpersonal relations due to extensive interactions involved. Harrison’s experience also enabled him to understand that intra and inter-group communication in groups facilitate overcoming the psychological barriers such as prejudice, negative attitudes, and hatred. Interview Questions 1. Who was involved in facilitating and managing groups? 2. What were the main activities that are performed by groups? 3. When were the groups formed and required to begin performing their functions? 4. Where did groups meet to execute their functions? 5. Why did groups sometimes fail in achieving their desired objectives? 6. How should groups be managed and facilitated in order to make them effective in executing their functions? The Knowledge of the Interviewee about other groups in the organization Organizations have several departments, and each department has groups to enable it to perform effectively. A group may be integrated and composed of staff members from all departments, or made up of members from one department (Chiarini, 2012). This depends on the objective of the group and the activities involved. The most common types of groups include cross-functional groups, problem solving groups, self-managed work groups and virtual groups. Cross-functional groups are usually staffed with a mix of functional specialists such as marketing, finance, human resource, production, and engineering, to accomplish specific organizational objectives. Harrison argued that this type of group is the most effective means of allowing members from diverse areas within an organization to exchange information, develop new ideas, solve problems and coordinate complex projects (Rao, 2009). The members in this type of group take a long period to develop and build mutual trust among them. Harrison reports that he has used these types of groups because the organizations he has worked for needed effective integration of organizational functions in order to achieve the objectives. Other Groups the Interviewee Prefers to Use Other groups that Harrison could use include problem solving groups, self-managed work groups and virtual groups. Problem-solving groups comprise of between five and twelve members; this type of group is usually composed to discuss the best ways of improving quality and efficiency in all processes of the organization and improve the overall work environment. Problem-solving groups engage in sharing ideas or the suggestions on how work processes and methods can be improved (Chiarini, 2012). The final stage of problem-solving endeavor is drawing conclusions and recommendations to the management about how to deal with the issue under investigation. A self-managed group comprises of ten to fifteen employees dedicated to performance of interdependent jobs by planning, organizing, and controlling its own work situation with minimal directions from management. The members of self-managed groups prefer using consensus decision-making in performing duties, solving problems, or dealing with both internal and external customers (Chiarini, 2012). The primary functions of the self-managed group include setting work schedules, training, setting performance standards, making budgets, purchase of machinery and outsourcing human resources when it is necessary. Virtual groups use computer technology to bind together the geographically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal. The links of communication for virtual teams include WAN video conferencing, and e-mail. The features of virtual teams include goals, people, and links. Clear, precise and mutually agreed-upon goals are the mainstay of virtual teams (Chiarini, 2012). The members of virtual groups are autonomous and self-reliant; however, they collaboratively work with others since they have developed trust among them. Rapid advances in computer technology and communication make virtual teams increasingly common. Applicability of Groups in Marketing Setting The marketing department requires effective groups to realize its market share objectives. Groups are critical in planning, preparing, implementing, and evaluating market activities. The significance of groups is that they enhance the effectiveness of the departments and fasten the process of problem-solving and decision-making in relation to the marketing function (Rao, 2009). Groups also enhance interpersonal relations and communication among the planners, implementers and evaluators of marketing activities. The marketing function, therefore, cannot be successful if the organization does not involve groups in its operations. Reflection of the Interview The interview enabled me to identify the significance of groups in organizations. Groups make decision-making easy, develop interpersonal relations and facilitate overcoming of psychological barriers. It is easier to arrive at decisions when many people are involved than when there is only one person; people from diverse knowledge backgrounds contribute various expertise to decision-making exercise. Organizational members interact during group meeting, which enable them to develop beneficial relationships among themselves (Rao, 2009). Intra and Inter-group communications are the core factors that help members to overcome various psychological barriers such as attitudes and prejudices. Conclusion Groups enable organizational members to influence one another towards accomplishing the organizational objectives. A company can use any type of group depending on the assignments being undertaken or the parties involved. The marketing department requires cross-functional groups because the activities involved in marketing borrow from all departments of the organization. Interviewing a person with experience in the marketing function is the best way of identifying the workability of groups in the marketing department. Clarified goals, two-way communication, distributed leadership, cohesion, interpersonal effectiveness, and consensus decision-making are the primary characteristics of effective teams. References Chiarini, A. (2012). From Total Quality Control to lean Six Sigma: Evolution of the most important management systems for the excellence. Milan: Springer. Rao, P. S. (2009). Personnel and Human Resource Management. New Delhi: Himalaya Pub. House. Read More