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Written Assignment of Unit 7:

The Case Study of “Now What Do I Do with Brad and Kerry”

MBA, University of the People

BUS 5910: Management Capstone

Dr. Alex Lapshun

May 26, 2021

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Written Assignment of Unit 7:

The Case Study of “Now What Do I Do with Brad and Kerry”

Organizations often have to downsize and impose a hiring freeze to get through tough

economic times. The decisions of who to let go and who to keep are not simple because they

involve strategic human resources management (HRM) and legal considerations (e.g.,

compliances with labor laws). The case study of “Now What Do I Do with Brad and Kerry”

(Mento et al., 2012) presents the challenges and dilemma in personnel selection and evaluation a

project manager is likely to encounter in the 2008 Great Recession.

NewBuild

Founded in 1909, NewBuild is a large general contracting firm in the construction

industry (Mento et al., 2012). NewBuild believed in promoting from within and had built a core

group of employees taking their career development seriously (Mento et al., 2012). However,

NewBuild had a higher turnover rate than it would like to see because it offered lower salaries

than the industry average (Mento et al., 2012).

Since its inception, the company had grown conservatively and steadily, held no long-

term debt, and built healthy cash reserves to hedge against a long-term economic downturn

(Mento et al., 2012). The 2008 Great Recession hit the commercial construction industry hard

and NewBuild planned on falling back on its cash reserves to avoid layoffs through 2020 (Mento

et al., 2012). However, if the economy failed to rebound quickly, the company might not be able

to break even because of its high overhead expenses (Mento et al., 2012).

Identify the Problem

Brad Kemper and Kerry Smith joined NewBuild in January of 2009 and were both

assigned to the same project manager, Jason Cochran on their first day (Mento et al., 2012). Due

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to the recession, Brad and Kerry had not been assigned to any significant project for the past nine

months since they started (Mento et al., 2012).

Jason Cochran, a project manager at NewBuild for the past six years, joined the company

in 1997 (Mento et al., 2012). Jason was confronted with a staffing challenge. He had to decide

whether to assign/promote Brad or Kerry for the lone position available on the imminent next big

construction project (Mento et al., 2012).

Diagnose the Causes

Job Loss and Talent Loss as a Result of Recession

For the candidate that was not selected/promoted by Jason, there was a strong chance of

layoff/termination and thus a potential loss of talent, due to lack of work in the recession.

Jason’s Limited Capacity for Coaching

Jason’s new responsibility in sales management (on top of his primary roles as a

developer and a manager) drastically limited his time in coaching and developing his newest

employees in the ways he previously had done.

Prescribe Possible Alternatives

Jason wanted to take a more comprehensive and systematic approach to the

staffing/promotion decision. He created an assessment method encompassing six criteria:

psychological contract, performance evaluation, managing up, performance on negotiation,

VABEs (Values, Assumptions, Beliefs, Expectations), and email lessons learned.

Psychological Contract

Psychological contract is an intangible, reciprocal obligations in employment formed

during and after employment (Robinson & Rousseau, 1994). A psychological contract emerges

when one party believes that a promise of future return will be made (e.g. pay and benefits) in

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exchange for a contribution of service and work (Robinson & Rousseau, 1994). The pro of

psychological contract is that it can serve as a booster to employee’s performance when a

psychological contract of high mutual expectations is created (Mento et al., 2012). The con is

that the recession might have violated the psychological contract and negatively impacted

employees’ performance (Mento et al., 2012).

The psychological contract between NewBuild and its new hires of Brad and Kerry

should be identical, given their recruitment process, their results in performance evaluation, and

their experience in the company.

Performance Evaluation

NewBuild had an official performance evaluation form that Jason was required to use

when he conducted performance appraisal on all his employees. The form provided a 5-point

rating scale for a set of 10 evaluation dimensions, such as commitment to company goals and

communication. The pro of the evaluation is that it’s a standardized evaluation for all employees

to avoid favoritism and subjectivity. The con is that Jason considered the official review form

less than comprehensive and usually spent extra time on career goal-setting after completing the

appraisal form with each employee.

Both Brad and Kerry had identical scores of 3 out of 5 on all dimensions rated, with 3

being “meets expectations.”

Managing Up

Managing one’s manager entails building an effective work relationship with one’s

manager, understanding and meeting manager’s needs and expectations, and being proactive in

fulfilling personal career goals (Mento et al., 2012). The pro of managing up is that it produces

benefits for all concerned parties and facilitates organizational success (Mento et al., 2012). The

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con is that it might be erroneously perceived as being political and bending one’s own

personality or values (Mento et al., 2012).

Due to Jason’s increased responsibility in sales management, he would need a self-starter

knowing how to manage him for the lone position available on the imminent next big

construction project. It appeared to Jason that Kerry was better than Brad in this criterion.

