LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF WORKSHEET
MHR523 W13 Team Project Handbook
Table of Contents
Page
1.
Introduction
2
2.
Summary of Team Deliverables
2
3.
Let Me Introduce Myself Worksheet (Individual)
3
4.
Reading: Team Building Tools for Students (Questions are on p.10)
4
5.
Draft Team Contract (Vision, Goals, Project Plan & Charter)
11
6.
Team Project Check-In Form (Individual)
13
7.
Team Case: Crosstown (Questions are on p. 17)
14
8.
Case Analysis Report Guidelines and Project Marking Criteria
18
9.
Peer Evaluation
19
1
1.
Introduction Two of goals of MHR523 are that, by the end of the course, you are able to describe the
key elements of effective teamwork, and that you develop basic teamwork skills, such as the ability to develop an effective team contract, and the ability to critique your own team process. We hope you will accomplish these goals by; a) learning about key principles of effective teamwork (lecture and reading), b) by analyzing a complex human resources management case as a team, and c) by actively participating in team building exercises and assignments, both during your seminar and outside of class. Each student will be randomly assigned to a team of 5 students during Seminar 2. If the student enrolls in the class at a later date, he or she is responsible for joining a team no later than Seminar 3. No student will be permitted to remain in the course if they have not joined a team by this date.
2.
Summary of Team Deliverables
Due in Seminar 2: Complete and bring a hard copy of “Let Me Introduce Myself” (p. 3) Due in Seminar 3: Read “Team Building Tools for Students” (p. 4-10) and hand in your answers to the three questions on page 9. Between Seminar 3 and Seminar 5: You will need to devote at least 2 hours outside of class (in team meetings) between Seminars 3 and 5. At the meeting (s) you will be expected to discuss and complete the first draft of your Team Contract (p. 11) Due in Seminar 5: Team Assignment-Part 1:Your first draft of your Team Contract (Vision, Goals, Project Plan & Charter) signed by all team members. Use the soft version on BB to type your report, print it off and hand it in to your seminar leader in Seminar 5. Max length is 5 pages, double spaced. Due in Seminar 6: Hand in Team Assignment-Part 2: Your completed, individual “Team Check-In Report” and circulate it to your teammates for discussion outside of class and for inclusion in your Group Process Report, due in Seminar 9. Due in Seminar 9: Team Assignment-Part 3: Your Case Analysis Report and your “Team Process Report” including your final Team Contract. Your report (excluding Appendices and Group Process Report) should be approximately 20 pages, double-spaced. Due in Seminar 10: Team Assignment-Part 4: Your Peer Evaluation (Individual)
2
3.
Let Me Introduce Myself Worksheet (Individual, Due Seminar 2)
Complete this worksheet and bring a hard copy to Seminar 2, when your team will be formed. . 1.
Who am I and what do I do?
2.
My country of origin, places I've lived, my background
3.
What was going on in my life that caused me to want to be a student at Ryerson University
4.
The most important aspect of my life is......
5.
Some of the major influences on my life are……
6.
What special skills or knowledge can I contribute to the team
7.
What skills need further development
8.
What I need to get out of this semester to make it worthwhile for me is….
9.
Anything else you should know about me to help you work with me this semester
3
4.
Reading: Team Building Tools for Students
Adapted from: “Team-Building Tools for Students”, Diana Page & Joseph G. Donelan Journal of Education for Business, Jan/Feb 2003
ABSTRACT. In this article, the authors describe why university students need good teamwork skills, how instructors can encourage students to develop those skills, and how team projects can be designed to improve teamwork skills. An action plan and team-building tools are provided.
The class will work in teams of three, and the project will be due in 2 weeks. Good luck," said Professor Smith. Although instructors usually believe that they have properly integrated teamwork into their courses, "Good luck" is too often the only team-building advice that they give their students. However, research has shown that merely putting students in groups and telling them to work together does not, in and of itself, promote higher achievement (Johnson & Johnson, 1990). In this article, we describe how instructors can create meaningful team projects that will improve students' teamwork skills. We include handouts and exercises that can be used as team-building tools. 1.
Establishing the Importance of Teamwork The instructor should begin by explaining to students why teamwork skills will be important in
their professional business careers. Many professional business organizations, including the American Institute of Public Accountants have identified interpersonal skills as a core competency. Next, the instructor should provide specific examples of job situations that require teamwork—for example, financial planning engagements, consulting projects, and new product development programs. In addition, the instructor should provide students with evidence that business decision-making is improved when teamwork is used (Bamber, Watson, & Hill, 1996; Hackman, 1990). If students understand the benefits that they will derive from collaborative work, they will be more willing to learn teamwork skills. After establishing the importance of teamwork skills, the instructor must recognize and reinforce those skills during team projects. In this article, we identify important group skills and provide guidelines to help the instructor reinforce them.
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2.
Defining the Task To maximize students' successes, the instructor should establish clear objectives at the outset
of the project. Setting objectives includes providing students with clear timelines and progressreport requirements. Requiring progress reports assures students that they are on the right track and helps them practice teamwork skills necessary for timely completion of projects. In Appendix 1, we present the Team Project Guidelines handout, which explains how instructors can clearly establish team objectives and team member responsibilities. The guidelines suggest that the instructor take an active role as the team supervisor, making clear that he or she will share responsibility for student learning and that the team members will share responsibility for keeping their instructor informed about group progress. 3.
Creating a Psychological Contract To accelerate group productivity and open lines of communication, the instructor should
encourage student groups to develop psychological contracts. A psychological contract is a set of expectations or rules specifying the individuals and their functions in a relationship. Because it is dynamic, the psychological contract can and should be updated as desired. Its elements can include how performance will be measured and general rules of conduct. For example, the contract may describe what will happen if a team member acts in an unprofessional way, submits work late, or does not submit work. The team project guidelines address the following important elements in drawing up a psychological contract: •
Assigning responsibilities
•
Establishing deadlines
•
Achieving full participation by group members
•
Documenting group norms, values, and rules
Documenting these elements of a psychological contract benefits groups, because these steps help groups plan, save time, and resolve conflicts. 4.
Establishing Team Member Roles During and Between Meetings Successful teams need a balance of task and relationship roles both at meetings and outside of
them. Task roles include seeking and providing information, elaborating to help the team understand
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issues, evaluating information, and coordinating activities. Relationship roles refer to the social interaction of team members or to how tasks are performed. Roles can be taken for the duration of the project or can be rotated. Roles need be identified for both team meetings and for responsibilities that need to be carried out between meetings: During Meetings: Examples of useful roles that need to be taken during meetings are:
Leader: Leads discussion and coordinates the processes and output Recorder: Produces a written account of team member responsibilities and meeting decisions Timekeeper: Records start time and reminds team of remaining time throughout the process Gatekeeper: Keeps team members on track if they are failing to carry out assigned duties, transgressing into others' duties, or violating team rules Social-emotional leader: Resolves tension, mediates conflicts, encourages the quieter team members to voice their opinion and the more vocal team members to share air time. Between Meetings:
The group needs to identify its mission, goals and expectations, and responsibilities need to be assigned to individuals accordingly. Examples vary depending on the nature of the assignment and can include; project coordinator, leader, writer, researcher, proofreader, editor, and typist. 5.
