Consultation Flashcards
Competencies
A member of the HR function wants to develop consultative skills. The HR director notes that the individual has a natural talent in analyzing problems and in relationship building. What other skill or knowledge could the individual develop to support their growth?
Understanding of the organization’s business and environment
The ability to consult would be strengthened by an understanding of the organization’s business, the way it creates value, and the internal and external forces that affect its success. The HR staff member appears to already possess relationship management and critical analysis skills. In-depth technical expertise in the organization’s work processes is not necessary for consultation.
An HR consulting team wants to better understand the odds that a particular initiative can be implemented successfully. What tool is designed to support this analysis?
Force-field analysis
Force-field analysis examines the factors that favor and oppose a particular change. The process can be used to score different possible approaches. A force-field analysis might be used to develop a multi-criteria decision analysis tool. A SWOT analysis identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The Delphi technique is an anonymized approach to gathering information.
When is the best time to involve HR when a major internal workforce change is being introduced into an organization?
During initial management discussions of the proposed change.
HR’s knowledge of the organization, its people, and its processes, combined with its expertise in managing workforce capabilities and productivity, make it essential to structuring change. The other answers bring in HR after implementation or when asked and may lead to dissatisfaction and unsuccessful interventions.
Which likely workforce reactions should the vice president of HR include in a presentation to executive leadership regarding an upcoming company reorganization?
Short-term decline in performance and then rapid growth to a new level of performance
A well-managed organizational change leads to the “dreaded J curve,” where there is typically a short-term decline in performance and then more rapid growth to a new level of performance
Which change approach would work best for a multinational organization that has a leadership board focused on making generalized improvements with regard to corporate social responsibility?
Organic
The organic change approach relies on independent centers and multiple origins of change within the organization. Given the multinational character of the organization, improvement regarding corporate social responsibility may take different forms in various locations, depending on the functions performed in a locale and the culture of area that it is in. Thus, having leadership supporting local change and local leaders to achieve organic change would be the best choice.
Visualization of the impact of change on productivity. When change is introduced, there is typically a decrease in productivity and then a gradual return to or, ideally, a surpassing of previous levels of productivity.
J curve
Type of analysis in which a team determines critical characteristics of a successful decision and then uses a matrix to score each alternative and compare results.
Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)
Tool designed to analyze the forces favoring and opposing a particular change; a group identifies and weights factors that could influence an outcome in either a negative or positive manner according to their possible impact and then uses these factors too core different opportunities.
Force-field analysis
Providing guidance to organizational stakeholders; involves diagnosing problems or identifying opportunities, developing effective solutions, winning support for solutions, and implementing them effectively.
Consultation
Type of analysis in which a group identifies strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results; a framework that combines fact finding with an organization’s goals and desires, presenting an analysis of the organization’s actual state and how it will measure achievement.
SOAR analysis
A company with many long-term employees is facing challenges due to upcoming retirements and the resulting knowledge gaps in a variety of departments. The company typically promotes from within, and the vice president of operations (VPO) is concerned that the internal information loss coupled with a lack of external influence will negatively affect the company.
The VPO requests the HR manager to conduct an external job evaluation to assess the utility of several jobs across the organization. The HR manager finds that, compared to similar companies, the company lacks technical skills, participates in fewer professional development opportunities, and pays a higher salary to senior-level leaders. The HR manager recommends implementing a technical training program and proposes organizational restructuring to better support company functions and mitigate the reliance on specific individuals with organizational knowledge.
A supervisor requests support from HR to develop a knowledge transfer plan for a senior-level employee who is retiring in six months. What should the HR manager recommend?
Make sure that this position is assessed in the planned job evaluation.
A company with many long-term employees is facing challenges due to upcoming retirements and the resulting knowledge gaps in a variety of departments. The company typically promotes from within, and the vice president of operations (VPO) is concerned that the internal information loss coupled with a lack of external influence will negatively affect the company.
The VPO requests the HR manager to conduct an external job evaluation to assess the utility of several jobs across the organization. The HR manager finds that, compared to similar companies, the company lacks technical skills, participates in fewer professional development opportunities, and pays a higher salary to senior-level leaders. The HR manager recommends implementing a technical training program and proposes organizational restructuring to better support company functions and mitigate the reliance on specific individuals with organizational knowledge.
