A Look Back
HR at Google Continues
As you have seen throughout this chapter, Laszlo Bock and Google have been innovating
constantly in how they approach the role that the function can play and how it plays that role in
the organization. However, this also illustrates that transforming an HR function is always a
journey and not a destination. HR functions must constantly be sensing the changing needs of the
business, developing strategies to help the business meet its goals, and delivering new systems
and processes in an efficient and effective manner.
Questions
1. What do you think it would be like to work for Google? In what ways might Google’s
HR function have an impact on you as an employee there in terms of making your work
experience better?
Student answers will vary, but should draw from information in this chapter. Certainly,
the alignment of Google’s HR strategy to support the overall strategy of the company,
2. In what ways would you expect Google’s HR approach to be different from a
manufacturing organization like General Motors? How does an HR strategy tend to
reflect the nature of the business?
Again, student answers can and will vary but look for evidence that students have
General Motors is a manufacturing company. Therefore, the HR functions of each
Chapter Vocabulary
These terms are defined in the “Extended Chapter Outline” section.
Audit Approach
Analytic Approach
Outsourcing
Reengineering
New Technologies
Transaction Processing
Decision Support Systems
Expert Systems
Strategic advisor
Talent architect
Counselor/confidante/coach
Leader of the HR function
Liaison to the board
Workforce sensor
Representative of the firm
Discussion Questions
1. Why have the roles and activities of the HR function changed over the past 20 to 30
years? What has been driving this change? How effectively do you think HR has
responded?
The roles and activities of HR have changed because many people feel that it should deal
more with strategic functions rather than administrative. Many companies feel that they
2. How can the processes for strategic management discussed in Chapter 2 be transplanted
to manage the HR function?
The processes for strategic management starts with discussing the HRM role, which has
been seen as a strategic partner that has input into the formulation of the company’s
3. Why do you think few companies take the time to determine the effectiveness of HR
practices? Should a company be concerned about evaluating HR practices? Why? What
benefit might the persons working in the HR function gain by evaluating the function?
Students may suggest a variety of reasons. HR must be sold to upper management,
4. How might imaging technology be useful for recruitment? For training? For benefits
administration? For performance management?
Students should be encouraged to give specific examples of how imaging can reduce the
5. Employees in your company currently choose and enroll in benefits programs after
reading communications brochures, completing enrollment forms, and sending them to
their HR rep. A temporary staff has to be hired to process the large amount of paperwork
that is generated. Enrollment forms need to be checked, sorted, batched, sent to data
entry, keypunched, returned, and filed. The process is slow and prone to errors. How
could you use process reengineering to make benefit enrollment more efficient and
effective?
By using a team to examine the process in depth, process reengineering might be able to
6. Some argue that outsourcing an activity is bad because the activity is no longer a means
of distinguishing the firm from competitors. (All competitors can buy the same service
from the same provider, so it cannot be a source of competitive advantage.) Is this true?
If so, why would a firm outsource any activity?
Outsourcing involves contracting with an outside vendor to provide a product or service
Outsourcing is done for two reasons, either the outsourcing partner can provide the
Self-Assessment Exercise: How ethical are you?
Refer to the self-assessment exercise in the text.
Exercising Strategy:
Transforming the Business and HR at Xerox
The vignette describes the transition Xerox went through in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s
when they nearly went bankrupt. The combined efforts of a new VP of HR, Pat Nazemetz and
CEO Anne Mulcahy drastically reduced the size of the company, sold some overseas operations,
and transformed the HR function. As a result, the company survived and within a few years had
seen increasing net income.
Questions
1. After having gone through the massive downsizing, morale obviously has presented
challenges. While Xerox employees seem to understand the need for change (minds),
they may not emotionally embrace it (hearts). How can Xerox gain both “hearts” and
“minds”.
Student answers may vary. To win hearts and minds, a company first has to show that it
cares about employee opinions. Xerox showed this by issuing surveys to its employees.