Recognizing and Reinforcing Teamwork Skills For group skills to be internalized, the group members must recognize the team-building
skills and have those skills reinforced during the team project. Therefore, instructors must not only explain team-building skills but also support the explanations with practice and reinforcement. Instructors should encourage members to follow seven basic rules: •
Know your team members.
•
Communicate accurately and unambiguously.
•
Accept and support one another.
•
Check for understanding.
•
Share ideas and understanding.
•
Check for agreement.
•
Resolve conflicts constructively and quickly.
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6.
Managing Team Development Stages Most groups progress through four development stages: forming, storming, norming, and
performing (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977). Early in the group's forming stage, it is useful for a team to establish explicit team values and rules, together with a method of monitoring the team's adherence to those rules (see guidelines in Appendix 1). During the storming stage, conflicts may emerge among group members. Students may not want to take time to work through the conflicts, but the instructor should remind them that solving the case (or problem or project) is only part of the assignment— learning teamwork skills is an equally important part. In the norming and performing stages of group development, members come together by adhering to the groups' standards of behavior. These standards encourage group members to act as one. This synergistic process results in greater group productivity. Instructors should reinforce these harmonious behaviors by praising students and asking them to explain who is responsible for which tasks. To facilitate the group development process, instructors can use the scales provided in Tables 1 and 2 to arrive at a group development score and a group decision-making score. At several points in the group's development, the instructor should display the two scoring sheets and ask the individual group members to record, anonymously, where they think their group falls on each scale. At the next meeting, the results can be displayed and discussed. The scores obtained for group decision making and group development often provide important insights into the group's dynamics. Dominant group members often believe that the group is close to both consensus and performing. However, if there are wide disparities in scores between members, the team should revisit its values and rules to resolve the differences and make a plan for bringing the entire group to a higher level of consensus and development. 7.
Creating Positive Interdependence Positive interdependence exists when all group members benefit from the success of other
group members. Positive interdependence can be created by taking the following steps: (a) asking the group to create a common goal (e.g., obtaining an "A" grade on the project), (b) establishing a mutual reward system so that the score for the team is dependent on the performance of all group members, and (c) establishing team member roles (e.g., team leader, team reporter, team spokesperson).
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TABLE 1. Group Development Score Score
Development Stage
10
Performing
Fun and exciting; high commitment to group; feeling of high trust and friendship; involvement with group inspires members' best performance; creative use of existing resources; highly effective orchestration of activities and abilities; humor, flexibility, versatility, smooth task and process flow within the group; pride in group accomplishments; volunteering participation; commitment to decisions; expressions of appreciation and caring.
Norming
A sense of belonging and group cohesion; a sense of personal accomplishment; individual roles understood; freedom to express opinion; trust between group members unified mission; healthy balance of power; effective group processes; sincere attempt to reach consensus; little or no violation of team rules; productive; attack problems, not each other; "we" overtakes "me" mentality.
Storming
Group attempts to organize for the task, and conflicts emerge; group attempts to decide who is to be responsible for what, what evaluation and reward criteria will be;
9 8 7 6 5 4
Stage Characteristics
8
3
power structure is not stable; some members may be silent while others may attempt to dominate; confusion; loss of interest; lack of progress; violation of code of conduct and team rules.
2 1
Forming
Reliance on polite, safe, patterned behavior; members looking to a leader for direction; desire for acceptance; approaches to resolving conflict not developed; individual expectations not formed; group purpose and methods not formed; tasks not determined or delegated; methods and procedures not determined; rules of behavior not well developed, so members keep things simple and avoid controversy.
0
Note. Adapted from Tuckman, B., and Jensen, M., (1977). Stages of small group development. Group and Organizational Studies, 2, 419-427.
Holding Individual Team Members Accountable
8.
Two activities will foster individual accountability: (a) regularly recording team meeting minutes and (b) following up on those minutes. Students balk at these activities because they view recording meeting minutes as "busy work." But these two activities simplify the management of team processes and can clearly differentiate performers from nonperformers. This also helps in peer evaluation upon conclusion of the team project.
TABLE 2. Group Decision-Making Score Score
Type of decision
Characteristics
10 9 8 7
Consensus
Needs and interest of all parties explored; all positions fairly developed; Creative, unified solution emerges
6 5 4
Majority rule; some discussion; Majority and minority points of view some compromise explored; majority position prevails with some modification and consideration of minority opinion.
3 2
Majority rule; no compromise; Decision made by powerful individual no discussion or sub-group; opinions of other members are not sought or explored.
1 0
No decision
Avoidance by all members; no agreement; no decision is made.
9
9.
Conclusion Today's business professionals must be able to function effectively in teams. In this article, we
have provided guides for developing effective teamwork projects that reinforce teamwork skills. The processes include task definition, creation of a psychological contract, establishment of appropriate team membership, specification of team member roles, meeting with team members, management of team development stages, creation of positive interdependence, and holding individual team members accountable. REFERENCES American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). (1999). Vision project. Retrieved http://www.aicpa.org/vision/wpaperoib.ctm;http://www.cpavision.org/vision/wpaperOlb.cfm Bamber, E. M., Watson, R. L., & Hill, M. C. (1996), The effects of group decision support systems technology on audit group decision making. Auditing, a Journal of Theory and Practice, 15(1), 122-134. Hackman, J. R. (Ed). (1990). Groups that work (and those that don't). San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Johnson, D., & Johnson, R. (1990). Cooperative learning and achievement. In S. Sharan (Ed.), Cooperative learning: Theory and research (pp. 23-37). New York: Praeger Press. Tuckman, B., & Jensen, M. (1977). Stages of small group development. Group and Organizational Studies, 2, 419-427.
Questions for Seminar 3 Assignment 1.
What are the 7 basic rules for reinforcing teamwork skills?
2.
In which stage of group development are teams most likely to experience conflict?
3.
What are the differences between consensus and majority rule?
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Team Assignment-Part 1: 1st Draft of Your Team Contract
5.
This assignment requires that you work together with the members of your team to establish a first draft of your team contract that includes your team’s vision & goals, project plan and charter. You will need to devote at least 2 hours outside of class, working together, to this assignment. We have set up the schedule so that you have the option of using the cancelled seminar time slot, (the week between seminars 4 and 5), towards this purpose. There are three deliverables that should result from this assignment: 1.
A name for your team
2.
A team document outlining your team’s agreed-upon vision and a break-down of your short-term and long-term goals that will help you to accomplish your group project
3.
A team document that outlines your team’s implicit ground rules for operation – i.e., your ‘team contract’ – which should be signed by each member of your team
These documents are due at the beginning of Seminar 5. Purpose & Group Discussion The purpose of this exercise is for your team to first visualize an ideal scenario for what your team will look like and how you will accomplish your project. Note that you should consider the processes involved in this project, and not just the end-goal. Questions you should ask yourself, and should discuss with the group include: •
What is your vision for what an ideal team and ideal project completion would look like?
•
What is your ideal scenario for how you will interact together to accomplish your goals?
•
How would you like to see the work structured and allocated to members?
•
What types of norms would you like to see enforced in the group?
