Data Management and Ethics

Ethics as defined by the free dictionary is a “set of principles of right conduct”.  So then, what is right conduct?  Right conduct will be dictated by the set of principles one is governed by.  In business the principles that we operate from are established through the company code of conduct and our own individual principles (Greenwood, 2002).  Interestingly enough, many people do not know what they stand for.  They don’t know what principles they adhere to.  This issue presents a great challenge for people who are presented with ethical dilemmas.  It is much more difficult for them to take a stand when presented with an opportunity to increase personal gain.  Personal and business codes of conduct guide behavior and without them society is at risk of becoming a hedonistic society.

 It is evident to me and others I have worked with that I hold to a clear set of principles that guide my behavior, decision making and direction in life.  As described by my ex-boss, these principles are viewed as a high standard that are difficult for many people to adhere to.  This is the framework in which I operate from and have developed a reputation on.  I would find it shocking if anyone approached me to join them on a collaborative effort to manipulate company data.  I have taken many hard stands on doing what I believed was the right thing to do for the company and the employees that work there.

For instance, a couple of years ago the management team (including my boss) that I worked with was evaluating whether or not to recommend a two drink maximum policy.  This policy would limit the amount of alcohol the company would purchase when employees where at an event paid for by the company.  The challenge at hand was the fact that for 100 years the company never held such a policy and there were many employees, at every level of the organization that enjoyed cutting loose on the company dime.  As our management team debated this issue, those who wanted the policy ended up backing down because they did not want the fight.  However, even though I stood alone, I stood my ground on the need for the policy.  The principle I stood on was “doing the right thing for the right reasons”.

With examples like the two drink max policy, I have developed a reputation to do the right thing for the right reasons and to adhere to high ethical standards.  When people have these kinds of reputations they are not approached with unethical situations like manipulating data.  This is because their coworkers and their boss already know how they will respond.

Greenwood, M. R. (2002). Ethics and HRM: A review and conceptual analysis. Journal of Business Ethics, 36(3), 261–278. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Business Source Complete database:
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/bsi/detail?sid=ed889ddb-c9ed-478b-aeea-598918b79221%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=108&bdata=JnNpdGU9YnNpLWxpdmU%3d#db=bth&AN=12130511

The free dictionary. Retrieved from http://thefreedictionary

MHRM 6120 – Week 1

The big question of the day is whether or not HR should have “a seat at the table”.  I say, “why not?”  We all know that organizations are all about increasing profits for shareholders.  Study after study is indicating HR can have great influence on revenue.  For instance, four national surveys where 2800 firms responded indicated that where the organization implemented high performance work practices the organization obtained as much as $60,000 increase in profits, per employee.  If your organization has 100 employees, $60,000 per employee translates into a $600,000 increase.  Organizations that have shut down in the past year or two might have been able to survive with those kinds of revenue increases.

What is fascinating to me is that the possibility to increase profits doesn’t stop there.  HR’s ability to influence or make a difference on the bottom line lies in their ability to craft a strategic direction that ties directly into the organizations overall strategy.  Frankly, results are limited without HR sitting at the strategy table.   The impact they establish lies in the system and outcomes that are imbedded in this process.  What in the world do I mean by that?  What I mean is that the strategy HR employs, the goals and objects set forth, are identified as a direct result of the organizations goals and objectives.   This plan and action are then measured, monitored, and managed for maximum impact.

Starbucks, Limited Brands, and Best buy all provide great examples of how impactful this can be.  For instance, they all indicated that they know the value a .1% increase in employee engagement would be (Davenport, Harris, & Shapiro, 2010).  The annual increase for Best Buy with a .1% increase was $100,000 per year, per store (Davenport, Harris, & Shapiro, 2010, pp. 52).  How many stores does Best Buy own?  I’m not sure, but if it was only five, that yearly savings would amount to $500,000 per year.  We all know that Best Buy owns a lot more stores then five, which gives them a much bigger return on investment.

