Module 4 Case Assignment

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Module 4 Case Assignment

Introduction

Hiring the right staff is a challenging process that requires proper strategic human resource planning by the Human Resource Managers (HRM). In this assignment, I will present my plan for hiring two managers, including a manager for the accounting department and a manager for a customer services department in a finance company in corporate America. The chosen company offers consulting services to banks such as Citibank JP, BOA, Morgan Chase, and other financial organizations such as Goldman Sachs. The plan presents the types of management competencies that I will consider when hiring the two managers, the type of leadership theory that will best suit the organization, strategies that I will need to develop to facilitate successful communication between supervisors-to-subordinates, peer-to-peer, and other group dynamics in the organization, and strategies that I will need to promote motivation and job satisfaction of the hired employees. I will also provide personal insights on why I believe the proposed plan will assure success in the organization.

The Management Competencies to be Considered for the Two Management Positions

When hiring an employee for the accounting manager position, I will look for an individual who possesses delegation competency. Delegation competency involves allocating task responsibility to others to maximize individual employees’ effectiveness as well as the overall effectiveness of an organization. Since the three-member team serving in the accounting department like coming to the office and doing their thing and leaving, they require a manager who can delegate duties to each of the employees and monitor them to ensure the work is done to satisfaction before the employees leave the office. Another competency I will look for when hiring a manager for the accounting department is team-building skills. The three-member team is quiet and reserved and likes to come to work, do their stuff, and leave. As such, they have a higher likelihood of having poor teamwork skills. Therefore, they require a manager with effective team-building skills who will encourage them to work as a team and achieve the set targets.

When hiring a manager for the customer services department, I will look for a manager who possesses cultural competence. Cultural competence refers to an individual’s cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity or attitudes, and cultural knowledge and skills (Kaihlanen et al., 2019). Since the customer services department has a 5-member team of employees with diverse backgrounds, it is vital that their manager has cultural competence since this will allow the manager to understand his or her subordinates better. Also, when hiring the manager for the customer services department, I will look for a manager with interpersonal awareness competence. Interpersonal awareness is the ability to display a true understanding of yourself and others and is considered a vital skill for helping people get along with other people (Shek et al., 2015). Managers with interpersonal awareness will be able to understand their thoughts and feelings as well as those of their subordinates, whom they possess different cultural beliefs. Additionally, when hiring a manager for the customer services department, I will look for a manager with the ability to motivate others. Since the 5-member team of employees serving in this department is outgoing, it will require a manager who can motivate them to work hard and meet the set standards and deadlines since contracts have deadlines that must be met.

The Leadership Theory that Best Suits the Organization

Based on the background of the employees under the new management, I believe transactional leadership theory will best suit the organization after the new managers are hired. Transactional leaders lead through exchanges, where they establish a cost-benefit economic relationship with their subordinates (Obeidat & Tarhini, 2016). Based on this leadership theory, rewards and punishments are contingent upon the performance of the subordinates, whereby subordinates are rewarded for good performance and receive a punishment when the performance is poor. The transactional leadership theory emphasizes the clarification of goals, standards, and task assignments. The theory comprises three key elements: management-by-exception active, contingent reward, and management-by-exception passive (Avolio & Yammarino, 2013).

The contingent reward is based on economic and emotional exchanges, role definition, and acknowledging and rewarding the desired outcome. In most cases, a contingent payment is a widely used method of motivating followers (Antonakis & House, 2013). Motivation is a key element required for employees under the new management since any change in an organization is associated with some challenges that must be overcome in order for an organization to grow and succeed. Motivating employees to implement the required changes is vital for my chosen Organization. Therefore, the contingent rewards provided will be useful for motivating employees under the new management. Management-by-exception active entails leaders keeping track of deviations from the set standards and providing corrective measures (Antonakis & House, 2013). Leaders who practice management-by-exception active behavior actively watch for their subordinates’ acts, mistakes, and errors. On the other hand, leaders who practice management by exception passive behavior await the deviation to take place before they intervene (Antonakis & House, 2013).

The transactional leadership theory will best suit the organization since it will create a sense of fairness in the organization. This will be achieved by employees comparing if they are rewarded fairly by the new management based on the work done. There can be no charges of favoritism when goals are set, and employees are rewarded when they meet and exceed the set goals. This is because there is proof to show that an employee has met and exceeded the stated goals and is eligible for payment. The employees under the new management are from diverse backgrounds; therefore, a feeling of discrimination may arise if an employee feels that they were not treated fairly by the manager, whom they might have cultural differences. Basing the employee performance on metrics rather than the leader’s opinion when rewarding them will also promote fairness among employees.