•
How would you like to communicate?
•
What behaviors are strongly supported? What behaviors are completely unacceptable?
Additional points of discussion may also emerge. They key is to engage in a collective discussion that will allow you to develop a shared understanding of your team’s identity and your goals.
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Next, based upon this shared understanding of what you’d like to accomplish, begin to break down the specifics of how you can realize this vision. Basically, you should engage in a goal-setting process whereby you outline specific goals that you would like to achieve during your project. Make sure that you indicate what should be done, by when, and by whom. Note that grade-based goals (i.e., we’d like to earn 80%+) are not particularly helpful… focus on the outputs that will be necessary to achieve a good grade instead. Keep in mind that this task will also require that you pay attention to the timeline for project deadlines, so you may want to start at the end and work backwards. Note: This is your first draft and it is likely to evolve as you begin working on your tasks. Keep track of any changes so that you can submit your final version in Seminar 9. Deliverables and Marking Criteria Based upon this discussion, you should prepare the following draft document to submit in Seminar 5 and then refine it as the project develops to submit a final version in Seminar 9: 1.
Team Name-Anything you like
2.
Team Vision (20%). Begin with a 1-3 sentence Vision Statement that describes your agreed-upon vision for an effective team and project completion. Do not include specific goals here
3.
Team Goals and Plan for Project Completion (40%). Provide details regarding the specific short-term and long-term goals for project completion. Include specific project timeline and milestones as shown below. This section should be 1-2 pages in length. Point-form, bullets are acceptable
Timeline: Meeting dates (or frequency). Show awareness of the required time investment to achieve set goals Meeting goal/scope: What is the purpose of each meeting (checking-in, working on a draft, discussion of project etc.) Milestones: Show evidence that you have thought through your work Deliverable (e.g., outline, draft, revision etc.)
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Charts and diagrams are allowed 4.
Team Charter (40%) – The purpose of this section is for you to think, set and record, group norms, task distribution and team processes. Roles: Member roles should be specified (See reading; “Team Building Tools for Students” for suggestions Explicitly outline acceptable behaviours and group norms (e.g., modes and frequency of communication) – It is up to you whether or not you also include unacceptable behaviours Specify who will be doing what to ensure proper division of tasks and responsibilities Summarize your procedures for decision-making and conflict resolution
5.
Other Deductions No team name Grammar, syntax, spelling Missing Component (charter, goal, vision statement) Contract not signed/dated
Each member should sign the contract before it is submitted.
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6.
Team Assignment-Part 2: Team Process Check-In (Individual, due Seminar
6, and discuss in your team meeting, outside of class) Team Name ____________________________My Name
______________________
Assess your team’s performance to date on each of the following categories by circling the number that reflects your assessment. Bring this completed “Team Project Check-in” form to Seminar 6 1.
Goal Clarity and Agreement
1
2
3
4
5
Team Goals are unclear, conflicting Or ambiguous. Team members are not working toward a common goal 2.
1
2
3
4
5
Trust 1
2
3
Conflict Management 1 2
3
4
5
Leadership and Decision-Making 1 2 3
One or two people tend to dominate the discussions and control team decisions. Overall commitment to these decisions is low
7
6
7
We trust one another and openly express our views and disagreements. We encourage people to be open about any issues or concerns
4
5
We are generally distrustful of one another Our methods for managing conflict are to Avoid, smooth over or minimize it. Disagreements lead to tension that is usually left unresolved
5.
6
As a team, we listen with attention, ask for clarification or elaboration on ideas, and work to understand each other. There is little competition and everyone’s voice is heard. There are few interruptions while one of us speaks.
We are generally distrustful of one another We are cautious and careful about what we tell each other. We avoid discussing problems.
4.
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Listening
As a team, we do not listen to each other. Instead, each of us tries to push our own goals. It is difficult to be heard: Ideas must be repeated again and again before they are acknowledged
3.
6
Team goals are clear and are shared by all team members. Team members are committed to achieving goals
4
6
7
We accept conflicts as inevitable and do not attempt to avoid them. We discuss our differences openly focusing on the issues rather than attacking the person
5
6
7
Leadership is shared depending on the tasks at hand and the skill of the member. Decisions are made by discussion and consensus.
5
Group Development Score (See Table 1, p. 8)______/10
6
Team Decision-Making Scores (See Table 2, p. 9) _____/10
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7.
Team Case: Crosstown Crosstown is a growing (and now major) retail store in Alberta. The store sells a
wide range of medium to high-priced consumer items. While its reputation was built on the sale of clothing for men and women, Crosstown now sells children's clothing and a large assortment of non-clothing items, including jewelry, cosmetics, and even some furniture. While prices are lower at competitors such as Wal-Mart, the closest such store is 100 km away so the mission of the store is for consumers to support their local merchants and in turn, Crosstown attempts to stock what the community needs. Crosstown also assures a high quality on its wide range of consumer items and chooses not to carry low quality/lowpriced items. As a result, in addition to its distance from Wal-Mart stores, Crosstown attempts to differentiate itself from its competitors, such as Wal-Mart, based on the superior quality of its items. The owner and President, Joe Crosstown is the son of the store's founder. He has an MBA from the university of Alberta (six years ago) and has worked for the store for 10 years. He has been president since his father retired three years ago. Over these past three years, he has further pushed for a strong focus on high quality consumer items. Joe Crosstown has been very pleased with the rapid growth of the store in recent years. This growth supports his longterm goals. More specifically, he has communicated to upper-level management his vision and long-term goal to open new stores in nearby communities in the future. Sales at Crosstown have increased 200 percent over the past five years, and profits have grown commensurately. Unfortunately, in addition to its benefits, this kind of growth can usually lead to problems as well. For example, it has become increasingly difficult to control orders and inventories. More than ever before, the store seems to be either out of stock or overstocked on certain items. Customer satisfaction surveys have also revealed a declining trend of satisfaction among customers with the service that they receive in the store. As one might expect, therefore, this explosive growth has led to some key human resource problems. The human resource challenges are the focus of the present case. Employment at Crosstown has grown from 102 to 214 in the past five years. Of these 214 employees, 196 are within the retail operations. This unit of the company includes the director of retail operations, four managers (each in charge of a different retail line), and 20 retail
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supervisors who manage the 171 sales associates (formerly called "salesclerks''). The remaining 18 employees include three managers of "support" units (who report to the president) and their employees. One support unit is the human resource department, which includes the manager and three employees. The manager, Bill Goode, has been with the company for 20 years and has been in charge of the HR unit for the past 10. He has no formal education in human resource management except for a series of one-week seminars he attended eight years ago at UBC. He was selected to be the HR manager because of his knowledge of company operations and his ability to get along with people. Bill is a former retail supervisor. It is worth noting that his department handles not only "personnel" duties but also any other company matters (e.g., public relations) that do not clearly fall under one of the other units. The most obvious human resource challenges faced by this growing retail organization are with the retail supervisors: Of the 20 retail supervisors, 13 have been hired within the past 18 months. Although part of this hiring effort was due to the growth of the company itself, another part is related to a high level of dissatisfaction among the retail supervisors. This dissatisfaction conflicts with Joyce Crosstown aspiration for this company to be among the country’s list of “best places to work”. It also potentially compromises the organizational culture needed to achieve this aspiration. Those who have left (and a few who remain) have complained at various times about the following issues: •
"Insufficient pay" compared to what they think they can get elsewhere.
