Course Code & Prefix: PSMA 6001
Course Name: Human Resource Management
Lecturer’s Name: Dr. Charlene Roach
Team Number: 10
Name of Team: Human Asset Developers
Name of Case: Black Day Case
Team Members:
Rayma Worrell-Steeple 812005923;
Anushka Ramroop 861000681;
Tanishia Alonzo 816021705; and
Josanne Teelucksingh 810005378
Synopsis of Case
The Black Day Case discusses the issues faced in the Department of Compensation on Navy
Island which is responsible for processing applications in respect of welfare benefits to which
claimants are entitled. The case opens up talking about growing public dissatisfaction over
the long delays in processing applications for benefits. In an attempt to address this, Mr. Carl
Rogers, Chief Applications Officer, Head of the Department of Compensation, saw that there
was the need for additional staff to the department but was unable to acquire this. On the
other hand, Mr. Rogers was no longer satisfied in his job which reflected in his desire to retire
soon and his lack of submission of various application forms to the Ministry of General
Rights.
Simultaneously, the department received a transfer of a Clerical Officer from another
Ministry, Miss Jane Johns, to fill a position that was already filled by another employee. Ms.
Clarke, the Supervisor of the department, was given the responsibility by Mr. Rogers to
handle this situation. Ms. Clarke introduced Miss Johns to Miss Cynthia Black, the Chief
Claims Officer, who was given the responsibility to train Miss Johns about what and how
things are done in the department. However, given her heavy workload and inexperience in
giving as well as receiving training, Miss Black opted to ignore Miss Johns and did not allow
her to see what was being done nor did she properly communicate to her how things are done.
Later, it became evident to Miss Johns that after the prolonged lunch break taken by Miss
Black, she ignored all her pending work to take a phone call that was interrupted by the fact
that Miss Black had to leave the office early to go to the hairdresser. Miss Johns observed that
all persons in the department were organizing to leave earlier than the time the office was
supposed to close. As the weeks progressed, this was brought to the attention of Mr. Rogers,
and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry was conducted to carry out an examination of
the department and provide recommendations to address this problem.
Problem Statement
A lack of Performance Management was the critical issue faced by the Department of
Compensation on Navy Island. A lack of Performance Management led to highly demotivated
staff as reflected in the response of the Head of the Department to the current state of affairs;
though he knew what was needed to effect change he preferred to seek his retirement.
Performance Management is also necessary for sound Human Resource Planning, how else
would the most appropriate replacement for the Head of the Department be identified? Due to
staff shortage and persons without the relevant experience in processing applications for
welfare benefits being transferred to work in the Department, they were confronted by
seemingly unsurmountable challenges. Firstly, the existing senior staff were faced with heavy
workloads as well as inexperience in providing training to new staff; they themselves having
not been exposed to any ongoing training and development programmes in their function.
The latter was not made any easier by the deficiency in communication between staff. A lack
of Employee Engagement and Commitment as well as Poor Work Culture was also evident in
the Black Day Case from the staff’s tendency to tend to personal interests rather than the
Department’s objectives.
Date Analysis
With the use of the Fishbone diagram as an assessment tool for identifying cause and effect it
was determined that there were various human resource management principles/perspectives
that can be used to highlight the problems/issues present in the department. These included a
lack of Performance Management, lack of Accountability, lack of Structured Human
Resource Training For Top Management and Operational Staff, poor Management Skills
displayed by Top Management, lack of Human Resource Planning, lack of Employee
Engagement and Commitment as well as Poor Work Culture within the organization.
Generating Alternatives
From these issues that were indicated, numerous possible alternatives were generated. These
encompassed Ministry implementing job rotation for Mr. Rogers and his entire department,
the implementation of structured job training programs for clerical staff, the implementation
of Management Development training for Mr. Rogers and Mrs. Clarke, the implementation of
accountability strategies such as stringent timelines and meeting short term goals within the
department, Performance Management through the continuous assessment of staff members
by Mr. Rogers, the maintenance and tone setting for a positive work culture within the
organization by Mr. Rogers and Mrs. Clarke as well as succession Planning within the
department.
Key Decision Criteria
The Key Decision Criteria was based on the several factors faced in the department. These
included cost, time, a lack of Training and development of Top Management and Operational
Staff, a low level of motivation among employees, poor performance within the department
as well as poor work culture within the department.
Alternatives/Options Analysis
Based on the alternatives/options presented above, extensive analysis and evaluation was
done. This analysis and evaluation of these alternatives/options indicated the pros and cons
associated with them. The cons of these included Financial and time costs in developing and
implementing training programs, Loss in productivity during the time of the training
program, Additional assignments to selected employees to accommodate training of new
employees as well as Increased staff absenteeism during training period. The pros of these
alternatives/options included Increased in employee knowledge and experience thereby
improving on consistency within their job, Enhancement of the company reputation through
a successful culture as well as it ensures accountability through continuous monitoring of
performance management strategies. [See Table 1 Attached]
Recommendations
Furthermore, from the list of the alternatives/options generated above, we have chosen three
(3) of these which are the preferred alternatives/options. The alternatives/options chosen
include the implementation of job training to both top management and staff members, the
implementation of accountability strategies and the implementation of Performance
Management strategies which will include occasional assessment of staff members by Mr.
