Recruiting Critical Positions for DRA PS
1. What are some of the positions you may need to recruit? Why?
Executives, Web designers, testers, marketing executives, tutors, Human Resource (HR) talent hire managers, HR recruiters, and induction managers need to be selected as some critical positions that need to be recruited in DRA PS. As the key intent is to support the existing workload of DRA PS that maintains a highly qualified talent pool for their first classroom course, these positions are needed as they will be responsible for managing the same.
2. What are the existing recruitment policies and guidelines, and what challenges may they cause?
The existing recruitment policies and guidelines of DRA PS include written approval from multiple hierarchy, maintaining different virtual learning contexts, and on-time delivery of all three courses for year-on-year follow-ups. As opined by Stone, Cox & Gavin (2020), delays in approval from the higher authority for all core components are one of the critical challenges in matrix organizational structures. Likewise, in this context, DRA PS may face challenges regarding seeking written approval from all the hierarchy, which may ultimately delay the timeline. Additionally, given the circumstances, the recruitment needs to ensure engaging qualified candidates for which a strong employer brand is needed. Given the delays in the process, establishing a strong brand can be considered difficult.
3. How will you meet those challenges?
Developing a clear division of responsibilities for the managers in the overall recruitment process can help manage the challenge. Apart from that, the inclusion of agility in the approval process for the initial time of course development can help mitigate the challenge. Apart from that, strong brand establishment while launching those courses can be done with a thorough marketing process.
4. What is your recruitment strategy?
The recruitment strategy undertaken in DRA PS would include improving job postings, providing compelling job descriptions, and utilizing niche job boards through the online job placement paradigm. This is because reaching out to a significant level of the talent pool can be done based on proper job posting level and compelling job profile development on online portals such as LinkedIn, Facebook and others.
1. How would you have handled the program manager’s performance issues? Was the right decision made to replace her? Why or why not?
Focusing on the core paradigm of handling communication is one of the key responsibilities of a program manager (Macke & Genari, 2019). However, in this case, verbal communication has not been focused on. In order or handle her performance issues, setting correct expectations and effective communication parameter needs to be further focused on resolving this specific issue.
It was the right decision to replace her. This is because handling communication parameters with the team members as well as the clients can be contemplated as the most critical responsibility of a program manager (Pak et al., 2019). As these performance issues created difficulties to maintain client relationships, the decision to replace her seems correct as client handling is needed to maintain organizational reputation.
2. What options exist to find a new program manager?
In order to find a new program manager, seeking internal promotions can be considered as the best option as tenured team members in this specific area can help. Additionally, using job portals and social media platforms can be considered as other core options to find a program manager.
3. Discuss the benefits and risks of hiring the lead instructional designer for this role
Hiring a lead instructional designer for the role would provide benefits such as effective learning experience designs, developing instructor’s manuals, and existing knowledge on the original project’s growth which may help in the overall proceeding. However, the risks of hiring the lead institutional designer would for this position may create risks regarding the technical process as the institutional designer might not have an idea of the overall process of web-based course content development (Strohmeier, 2020). Additionally, working effectively with all subject matter experts for design success parameters is needed, which may be difficult for the instructional designer due to a lack of expertise in this specific context.
4. Discuss the recruitment and retention challenges you face in filling the position quickly
Challenges in Recruitment
Experience in handling people and understanding the overall project progress to ensure a proper pace for further proceeding are two critical areas of consideration that must be fulfilled by a program manager (Collins, 2021). However, as the project has already started, recruiting someone from outside for this post would mean team communication-related issues may occur in case the position is quickly filled. Besides, finding an experienced candidate who could understand the project from the beginning can be difficult, ultimately creating issues for filling the position quickly. Furthermore, retaining the program manager during the project may get hindered in case the experienced employee demands an exceptionally high figure remuneration or in case issues regarding team collaboration appears.
1. What are your primary retention issues? What challenges do the existing recruitment and retention policies and guidelines create?
The primary issue regarding retention in this specific instance was regarding hiring employees outside the budget. Additionally, the employee confidence in the organisation’s long term growth seeing the seniors and colleagues’ turnarounds can be contemplated as another retention issue here. The existing guidelines state that all recruitment needs to be approved with written permission from multiple hierarchies. A contract needs to be signed by all the subject matter experts for furtherance, which may create difficulties in recruiting new staff. The absence of specific guidelines or policies regarding tenured staff loyalty management or engagement indicates that issues regarding retention may occur here.
2. What can be done to retain existing employees?
In order to retain existing employees, consideration of mentorship programs, perks, and wellness programs to guide them towards a path of own as well as organizational growth are considered as the best ways (Bratton et al., 2021). However, in this specific context, the organisation lags monetary resources to offer employees perks as they have already gone over budget while hiring them. Thus, performance appreciation, training on further growth process and wellness program conduction can be done to reinstall employee confidence which will eventually increase employees’ intent to stay longer in the organisation.