•
A "lack of company support" (e.g., money, time) in learning how to manage their areas.
•
An "unmotivated" sales force. The director of retail operations, Janice Clark, disagrees with these statements. She
believes that the retail supervisors themselves are the real problem. She has mentioned to Joe Crosstown several times that the HR unit selects unqualified people to be retail supervisors. There seems to be some validity to Clark's viewpoint. For example, the company's Job descriptions, including those for the position of retail supervisor, are woefully out of date. In fact, there is some doubt that they ever were any good. Further, supervisory positions are filled from within whenever possible, and the more senior employees are given first choice (unless they are clearly not fit for the job). Outside recruiting relies almost exclusively on newspaper ads and employee referrals. A few sales associates have also complained to the manager of human
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resources about the treatment they receive from their supervisor, citing harassment and bullying. The selection process consists of a very simple one-page, application blank, brief interviews with the manager of human resources and the relevant manager in retail operations, and a physical exam. The director of retail operations makes the final hiring decision based on the feedback he receives from this process. Training of retail supervisors is strictly on-the-job. Newly hired supervisors spend their first day with a member of the HR unit to become oriented to the company (e.g., philosophy, hours, pay, and benefits). Then the new supervisor "tags along" with an experienced supervisor for one full week. By the second week, the new supervisor is in charge of an area. The procedure for a new supervisor promoted from within is similar except that the "orientation" session is briefer. Evaluation of retail supervisors is based on a graphic rating scale developed about five years ago by Bill Goode. The four retail managers rate each of their five retail supervisors once per year on 10 dimensions. The dimensions include attitude, depend ability, knowledge of work, quality of work, getting along with others, and so forth. Each of these is rated on a five-point scale, running from very poor through average to very good. Although this rating technique is used primarily for determination of pay increases, all four retail managers also claim to spend a fair amount of time each year discussing other issues important to their retail supervisors. The compensation system at Crosstown is not as systematic and thorough as it should be. For example, a new retail supervisor's initial pay is based on a comparison of his or her qualifications in comparison with those of current supervisors. Key "qualifications" looked at include education, experience, knowledge of store operations, and so forth. Future increases in pay are based largely on the results of the performance evaluations described above. However, Bill Goode occasionally recommends an "appropriate" general increase when he feels that the pay increases for a certain category of employees (including retail supervisors) have not kept up with inflation.
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Questions (Due Seminar 9) 1. Assume you are a team of consultants called in by Joe Crosstown to help him examine the effectiveness of the company's human resource system. He is especially concerned about that system's impact on his retail supervisors and the individuals to whom they report. 2. How would you classify Crosstown’s organizational strategy and based on this, what should the HR priorities be (Text, Figure 1-10) 3. Summarize the HR problems that are evident at Crosstown based on the information you have been given. 4. With a focus on the retail supervisors, detail the specific HR practices, policies and procedures that you would recommend to support the HR Strategy (i.e. HR plan, job descriptions, recruitment, selection, training, performance appraisal and compensation).
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Case Analysis Guidelines and Project Marking Criteria (Due in Seminar 9) Read the Crosstown Case on pages 14-17 and answer the four questions on page 17. Your
report (excluding Appendices and Group Process Report) should be approximately 20 pages, double-spaced. Use the following headings to organize your report: 1.
Cover Page: Includes your section number, name of your seminar leader, your team
name and the names and student numbers of all group members in alphabetical order. 2.
Introduction, purpose of the paper (5%): Write half a page clarifying the purpose of
this paper, and how it is organized, as if you were an HR consulting team. 3.
Q1: How would you classify Crosstown’s organizational strategy and based on this,
what should the HR priorities be (Figure 1-10)? (5%) Defend your classification using case facts and select appropriate HR priorities. 4.
Q2: Summarize the HR problems that are evident at Crosstown based on the
information you have been given (25%): Identify all the problems and define them critically, using text concepts. For example 5.
Q3: With a focus on the retail supervisors, detail the specific HR practices, policies
and procedures that you would recommend to support Crosstown’s HR Strategy (35%): Describe each recommended HR practice, policy and procedure in depth, support with text concepts and provide examples that are applicable to a retail environment. 6.
Conclusion (5%): Write a brief conclusion, summarizing your consulting team’s short
and long term recommendations 7.
Group Process Report and Final Team Contract (25%): Citing the concepts from the
reading “Team Building Tools for Students,” and using information from previous team assignments, write a report on your team’s effectiveness, and the various stages of its development. In the Appendix include a) the final version of your Team Contract (Vision, Goals, Project Plan and Charter) and b) summarize each team members’ responsibilities during and between meetings. 8.
Deductions: Marks will be deducted for poor organization, flow, readability,
contradictions or overlap reflecting ineffective teamwork, low grasp of subject- the paper is a
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rephrasing of the material rather than demonstrating a grasp of the subject and critical thinking, poor grammar, syntax, or spelling, citation inaccuracy and/or lack of professionalism i.e. sources not cited or not cited correctly using APA. 9.
Team Assignment-Part 4: Peer Evaluation (Individual, due Seminar 10) You will be required to submit an evaluation of your peers based on the contribution and
effort they have put into the completion of the project. This evaluation should be based on the criteria for member participation and duties as set out in your team vision, goals, project plan and charter. In doing so, you need to consider the different roles that were assigned to each team member and reflect on whether they have fulfilled their tasks in a timely and efficient manner. This is a simple one page document that you will be required to submit in Seminar 10. Submissions will not be accepted after this date and late submissions will be penalized. Failure to submit your peer evaluation will result in a failing grade on the group project. The peer evaluation should not take you more than a few minutes to complete (provided you have worked with your team members!), so please do not forget to submit them and risk losing marks. Your final grade on the group project will be comprised of the grade allocated for the project multiplied by the percentage/evaluation you receive from your team members. The peer evaluation document should include: Your section number, your name, your team name, the names of each of the members of your team (including yourself) and an evaluation out of 100 points for each of the members including yourself. Below is an example of what the peer evaluation form should look like as well as how the your grade will be calculated. Name: Student 1
Section: 011
Team: X
Team Members and Evaluation: Student 1 = 100; Student 2 = 95; Student 3 = 90; Student 4 = 95; Student 5 = 90 When all of the evaluations have been compiled. A table like the one below will be created: Student 1
Student 2
Student 3
Student 4
Student 5
Student 1
100
100
100
100
100
Student 2
95
100
90
90
100
Student 3
90
100
100
95
95
Student 4
95
100
85
100
95
20
Student 5
90
100
85
100
100
Percentage
95%
100%
93.75%
98.75%
98.75%
To calculate Student 1’s %, the lowest evaluation will be dropped (in this case 90) and the other 4 will be averaged (100 + 95 + 90 + 95 = 95%). If the team received 80% on the group report (20/25) then Student 1’s grade will be 80 x 95% = 76% or 19/25. Please note that groups are expected to speak with their seminar leader early in the process to discuss and identify any concerns before they become real problems.