Rogers, as well as the improvement of the department’s work culture.
Moreover, in order for these alternatives/options to be carried out, we have developed
implementation plans for each of them. Beginning with training, this can be done by
Conducting training needs assessment through focusing on the task ( key tasks, competencies
and skills required to perform the job at the most efficient level) and individuals ( the
individual’s existing skills and competencies, their learning style and capacity for new work
360 degree), Setting Organizational training objectives where analyzed and prioritized gaps
were identified in the training needs assessment, Creating training action plan such as
learning theories, instructional design, content, materials, Implementing training initiatives schedule training activities and any related resources (facilities, equipment, and so on),
officially launch, promoted and conducted training as well as Evaluating & revising training
by continually monitoring the program to determine if it was successful and met training
objectives.
Next, we look at the alternative of Performance Management. This option can be done by
Conducting assessment of employees by using 360 degree feedback, balance score card, self
evaluation, Reviewing the employee's performance-appraisal results, for example,
productivity logs, attendance records and disciplinary reviews, as well as any self-evaluations
the employee completed as part of the appraisal process, Determining the employee's areas
for improvement through Categorizing the deficiencies according to the company's
performance standards and expectation, Describing specific steps the employee must take to
improve his/her performance as well as Conducting follow-up
reassessments of
the
employee's performance.
Additionally, the Ministry should provide formal and informal training strategies to improve
Mr Rogers performance through development on the job such as coaching, counselling,
monitoring and feedback, through work experience such as job rotation job enlargement,
internal and external courses, structured self development, e-learning and through
retrospective and reflective learning.
Implementation Plan
Finally, we must look at the implementation plan to improve the culture of the organization.
This plan includes defining the desired values and behaviors by Management, Aligning
culture with strategy and processes, that is, “Do your mission, vision and values line up with
your HR processes, including hiring, performance management, compensation, benefits and
the promotion of talent?”, Having visible proponents, that is, for culture change to stick, it
must be a priority of leaders (The Ministry, Mr. Rogers, Mrs Clarke), Defining the nonnegotiables by looking at your current culture and calling out which aspects you want to
retain, Aligning the culture of the department with the brand where culture must resonate
with both employees and the marketplace, Encouraging persons within the department to be
bold and lead. These persons don't necessarily have to hold positions. When people step up, it
encourages others to step up as well, as well as Implementing employee surveys to measure
the effectiveness of your efforts and to analyze gaps between desired and actual behavior.
Employee Training and Development:
i.
Perform a Training Needs Assessment:
a. Identify a clear business goal that the training supports
b. Determine the tasks the workers need to perform so the company can
reach that goal
c. Determine the training activities that will help the workers learn to
perform the tasks
d. Determine the learning characteristics of the workers that will make
the training more effective
ii.
Develop Learning objectives
iii.
Design Training materials
iv.
Develop Training Materials
v.
Implement Training
vi.
Evaluate the Training
Accountability Strategies:
i.
Involve employees in setting clear, challenging yet attainable goals and
objectives, and give them the authority to accomplish those goals;
ii.
Coach employees when they request help, and support employees in all
aspects of the job;
iii.
Establish ORRs i.e. Objectives and Key Results. One suggested OKR
framework to use: SMART goals. Determining and setting clearly defined
SMART goals that are actionable (through steps) and measurable (through
tracking) involves this framework:
a. Specific. Setting expectations of what, when, and how much.
b. Measurable. Milestones to track progress and to motivate employees
to achieve.
c. Achievable. Success is attainable, but with stretch goals added as well
to push further.
d. Relevant. Consider the impact of every goal to the overall strategy.
e. Timely. Keep your goals grounded within a timeframe to create a
sense of urgency.
iv.
Monitor progress towards goals, and provide feed-back that includes credible,
useful performance measures;
v.
vi.
Provide the training and resources employees need to do the work; and
Recognize employees for good performance, both formally and informally.
Performance Management:
i.
Assess the current performance management process;
ii.
Set your objectives and goals;
iii.
Consult with key players;
iv.
Create and Action Plan;
v.
Share your new performance management strategy with stakeholders;
vi.
Keep track of progress
vii.
Evaluate the effectiveness of processes.
Appendices - Below
1) Table 1 - Alternatives/Options Analysis
2) Implementation Process Up Arrow
3) Project Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart
The Gantt chart will help you break down the task order in the steps in which the tasks need to be carried out, while allowing you to identify the
resources needed to complete the project. Additionally, the Gantt chart can identify which resources are needed while assisting you in identifying
the quickest possible time in which a project can be completed – via the best “critical path" to be followed. Gantt charts are also designed to
make cohesion between team members, management, and executives easier and more effective. They achieve this by adding a much-needed
layer of transparency to projects, making it possible to assess the status of your project at any given time.
Role
Training Lead
Training Developer
Effort Required- Professional Fees
Headcount
1
2
Effort
500 hours
600 hours
1100 hours
Est $226,500
Financial Resources
Description
Budget
Headcount – additional training staff of 3
Training Materials – User Productivity Kits
$20,000
$3500
$23,500
Total: $250,000.00