I believe the best HR departments in corporate America will craft HR Architects that embody strategy and function (Becker, Huselid, & Ulrich, 2001).  I don’t believe we can do without one or the other.  In fact, I believe that it takes both to be effective in escorting HR into a new realm of success defined by the 21rst Century.  HR function is what characterizes traditional HR.  However, strategic HR is required for crafting a competitive edge within the organization and turning HR into an asset versus a liability.  Whether the gain in profits is $100,000 or $600,000 it is an increase over the competition and another day, month, or year that contributes to current and future success of the organization.

Becker, B., Huselid, M. A., & Ulrich, D. (2001). The HR scorecard: Linking people, strategy, and performance. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Davenport, T. H., Harris, J., & Shapiro, J. (2010). Competing on talent analytics. Harvard Business Review, 88(10), 52–58. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Business Source Complete database:
http://proquest.umi.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqdweb?did=2155939191&sid=3&Fmt=2&clientId=70192&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Outsourcing Talent Management

It is clear that organizations are moving toward either automating or outsourcing aspects of the HR function.  However, the question all HR departments and the organization that employ them must grapple with is, “should my company outsource aspects of its HR function?”    I believe this question can only be answered once there is a clear understanding of the organizations strategic direction along with a clear understanding of the role HR will play.  Although cost savings is among the reasons organizations are moving in this direction, other reasons leaders gave when surveyed is that it provides a “better focus on core competency” and “improved business processes” (Oshima, Kao, & Tower, 2010, pp. 7).   These reasons are two perfect examples of why an organization might utilize outsourcing as a viable solution.

Although recommendations have been made for outsourcing functions to include “administrative, customer service, and technology infrastructure work”, this still leaves “strategy, design, and consulting to the business” as the primary areas of responsibility for the HR department (Oshima, Kao, & Tower, 2010, pp.7).  If an organizations followed this recommentation, moving in this direction certainly allows the HR department to become key players in the overall operation of the business.  This structure elevates the profession from that of an administrative role to a strategic partnership.  Yet, on the flip side, the greatest danger in moving to this type of HR structure, in my opinion, has everything to do with loosing contact with employees as well as maintaining a pulse check on the culture.  Beyond this point, it is important to establish clear expectations for third party partners when outsourcing.  Standards and specific criteria must be discussed to ensure deliverables are met.

Outsourcing or automating HR functions is only one solution to addressing challenges faced in HR departments today.  It is true that the solution has become popular and has proved to be effective for some who have utilized it in today’s economy.  The recommendation I would make is to view it as a possible, viable option when restructuring the HR department.  However, I would only select outsourcing once the pros and cons of the solution have been evaluated and are fully understood.

Oshima, M., Kao, T., & Tower, J. (2005).  Achieving post-outsourcing success. Human Resource Planning, 28 (2), 7-11.  Retrieved from Business Source Complete database.

Leadership Development

In my opinion, the best leadership development programs are sponsored by the organizations top dogs (General Managers, Executives, etc.), yet they are managed by HR. Typically, HR has been schooled in the technical aspects of training and development, which attributes to learning opportunities that target development.  Managing this function also allows them to tie training and development into various aspects of the performance management initiatives.  For instance, another function HR is responsible for is the employment of performance reviews.  Holding responsibility for both functions would produce a natural tie to one another.  It may look something like this: As HR sets forth to initiate the performance review cycle they would tie training and development initiatives into various stages of that process.  

Yet, on the other hand, when it comes to maximizing the training and development outcomes, top leaders are needed.  They establish a level of importance to the program HR cannot.  They hold credibility for knowing and understanding the operation of the business and what is needed to advance into top positions.  They are also important for coaching, evaluating and providing feedback in areas the employee is developing in or working on. The partnership between HR and a company’s top dog hold real potential for creating a training and development program that not only offers learning opportunities that increase skills and provide opportunities for advancement, but they contribute to real possibilities for producing a credible program that is valued by all who are involved.

Some years ago, I had an opportunity to be a part of crafting a training and development program for a group of leaders.  Although the leaders involved in this program expressed enjoyment and satisfaction of the opportunities presented, their approach and increased desire to learn as well as willingness to apply their learning came as a direct result of the role their Manager and the General Manager placed on the opportunity.  Through the assistance of HR, the top dogs tied the individual development opportunities to the performance evaluation process, pay increases, and promotions.  The partnership was a great example of what a team can accomplish.