A mid-level manager e-mails the HR manager to express concern about job security due to a lack of technical skills. How should the HR manager respond?
Arrange a meeting between the employee and the employee’s supervisor to discuss the skill gaps.
A company with many long-term employees is facing challenges due to upcoming retirements and the resulting knowledge gaps in a variety of departments. The company typically promotes from within, and the vice president of operations (VPO) is concerned that the internal information loss coupled with a lack of external influence will negatively affect the company.
The VPO requests the HR manager to conduct an external job evaluation to assess the utility of several jobs across the organization. The HR manager finds that, compared to similar companies, the company lacks technical skills, participates in fewer professional development opportunities, and pays a higher salary to senior-level leaders. The HR manager recommends implementing a technical training program and proposes organizational restructuring to better support company functions and mitigate the reliance on specific individuals with organizational knowledge.
While examining organizational restructuring options, the HR manager determines that several nontechnical positions could be eliminated by implementing an expensive software solution. Which action should the HR manager recommend to the VPO to decide if the software should be implemented?
Evaluate the cost savings that will be achieved by eliminating the positions.
A technology company with two divisions located on opposite sides of a large country decides to consolidate operations to a single location to reduce costs. As a result, more than 3,000 employees will need to relocate across the country to the other location.
Senior management knows that it will be very expensive to provide corporate relocation assistance to all of the affected employees but also wants to offer an incentive bonus to motivate employees to make the move. Management is confident that the mass relocation effort can be completed within nine months and tasks the HR department with the effort. The CEO is targeting a 60% take rate, meaning that six in ten employees must accept the company’s relocation offer. Those who decline the offer will receive two weeks of severance pay at the end of the nine-month transition period. The CHRO asks the HR director to lead the relocation effort.
Which is the most effective approach for the HR director to take to achieve the 60% acceptance target?
Develop and distribute an informational booklet with all of the details about the relocation incentives.
A technology company with two divisions located on opposite sides of a large country decides to consolidate operations to a single location to reduce costs. As a result, more than 3,000 employees will need to relocate across the country to the other location.
Senior management knows that it will be very expensive to provide corporate relocation assistance to all of the affected employees but also wants to offer an incentive bonus to motivate employees to make the move. Management is confident that the mass relocation effort can be completed within nine months and tasks the HR department with the effort. The CEO is targeting a 60% take rate, meaning that six in ten employees must accept the company’s relocation offer. Those who decline the offer will receive two weeks of severance pay at the end of the nine-month transition period. The CHRO asks the HR director to lead the relocation effort.
What potential alternative could the HR director take to retain a higher percentage of employees and potentially reduce overall costs associated with the move?
Allow those who decline to relocate to work remotely.
A technology company with two divisions located on opposite sides of a large country decides to consolidate operations to a single location to reduce costs. As a result, more than 3,000 employees will need to relocate across the country to the other location.
Senior management knows that it will be very expensive to provide corporate relocation assistance to all of the affected employees but also wants to offer an incentive bonus to motivate employees to make the move. Management is confident that the mass relocation effort can be completed within nine months and tasks the HR department with the effort. The CEO is targeting a 60% take rate, meaning that six in ten employees must accept the company’s relocation offer. Those who decline the offer will receive two weeks of severance pay at the end of the nine-month transition period. The CHRO asks the HR director to lead the relocation effort.
The HR director has never coordinated relocation before and is unfamiliar with the options provided by vendors. Which approach should the HR director take to most effectively select a relocation vendor?
Meet with leadership to develop a list of priorities to consider when choosing a relocation vendor.
A company operates domestically and has approximately 5,000 employees. It has been in operation for over 30 years. The company’s HR team includes the senior HR leader, three HR directors, three HR managers, three HR business partners, and centers of excellence for total rewards, employee relations, and recruitment.
When the senior HR leader joined the organization four years ago, they were able to persuade their peers on the senior leadership team to support a shared services model. This model was supposed to revolutionize the way HR did business and better support the organization in achieving its goals and objectives.