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Table of Contents
Page
1.
Introduction
2
2.
Summary of Team Deliverables
2
3.
Let Me Introduce Myself Worksheet (Individual)
3
4.
Reading: Team Building Tools for Students (Questions are on p.10)
4
5.
Draft Team Contract (Vision, Goals, Project Plan & Charter)
11
6.
Team Project Check-In Form (Individual)
13
7.
Team Case: Crosstown (Questions are on p. 17)
14
8.
Case Analysis Report Guidelines and Project Marking Criteria
18
9.
Peer Evaluation
19
1
1.
Introduction Two of goals of MHR523 are that, by the end of the course, you are able to describe the
key elements of effective teamwork, and that you develop basic teamwork skills, such as the ability to develop an effective team contract, and the ability to critique your own team process. We hope you will accomplish these goals by; a) learning about key principles of effective teamwork (lecture and reading), b) by analyzing a complex human resources management case as a team, and c) by actively participating in team building exercises and assignments, both during your seminar and outside of class. Each student will be randomly assigned to a team of 5 students during Seminar 2. If the student enrolls in the class at a later date, he or she is responsible for joining a team no later than Seminar 3. No student will be permitted to remain in the course if they have not joined a team by this date.
2.
Summary of Team Deliverables
Due in Seminar 2: Complete and bring a hard copy of “Let Me Introduce Myself” (p. 3) Due in Seminar 3: Read “Team Building Tools for Students” (p. 4-10) and hand in your answers to the three questions on page 9. Between Seminar 3 and Seminar 5: You will need to devote at least 2 hours outside of class (in team meetings) between Seminars 3 and 5. At the meeting (s) you will be expected to discuss and complete the first draft of your Team Contract (p. 11) Due in Seminar 5: Team Assignment-Part 1:Your first draft of your Team Contract (Vision, Goals, Project Plan & Charter) signed by all team members. Use the soft version on BB to type your report, print it off and hand it in to your seminar leader in Seminar 5. Max length is 5 pages, double spaced. Due in Seminar 6: Hand in Team Assignment-Part 2: Your completed, individual “Team Check-In Report” and circulate it to your teammates for discussion outside of class and for inclusion in your Group Process Report, due in Seminar 9. Due in Seminar 9: Team Assignment-Part 3: Your Case Analysis Report and your “Team Process Report” including your final Team Contract. Your report (excluding Appendices and Group Process Report) should be approximately 20 pages, double-spaced. Due in Seminar 10: Team Assignment-Part 4: Your Peer Evaluation (Individual)
2
3.
Let Me Introduce Myself Worksheet (Individual, Due Seminar 2)
Complete this worksheet and bring a hard copy to Seminar 2, when your team will be formed. . 1.
Who am I and what do I do?
2.
My country of origin, places I've lived, my background
3.
What was going on in my life that caused me to want to be a student at Ryerson University
4.
The most important aspect of my life is......
5.
Some of the major influences on my life are……
6.
What special skills or knowledge can I contribute to the team
7.
What skills need further development
8.
What I need to get out of this semester to make it worthwhile for me is….
9.
Anything else you should know about me to help you work with me this semester
3
4.
Reading: Team Building Tools for Students
Adapted from: “Team-Building Tools for Students”, Diana Page & Joseph G. Donelan Journal of Education for Business, Jan/Feb 2003
ABSTRACT. In this article, the authors describe why university students need good teamwork skills, how instructors can encourage students to develop those skills, and how team projects can be designed to improve teamwork skills. An action plan and team-building tools are provided.
The class will work in teams of three, and the project will be due in 2 weeks. Good luck," said Professor Smith. Although instructors usually believe that they have properly integrated teamwork into their courses, "Good luck" is too often the only team-building advice that they give their students. However, research has shown that merely putting students in groups and telling them to work together does not, in and of itself, promote higher achievement (Johnson & Johnson, 1990). In this article, we describe how instructors can create meaningful team projects that will improve students' teamwork skills. We include handouts and exercises that can be used as team-building tools. 1.
Establishing the Importance of Teamwork The instructor should begin by explaining to students why teamwork skills will be important in
their professional business careers. Many professional business organizations, including the American Institute of Public Accountants have identified interpersonal skills as a core competency. Next, the instructor should provide specific examples of job situations that require teamwork—for example, financial planning engagements, consulting projects, and new product development programs. In addition, the instructor should provide students with evidence that business decision-making is improved when teamwork is used (Bamber, Watson, & Hill, 1996; Hackman, 1990). If students understand the benefits that they will derive from collaborative work, they will be more willing to learn teamwork skills. After establishing the importance of teamwork skills, the instructor must recognize and reinforce those skills during team projects. In this article, we identify important group skills and provide guidelines to help the instructor reinforce them.
4
2.
Defining the Task To maximize students' successes, the instructor should establish clear objectives at the outset
of the project. Setting objectives includes providing students with clear timelines and progressreport requirements. Requiring progress reports assures students that they are on the right track and helps them practice teamwork skills necessary for timely completion of projects. In Appendix 1, we present the Team Project Guidelines handout, which explains how instructors can clearly establish team objectives and team member responsibilities. The guidelines suggest that the instructor take an active role as the team supervisor, making clear that he or she will share responsibility for student learning and that the team members will share responsibility for keeping their instructor informed about group progress. 3.
Creating a Psychological Contract To accelerate group productivity and open lines of communication, the instructor should
encourage student groups to develop psychological contracts. A psychological contract is a set of expectations or rules specifying the individuals and their functions in a relationship. Because it is dynamic, the psychological contract can and should be updated as desired. Its elements can include how performance will be measured and general rules of conduct. For example, the contract may describe what will happen if a team member acts in an unprofessional way, submits work late, or does not submit work. The team project guidelines address the following important elements in drawing up a psychological contract: •
Assigning responsibilities
•
Establishing deadlines
•
Achieving full participation by group members
•
Documenting group norms, values, and rules
Documenting these elements of a psychological contract benefits groups, because these steps help groups plan, save time, and resolve conflicts. 4.
Establishing Team Member Roles During and Between Meetings Successful teams need a balance of task and relationship roles both at meetings and outside of
them. Task roles include seeking and providing information, elaborating to help the team understand
5
issues, evaluating information, and coordinating activities. Relationship roles refer to the social interaction of team members or to how tasks are performed. Roles can be taken for the duration of the project or can be rotated. Roles need be identified for both team meetings and for responsibilities that need to be carried out between meetings: During Meetings: Examples of useful roles that need to be taken during meetings are:
Leader: Leads discussion and coordinates the processes and output Recorder: Produces a written account of team member responsibilities and meeting decisions Timekeeper: Records start time and reminds team of remaining time throughout the process Gatekeeper: Keeps team members on track if they are failing to carry out assigned duties, transgressing into others' duties, or violating team rules Social-emotional leader: Resolves tension, mediates conflicts, encourages the quieter team members to voice their opinion and the more vocal team members to share air time. Between Meetings:
The group needs to identify its mission, goals and expectations, and responsibilities need to be assigned to individuals accordingly. Examples vary depending on the nature of the assignment and can include; project coordinator, leader, writer, researcher, proofreader, editor, and typist. 5.