Strategies for Ensuring Successful Communication Between Group Dynamics in the Organization

One strategy that may need to be developed to ensure successful communications between supervisors and subordinates, and among peers is using online tools that improve communication. In this 21st century, various tools have been designed to improve communication in the workplace. The organization may need to use a business messaging app such as Google Chat. The use of Google Chats will allow for faster direct messages and group conversations which will help various group dynamics to securely connect with each other and collaborate efficiently from anywhere. Subordinates will be able to send and receive direct messages from their subordinates and peers in a faster way. The use of Google chats for group discussions will also allow employees to express their views and opinions freely to their peers and supervisors. Consequently, this will ensure successful communications.

Another strategy that will need to be developed to ensure successful communications in the organizations will be the creation of a communicative environment. Usually, it is an organizational setup that encourages and facilitates communication. To create a communicative environment, there is a need to survey and identify any barriers that may be preventing successful communication between supervisors-to-to subordinates and between peer-to-peer. Identifying these barriers and addressing them will help in ensuring successful communication between group dynamics.

Strategies For Ensuring Employee Motivation and Satisfaction

One of the strategies that will need to be developed to promote employee motivation and job satisfaction is the creation of incentives. Bareket-Bojmel et al.(2017) reveal that employees respond extremely well to tangible bonuses. The author further adds that in recognition of a group of individual performance, financial incentives such as gift cards and cash bonuses are highly motivational. As such, when cash bonuses are provided to the hired employees when their performance meets and exceeds the set targets, this will enhance the employees’ motivation. Also, when employees are rewarded, they will feel that their efforts are appreciated, and this will improve their satisfaction.

To assure employee motivation and job satisfaction, there will also be a need to provide career and educational development opportunities to the newly hired employees. Research reveals that employees are dedicated and more loyal to organizations that promote their individual growth (Imran & Tanveer, 2015). Therefore, providing career and educational development opportunities to newly hired employees will enhance their job motivation. Also, providing career development opportunities will allow the employees to reach higher levels of professionalism, thus increasing their job satisfaction.

Another strategy that will ensure employee motivation and job satisfaction is promoting the job security of the hired managers. Job security is a significant predictor of job satisfaction and motivation. According to Getahun and Chang (2019), when job security increases, job satisfaction is improved. When employees are satisfied, they are motivated to work towards meeting the set organizational goals.

Why the Plan will Assure Success in the Organization

I firmly believe the plan outlined above will assure success in the organization. One reason why this plan will assure success in the organization is that the competencies which will be considered during the selection of the managers to be hired will ensure effective managers are hired. Effective leadership and management contribute significantly toward organizational success. Thus, when effective managers are hired to lead the department, this will assure organizational success. Also, the leadership theory that has been proposed to best fit the organization assists in promoting fairness in the organization. Once employees feel that they are being treated fairly, this will increase their individual performance and contribute to the overall success of the organization. Furthermore, the proposed Plan will assure success in the organization since it outlines effective means of promoting effective communication and improving employee motivation and job satisfaction. When employees are committed to the organization, this contributes to the improved overall performance of the Organization.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this paper presents my plan for hiring two managers, including a manager for the accounting department and a manager for a customer services department in a finance company. The management competencies to be looked for when selecting the manager for the accounting department include delegation competency and team-building skills. On the other hand, when hiring a manager for the customer services department, I will look for a manager with cultural competence and interpersonal awareness. The leadership theory that best suits the Organization based on the background of employees under the new management is transactional leadership theory. This theory stipulates that rewards and punishments are contingent upon the performance of the subordinates. To ensure successful communication between various dynamic groups within the Organization, various strategies, including the use of online tools that improve communication and the creation of a communicative environment, will need to be developed. Also, the creation of incentives, provision of career and educational development opportunities, and promotion of job security will assist in assuring employee motivation and job satisfaction.

References

Antonakis, J., & House, R. J. (2013). The full-range leadership theory: The way forward. In Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead 10th-anniversary edition. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-357120130000005006Bareket-Bojmel, L., Hochman, G., & Ariely, D. (2017). It’s (not) all about the Jacksons: Testing different types of short-term bonuses in the field. Journal of Management, 43(2), 534-554.

Getahun Asfaw, A., & Chang, C. C. (2019). The association between job insecurity and engagement of employees at work. Journal of workplace behavioral health, 34(2), 96-110. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080%2F15555240.2019.1600409Imran, M., & Tanveer, A. (2015). Impact of training & development on employees’ performance in banks of Pakistan. European journal of training and development studies, 3(1), 22-44.

Kaihlanen, A. M., Hietapakka, L., & Heponiemi, T. (2019). Increasing cultural awareness: a qualitative study of nurses’ perceptions about cultural competence training. BMC nursing, 18(1), 1-9.

Obeidat, B. Y., & Tarhini, A. (2016). A Jordanian empirical study of the associations among transformational leadership, transactional leadership, knowledge sharing, job performance, and firm performance: A structural equation modeling approach. Journal of Management Development, 35(5), 681-705. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-09-2015-0134Shek, D. T., Yu, L., & Siu, A. M. (2015). Interpersonal competence and service leadership. International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 14(3), 265-274. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijdhd-2015-0407