Natalia Corobco
MBA - IE Business School - Madrid, Spain
B.S. in Economics - Academy of Economic Studies - Chisinau, Moldova
Consultant/Founder - IMG strategy & communications consulting - Chisinau, Baku ncorobco@imgbaku.com
Sessions: 16
Classes: Wednesday, 18.30 - 21.00
COURSE OVERVIEW
The main objective of this course is to give the students a set of specific tools to help them think strategically about human resources. We will take the manager’s perspective to explore how human capital can become the source of sustainable competitive advantage. To do this, we will analyze and discuss a number of different strategies, their links to HR practices, and the factors that determine their effectiveness. This course will be based on a mix of short lectures and presentations, assigned readings and case discussions. The students will be asked to prepare the readings ahead of class.
EVALUATION
The students will be graded on the curve:
100 points A+ with honors
95 points A 5% of the class
90 points
85 points
80 points
75 points
70 points
60 points
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
10% of the class
20% of the class
50% of the class
10% of the class
5% of the class
unsatisfactory
Grade breakdown:
Individual effort
Midterm exam
60%
15%
Final exam
Participation
30%
15%
Team effort 40%
Group presentation 10%
Team assignment 30%
Midterm Exam 15%
The exam will be in the form of an individual case analysis report prepared in class. If you are not familiar with the case method, please refer to the note at the end of the syllabus. The case and assignment questions will be emailed to the students one day ahead of the exam date. You will not be allowed to use supplementary materials, books or the internet during the midterm. Laptops may be used to type out the reports. If you prefer to submit a word document rather than a handwritten report your file will be saved to my flash drive at the end of the exam.
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Evaluation criteria:
 Quality – ability to structure the report and clearly answer all the questions;
 Use of concepts – ability to apply the concepts from classroom discussions and course readings;
 Originality – ability to link the case to strategic business issues.
Final Exam 30%
The exam will consist of a multiple choice test based on the material covered throughout the course and another individual case analysis report. The procedure and evaluation criteria will be the same as for the midterm exam.
Participation 15%
You will be graded on both the quantity and quality of your comments. If you do not participate, I may call on you so it is advisable to come prepared. Absences and late arrival to class will affect your participation grade.
Team Project 30%
I will assign six teams of four students each based on individual backgrounds and level of experience.
You will not be able to withdraw from a team but you will be able to provide feedback for each of your team members at the end of the course. Team feedback will affect your participation grade.
Each team will analyze the HR system of a particular organization in order to explore its fit with its competitive strategy. Your objective will be to:
 Define the organization, its competitive strategy and major challenges;
 Identify the major elements and factors that support or obstruct the organization’s competitive strategy;
 Makes suggestions on how to strengthen the alignment between the organization’s HR system and its competitive strategy (support your arguments with a clear analysis and theoretical concepts).
Deliverables:
 One-page summary of the team’s proposed topic and preliminary findings due before the day of the midterm exam;
 A Power Point presentation to be delivered in class during session 14 (each team will have a total of 15 minutes plus 5 minutes for Q&A at the end);
 Three-page report (12 font-size, single-spaced, normal margins), you may include as many exhibits at the end of the report as you wish.
Group Presentations 10%
The syllabus includes six articles, which are not required reading for the entire class. Each team will be assigned one article, for which it will present the key findings in a one-page summary and a 15minute oral presentation. The presentations should link the article to the case for that session or other cases from the course. Evaluation criteria:
 Effectiveness – smoothness, time management, and quality of the presentation;
 Clarity – ability to summarize and link the article to broader concepts from the course;
 Delivery – ability to engage the audience.
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COURSE OUTLINE
Session 1&2 HR as a Source of Competitive Advantage
Reading: Building Competitive Advantage through People (Sloan Management Review)
Reading: The Strategic Impact of HR (HBR)
Reading: People Management (HBS 9-406-034)
Case: Southwest Airlines, Using Human Resources for Competitive Advantage (Stanford HR1-A)
 Evaluate Southwest’s business strategy and decide whether it is a good one;
 Evaluate Southwest’s HR system from a strategic perspective;
 To what extent can other airlines replicate Southwest’s business model?
Session 3&4 Recruiting, Selection and Job Design
Article: Hiring Without Firing (HBS 5351) Group 1
Reading: Control in an Age of Empowerment (HBR 3545)
Reading: Strategic Human Resources: Frameworks for General Managers (Barons & Kreps pp.29-33)
Case: Microsoft: Competing on Talent (A, B) (HBS 9-300-001, 9-301-135)
 Is Microsoft’s ability to attract and retain superior talent is the source of its competitive advantage?
 How did Microsoft formalize the informal practices that emerged during the 1980s?
 Are the changes in HR practices sufficient to address the new challenges Microsoft faces?
Session 5&6 Creating Leaders
Article: Make Your Company a Talent Factory (HBR R0706D) Group 2
Reading: What is a Global Manager? (HBR R0308F)
Reading: Managing HR, Productivity, Quality of Work Life, Profits (Cascio, Wayne pp. 158-169, 171-189)
Case: GE’s Talent Machine: The Making of a CEO (HBS 9-304-049)
 What are GE’s sources of competitive advantage?
 Does the recruiting strategy reflect the characteristics GE looks for in people?
 How do other elements of the HR system support GE’s leadership development strategy?
Session 7 Midterm Exam
Session 8&9 Compensation
Article: The Importance of Pay in Employee Motivation (HR Management) Group 3
Reading: Six Dangerous Myths about Pay (HBR 6773)
Case: Performance Pay at Safelite Auto Glass (HBS 9-800-291)
 Will the proposed plan solve Safelite’s productivity problems?
 What are the possible consequences of a switch from wage to piece rates?
Session 10 Alternatives to Compensation
Article: Behind the Mask: The Politics of Performance Appraisal (Academy) Group 4
Reading: Fair Process. Managing in the Knowledge Economy (HB R0301K)
Case: SAS Institute (Stanford)
 What were the elements of the SAS HR system that made it effective?
 Why was SAS able to violate industry conventions in its compensation system?
 Would this approach work in other high-tech companies or cultures?
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Session 11 Training
Case: Leadership Development at Goldman Sachs (HBS 9-406-002)
 Why was Goldman Sachs so successful in the late 1990s?
 Why is the bank considering a more structured approach to developing leaders?
Session 12 Performance Management
Article: Harnessing the Power of Informal Employee Networks (McKinsey) Group 5
Reading: A Tool Kit for executive Development (Business Horizons)
Case: Shinsei Bank: Developing an Integrated Firm (HBS 9-407-006)
 What does a Chief Learning Officer do and how would you rate Pedersen’s performance?
 Should the performance evaluation system be rolled out to the entire organization?
 What other practices can help reinforce collaboration within the firm?
Session 13 Retention, Downsizing, and Mergers
Article: Talent Management for the 21 st Century (HBR) Group 6
Reading: Strategies for Responsible Restructuring (Academy)
Case: Cisco Systems: The Acquisition of Technology is the Acquisition of People (Stanford)
 How did Cisco become one of the internet leaders so fast and did its HR practices help in this?
 What are the success factors of Cisco’s acquisition strategy?
 Do you think the current staffing strategy may pose problems in the future?
Session 14 Reorganization
Reading: Delivering Strategic Human Resource Management (HBS 9-405-049
Case: Sonoco Products: Building a World-Class HR Organization (HBS 9-405-009)
 What are the key industry trends and how will they affect Sonoco’s competitive strategy?
 How successful were the HR changes and were they conducted in the right order?
 What are the next priorities for Sonoco?
Presentations of Team Projects Session 15
Session 16 Final Exam
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