The implementation has taken close to two years. After the first full year of operation, there was a 25% increase in the number of complaints from the business leaders and employees. The senior HR leader is determined to identify the root cause of the complaints and demonstrate the value of HR activities in supporting organizational success. They also want to be able to confirm to the leadership team that they made the right choice in switching to a shared services model, as a few are now questioning the change.
The senior HR leader wants to share the progress of the change, acknowledge the employee concerns, and communicate to the rest of the organization HR’s plan to resolve the issues. Which actions should the senior HR leader take to begin this process?
Create both cascading and direct communication to acknowledge the issues and state their commitment to resolving them.
A company operates domestically and has approximately 5,000 employees. It has been in operation for over 30 years. The company’s HR team includes the senior HR leader, three HR directors, three HR managers, three HR business partners, and centers of excellence for total rewards, employee relations, and recruitment.
When the senior HR leader joined the organization four years ago, they were able to persuade their peers on the senior leadership team to support a shared services model. This model was supposed to revolutionize the way HR did business and better support the organization in achieving its goals and objectives.
The implementation has taken close to two years. After the first full year of operation, there was a 25% increase in the number of complaints from the business leaders and employees. The senior HR leader is determined to identify the root cause of the complaints and demonstrate the value of HR activities in supporting organizational success. They also want to be able to confirm to the leadership team that they made the right choice in switching to a shared services model, as a few are now questioning the change.
The senior HR leader wants to determine if the original assumptions made are still valid. Which first step should the senior HR leader take to begin this evaluation?
Review the business case and project status based upon the original needs, risks, opportunities, costs, and time frames.
A company operates domestically and has approximately 5,000 employees. It has been in operation for over 30 years. The company’s HR team includes the senior HR leader, three HR directors, three HR managers, three HR business partners, and centers of excellence for total rewards, employee relations, and recruitment.
When the senior HR leader joined the organization four years ago, they were able to persuade their peers on the senior leadership team to support a shared services model. This model was supposed to revolutionize the way HR did business and better support the organization in achieving its goals and objectives.
The implementation has taken close to two years. After the first full year of operation, there was a 25% increase in the number of complaints from the business leaders and employees. The senior HR leader is determined to identify the root cause of the complaints and demonstrate the value of HR activities in supporting organizational success. They also want to be able to confirm to the leadership team that they made the right choice in switching to a shared services model, as a few are now questioning the change.
The senior HR leader and the HR team perceive the complaints as significantly harming the HR department’s credibility. Which action should the senior HR leader take to begin changing the negative perceptions?
Host meetings with leaders and employees to acknowledge the issues and solicit feedback about upcoming improvements.
An operations manager at a 300-employee manufacturing plant notifies the HR department that the plant has high turnover in the equipment operator position. Turnover and lack of personnel in this position is adversely impacting the plant’s overall productivity.
The operations manager states that half of all operators hired in the past 12 months either resigned or were terminated for performance problems. The operations manager believes the plant’s recruiting and hiring procedures are burdensome and ineffective because the operations manager is solely responsible for conducting applicant interviews, completing post-interview documentation, and conducting facility tours with applicants. As a result of this responsibility, when an equipment operator position becomes open, the operations manager is unable to fully complete the other duties associated with their position, to the detriment of the other direct reports that the operations manager is responsible for.
While reviewing equipment operator applicant records for the past 12 months, the HR director notices that post-interview documentation for applicants was not submitted to HR in a timely manner and was frequently incomplete. What should the HR director do?
Meet with the operations manager to discuss the challenges associated with conducting applicant interviews.
An operations manager at a 300-employee manufacturing plant notifies the HR department that the plant has high turnover in the equipment operator position. Turnover and lack of personnel in this position is adversely impacting the plant’s overall productivity.
The operations manager states that half of all operators hired in the past 12 months either resigned or were terminated for performance problems. The operations manager believes the plant’s recruiting and hiring procedures are burdensome and ineffective because the operations manager is solely responsible for conducting applicant interviews, completing post-interview documentation, and conducting facility tours with applicants. As a result of this responsibility, when an equipment operator position becomes open, the operations manager is unable to fully complete the other duties associated with their position, to the detriment of the other direct reports that the operations manager is responsible for.
What is the first action the HR director should take to address the operations manager’s concern about the recruiting and hiring procedures?
