Implementing the Interview and Select Program in Minneapolis Public Schools - Case Study Example

Outline of the report The education sector in particularly in Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) has been hit by various challenges such as the dramatic decline in student enrolment as well as the need to realign the human resources sector to suit the selection and recruitment requirements of the teachers in the district. Therefore, this case study based essay seeks to analyse the authenticity of the proposed measures that have been designed to turn around the fortunes of the education sector in MPS. Executive summary The report outlines some of the benefits of the interview and select program soon to be implemented by Scott in MPS. The area has of late been impacted by a wide range of issues related to human resources management and of late the department of education has been hit by a wide spate of teacher shortages emanating from a tight budget. The recruitment and selection strategies have also been skewed in favour of senior teachers but research has shown that this anomaly needs to be addressed since there are also other capable teachers who may be junior in terms of period of service but capable of delivering exceptional results. As such, the paper discusses the pros and cons of the new interview and select program that is being implemented by Scott in MPS. Significance of changing the reporting relationship of the HR director The main significance of changing the reporting relationship to the HR directors is that some HR functions are decentralised to the principals in particular. The structure of the whole department is changed given that other people are given the autonomy to make meaningful decisions in the functions of the department. This used to be the prerogative of the HR director but the danger has been that he may not be on the ground to witness the real situation obtaining on the ground. At least the principals are on the ground and they know exactly what should be done in as far as recruitment, selection and retention of the incumbent teachers are concerned in MPS. If the structure of the human resources department in the education sector is decentralised, this entails that decisions are no longer made by the HR director alone. The principals are also given the autonomy to make decisions that may affect the functions of their respective schools. According to Schultz (2003), it can be noted that a flat organizational structure has its own benefits to the organization. For instance, Decision making is collective as a result of the fact that all members are involved in a flat organizational structure. All members share the same vision of the organization with their respective leaders. Problems to be solved by the interview and select program Pratt envisioned that this program was the only way to go at Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS). In most cases, organizations make selection decisions on the basis of information about one or more predictors for future performance (Jackson & Schuler, 2000). This information serves as the basis of estimating how well the applicant is likely to perform if placed in a certain job. These predictors comprise the following: Competencies Personality and values Other characteristics that are essential to the job Applicants provide information that is peculiar to themselves and this information is used to measure the applicant’s capabilities on the background of the organization’s requirements. This information may not be readily available so when the company selects and shortlists the prospective candidates to attend the interview, it is better positioned to screen the right people. As noted by Robins (1993), selection is about choosing the best candidate from the pool of prospective candidates. However, this process is not an end in itself since it enlightens both the organization and the candidate about their qualities if they are the best people to fill the vacant job posts. In this case, selection was primarily done on the basis of seniority in MPS. However, this may not be reliable and valid criteria that can entail if the department of education has been choosing the right people to join the teaching profession. Seniority alone cannot count as a measure to be used in the selection process. Therefore, the selection and interview process will go a long way in improving the quality of teachers to be selected. The selection process will help the responsible authorities especially in schools to select the people with the right qualities to fill in the vacant positions rather than relying on seniority alone. The main reason for this assertion is that the teaching position is not static but is dynamic. The knowledge relevant in teaching one subject today may not remain the same so different avenues in the selection process should be explored. When the right candidates have been selected, the interview technique is often seen as a reliable measure of choosing the right person. According to Schultz (2003), interviewing is effective in that the prospective employer gets first hand information about the candidate. In some cases, the prospective candidates tend to misrepresent some information about themselves so that they can get the job. During an interview, the job applicant is given the opportunity to defend the information provided on the resume. He is also given the opportunity to explain his competencies which can be used as a measure to establish if he is the right person for the job. Therefore, the interview and select program is good in that it will give the candidate as well as the school the opportunity to make a final decision is the correct decision has been made. The candidate may need further training after he has realised that he is suitable for the position. This can also help the school to put measures in place that are meant to retain the incumbent person once hired for the new position. If properly implemented, this strategy is effective since it is designed to address certain loopholes that are often overlooked when the conventional recruitment and selection strategies are used when new teachers are selected. This will also go a long way in addressing the problem related to staff turnover since the right person is given the