Week1Assign1 - Recruiting Talent

Retaining a good pool of recruits is best achieved through a diverse market strategy (Silzer, Dowell, 2010).  According to research, it would appear that referrals hold the greatest opportunity for the best recruits of all.  For instance, Ruiz (2007b) reported that, “approximately 26 percent of new hires come from employee referrals, making this the most prolific channel of all” (Silzer, Dowell, 2010, pp. 142).  I believe this is another example of how organizational leaders can join ranks with employees to generate a winning team.  Yet, there are times I would not refer a friend, family member or an acquaintance to my place of employment.

When I make a referral, in essence, I am saying to the employer that I believe the potential candidate will make a great employee and will be perfect for the job at hand.  This may not be true.  On the other hand, based on the knowledge I have of the company, I may not make the referral because I believe the candidate would be miserable at my place of employment.  Beyond this point, I would also look at the culture, leadership dynamics, work, and future opportunities that may or may not exist and evaluate the expectations of my potential referral.  Both parties have expectations and if I see that one or the other party would regret the discussion, I would not make the referral.  Additionally, pancaked in the middle of these two parties is the person making the referral:  me.  It is too easy to get squashed if all is not taken into consideration.

When looking at the pool of candidates to add to the talent pipeline we must evaluate candidates who are just entering the workforce, those who are unemployed, and those who are currently working.  Candidates who are just getting out of school typically come to the table without any work experience.   They have a good theoretical base with a mix of some practical experience.  Yet, they enter the workforce needing coaching in ways that experienced employees do not.  Many experiences are new to them, which may include a move to a new location.  This also presents further opportunities for assimilation.  Employees who are not working are in between jobs.  They typically hold experience and education.  However, their mindset may be challenged regarding the transition that was imposed on them.  Of course, every situation is different.  However, often times they are actively looking for work and searching all the channels to find a potential opportunity.  Their resume packet is up to date because they are eager to find work.  The challenge here is that because they are eager to find work they may take the wrong job because they are desperate to make money.  Finally, the recruit who is working, this person is not typically looking for work and is very busy.  This pool of candidates can be the most difficult to find and to recruit.  Offers extended to this pool of candidates are greater than the first two groups.  Also, they hold experience on the job and within the industry, which is one of the resons they are sought after.   The caution that must be made with this pool of candidates is that they may not be as versatile and flexible in making the needed psychological and behavioral shifts that are needed to adapt to a new way of doing things.  This of course, is needed as a means of adapting to a new culture.

A company I believe that does an excellent job recruiting top talent is Nike.  Their strategy appears to be vast and effective.  They are known to use several talent channels to locate the right person for the right job.  For instance, I have seen them use print media, job boards, college alliances and their own web site.  They use a scoring system in the evaluation of their resume packet that helps them identify the best suited candidates.  These are just a few of the resources they use to find their talent.  They are an organization many of us can learn from.

Silzer, R., & Dowell, B. E. (Eds.). (2010). Strategy-driven talent management: A leadership imperative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

MHRM 6100 + Week 8

This week is our last week in my first class at Walden University.  It has been an adventure of exploring both topics known and those less familiar to me.  One of the topics, we have explored in the course of this class is the use of mobile technology and social media tools.  Prior to the start of this class, if anyone had talked to me about mobile technology my frame of reference would have been around cell phones.  Today, I also consider the lap top a part of mobile technology.  For the first time in my life, I am on the verge of successfully completed an on-line course.  As you know, it would have been impossible to do this without the use of a computer.  Although there were benefits missed that are traditionally found in a classroom environment, this type of learning has introduced a new perspective that has come from daily changes found in new surroundings.  There were days I sat in a recliner to complete my work and other days I sat in a restaurant sipping a latte.  The use of this equipment in the forum in which it was presented has changed my life forever!  To add to this discovery is the use of all the various social networking tools made available with just a click of a finger.