Recognizing and Reinforcing Teamwork Skills For group skills to be internalized, the group members must recognize the team-building
skills and have those skills reinforced during the team project. Therefore, instructors must not only explain team-building skills but also support the explanations with practice and reinforcement. Instructors should encourage members to follow seven basic rules: •
Know your team members.
•
Communicate accurately and unambiguously.
•
Accept and support one another.
•
Check for understanding.
•
Share ideas and understanding.
•
Check for agreement.
•
Resolve conflicts constructively and quickly.
6
6.
Managing Team Development Stages Most groups progress through four development stages: forming, storming, norming, and
performing (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977). Early in the group's forming stage, it is useful for a team to establish explicit team values and rules, together with a method of monitoring the team's adherence to those rules (see guidelines in Appendix 1). During the storming stage, conflicts may emerge among group members. Students may not want to take time to work through the conflicts, but the instructor should remind them that solving the case (or problem or project) is only part of the assignment— learning teamwork skills is an equally important part. In the norming and performing stages of group development, members come together by adhering to the groups' standards of behavior. These standards encourage group members to act as one. This synergistic process results in greater group productivity. Instructors should reinforce these harmonious behaviors by praising students and asking them to explain who is responsible for which tasks. To facilitate the group development process, instructors can use the scales provided in Tables 1 and 2 to arrive at a group development score and a group decision-making score. At several points in the group's development, the instructor should display the two scoring sheets and ask the individual group members to record, anonymously, where they think their group falls on each scale. At the next meeting, the results can be displayed and discussed. The scores obtained for group decision making and group development often provide important insights into the group's dynamics. Dominant group members often believe that the group is close to both consensus and performing. However, if there are wide disparities in scores between members, the team should revisit its values and rules to resolve the differences and make a plan for bringing the entire group to a higher level of consensus and development. 7.
Creating Positive Interdependence Positive interdependence exists when all group members benefit from the success of other
group members. Positive interdependence can be created by taking the following steps: (a) asking the group to create a common goal (e.g., obtaining an "A" grade on the project), (b) establishing a mutual reward system so that the score for the team is dependent on the performance of all group members, and (c) establishing team member roles (e.g., team leader, team reporter, team spokesperson).
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TABLE 1. Group Development Score Score
Development Stage
10
Performing
Fun and exciting; high commitment to group; feeling of high trust and friendship; involvement with group inspires members' best performance; creative use of existing resources; highly effective orchestration of activities and abilities; humor, flexibility, versatility, smooth task and process flow within the group; pride in group accomplishments; volunteering participation; commitment to decisions; expressions of appreciation and caring.
Norming
A sense of belonging and group cohesion; a sense of personal accomplishment; individual roles understood; freedom to express opinion; trust between group members unified mission; healthy balance of power; effective group processes; sincere attempt to reach consensus; little or no violation of team rules; productive; attack problems, not each other; "we" overtakes "me" mentality.
Storming
Group attempts to organize for the task, and conflicts emerge; group attempts to decide who is to be responsible for what, what evaluation and reward criteria will be;
9 8 7 6 5 4
Stage Characteristics
8
3
power structure is not stable; some members may be silent while others may attempt to dominate; confusion; loss of interest; lack of progress; violation of code of conduct and team rules.
2 1
Forming
Reliance on polite, safe, patterned behavior; members looking to a leader for direction; desire for acceptance; approaches to resolving conflict not developed; individual expectations not formed; group purpose and methods not formed; tasks not determined or delegated; methods and procedures not determined; rules of behavior not well developed, so members keep things simple and avoid controversy.
0
Note. Adapted from Tuckman, B., and Jensen, M., (1977). Stages of small group development. Group and Organizational Studies, 2, 419-427.
Holding Individual Team Members Accountable
8.
Two activities will foster individual accountability: (a) regularly recording team meeting minutes and (b) following up on those minutes. Students balk at these activities because they view recording meeting minutes as "busy work." But these two activities simplify the management of team processes and can clearly differentiate performers from nonperformers. This also helps in peer evaluation upon conclusion of the team project.
TABLE 2. Group Decision-Making Score Score
Type of decision
Characteristics
10 9 8 7
Consensus
Needs and interest of all parties explored; all positions fairly developed; Creative, unified solution emerges
6 5 4
Majority rule; some discussion; Majority and minority points of view some compromise explored; majority position prevails with some modification and consideration of minority opinion.
3 2
Majority rule; no compromise; Decision made by powerful individual no discussion or sub-group; opinions of other members are not sought or explored.
1 0
No decision
Avoidance by all members; no agreement; no decision is made.
9
9.
Conclusion Today's business professionals must be able to function effectively in teams. In this article, we
have provided guides for developing effective teamwork projects that reinforce teamwork skills. The processes include task definition, creation of a psychological contract, establishment of appropriate team membership, specification of team member roles, meeting with team members, management of team development stages, creation of positive interdependence, and holding individual team members accountable. REFERENCES American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). (1999). Vision project. Retrieved http://www.aicpa.org/vision/wpaperoib.ctm;http://www.cpavision.org/vision/wpaperOlb.cfm Bamber, E. M., Watson, R. L., & Hill, M. C. (1996), The effects of group decision support systems technology on audit group decision making. Auditing, a Journal of Theory and Practice, 15(1), 122-134. Hackman, J. R. (Ed). (1990). Groups that work (and those that don't). San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Johnson, D., & Johnson, R. (1990). Cooperative learning and achievement. In S. Sharan (Ed.), Cooperative learning: Theory and research (pp. 23-37). New York: Praeger Press. Tuckman, B., & Jensen, M. (1977). Stages of small group development. Group and Organizational Studies, 2, 419-427.
Questions for Seminar 3 Assignment 1.
What are the 7 basic rules for reinforcing teamwork skills?
2.
In which stage of group development are teams most likely to experience conflict?
3.
What are the differences between consensus and majority rule?
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Team Assignment-Part 1: 1st Draft of Your Team Contract
5.
This assignment requires that you work together with the members of your team to establish a first draft of your team contract that includes your team’s vision & goals, project plan and charter. You will need to devote at least 2 hours outside of class, working together, to this assignment. We have set up the schedule so that you have the option of using the cancelled seminar time slot, (the week between seminars 4 and 5), towards this purpose. There are three deliverables that should result from this assignment: 1.
A name for your team
2.
A team document outlining your team’s agreed-upon vision and a break-down of your short-term and long-term goals that will help you to accomplish your group project
3.
A team document that outlines your team’s implicit ground rules for operation – i.e., your ‘team contract’ – which should be signed by each member of your team
These documents are due at the beginning of Seminar 5. Purpose & Group Discussion The purpose of this exercise is for your team to first visualize an ideal scenario for what your team will look like and how you will accomplish your project. Note that you should consider the processes involved in this project, and not just the end-goal. Questions you should ask yourself, and should discuss with the group include: •
What is your vision for what an ideal team and ideal project completion would look like?
•
What is your ideal scenario for how you will interact together to accomplish your goals?
•
How would you like to see the work structured and allocated to members?
•
What types of norms would you like to see enforced in the group?
•
How would you like to communicate?