job in the first place rather than relying on factors such as seniority. These factors may not be valid in the long run. How the interview and select program would change the role of the principal “Interview and select” hiring program will significantly change the role of the principals in different ways. The capacity of the principals to lead the process would be increased. This means that the principals would have been empowered to take a leading role in the making final decisions about the candidates that would be selected in order to join their teaching staff. The principal has the right to reserve the decision about the candidate that has been chosen to fill a particular position that is vacant. The principal would have been endowed with additional responsibility other than performing administrative duties of overseeing the performance of their respective staff members. The principal is given the autonomy to make the final decision about the person to be hired to join the teaching staff at the school. This task goes beyond the usual administrative duties in the company since it involves certain administrative functions that should be performed by the human resources executives. The principals are also empowered and given the autonomy to make decisions in their respective schools that would contribute towards the improvement of the performance of their respective institutions. The principal would also be responsible for overseeing the performance of the select team responsible for interviewing the prospective candidates to join their respective schools. The selection process ought to be monitored from the beginning to the end and this will be the responsibility of the principal. Certain changes may also need to be made along the course and this would be the responsibility of the principal in consultation with the other members responsible for carrying out the interviews. However, the role of the principal can be changed either for the betterment of the institution or to its detriment. Objective principals are likely to encourage the selection of the right teachers to join their respective institutions. The main danger that is likely to be witnessed is that some principals are likely to resort to favoritism where they can end up hiring people who are well connected to them. This may defy the logic of the original initiative where corrupt tendencies would be given priority at the expense of other deserving candidates who can fit well in the system. Recommendations for Pratt Cook A critical analysis of the case study shows that Pratt Cook has an ambitious agenda for HR. However, this is certainly not a very easy task to achieve this feat over a short space of time. Noble as her idea of interview and select is, it can be seen that change is quite a challenging task to implement in the operations of the organization. Basically, people are sceptical of change because they are used to their usual way of doing things in the organization. There are already signs that the interview and select strategy is likely to face some form of resistance from the other quotas. It is recommended that Cook should implement the following strategies in order to achieve the desired goals: participation, education, negotiation and cooptation. Participation Research has indicates that participation helps to reduce resistance to change because it leads to commitment especially when it is voluntary (Jackson & Schuler, 2000). The members in the organization become part of the change process when they are part of the change process. In this case, it is advisable that all sectors in the educational sector should be given the opportunity to participate in this initiative so that informed decisions can be made. Education Education and support should be ongoing exercises in as far as the success of the interview and select strategy is concerned. When all the stakeholders in the process are educated about its importance, they are likely to understand why it is treated as important. In most cases, people who lack information about a change strategy often resist it. It is therefore important to involve all the people in the educational process so that they come to terms with what they would be expected to do. It is important that education should be broad to include other ordinary people so that they can also share the same ideas with the department of education in MPS. Negotiation and cooptation When it is quite obvious that the other group may lose while it has considerable power to resist, the negotiation is imperative (Jackson & Schuler, 2000). For instance, the principals have already indicated that this initiative comes with a lot of responsibility, it is important to negotiate with them so that they too can see the benefit of the initiative to the education sector as a whole. On the other hand, cooptation of different ideas can be implemented in order to cater for a wide range of ideas from different people. It is recommendable that a wide range of people should be taken into consideration so as to come with a mutually agreed solution to the problem. This helps all the people involved to have a sense of belonging to that particular initiative if they are given the opportunity to contribute their ideas. Conclusion Over and above, it can be noted that change in any organization is inevitable. Change is usually necessitated by both external and internal factors in the company. However, change cannot be implemented overnight. It is a process that requires a holistic approach from different stakeholders. As illustrated by the case of MPS discussed above, the select interview technique can go a long way in addressing the recruitment and selection processes of the teachers in MPS. However, this success of this initiative hinges on the commitment displayed by all the stakeholders involved. There are many benefits that can be derived in the long run if the strategy is carefully implemented. References Jackson, S.E & Schuler, R.S. (2000). Managing Human Resources: A Partnership Perspective. Toronto: South Western College Publishing. Robbins, S.P. (1993). Organisational behaviour: Concepts, controversies and applications.6th Edition. NJ: Prentice Hall. Schultz, H (2005) Organisational behaviour. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. Read More