Invite the operations manager to a meeting with HR to create an action plan to address the recruiting and hiring challenges.
An operations manager at a 300-employee manufacturing plant notifies the HR department that the plant has high turnover in the equipment operator position. Turnover and lack of personnel in this position is adversely impacting the plant’s overall productivity.
The operations manager states that half of all operators hired in the past 12 months either resigned or were terminated for performance problems. The operations manager believes the plant’s recruiting and hiring procedures are burdensome and ineffective because the operations manager is solely responsible for conducting applicant interviews, completing post-interview documentation, and conducting facility tours with applicants. As a result of this responsibility, when an equipment operator position becomes open, the operations manager is unable to fully complete the other duties associated with their position, to the detriment of the other direct reports that the operations manager is responsible for.
What should the HR director do to decrease the turnover rate among equipment operators?
Implement exit interviews to identify the most common causes of employee resignations.
After reviewing current practices, HR conducts a focus group of employees who are forced to work frequent overtime. The information leads to the implementation of changes in work practices. What is the best next step for HR?
Evaluating the results of the initiative
The consulting model involves defining the problem, designing and implementing a solution, measuring effectiveness, and sustaining improvement. Training, surveys, and pilot testing should be done prior to the implementation of a new initiative. Therefore, evaluating the results of the new change initiative is the next step in the process.
If the most important priority to a company is responsiveness, how should an HR manager use multi-criteria decision analysis to select a new recruitment firm?
Give more weight to client references that describe customer service experiences.
Multi-criteria decision analysis uses weighting to ensure that a supplier’s performance matches the priorities of the selection criteria. In this case, the manager would allot more points to evidence of responsiveness or customer service in supplier RFPs.
A global construction company specializes in building and maintaining offshore oil platforms. Staff have highly specialized skills. The work is physically demanding and requires workers to live and work onsite for months at a time. Approximately 10% of the company’s employees are petroleum engineers. They are difficult to recruit, highly compensated, and key to the company’s success and sustainability. Approximately half of the engineers, 500 in total, are scheduled to retire in the next five years.
After a recent oil spill, the educational and safety training requirements for petroleum engineers was increased, extending the job-readiness period for novice engineers by an average of two years.
The company is holding its annual strategic workforce planning meeting to assess the risks associated with current workforce demographics. The CEO has been given a mandate from the board to be more strategic and innovative to address the pending critical skills shortage.
The CEO asks the HR director for recommendations while preparing for the annual strategic workforce planning meeting. Which course of action is the best response to the CEO’s and board’s concerns about the impending skills shortage?
Formulate a succession plan through an ongoing assessment of workforce needs and talent supply.
A global construction company specializes in building and maintaining offshore oil platforms. Staff have highly specialized skills. The work is physically demanding and requires workers to live and work onsite for months at a time. Approximately 10% of the company’s employees are petroleum engineers. They are difficult to recruit, highly compensated, and key to the company’s success and sustainability. Approximately half of the engineers, 500 in total, are scheduled to retire in the next five years.
After a recent oil spill, the educational and safety training requirements for petroleum engineers was increased, extending the job-readiness period for novice engineers by an average of two years.
The company is holding its annual strategic workforce planning meeting to assess the risks associated with current workforce demographics. The CEO has been given a mandate from the board to be more strategic and innovative to address the pending critical skills shortage.
The CEO asks the chief Human Resources officer (CHRO) to include expanded recruiting options to address the impending shortage and develop new pipelines of talent. Which is the most effective course of action for the CHRO to take to respond to the CEO’s directive?
Create a training program that prepares engineers in other engineering fields to transition to petroleum engineers.
A global construction company specializes in building and maintaining offshore oil platforms. Staff have highly specialized skills. The work is physically demanding and requires workers to live and work onsite for months at a time. Approximately 10% of the company’s employees are petroleum engineers. They are difficult to recruit, highly compensated, and key to the company’s success and sustainability. Approximately half of the engineers, 500 in total, are scheduled to retire in the next five years.
After a recent oil spill, the educational and safety training requirements for petroleum engineers was increased, extending the job-readiness period for novice engineers by an average of two years.
