Human resource management Assignment
1
Copyright© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved.
EXERCISE 1.1: AN INTERVIEW WITH AN HRM SPECIALIST
manager who has significant HR responsibilities.
Form 1.1.1 should be used as a format for
conducting the interview and recording
responses.
Part B: Group Discussions
Step 1. Students should assemble in class in groups of
about six and review each individual report. The
group should then identify common problems
identified by the HR professionals. The
characteristics of the organization also should be
considered in the context of the problems. For
example, are there any clear differences in
problems confronting HRM professionals from
service versus manufacturing organizations, or
public- versus private-sector organizations?
Students should have a clear understanding of the
HRM professional’s position and reporting
relationships within the organization. The group
also should attempt to identify the HRM activities
discussed in Chapter 1 that are most related to the
problems discussed. The problems should be
assessed in the context of the trends discussed in
Chapter 1. The group also should discuss the
professional’s views of how line management
views the personnel function (e.g., cooperative,
adversarial).
Step 2. A spokesperson should be designated to report
each group’s findings. After all spokespersons
have presented their list of activities and
difficulties, the class should suggest HRM
strategies and programs that could address the
problems raised. Trends related to the
relationship between line management and HRM
professionals also should be discussed.
Overview
Chapter 1 presents an overview of the major activities of
HR professionals today. As noted, HRM practitioners serve
a variety of roles in organizations and are often classified
as personnel directors, personnel managers, or HRM staff
members. Individuals specializing in specific HRM job activities
may be working in departments of training, labor
relations, equal employment opportunity/affirmative action,
compensation, or personnel research.
Learning Objectives
After completing this exercise, you should be able to
1. Describe the major HRM responsibilities and
activities of HRM professionals.
2. Explain some contemporary problems or difficulties
encountered in HRM work.
3. Derive a list of major job activities useful for
understanding the HRM domains.
Procedure
Part A: Individual Interviews
Step 1. Read Chapter 1, paying particular attention to the
discussion of HRM activities.
Step 2. Identify a practicing HRM or personnel
professional or a line manager charged with HR
activities and conduct a short interview to gather
information about the person’s job, his or her
background, the organization, and the major jobrelated
problems confronting the individual. An
attempt should be made to interview a seniorlevel
HR employee of the organization (e.g., the
vice president of human resources or personnel
director) either by phone or in person or a line
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Interviewer’s Name Interview Date
Interviewee’s Name Company
FORM 1.1.1 INTERVIEW FORMAT FOR HRM PROFESSIONALS
1. How would you describe your organization? (e.g., public versus private, size, service/manufacturing,
union/nonunion, major competitors, international business, growing, stagnant, downsizing).
2. What is your position title?
3. a. How many months/years have you occupied this position?
b. How many months/years have you been employed by this company?
4. a. Briefly, describe your background (education, previous experience).
b. Which aspects of your background are most directly related to your current job duties?
Copyright© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved.
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FORM 1.1.1 (Continued)
Name
5. a. How many employees do you directly supervise?
b. To whom do you report? What is his or her job title?
6. Describe the organization’s human resource or personnel department. How many employees are in the
department? What are their main job duties if different from yours?
7. What do you regard as your three most significant job responsibilities? Be as specific as possible.
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FORM 1.1.1 (Continued)
Name
8. What do you regard as the three most significant and specific HR challenges or difficulties you face in your
current job responsibilities? For each, briefly describe the steps you have taken (or are planning to take) to deal
with each of the problems.
Challenges Action Strategies
9. Describe your relationship with line management, or if you are in line management, describe your relationship
with HR. In general, how would you characterize the relationship (supportive, adversarial, cooperative)? Explain
your answer. Give an example of where your interaction with either line management or HR was not favorable.
Describe these circumstances in detail. How was the problem resolved? Give an example of a favorable
interaction. Describe these circumstances in detail.
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