•
What behaviors are strongly supported? What behaviors are completely unacceptable?
Additional points of discussion may also emerge. They key is to engage in a collective discussion that will allow you to develop a shared understanding of your team’s identity and your goals.
11
Next, based upon this shared understanding of what you’d like to accomplish, begin to break down the specifics of how you can realize this vision. Basically, you should engage in a goal-setting process whereby you outline specific goals that you would like to achieve during your project. Make sure that you indicate what should be done, by when, and by whom. Note that grade-based goals (i.e., we’d like to earn 80%+) are not particularly helpful… focus on the outputs that will be necessary to achieve a good grade instead. Keep in mind that this task will also require that you pay attention to the timeline for project deadlines, so you may want to start at the end and work backwards. Note: This is your first draft and it is likely to evolve as you begin working on your tasks. Keep track of any changes so that you can submit your final version in Seminar 9. Deliverables and Marking Criteria Based upon this discussion, you should prepare the following draft document to submit in Seminar 5 and then refine it as the project develops to submit a final version in Seminar 9: 1.
Team Name-Anything you like
2.
Team Vision (20%). Begin with a 1-3 sentence Vision Statement that describes your agreed-upon vision for an effective team and project completion. Do not include specific goals here
3.
Team Goals and Plan for Project Completion (40%). Provide details regarding the specific short-term and long-term goals for project completion. Include specific project timeline and milestones as shown below. This section should be 1-2 pages in length. Point-form, bullets are acceptable
Timeline: Meeting dates (or frequency). Show awareness of the required time investment to achieve set goals Meeting goal/scope: What is the purpose of each meeting (checking-in, working on a draft, discussion of project etc.) Milestones: Show evidence that you have thought through your work Deliverable (e.g., outline, draft, revision etc.)
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Charts and diagrams are allowed 4.
Team Charter (40%) – The purpose of this section is for you to think, set and record, group norms, task distribution and team processes. Roles: Member roles should be specified (See reading; “Team Building Tools for Students” for suggestions Explicitly outline acceptable behaviours and group norms (e.g., modes and frequency of communication) – It is up to you whether or not you also include unacceptable behaviours Specify who will be doing what to ensure proper division of tasks and responsibilities Summarize your procedures for decision-making and conflict resolution
5.
Other Deductions No team name Grammar, syntax, spelling Missing Component (charter, goal, vision statement) Contract not signed/dated
Each member should sign the contract before it is submitted.
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6.
Team Assignment-Part 2: Team Process Check-In (Individual, due Seminar
6, and discuss in your team meeting, outside of class) Team Name ____________________________My Name
______________________
Assess your team’s performance to date on each of the following categories by circling the number that reflects your assessment. Bring this completed “Team Project Check-in” form to Seminar 6 1.
Goal Clarity and Agreement
1
2
3
4
5
Team Goals are unclear, conflicting Or ambiguous. Team members are not working toward a common goal 2.
1
2
3
4
5
Trust 1
2
3
Conflict Management 1 2
3
4
5
Leadership and Decision-Making 1 2 3
One or two people tend to dominate the discussions and control team decisions. Overall commitment to these decisions is low
7
6
7
We trust one another and openly express our views and disagreements. We encourage people to be open about any issues or concerns
4
5
We are generally distrustful of one another Our methods for managing conflict are to Avoid, smooth over or minimize it. Disagreements lead to tension that is usually left unresolved
5.
6
As a team, we listen with attention, ask for clarification or elaboration on ideas, and work to understand each other. There is little competition and everyone’s voice is heard. There are few interruptions while one of us speaks.
We are generally distrustful of one another We are cautious and careful about what we tell each other. We avoid discussing problems.
4.
7
Listening
As a team, we do not listen to each other. Instead, each of us tries to push our own goals. It is difficult to be heard: Ideas must be repeated again and again before they are acknowledged
3.
6
Team goals are clear and are shared by all team members. Team members are committed to achieving goals
4
6
7
We accept conflicts as inevitable and do not attempt to avoid them. We discuss our differences openly focusing on the issues rather than attacking the person
5
6
7
Leadership is shared depending on the tasks at hand and the skill of the member. Decisions are made by discussion and consensus.
5
Group Development Score (See Table 1, p. 8)______/10
6
Team Decision-Making Scores (See Table 2, p. 9) _____/10
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7.
Team Case: Crosstown Crosstown is a growing (and now major) retail store in Alberta. The store sells a
wide range of medium to high-priced consumer items. While its reputation was built on the sale of clothing for men and women, Crosstown now sells children's clothing and a large assortment of non-clothing items, including jewelry, cosmetics, and even some furniture. While prices are lower at competitors such as Wal-Mart, the closest such store is 100 km away so the mission of the store is for consumers to support their local merchants and in turn, Crosstown attempts to stock what the community needs. Crosstown also assures a high quality on its wide range of consumer items and chooses not to carry low quality/lowpriced items. As a result, in addition to its distance from Wal-Mart stores, Crosstown attempts to differentiate itself from its competitors, such as Wal-Mart, based on the superior quality of its items. The owner and President, Joe Crosstown is the son of the store's founder. He has an MBA from the university of Alberta (six years ago) and has worked for the store for 10 years. He has been president since his father retired three years ago. Over these past three years, he has further pushed for a strong focus on high quality consumer items. Joe Crosstown has been very pleased with the rapid growth of the store in recent years. This growth supports his longterm goals. More specifically, he has communicated to upper-level management his vision and long-term goal to open new stores in nearby communities in the future. Sales at Crosstown have increased 200 percent over the past five years, and profits have grown commensurately. Unfortunately, in addition to its benefits, this kind of growth can usually lead to problems as well. For example, it has become increasingly difficult to control orders and inventories. More than ever before, the store seems to be either out of stock or overstocked on certain items. Customer satisfaction surveys have also revealed a declining trend of satisfaction among customers with the service that they receive in the store. As one might expect, therefore, this explosive growth has led to some key human resource problems. The human resource challenges are the focus of the present case. Employment at Crosstown has grown from 102 to 214 in the past five years. Of these 214 employees, 196 are within the retail operations. This unit of the company includes the director of retail operations, four managers (each in charge of a different retail line), and 20 retail
15
supervisors who manage the 171 sales associates (formerly called "salesclerks''). The remaining 18 employees include three managers of "support" units (who report to the president) and their employees. One support unit is the human resource department, which includes the manager and three employees. The manager, Bill Goode, has been with the company for 20 years and has been in charge of the HR unit for the past 10. He has no formal education in human resource management except for a series of one-week seminars he attended eight years ago at UBC. He was selected to be the HR manager because of his knowledge of company operations and his ability to get along with people. Bill is a former retail supervisor. It is worth noting that his department handles not only "personnel" duties but also any other company matters (e.g., public relations) that do not clearly fall under one of the other units. The most obvious human resource challenges faced by this growing retail organization are with the retail supervisors: Of the 20 retail supervisors, 13 have been hired within the past 18 months. Although part of this hiring effort was due to the growth of the company itself, another part is related to a high level of dissatisfaction among the retail supervisors. This dissatisfaction conflicts with Joyce Crosstown aspiration for this company to be among the country’s list of “best places to work”. It also potentially compromises the organizational culture needed to achieve this aspiration. Those who have left (and a few who remain) have complained at various times about the following issues: •
"Insufficient pay" compared to what they think they can get elsewhere.