3. How will you motivate the current team?
The motivating team can be done with intrinsic as well as extrinsic rewards based on the level of motivation required and the work process (Boon, Den-Hartog & Lepak, 2019). However, in this specific context, intrinsic motivational factors like providing employees with autonomy and offering professional development opportunities in the company with the success of these course designs can be highlighted for motivating the current teams.
4. How will you go about replacing the ones who have left (positions that are still needed)?
Filling the void created due to resignations of tenured employees must be done in a step-by-step process instead of re-hiring them at once. Primarily, departmental heads and senior subject matter experts can be given with the responsibility to handle the team members. Furthermore, establishing the retention rate by building a personal bond amongst the colleagues can be considered for replacing the individuals who have left. Besides, hiring individuals on a contractual basis for different courses can be essentially done in this context.
1. Outline the steps you would take to hire employees for seven new teams
Hiring employees for seven new teams can be done based on the following steps:
- Posting advertisement for the vacant positions
- Seeking applicants and screening the applicants with the help of departmental heads and hierarchy
- Interviewing candidates based on pre-determined criteria
- Selecting the best candidates based on offers
- Making an offer based on required
2. What internal and/or external methods could be used to recruit and staff quality teams?
Promotions and transfers can be contemplated as the most effective internal method for recruiting as well as staff quality management (Jiang & Messersmith, 2018). Likewise, in this context, promotions of employees can be done as it can help acquire staff who have existing knowledge on the topic. On the other hand, external recruitment methods with social media and job portal based analysis can be essentially done in this context for staff recruitment.
3. How will you ensure a fair, equitable, and market competitive compensation and reward strategy?
Ensuring an equitable, fair and competitive compensation as well as reward strategy can be done by creating an intentional compensation strategy, defining the target market, using reliable data, and developing proper pay ranges for job grade development can be considered as an effective strategy for developing a competitive reward strategy. Overall, conducting standardized wage reviews and adhering to competitive compensation will focus on a proper reward strategy.
4. Propose two strategies to quickly integrate the new teams into the existing workforce
Integrating new hires into quick integration in the new teams to the existing workforce can be done by providing the new hires with a welcome package, and utilisation of a shadowing method for assigning a mentor can be considered as two critical methods. Considering these strategies, quick team integration into the current workforce can be effectively done.
5. Discuss two ways you will proactively manage any potential performance issues
Proactively managing the potential performance issues can be done based on defining and communicating organizational goals and performance objectives (Cooke, Dickmann & Parry, 2020; Connelly et al., 2021). In this context, proactively managing pre-emptive management as well as offering frequent performance feedback can be contemplated as two core strategies to manage potential performance issues as they can help prevent problems before they start.
References
Boon, C., Den Hartog, D. N., & Lepak, D. P. (2019). A systematic review of human resource management systems and their measurement. Journal of management, 45(6), 2498-2537. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0149206318818718
Bratton, J., Gold, J., Bratton, A., & Steele, L. (2021). Human resource management. Bloomsbury Publishing. https://64.225.103.195:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/30/Human_Resource_Management_Theory_and_Practice__PDFDrive_.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Collins, C. J. (2021). Expanding the resource based view model of strategic human resource management. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32(2), 331-358. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09585192.2019.1711442
Connelly, C. E., Fieseler, C., ?erne, M., Giessner, S. R., & Wong, S. I. (2021). Working in the digitized economy: HRM theory & practice. Human Resource Management Review, 31(1), 100762. https://text2fa.ir/wp-content/uploads/Text2fa.ir-Working-in-the-digitized-economy.pdf
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Jiang, K., & Messersmith, J. (2018). On the shoulders of giants: A meta-review of strategic human resource management. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(1), 6-33. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1265&context=managementfacpub
Macke, J., & Genari, D. (2019). Systematic literature review on sustainable human resource management. Journal of cleaner production, 208, 806-815. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652618331056
Pak, K., Kooij, D. T., De Lange, A. H., & Van Veldhoven, M. J. (2019). Human Resource Management and the ability, motivation and opportunity to continue working: A review of quantitative studies. Human Resource Management Review, 29(3), 336-352. https://annetdelange.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Human-Resource-Management-and-the-ability-motivation-and-opportunity-to-continue-working.-A-review-of-quantitative-studies-2019.pdf
Stone, R. J., Cox, A., & Gavin, M. (2020). Human resource management. John Wiley & Sons. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=uCIgEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR13&dq=human+resource+management&ots=PJJRUz0ID0&sig=1UGH4TmLL7vVtlhS8J6qkETyRKE
Strohmeier, S. (2020). Digital human resource management: A conceptual clarification. German Journal of Human Resource Management, 34(3), 345-365. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2397002220921131