Human resources management. Personal Case Study Reflection - Essay Example

? Report Report Introduction The purpose of this paper is to consider a problem situation, identify the underlying issues and describe the problem-solving process undertaken. Relevant theories shall be applied to assess the decision-making process and recommend how it may be improved. According to the records, Charles1 was a fresh architectural graduate whose first job was as a junior architect in Robinsland Mall. His probation period under a Senior Mall Architect (SMA) went smoothly. He was happy at his job until the SMA retired. Instead of hiring another architect to succeed him, the position was united with that of the SMA in an affiliate mall. Since the current SMA with expanded duties held office in another mall and only remotely communicated with Robinsland, a ‘stand-in’ was assigned with whom he could coordinate. This was Edna, who worked as technical clerk in the leasing department, a marketing group. Leasing was a logical unit to relate with the mall architects because they dealt with tenants. As junior architect, Charles’ main job was to coordinate with the tenants and conduct inspections of their units, making sure that they met the mall standards for repair and refurbishing. As soon as Edna began her new function, friction erupted between her and Charles. Edna was heard fuming: ‘OMG, Charles, you are the reason for all my problems! You are the technical person, you should know this!’ When interviewed by the Group Manager (GM), Charles expressed that he was always stressed, and he and Edna had communication problems. Charles was demoralised and was thinking of resigning. However, the GM felt that he had great potential in the company, and wanted him to stay, also because architects were getting harder to recruit for mall operations. Issues and their causes The issues in this case are squarely within the sphere of human resources management and deal with how individuals behave in relation to each other in an organisation. There are three principal issues that surfaced. Staffing The first is the issue of staffing, which is broadly defined as “the process of determining human resource needs in an organisation and securing sufficient quantities of qualified people to fill those needs” (Caruth, et al., 2009, p. 2). Specifically in this case, the issue revolved around the assignment of duties on the basis of convenience, not capability. The facts showed that Edna acted as bridge the role of junior architect and SMA, yet was not an architect. Expanding the scope of duties of the other SMA over two malls was a mistake because the individual occupying that position cannot effectively discharge his duties particularly pertaining to Robinsland. Charles may be an architect, but as a junior he has no prerogative to decide matters that Edna knew nothing about. Organisations’ staffing policies should require that the individual possess the skills and knowledge to discharge the duties. Motivation The second issue is that of motivation, defined as “those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed” (Mitchell, 1982, p. 81). In this definition, the meaning of “goal” is admitted even by experts to be ambiguous. One construct can mean “achievement goal” such as those encountered in a school or sports setting (Shah & Gardner, 2008, p. 238). In this case, however, while achievement goal may apply, it seems inadequate in explaining the cause of the conflict. Aside from the purpose of achieving the goals of their functions, Charles and Edna were also motivated by personal goals – for Charles, the fulfilment of his architectural interests, and for Edna, the need to be recognised as competent in her new job. Supervisory training It is noticeable that Edna’s designation as “technical clerk” is rank-and-file and not supervisory. A supervisor is one who is put in charge of rank-and-file personnel and is the first line of management in the organisation (McConnell, 2011). The supervisor’s guidance is what gives direction and motivation to people at the lowest rung of the organisation. The key to this type of relationship is effective communication, and most failure in supervision involves the failure of supervisors to communicate effectively with their subordinates (McConnell, 2011). This was the case between Charles and Edna. Charles’ work involved the “technical” side that Edna admitted knowing little about, resulting in Charles’ confusion concerning what the organisation (through Edna’s supervision) wanted him to do and how he should do it. This ultimately appears to be the cause of the failure of communication. Decision-making framework, models or theories In a seminal work by Beach and Mitchell (1978, p. 440), they described the now popularly accepted contingency model for selecting decision strategies. The model is comprised of six stages: (1) problem recognition; (2) evaluation of task; (3) strategy selection; (4) information processing; (5) strategy implementation; and (6) choice. This same decision-making process was applied in this case. During the problem recognition phase, the Group Manager, who acted as decision-maker, approached the principal protagonists Edna and Charles, as mentioned in the case, to verify the existence of what she perceived as a problem. Thereafter, she conducted interviews of the department leaders and members of each of the two groups (the leasing group under the marketing department, and the architectural group including the SMA), to gain a clear idea of how their jobs related to each other. This constituted the second stage, task evaluation. The interviews helped her gain perspective on the organisational implications of the problem. This is also the stage where the GM, having obtained a grasp of the issues and their causes, begins to formulate in her mind the possible tasks which may be undertaken. At this point, in the course of the strategy selection, the GM undertook what Akdere (2011) described as decision-making models applied to organisations. The methods relevant to this case include brainstorming, unilateral decision-making, consultative decision-making, voting decision-making and consensus decision-making. There are other, more regimented methods (e.g. force field analysis, affinity diagramming, flow-charting or decision-tree construction) which are inapplicable to this specific case. In any case, the GM did not arrive at one decision, but several smaller ones which included both personal decisions in the case of Charles and Edna, but also organisational decisions pertaining to the link between marketing and the technical group. The personal decisions were undertaken with a combination of consultative and unilateral