•
A "lack of company support" (e.g., money, time) in learning how to manage their areas.
•
An "unmotivated" sales force. The director of retail operations, Janice Clark, disagrees with these statements. She
believes that the retail supervisors themselves are the real problem. She has mentioned to Joe Crosstown several times that the HR unit selects unqualified people to be retail supervisors. There seems to be some validity to Clark's viewpoint. For example, the company's Job descriptions, including those for the position of retail supervisor, are woefully out of date. In fact, there is some doubt that they ever were any good. Further, supervisory positions are filled from within whenever possible, and the more senior employees are given first choice (unless they are clearly not fit for the job). Outside recruiting relies almost exclusively on newspaper ads and employee referrals. A few sales associates have also complained to the manager of human
16
resources about the treatment they receive from their supervisor, citing harassment and bullying. The selection process consists of a very simple one-page, application blank, brief interviews with the manager of human resources and the relevant manager in retail operations, and a physical exam. The director of retail operations makes the final hiring decision based on the feedback he receives from this process. Training of retail supervisors is strictly on-the-job. Newly hired supervisors spend their first day with a member of the HR unit to become oriented to the company (e.g., philosophy, hours, pay, and benefits). Then the new supervisor "tags along" with an experienced supervisor for one full week. By the second week, the new supervisor is in charge of an area. The procedure for a new supervisor promoted from within is similar except that the "orientation" session is briefer. Evaluation of retail supervisors is based on a graphic rating scale developed about five years ago by Bill Goode. The four retail managers rate each of their five retail supervisors once per year on 10 dimensions. The dimensions include attitude, depend ability, knowledge of work, quality of work, getting along with others, and so forth. Each of these is rated on a five-point scale, running from very poor through average to very good. Although this rating technique is used primarily for determination of pay increases, all four retail managers also claim to spend a fair amount of time each year discussing other issues important to their retail supervisors. The compensation system at Crosstown is not as systematic and thorough as it should be. For example, a new retail supervisor's initial pay is based on a comparison of his or her qualifications in comparison with those of current supervisors. Key "qualifications" looked at include education, experience, knowledge of store operations, and so forth. Future increases in pay are based largely on the results of the performance evaluations described above. However, Bill Goode occasionally recommends an "appropriate" general increase when he feels that the pay increases for a certain category of employees (including retail supervisors) have not kept up with inflation.
17
Questions (Due Seminar 9) 1. Assume you are a team of consultants called in by Joe Crosstown to help him examine the effectiveness of the company's human resource system. He is especially concerned about that system's impact on his retail supervisors and the individuals to whom they report. 2. How would you classify Crosstown’s organizational strategy and based on this, what should the HR priorities be (Text, Figure 1-10) 3. Summarize the HR problems that are evident at Crosstown based on the information you have been given. 4. With a focus on the retail supervisors, detail the specific HR practices, policies and procedures that you would recommend to support the HR Strategy (i.e. HR plan, job descriptions, recruitment, selection, training, performance appraisal and compensation).
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8
Case Analysis Guidelines and Project Marking Criteria (Due in Seminar 9) Read the Crosstown Case on pages 14-17 and answer the four questions on page 17. Your
report (excluding Appendices and Group Process Report) should be approximately 20 pages, double-spaced. Use the following headings to organize your report: 1.
Cover Page: Includes your section number, name of your seminar leader, your team
name and the names and student numbers of all group members in alphabetical order. 2.
Introduction, purpose of the paper (5%): Write half a page clarifying the purpose of
this paper, and how it is organized, as if you were an HR consulting team. 3.
Q1: How would you classify Crosstown’s organizational strategy and based on this,
what should the HR priorities be (Figure 1-10)? (5%) Defend your classification using case facts and select appropriate HR priorities. 4.
Q2: Summarize the HR problems that are evident at Crosstown based on the
information you have been given (25%): Identify all the problems and define them critically, using text concepts. For example 5.
Q3: With a focus on the retail supervisors, detail the specific HR practices, policies
and procedures that you would recommend to support Crosstown’s HR Strategy (35%): Describe each recommended HR practice, policy and procedure in depth, support with text concepts and provide examples that are applicable to a retail environment. 6.
Conclusion (5%): Write a brief conclusion, summarizing your consulting team’s short
and long term recommendations 7.
Group Process Report and Final Team Contract (25%): Citing the concepts from the
reading “Team Building Tools for Students,” and using information from previous team assignments, write a report on your team’s effectiveness, and the various stages of its development. In the Appendix include a) the final version of your Team Contract (Vision, Goals, Project Plan and Charter) and b) summarize each team members’ responsibilities during and between meetings. 8.
Deductions: Marks will be deducted for poor organization, flow, readability,
contradictions or overlap reflecting ineffective teamwork, low grasp of subject- the paper is a
19
rephrasing of the material rather than demonstrating a grasp of the subject and critical thinking, poor grammar, syntax, or spelling, citation inaccuracy and/or lack of professionalism i.e. sources not cited or not cited correctly using APA. 9.
Team Assignment-Part 4: Peer Evaluation (Individual, due Seminar 10) You will be required to submit an evaluation of your peers based on the contribution and
effort they have put into the completion of the project. This evaluation should be based on the criteria for member participation and duties as set out in your team vision, goals, project plan and charter. In doing so, you need to consider the different roles that were assigned to each team member and reflect on whether they have fulfilled their tasks in a timely and efficient manner. This is a simple one page document that you will be required to submit in Seminar 10. Submissions will not be accepted after this date and late submissions will be penalized. Failure to submit your peer evaluation will result in a failing grade on the group project. The peer evaluation should not take you more than a few minutes to complete (provided you have worked with your team members!), so please do not forget to submit them and risk losing marks. Your final grade on the group project will be comprised of the grade allocated for the project multiplied by the percentage/evaluation you receive from your team members. The peer evaluation document should include: Your section number, your name, your team name, the names of each of the members of your team (including yourself) and an evaluation out of 100 points for each of the members including yourself. Below is an example of what the peer evaluation form should look like as well as how the your grade will be calculated. Name: Student 1
Section: 011
Team: X
Team Members and Evaluation: Student 1 = 100; Student 2 = 95; Student 3 = 90; Student 4 = 95; Student 5 = 90 When all of the evaluations have been compiled. A table like the one below will be created: Student 1
Student 2
Student 3
Student 4
Student 5
Student 1
100
100
100
100
100
Student 2
95
100
90
90
100
Student 3
90
100
100
95
95
Student 4
95
100
85
100
95
20
Student 5
90
100
85
100
100
Percentage
95%
100%
93.75%
98.75%
98.75%
To calculate Student 1’s %, the lowest evaluation will be dropped (in this case 90) and the other 4 will be averaged (100 + 95 + 90 + 95 = 95%). If the team received 80% on the group report (20/25) then Student 1’s grade will be 80 x 95% = 76% or 19/25. Please note that groups are expected to speak with their seminar leader early in the process to discuss and identify any concerns before they become real problems.
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