Trident MGT407 module 1 -3 case
Module 1 – Case
HRM’S ROLE IN MANAGING HUMAN CAPITAL
Case Assignment
Write ten short journal entries (at least one-half page each). In each entry highlight:
One specific topic/issue related to Module 1 that you would like to write about in this journal entry.
Discuss your reactions to what you learned so far concerning that specific topic/issue as it relates to human capital management. Cite at least one of your module
sources.
Discuss what more you would like to learn concerning that topic/issue and why.
List one valid source not listed in this module where you could learn more about the specific topic/issue. Look to the Trident online library and/or the internet for
valid sources. (The goal is to broaden your resource list, so do not list the same specific source more than once across your journal entries.)
Assignment Expectations
Your submission will be assessed on:
The criteria found in the grading rubric for this assignment:
Meets assignment requirements
Critical thinking
Writing and assignment organization
Use of sources and mechanics
Timeliness of assignment
Module 2 – Case
TALENT MANAGEMENT
Assignment Overview
Two primary outcomes of HR management are recruitment and selection. Through HR planning, managers anticipate the future supply of and demand for employees and the
nature of workforce issues, including the retention of employees. These factors are used when recruiting applicants for job openings. Being able to recruit and retain
the “best” employees have been difficult tasks for HR managers. The “best” employees are not necessarily the most qualified individuals (e.g., the most educated or
with the most work experience), rather it is the individuals who provide value to an organization, who complement the organization, who understand and embrace the
organization’s mission, and who fit the culture of the organization. This quandary is a result of a number of different variables such as: job satisfaction,
organizational commitment, job performance, and motivation.
Furthermore, contemporary HR managers also are tasked with assisting with peak performance initiatives because of escalated global demands and competition.
Case Assignment
Go to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 edition (.bls.gov/ooh/”>https://www.bls.gov/ooh/ ) and read about a Human Resource Manager generalist position. [A
generalist is someone over many HR functions, as opposed to a specialist who might be responsible for only one or two functions or sub-functions of HRM.] Assume that
this is a position you as an HR consultant need to fill for your client.
Develop a job announcement/ad to fill the opening for an employer in your home state. You may either include your job announcement/ad as a separate Word document, or
include it in the audio/visual presentation you will be preparing (described below).
Prepare a video (5 minutes or so), or a slide presentation with voice-over (10-12 slides). In your presentation (a) Describe the employer’s business and key
qualifications needed. (b) Explain your advertising and recruiting strategies to find candidates qualified for this opening for your client company. (c) Defend which
recruiting and selection processes you will use to choose the best person for the job. (d) Be creative.
Assignment Expectations
Your submission will be assessed on the criteria found in the grading rubric for this assignment:
Meets assignment requirements
Critical thinking
Writing and assignment organization
Use of sources and mechanics
Timeliness of assignment
Module 3 – Case
DEVELOPING AND REWARDING EMPLOYEES
Assignment Overview
Hallowell (2011) explains, “What I mean by peak performance—and what most of us seek in our lives and what managers wish to help their people achieve—is consistent
excellence with improvement over time at a specific task or set of tasks.” He further asserts, “Those three factors—excellence, consistency, and ongoing improvement—
define peak performance for my purposes.” Managers should always be on the lookout for employees who just don’t “fit in” with the organization’s culture. “You can tell
a person is not in the right role if he feels no enthusiasm for what he’s doing, if his mind never lights up, if he never gets excited about his job, if he chronically
complains. And, the author continues, “This doesn’t mean he’s a dull person or that the line of work he has chosen is intrinsically dull, just that he’s not assigned
to the right task.”
Being assigned the right tasks and then being responsible for those tasks relates to the “division of labor” concept coined by Adam Smith (1776). “The goal is for
employees to spend as much time as possible at the intersection of three spheres: what they like to do, what they are most skilled at doing, and what adds value to the
project or organization.” For peak performance or enhancing productivity levels, many would argue that specific tasks should be assigned to specific individuals with
specific skills. Strategic leaders are known for being able to quickly match skills to tasks.