Although social networking tools like Facebook, twitter, and professional web based organizations hold great promise for professionals in both a classroom and professional environment, I have yet to take advantage of the opportunities that exist within its framework.  Not only can we learn from one another in these environments, they also provide each of us an opportunity to share our gifts and talents with one another.  Beyond this point, concrete learners like myself, have opportunities to discuss issues, topics and things learned from the virtual classroom.

I have finally concluded our virtual team has reached the fourth stage in Tuchman’s team development model: the performing stage (Chaneski, 2009).  Team members complete assignments and provide feedback in a timely manner; team members listen and solicit feedback;  discussions and feedback is to the point; everyone has the opportunity to input their opinion; discussions on topics have produced consensus; and the evaluation of performance transpires about every other week through this format.

The biggest contribution mobile technology contributed to our team development came through the use of the computer.  This is a given due to the pure nature of this online class.  However, I believe the use of telephones and Skype can also contribute to the development of teams in future classes.  Cell phones have the capacity of receiving real time information through icons like Twitter and Facebook.  Also, these vehicles and others allow people to get to know one another better. 

The concept of team charters did facilitate the growth our online class experienced.  There is no reason future classroom teams will not benefit from them as well.  The biggest contribution they make, in my mind, is that the charter provides a set of “guidelines, rules, and policies” that govern behavior (Norton, 2009).  Our class has operated by a set of rules and policies that include a score card (rubric) that measures how well team members have followed established guidelines.  Learning and becoming familiar with these guidelines is instrumental to current and future classroom success.

Chaneski, W. S. (2009). The stages teams go through. Modern Machine Shop, 82(3), 34–36. Retrieved from:
http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqdweb?did=1843863981&sid=3&Fmt=4&clientId=70192&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Norton, W. I., & Sussman, L. (2009). Team charters: Theoretical foundations and practical implications for quality and performance. The Quality Management Journal, 16(1), 7–17. Retrieved from:
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MHRM 6100 + Week 6

Tuckman Team Stage Development model outlines four stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing.  The model also evaluates the "interpersonal interactions that influence task accomplishment and team morale" (Anderson, 2010).  When I analyze the development of our virtual learning team I still contend that our team is in the norming stage.  I say this with the belief that we are beginning to take on characteristics or development that lend to a highly functioning or performing team. Currently, the strongest behaviors we exhibit appear to be linked to the norming stage.  This belief comes from the following evidence:

• Team members seem more eager to share and walk in greater openness to thoughts and ideas. 
• Members of the team invite greater openness to differences of opinion and even appear to be open to changing their way of thinking. 
• Team Members are responsible for their own actions and they have bought into class protocol. 

The characters that have recently come to the surface that indicate our team is developing into a highly performing team are as follows: 

• It looks like all team members are completing their assignments and are completing them on time.
• Team members appear to be really listening to one another through their response and feedback.
• We are providing feedback that offers up our opinions, thoughts and ideas.
• All team members are given the opportunity to have a voice and to make recommendations on the issues at hand.

The behaviors I have yet to witness in our team that further indicates that we have fully achieved the performance stage of Tuckman's team model is within our ability to come to consensus and our ability to evaluate our team effectiveness (Chaneski, 2009).  Even though this analysis can be interpreted as proof of our willingness to evaluate the effectiveness of our team, we have not performed this activity as a function of improving our team performance.  Non the less, the implementation of these behaviors and the continuance of the the behaviors we have already demonstrated have the real potential of kicking our team into Tuckman's fourth stage as a high performance team. 

If there was ever a question of whether or not we are even a real team, I believe it can be easily disputed through simply evaluating the definition of a team. Jon Katzenback and Douglas Smith in their book, The Wisdom of Teams, defines a team as "a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable" (Anderson, 2010).  Through a traditional view or one found through the lens of a team paradigm shift, there is no disputing that we are a team.   Not only are we a team, we are one  that is on the verge of proclaiming that we are a high performance team!

Anderson, B. (2010). Project leadership and the art of managing relation-ships. T + D, 64(3), 58–63.
Chaneski, W. S. (2009). The stages teams go through. Modern Machine Shop, 82(3), 34–36. Retrieved from: http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqdweb?did=1843863981&sid=3&Fmt=4&clientId=70192&RQT=309&VName=PQD