User:Ralphkim/sandbox

Maple Leaf Shoes Ltd From an evaluation of Lance’s approach, it can be concluded that the human resource department at the Maple Leaf shoes had not contributed to employee planning, job design, organizational planning and change. The unions in the company are getting increasingly militant and this should be an urgent priority to the new human resource manager. In addition, several individuals in the organization have a negative, poor or low outlook of the human resource department. This has also been attributed to the human resource department playing a low-key, record-keeping role (Schwind, Das, Wagar, Bulmash, & Fassina, 2013). One of the major points that can be picked from Lance, is that he tried to interview the senior management though he did not succeed. Lance is seen to frame his questions in a proactive tone such as “What are the major challenges facing Maple Leaf Shoes in the next five years?” (Schwind et al, 2013). He is also seen to be working under the assumption that the human resource department effectiveness is measured by how it meets the expectations of its clients. However, his approach is seen to have more weaknesses than strengths. For example, the question checklist that Lance uses is too short and does not provide much information on the human resource function. In addition only three out of the five managers responded while the interview with Clark is seen to be futile as it had a number of interruptions and he seems not to be aware of the day-to-day challenges that are facing the staff and the human resource manager. Moreover, Lance did not meet the subordinates, the unions and other people who work outside the head office (Schwind et al, 2013). One chief recommendation I would give to the company is to officially dissolve the system being used and begin training the supervisors in the art of performance appraisals (Sims, 2007). Supervisors need to organize periodic conferences with their juniors to present them with feedback on how they are performing their functions. The next stage would involve implementation of an official evaluation form with a specific criteria being devised. Formats such as Management by Objectives (MBO) or Behaviorally Anchored Rating scales (BARS) can be set up in consultation with the employees and the supervisors. The third stage would involve an attempt to link up the salary decisions to the performance appraisal. This linkage would mostly involve a qualitative rather than a quantitative one. Another recommendation I would give is implementation of a great number of interviews. Interviews would need to be done on all the categories of the employees, colleagues, customers, union officials and the subordinates to the human resource manager. The staff in other regions would need to be contacted through telephone interviews or through mail questionnaires. While the use of telephone interviews might be expensive, it would aid in increasing the response rate. However, a combination of mail questionnaires that would be followed by telephone reminder interviews would be a great approach in protecting the anonymity of the respondents as well as leading to more honest answers. While interviewing the staff or mangers it is important to inquire on critical incidents that reflect on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the human resource management (Sims, 2007). In addition, the previous human resource department records need to be examined to gauge the gaps and effectiveness in the performance of the human resource department. This would provide the much-needed insight on the responsibilities of the position. For instance, the union can provide information on type, seriousness and number of employee grievances brought forth in the past. Publication such as NOC can also be used in providing insight on the job account of human resource management that are found in other similar organizations. Reference Schwind, H. F., Das, H., Wagar, T. H., Bulmash, J., & Fassina, N. (2013). Canadian human resource management: A strategic approach. Whitby, Ontario: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Sims, R. R. (2007). Human resource management: Contemporary issues, challenges and opportunities. Greenwich, Conn: Information Age Publ.