Performance on Negotiation

Jason recently conducted a training session involving a negotiation simulation with all his

employees. Performance evaluation on the simulation was made on the basis of preparation,

participation, and performance during the training. The pro of the simulation is that it provides

an opportunity for employees to develop negotiation and conflict resolution skills in simulated

incidents or situations similar to those in real life (Mento et al., 2012). The con of the training is

that it is a simplistic exercise that does not fully represent the full picture of the actual work.

Thus, a participant’s performance in the simulation is not indictive of what the person might

actually do in the work setting (Mento et al., 2012).

In this criterion, Kerry seemed to be a better candidate than Jason, because she exhibited

a proactive style and manifested skills critical to handling contractors, compared to Jason’s

passive approach.

VABEs

According to Clawson (2008), there are three levels of leadership. Successful leaders are

committed to looking beyond behavior (level one) to their employees' thinking (level two) and

their VABEs (values, assumptions, beliefs, and expectations--level three) about their lives and

work, in order to effectively motivate employees and drive high performance. The pro of

understanding the core VABEs of employees is that it helps managers understand their

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employees’ personality and behavior and subsequently determine an individualized course of

action for training and guidance (Clawson, 2008; Mento et al., 2012). The con is that it takes a

lot of time, effort, and self-reflection to develop level-three leadership.

In this criterion, Kerry appeared to be a better candidate because her VABEs indicated

her ability of relating to others and seeing the situation and the world in a larger context.

Email Lessons Learned

A person’s linguistic styles in communication can indirectly reflect the characteristics of

the person (Mento et al., 2012). The pro of analyzing a person’s linguistic styles in

communication is that it provides a way to understand a person (Mento et al., 2012). The con is

that the analysis can be tinted with the halo effect (“Human resources management,” 2016).

Based on Jason’s assessment of the lessons learned email from Brad and Kerry, Kerry

appeared to be a better fit for the new position because her attribution and reflection of

performance indicated her accountability, skills of self-insight and, desire for improvement.

Recommend a Plan of Action

The results of Jason’s six assessment criteria, as discussed above, suggested that the

Kerry would be a better fit than Brad for the position on the next big project primarily because

she demonstrated more qualities of a self-starter and self-learner requiring less coaching and

supervision from Jason. Kerry’s VABEs and linguistic styles were more aligned with those of

Jason and NewBuild. The final recommendation for the position would be Kerry.

Link the Case to the Importance and Relevance to a Study of Business

The case study demonstrates the importance role of HRM in an organization especially

during an economic downturn. HRM serves as a strategic partner of a company and can help

keep up employee’s morale and performance in recession (“Human resources management,”

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2016). The key functions of HRM, including selection, retention, appraisal, promotion, and

career development are of great relevance to the study of a business because they help shape an

organizational culture and success during tough economic times, as shown in this case study.

Limitations of the Case Study

Several limitations exist in the case study of Mento et al. (2011) because there are several

missing pieces of key information. The case does not mention the role and function of

NewBuild’s HRM in the assessment method and selection process. All HR practices and

functions, such as selection, appraisal, and promotion, need to be legally compliant to avoid

lawsuits (“Human resources management,” 2016; Maurer, 2019). It is unclear that whether the

criteria that Jason selected, such as VABEs, are both reliable and valid assessment tools that

serve as legally defensible predictors of job performance. In addition, the case does not provide

a job description or a job analysis of the position in the next big project. Neither did it provide

the career goals of Kerry and Brad that Jason went through with them in their performance

appraisal. These pieces of information can help determine the person-fit for the position

(Senyucel, 2009).

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References

Clawson, J. G. (2008). Levels of leadership.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228136528_Levels_of_Leadership

Human resources management. (2016). Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA).

University of Minnesota Open Library.

https://open.lib.umn.edu/humanresourcemanagement/

Maurer, R. (2019, July 17). Review promotion practices to avoid turnover, lawsuits. SHRM.

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/review-

promotion-practices-avoid-turnover-lawsuits.aspx

Mento, A. J., Cougnet, J. E., & De Vader, C. L. (2011). Now what do I do with Brad and Kerry?

Journal of Business Case Studies, 8(1), 51-66. https://doi.org/10.19030/jbcs.v8i1.6738

Merlevede, P. (2014). Talent management: A focus on excellence. Bookboon.

https://bookboon.com/en/talent-management-a-focus-on-excellence-ebook

Robinson, S. L., & Rousseau, D. M. (1994). Violating the psychological contract: Not the

exception but the norm. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15(3), 245–259.

https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030150306

Senyucel, Z. (2009). Managing the human resources in the 21st century. Bookboon.

https://bookboon.com/en/hrm-managing-the-human-ressource-ebook

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