Assignment: Employee-Centered Systems and Structures

Assignment: Employee-Centered Systems and Structures

Question Description
Overview

For this assessment, you will use a selected case study to write a 2–3-page analysis of an organizational environment that has effectively implemented systematic or structural changes to become employee centered.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

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Competency 1: Analyze HRM programs and other related systems within an organization that support employee engagement and commitment.
Describe HRM’s role in facilitating changes in a specific organization.
Assess the effectiveness of HRM systems and practices implemented to support an employee-centered environment.
Competency 2: Examine evidence-based HRM best practices among organizations that demonstrate an employee-centered culture.
Assess how an organization’s attempts to facilitate change align with evidence-based best practices.
Competency 4: Analyze methods of supporting employee-centered culture through organizational design and workforce diversity.
Evaluate action steps aimed at creating an employee-centered environment.
Assess challenges and obstacles to changing the systems and structures of an organization.
Evaluate how HRM programs or initiatives support a favorable environment for diversity.
Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for HR professionals and master’s level programs.
Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for HR professionals and master’s level programs.
Competency Map
Check Your ProgressUse this online tool to track your performance and progress through your course.
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Context
Systems and structures in organizations impact employee engagement and organizational effectiveness in many different ways. For HRM, programs and policies must enhance the organizational systems that support employee engagement and further develop an employee-centered environment. HRM programs and policies must integrate into the organizational systems and structures, and are viewed as an enhancement to the success of the organization. This integration represents the alignment of many different systems within the organizations, including employee programs, which directly affect the nature of employment in the organization. From organizational structure to diversity to employee recognition programs—all contribute to the organizational environment. These programs all benefit from effective and successful change. Effective change is one of the most difficult and complex efforts undertaken by HRM professionals. Leadership, technical (or traditional HRM functional areas), and training skills impact an HRM professional’s ability to propagate change.
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Questions to Consider
To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.
What is the relationship between organizational design and organizational change?
What role does diversity play in building a successful organization?
What is the role of HRM in these processes?
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Resources
SUGGESTED RESOURCES
The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.
Library Resources
The following articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:
Awbrey, S. M. (2007). The dynamics of vertical and horizontal diversity in organization and society. Human Resource Development Review, 6(1), 7–32.
Bate, P., Khan, R., and Pye, A. (2000). Towards a culturally sensitive approach to organization structuring: Where organization design meets organizational development. Organization Science, 11(2), 197–211.
Fleming, J. M., & Leauby, B. A. (1998). 20th century employee-centered initiatives. Pennsylvania CPA Journal, 69(2), 22–28.
Lockwood, N. R. (2007). Leveraging employee engagement for competitive advantage: HR’s strategic role. HRMagazine, 52(3), 1–11.
Lockwood, N. R. (2006). Maximizing human capital: Demonstrating HR value with key performance indications. HRMagazine, 51(9), 1–11.
Silverman, L. L. (2006). How do you keep the right people on the bus? Try stories. Journal for Quality and Participation, 29(4), 11–15, 39.
Soyars, M., & Brusino, J. (2009). Essentials of engagement. T+D, 63(3), 62–65.
Sugheir, J., Coco, M., & Kaupins, G. (2011). Perceptions of organizational surveys within employee engagement efforts. International Journal of Business & Public Administration, 8(1), 48–61.
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Course Library Guide
A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the MBA-FP6242 – Building Organizational Effectiveness Library Guide to help direct your research.
Internet Resources
Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.
Taylor, Jr., J. C. (2010). Becoming an employee-centered organization. Retrieved from http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/becoming-a…
Bayt.com. (n.d.). Top strategies to enhance employee engagement. Retrieved from http://www.bayt.com/en/employer-article-6741/
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2011). Management competencies for enhancing employee engagement. Retrieved from http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/management-competen…
Bookstore Resources
The resource listed below is relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and is not required. Unless noted otherwise, this resource is available for purchase from the Capella University Bookstore. When searching the bookstore, be sure to look for the Course ID with the specific –FP (FlexPath) course designation.
Macey, W. H., Schneider, B., Barbera, K. M., & Young, S. A. (2009). Employee engagement: Tools for analysis, practice, and competitive advantage. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
Chapter 3, “The Key to an Engaged Workforce: An Engagement Culture.”
Chapter 4, “Phase 1 of Creating and Executing an Engagement Campaign: Diagnostic and the Engagement Survey.”
Chapter 5, “Phase 2 of Creating and Executing an Engagement Campaign: Action Planning and Intervention.”
Assessment Instructions
Find an example or case study of interest by doing research in the Capella University Library. Your example or case study should focus on an organizational environment that effectively implemented systematic or structural changes, and in so doing became an employee-centered organization. Consider the relationship between organizational design (systems and processes) and organizational change, and analyze how HRM can participate in the processes described.Using your selected example or case study:
Introduce the organization, describing the changes that were needed and how HRM was involved in facilitating these changes.
Evaluate the action steps taken to create an employee-centered environment.
Assess the challenges and obstacles that existed in attempting to change the systems and structures of an organization.
Assess the effectiveness of HRM systems and practices implemented to support an employee-centered environment.
Evaluate how HRM programs or initiatives support a favorable environment for diversity. Provide details on the programs and initiatives that are in place, including how they support a diverse workplace. If existing HRM programs and initiatives do not adequately support workplace diversity, detail how changes to existing programs and initiatives could do more to further efforts toward a favorable environment for diversity.
Conclude by assessing how much this case aligns with the best practices documented by evidence and scholarly research. Did it follow prescribed and well-known steps, or go in its own direction? Was it more or less effective than other efforts to create employee-centered systems and structures?
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Written communication: Your writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Your paper should be formatted according to APA (6th ed.) style.
Length: 2–3 typed and double-spaced pages.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.

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You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.