The company is holding its annual strategic workforce planning meeting to assess the risks associated with current workforce demographics. The CEO has been given a mandate from the board to be more strategic and innovative to address the pending critical skills shortage.
Which is the best action for the CHRO to take to create a low-risk, high-return strategy for addressing the company’s pending critical skills shortage?
Create a self-directed flexible work schedule as an exclusive option available to petroleum engineers.
A global, 10,000-employee, performance-driven manufacturing company recently instituted a major cultural shift with the board’s announcement of a new CEO. The CEO outlined a revitalized focus on performance and productivity, including an update to the 100-year-old company’s culture, vision, and values. The CEO tasks a newly hired chief human resources officer (CHRO) with developing a new performance management system aligned to these changes.
The CHRO researches the history of the company’s performance management system and discovers that, although employees have usually achieved individual targets, the company has not hit its overall performance and financial targets even once. The CHRO determines that significant elements in a new performance management system would be stronger management capabilities and increased individual accountability.
After careful analysis, the CHRO recommends an approach. The CHRO believes that this new system will create a way to differentiate performance among employees at all levels as well as identify high-potential future leaders. It also creates a way to identify poor performers, giving the company an approach to close performance gaps through various developmental activities. Finally, the new performance system will bring transparency to the way employees are evaluated.
Which long-term success measure should the CHRO use in reporting to the senior leadership team regarding the new performance management system?
Appropriate distribution of overall ratings connected to business success
A global, 10,000-employee, performance-driven manufacturing company recently instituted a major cultural shift with the board’s announcement of a new CEO. The CEO outlined a revitalized focus on performance and productivity, including an update to the 100-year-old company’s culture, vision, and values. The CEO tasks a newly hired chief human resources officer (CHRO) with developing a new performance management system aligned to these changes.
The CHRO researches the history of the company’s performance management system and discovers that, although employees have usually achieved individual targets, the company has not hit its overall performance and financial targets even once. The CHRO determines that significant elements in a new performance management system would be stronger management capabilities and increased individual accountability.
After careful analysis, the CHRO recommends an approach. The CHRO believes that this new system will create a way to differentiate performance among employees at all levels as well as identify high-potential future leaders. It also creates a way to identify poor performers, giving the company an approach to close performance gaps through various developmental activities. Finally, the new performance system will bring transparency to the way employees are evaluated.
What should the CHRO recommend as next steps after the implementation of the performance management system?
Recognizing all milestone successes of the implementation and then communicating the next steps
A global, 10,000-employee, performance-driven manufacturing company recently instituted a major cultural shift with the board’s announcement of a new CEO. The CEO outlined a revitalized focus on performance and productivity, including an update to the 100-year-old company’s culture, vision, and values. The CEO tasks a newly hired chief human resources officer (CHRO) with developing a new performance management system aligned to these changes.
The CHRO researches the history of the company’s performance management system and discovers that, although employees have usually achieved individual targets, the company has not hit its overall performance and financial targets even once. The CHRO determines that significant elements in a new performance management system would be stronger management capabilities and increased individual accountability.
After careful analysis, the CHRO recommends an approach. The CHRO believes that this new system will create a way to differentiate performance among employees at all levels as well as identify high-potential future leaders. It also creates a way to identify poor performers, giving the company an approach to close performance gaps through various developmental activities. Finally, the new performance system will bring transparency to the way employees are evaluated.
What significant factor should the CHRO consider first when implementing the new performance management system?
Readiness of employees to use the software program in the new system
A growing consumer electronics company that primarily operates at a regional level acquires a major global competitor, allowing the company to establish a global footprint and significantly increase market share. The acquisition deal is scheduled to close in four months and will double the company in size to 20,000 employees globally and increase revenues to $10 billion.
The chief human resources officer (CHRO) is asked to partner with the business line leaders on the talent integration agenda. The CHRO believes that it is essential to redefine and energize the organization’s culture. A more global mindset will place culture as the forefront issue for the merged entities. Many business line leaders have expressed concern that very rapid growth has put the company at risk of losing its original culture. However, part of the acquired company’s success was driven by its culture, and that culture should be considered for adoption.
The CHRO is convinced that this is an opportunity for the company to create a new culture that would include components of both the legacy and acquired company cultures. But introducing a completely redefined culture is a risky proposition at a time when the company is already vulnerable due to the changes.