HR managers need to understand the importance of employees having fun while at work. Many organizations are highly task oriented and forget the importance of being
relationship oriented. “One way you can tell if your employees are in alignment with the Cycle of Excellence is to see if they are having fun.” For example, some
modern managers see the value of having fun at work or even taking time off from work to just relax and reflect. For example, Bill Gates is famous “for taking seven
days off, twice a year, in a secluded cabin where he reads, drinks diet Orange Crush, and thinks.”
The author provides the following recommendation for managers, “Consider having a goofy day of some sort now and then. It must conform to the basic rules and values of
your organization’s culture, of course. But make it fun.” By having a goofy day at work or dressing up for certain holidays, employees are able to have some fun, which
also relieves stress.
“Effective management limits bad stress as much as possible, while promoting good stress in the form of surmountable challenges.” Effective managers also understand
the importance of recognizing employees for their daily contributions. The author continues, “Recognition is so powerful because it answers a fundamental human need,
the need to feel valued for what we do. Managers are in a unique position to offer—or withhold—such recognition, and with it, the feeling of being valued.”
According to Hallowell (2011), there are five steps to igniting peak performance in an organization. He calls the steps the Cycle of Excellence:
Step 1—Select: Putting people into the right jobs so that their brains light up.
Step 2—Connect: Overcoming the potent forces that disconnect people in the workplace both from each other and from the mission of the organization, and restoring the
force of positive connection, which is the most powerful fuel for peak performance.
Step 3—Play: Play, or imaginative engagement, catalyzes advanced work, and managers can help people tap into this phenomenally productive yet undervalued activity of
the mind.
Step 4—Grapple and grow: Managers can create conditions where people want to work hard, and employees making progress at a task that is challenging and important turns
ordinary performers into superstars and increases commitment.
Step 5—Shine: Doing well—shining—feels good, so giving recognition and noticing when a person shines is critical, and a culture that helps people shine inevitably
becomes a culture of self-perpetuating excellence.
The five steps of the Cycle of Excellence provide a novel approach to maximizing peak performance.
Reference: Hallowell, E.M. (2011). Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People.Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review.
Case Assignment
Drawing on the material in the background readings and doing additional research, prepare a magazine article —
Analyzing the five steps of the Cycle of Excellence and discuss the added value of using the Cycle of Excellence.
Critique Hallowell’s Cycle of Excellence and use it as a beginning step to create your own cycle of excellence. Bring in real-world employer examples (by employer
name).
Discuss how the cycle of excellence you have developed is the optimum approach for managing human capital.
The magazine article you are writing should be similar to an article you might find in TD: Talent Development (magazine of the Association for Talent Development) or
in HRMagazine (magazine for the Society for Human Resource Management, SHRM). Both are found in the Trident Online library.
Bring in at least three other sources to build your article. Cite sources within your paragraphs and include a References list at the end of your article. (Note: Even
though practitioner magazine articles at times do not cite sources or have a reference section—for our academic purposes they are needed. See the .trident.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2015/06/Well-Written-Paper.pdf”>Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, for additional information.
The magazine article you prepare should be double spaced and 1100-1200 words (about 250 words per page using 12-point type size (Times New Roman), and one-inch
margins.
Include a cover page.
Written Communications Assessed
As you may recall, in MGT302 (Organizational Behavior and Teamwork) written communications was assessed at the “introduced” level. Now at this “reinforced” level, the
MGT407 Case 3 takes written communications a step further by working on a submission that could be presented to a practitioner’s magazine for publication.
And, finally, in MGT491 (Capstone in HRM) your written communications skills will be further developed.
The skills needed in these three assignments build upon each other and aim to offer you the opportunity to enhance and practice your written communication preparation
skills.
The grading rubric for written communications at the undergraduate level has been developed to measure student success in meeting the MGT407 Case 3 expectations
related to written communications. Rubrics for the other two courses are included in their respective written communications assignments.
Assignment Expectations
Your submission will be assessed on the criteria found in the written communications grading rubric for this assignment:
Context and purpose for writing
Content
Adherence to conventions in specific disciplines
Sources of evidence
Syntax control and mechanics
Timeliness
