Planning Case

____________________________________________________________

Chapter 03: Planning

_____________________________________________________________

Sample Answers for Ethical Issues

Issue 1

Does an organization have any ethical responsibility to share with all of its employees the results of its forecasting of HR requirements and availabilities? Does it have any ethical responsibility not to do this?

Some organizations might want to divulge planning information to their employees so that employees can prepare themselves for major changes. If an organization will engage in downsizing, for example, employees should be informed so they have time to find alternative work. Some planning information should not be shared with employees if there is a possibility that this information would lead to the spread of rumors or destructive political infighting between employees.

Issue 2

Identify examples of ethical dilemmas an organization might confront when developing an affirmative action plan (AAP).

Strong needs for diverse recruiting, for example, might be seen by internal employees as a signal that those hired through recent recruiting pushes are not as well qualified. An organization needs to be certain that their efforts towards diversity always are selecting qualified individuals, or else run the risk of creating functional inefficiency and negative reactions against minority groups further down the line.

Sample Answers to Discussion Questions

1. What are ways that the organization can ensure that KSAO deficiencies do not occur in its workforce?

There are a number of strategies that can be effective for this issue. First, an employer needs to conduct a careful analysis of its staffing requirements so that it understands exactly which KSAOs are needed among its workforce. Second, staffing systems must be created that make selection decisions based on a careful assessment of the KSAOs needed for a given position. Third, organizations need to be committed to offering ongoing job training and development to ensure that employees possess needed KSAOs. Finally, career ladders, coaching, and mentoring programs can be implemented to enable employees to develop new KSAOs that will be needed by the organization in the long-term.

2. What are the types of experiences, especially staffing-related ones, that an organization will be likely to have if it does not engage in HR and staffing planning?

Sample Response: HR and staffing planning revolves around an organization's most essential asset, its people. Without attention to such planning, an organization can experience: (1) shortages of employees; (2) excess employees (which threatens the organization's economic viability); (3) shortages of skills vital to organizational success; (4) a workforce lacking in motivation; (5) a workforce too inflexible to meet changes forced on the organization by its external environment; (6) inability to draw upon internal employment sources for promotional and succession; (7) inability to comply with EEO/AA legislation; (8) a workforce generally too inadequate, in terms of both KSAOs and motivation, to achieve overall organizational goals.

3. Why are decisions about job categories and levels so critical to the conduct and results of HRP?

Sample Response: An organization's workforce is an integrated whole, a system. To achieve inter-functional integration, which is required to achieve organizational goals, there must be coordination between jobs laterally, and smooth- communication vertically among job levels. This means that organizational management has to be attuned to employment gaps (surpluses, shortages, KSAO deficiencies) between job categories and between job levels. This requires knowledge of, and control over, the parts of the workforce and their respective interactions. Decisions made without consideration of these interrelationships between job categories and levels can result in a workforce that is grossly out-of-balance in either a quantitative or a qualitative sense. Decisions made to adjust to employment gaps depend on both internal and external employment sources. For example, poorly conceived decisions can result in an inability to promote from within due to under-staffing, or a lack of personnel training within given job categories or at given levels. Inability to promote from within implies inadequate availability of KSAOs, added cost (due to increased need for outside recruitment), and low morale (no opportunity for employee advancement within the organization).

4. What are the differences advantages of succession planning for all levels of management, instead of just top management?

Sample Response: Succession plans allow the organization to develop a coherent plan for how management will proceed for the future. Establishing continuity in all positions helps to ensure that the organization does not face critical gaps in mid-level managerial positions. In addition, succession plans can help to identify entry level managers who are likely to be "stars" in the future. These individuals can be put in special fast track positions that help the organization hold on to the valuable KSAOs that these individuals can bring to the organization.

5. What is meant by reconciliation, and why can it be so useful as an input to staffing planning?

Sample Response: Reconciliation is the identification of surpluses and shortages between an organization's employment requirements and the organization's available personnel. The reconciliation process reveals employment gaps (shortages and surpluses) by job category and job level, and provides a starting point for taking appropriate action (action plans) to adjust gaps to meet organizational needs. Taking appropriate staffing action is key to achieving this overall HR purpose: Ensuring the organization has the right people (KSAOs and numbers) at the right place (job category, job level, geographical location) and at the right time (internal source, external source) to achieve the overall goals and purposes of the entire organization.

6. What criteria would you suggest using for assessing the staffing alternatives shown in Exhibit 3.14?

Sample