Which is the first step the CHRO should take to facilitate consensus and gain support for initiating culture change in the merged company?
Meet with resistant executive committee members to gain understanding.
A growing consumer electronics company that primarily operates at a regional level acquires a major global competitor, allowing the company to establish a global footprint and significantly increase market share. The acquisition deal is scheduled to close in four months and will double the company in size to 20,000 employees globally and increase revenues to $10 billion.
The chief human resources officer (CHRO) is asked to partner with the business line leaders on the talent integration agenda. The CHRO believes that it is essential to redefine and energize the organization’s culture. A more global mindset will place culture as the forefront issue for the merged entities. Many business line leaders have expressed concern that very rapid growth has put the company at risk of losing its original culture. However, part of the acquired company’s success was driven by its culture, and that culture should be considered for adoption.
The CHRO is convinced that this is an opportunity for the company to create a new culture that would include components of both the legacy and acquired company cultures. But introducing a completely redefined culture is a risky proposition at a time when the company is already vulnerable due to the changes.
Which proactive step should the CHRO take first in order to initiate a smooth cultural integration once the decision is made?
Conduct a cultural assessment of the legacy and acquired companies.
A growing consumer electronics company that primarily operates at a regional level acquires a major global competitor, allowing the company to establish a global footprint and significantly increase market share. The acquisition deal is scheduled to close in four months and will double the company in size to 20,000 employees globally and increase revenues to $10 billion.
The chief human resources officer (CHRO) is asked to partner with the business line leaders on the talent integration agenda. The CHRO believes that it is essential to redefine and energize the organization’s culture. A more global mindset will place culture as the forefront issue for the merged entities. Many business line leaders have expressed concern that very rapid growth has put the company at risk of losing its original culture. However, part of the acquired company’s success was driven by its culture, and that culture should be considered for adoption.
The CHRO is convinced that this is an opportunity for the company to create a new culture that would include components of both the legacy and acquired company cultures. But introducing a completely redefined culture is a risky proposition at a time when the company is already vulnerable due to the changes.
Once the new culture is defined, which is the best approach for the CHRO to take for fostering its adoption by all employees?
Establish ongoing and regular two-way communication with all employees.
Due to a lack of organizational success and productivity, various funding agencies have decided to apply pressure to an organization’s CEO by reducing the organization’s budget. They hope that the CEO will use this as an opportunity to evaluate the organization’s structure and operating model.
In response, the CEO has decided to reduce the overall workforce. The CEO requests that the new HR director work with the head of each department to devise a plan to reduce personnel costs by 10% within 30 days.
The HR director meets with each department head and studies the culture of the organization. During these meetings, it is apparent that performance metrics are lax and that the skill sets of the workforce are outdated. The workforce’s average length of employment is seven years, and almost 60% of the workforce has made no effort to obtain any certifications or degrees beyond what they carried at the start of their employment. The work environment is unprofessional; employees operate more as a family and were mostly hired based on existing personal relationships. As a result, prior attempts at changes were unsuccessful, and the department heads have a history of sabotaging previous attempts at change.
What is the first step the new HR director should take after discovering the issues that are affecting the organization?
Present the issues to the CEO and provide solutions on how to best move forward.
Due to a lack of organizational success and productivity, various funding agencies have decided to apply pressure to an organization’s CEO by reducing the organization’s budget. They hope that the CEO will use this as an opportunity to evaluate the organization’s structure and operating model.
In response, the CEO has decided to reduce the overall workforce. The CEO requests that the new HR director work with the head of each department to devise a plan to reduce personnel costs by 10% within 30 days.
The HR director meets with each department head and studies the culture of the organization. During these meetings, it is apparent that performance metrics are lax and that the skill sets of the workforce are outdated. The workforce’s average length of employment is seven years, and almost 60% of the workforce has made no effort to obtain any certifications or degrees beyond what they carried at the start of their employment. The work environment is unprofessional; employees operate more as a family and were mostly hired based on existing personal relationships. As a result, prior attempts at changes were unsuccessful, and the department heads have a history of sabotaging previous attempts at change.