decision-making, while the decisions concerning organisational units were assessed using brainstorming among the unit heads, voting conducted among the unit members, and consensus decision-making among the other managers in the different functional units affected by the change in organisational structure – Human Resources, Accounting and Payroll, Information Technology, and of course Marketing and Technical. This collaboration proceeded through to the implementation of the decision-making strategy, until the final choice is made and applied as the new status quo. Outcome or effects The final outcome of the decisions pertaining to issues are as follows: (1) Staffing: In the absence of an SMA, an assistant mall architect was appointed from the pool of architects from the other projects, who has a grasp of the marketing and technical aspects of the job. Edna was horizontally transferred to coordinate with the assistance mall architect, who was equally ranked as her. Charles reported to the new assistant MA. (2) Motivation: HR worked out with Charles a more responsive job description relating to his position and his immediate head, and assure him that his performance, notwithstanding Edna’s comments, has been reviewed by the department and deemed satisfactory. (3) Supervisory training: All personal occupying first-level supervision over any employees were required to undergo training about handling people. This included the new assistance MA to whom Charles now reports. Additionally, HR agreed to schedule periodic leadership workshops, not just seminars, for existing managers. Reflection The actions taken by the GM have been briefly related here, sufficient to provide the gist of the decision made, but even though cursory they provide some insight into the merits and shortcomings of the decision-making process. One thing I believe that the GM did right was to gather as much relevant information as is possible, relying on both structured and unstructured information sources. Information systems through regular channels comprise a strategic tool in HR management (Ankrah,& Sokroh, 2012; Pedarpur, et al., 2013). However, I believe that the GM went the extra mile in personally interviewing face-to-face the people and groups involved, which greatly aided in the quality and comprehensiveness of the decision arrived at. Decision-making in an organisation relies on the quality of leadership, but likewise the decision-making process that follows the development of a problem situation work to develop a good leader (Subramony, 2006). In an environment constricted in time, changing conditions, and necessity new problems may cause fresh dimensions in leadership to arise (Moerschell & Lao, 2012). The intersection between leadership and human decision making is enhanced by the nature of the problem event that demands a solution. I believe the problem faced by the decision-maker (the GM) gave her the opportunity to arrive at a more comprehensive solution. She not only addressed the apparent personal rift between two employees, but more importantly strengthened the organisational framework by resolving an apparent overlap of functions. I believe the quality and effectiveness of the decision arrived at does not depend on a single or a few methods, but also on the decision-maker’s attributes as a leader. The transformational leadership style, for instance, is a strong predictor of decision making styles that are rational and dependent, but not for the intuitive and spontaneous. Furthermore, the leaders with higher the emotional intelligence make better decision-makers. (Rashid Rehman & Waheed, 2012). This explains the poor quality of decisions made by Edna as lower-level decision-maker when it comes to directing Charles, compared to the GM who handled the situation with finesse and sensitivity as well as pragmatism and objectivity. I am impressed that this case proved how the value of third opinions was extremely useful to the GM in arriving at her decision. Third opinion leadership, which relies on outsiders to arrive at a decision, may lead to better quality decisions depending upon the decision-maker’s leadership style, which could either be directive, supportive, participative or achievement-oriented (Ridman, Nik Muhammad, & Ismail, 2011), which in this case appears to be a combination of all in addressing the various dimensions of the problem situation. Also determinative of the decision quality is the quality of the third opinion sought and considered by the decision-maker. The third opinion resorted to in this case involved all individuals involved in the immediate problem, but moreso were expanded to include the unit heads and managers to strengthen policy, modify functional relationships, and eventually ensure that similar problems do not recur. Conclusion The problem that arose in this case appeared on its face to be one of personal relationships, and may have been addressed by less perceptive leaders by merely confronting both individuals and exhorting them to work better together. Had this been the case, the company would have lost at least one good employee, Charles, who would have no trouble finding alternative employment in another firm. However, the problem is a systemic one – specifically, the overlapping of certain functions between marketing and technical, and the lack of care in matching necessary skills in a position with the skills of the person assigned to it. Poor company policies and practices may result in the replication of situations such as that discussed here, and it is not difficult to forecast faster employee turnover rates, poor retention of good personnel, and eventual drain of leadership and expertise in the workforce. In conclusion, the decision-making process employed by the GM here was effective in resolving the problem situation. A clear definition of the line of command and areas of collaboration between marketing and technical will improve relations between members of the two teams Better practices with regard to staffing and supervisory training will equip future leaders with better skills both in leadership and in decision-making. Finally, Charles and other promising young employees will provide the firm the benefit of their continued stay. References Akdere, M. (2011). An analysis of decision-making process in organizations: Implications for quality management and systematic practice. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 22(12), 1317-1330. Ankrah, E., & Sokro, E. (2012). Human Resource Information System As A Strategic Tool In Human Resource Management. Problems Of Management In The 21St Century, 5, 6-15. Caruth, D.L., Caruth, G.D., & Pane, S.S. (2009). 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