What should the HR director propose to fix the weak performance metrics and standards?
Partner with the CEO and the head of each department to create strong performance metrics that are aligned with the organization’s mission.
Due to a lack of organizational success and productivity, various funding agencies have decided to apply pressure to an organization’s CEO by reducing the organization’s budget. They hope that the CEO will use this as an opportunity to evaluate the organization’s structure and operating model.
In response, the CEO has decided to reduce the overall workforce. The CEO requests that the new HR director work with the head of each department to devise a plan to reduce personnel costs by 10% within 30 days.
The HR director meets with each department head and studies the culture of the organization. During these meetings, it is apparent that performance metrics are lax and that the skill sets of the workforce are outdated. The workforce’s average length of employment is seven years, and almost 60% of the workforce has made no effort to obtain any certifications or degrees beyond what they carried at the start of their employment. The work environment is unprofessional; employees operate more as a family and were mostly hired based on existing personal relationships. As a result, prior attempts at changes were unsuccessful, and the department heads have a history of sabotaging previous attempts at change.
How should the HR director present the skills gap issue to the CEO?
Analyze the company’s mission compared to the skills possessed by the company’s workforce, and then provide solutions to the CEO
A company is ready to begin a major change initiative. Which is the most important role HR can play?
Ensuring regular and ongoing communication with employees
Communication is key to any major change initiative. Keeping employees informed helps lessen their anxieties and makes them feel a part of the change process
What should leaders understand about managing change?
Managing change involves employees’ cognition, emotions, and behavior.
Leaders need to understand that announcements of change often trigger a variety of emotions. Moving past those emotions requires helping employees understand the reasons for change and supporting them as they implement the change. This support takes the form of ongoing communication, development of new skills and knowledge, and providing necessary tools and resources. Leaders can shorten the amount of time employees take to adjust to change through their actions. However, groups respond to change differently, and leaders must be able to identify each group’s unique needs.
If HR wants to minimize resistance to change among the employee population when implementing a new health insurance plan, which is a critical first step in the process?
Involve employees in plan review and selection early in the evaluation process.
In leading a change initiative, a manager must anticipate resistance and seek ways to manage it in advance. One of the most effective ways is to involve employees in problem solving. In this way, they understand the context more thoroughly, have a change to voice opinions, and can affect and feel more invested in final outcomes. The manager-supplied context is helpful but perhaps too late. Removing oneself and senior decision makers from the stressful situation is a failure of leadership.
Senior management at a company has determined that it must speed up the production of its most popular product. Doing so will involve changing some of the company’s production processes. Why should HR conduct employee focus groups before a project plan is finalized?
To encourage employees to ask questions and express their reactions
Most proposed changes are met with three different types of reactions: Some employees will resent and resist change, some will remain neutral, and others may welcome the change. Focus groups can not only help to anticipate employee reactions but can also provide the opportunity for employees to suggest changes before a plan is finalized. This can minimize resistance and provide for a better plan, since employees have had the chance to express their opinions.
What important action takes place at the end of Lewin’s change management model?
The change is made a permanent part of the organization’s policies or processes
The final phase of Lewin’s change management model is refreezing, or making the change a permanent part of the organization’s processes or culture. For example, a new process becomes a standard operating procedure, or changes in roles and responsibilities are incorporated into permanent job descriptions. The change process begins with describing the vision the change will help bring about and the benefits the organization will receive. Then two-way communication begins, soliciting employee comments and providing frequent feedback and status reports. This engagement helps motivate employees to accept the change and participate in implementing it.
What do the final stages of Kurt Lewin’s and John Kotter’s models of change management primarily focus on?
Sustaining the change in the organization
The final stage in these models of change management is to institutionalize the change, or “refreeze” the organization. This sustainability phase is where the actions and activities of the change initiative become the new norm for, as an example, how the organization will operate or what work flow will be used
What part of the McKinsey 7-S framework should be analyzed in the context of supply chain management to ensure that the organization focuses its change efforts on its core competency areas?
Skills
In the McKinsey 7-S Framework, skills are the institutional and individual skills the organization can call on and how they interact with each other. A change in recent years has been to consider what skills the organization should have and what customers and suppliers (the supply chain) can provide to the organization