2. Xerox’s HR function focuses on three initiatives: (a) employee value proposition (what
can employees expect from the company, and what can the company expect from
employees?), (b) performance culture (how can the company develop a culture that
encourages continuous improvement and high performance from all employees?), and (c)
“three exceptional candidates” (how can HR deliver a pipeline of three-deep bench talent
for every position within the organization?). From everything you have learned, how
might Xerox address each of these issues?
Managing People:
Saving Starbucks’ Soul
This vignette describes the voyage of Starbuck’s over the past years from a small craft coffee
shop in Pike Place Market to a multi-billion dollar enterprise that was viewed as a commoditized
entity, and its attempt to return to its artisan roots.
Questions
1. What are some of the HRM issues inherent in Howard Schultz’s concerns?
The student responses will vary, however, responses could include that Starbucks is
2. How would an effective strategic HRM function contribute to keeping Starbucks on track?
Again, student responses will vary, but they should include that by creating an effective
HR in Small Business:
Employees Make a Difference at Amy’s Ice Creams
This vignette describes the birth of Amy’s Ice Creams in Austin, Texas. Amy Miller, the
company’s founder, dropped out of medical school to start the company after her employer sold
out and the new owners were, in her words, “too stodgy”. Her philosophy of managing her
employees is to combine informal fun with care for others. This philosophy begins at the
employment interview and continues throughout the entire employment experience.
Questions
1. Which elements of a customer-oriented HRM perspective does Amy’s Ice Creams seem to
have? (See Figure 16.2.)
The students will have varying views of this issue, but regardless of how vague the
2. Suppose Amy’s hired you as a consultant to evaluate whether the company has an effective
HRM function. Which outcomes would you look for? How would you measure them?
Students will have varying responses here as well. While it is not indicated in the vignette,
Additional Activities
Twitter Focus
Fun is the name of the game for employees as well as customers at Amy’s Ice Creams in the
Austin, Texas area. Founder Amy Miller’s goal is to manage her employees in a different way—
one that combines informal fun with care for others. The employee selection process involves
handing candidates a white paper bag with the instruction to “make something creative.” Service
to the community is also an important employee activity at Amy’s—employees choose the
charities the company will support.
Question
1. What would your reaction be to the employee selection process used by Amy’s Ice
Cream? What would you do with the “white paper bag?”
Manager’s Hot Seat Exercise: Change: More Pain Than Gain? -Please refer to the Asset
Gallery on the OLC for Hot Seat videos and notes.
I. Introduction
The scenario depicts the difficulties that arise when two companies merge and highlights the role
conflicts employees face in such situations. Analyzing this case will generate a rich discussion
of the issues involved in promoting the acceptance of change and managing a difficult change
process.
II. Learning Objectives
1. To assess students’ understanding of change concepts and the challenges of change
management.
2. To identify ways to decrease resistance to change.
3. To analyze and evaluate change leadership behaviors.
III. Scenario Description:
Overview: A national media communications company acquires a regional
communications company. As a result of the merger the regional marketing department
is re-organized, combining the staff of the two organizations. Our Manager is overseeing
the restructuring process and is having a lot of difficulty with people shifting roles,
sharing assignments and adapting to new hierarchies.
The manager meets with two department members who are very displeased with the new
changes. The employees eventually ask the manager to leave the company and head a
start-up – funding is already in place.
Profile:
Carlos Alarcon is the Vice President of Marketing at MediaWorld and manages a
team of 120 people. MediaWorld recently acquired Franklin/Warner a regional
company where Carlos has worked for 14 years. Carlos was a key player in
organizing and managing this merger.
Rita Finch is the Associate Director of Advertising and has worked at
Franklin/Warner for eight years. Since the merger, a second Associate Director
of Advertising, Ronny Peters, has been moved into Rita’s office suite. Over the
course of their six months working together, Rita has found Peters insulting and
uncommunicative.
Juan Rayes is the Creative Director and has worked at Franklin/Warner for seven
years. Since the merger, a second Creative Director, Bill Jackson, has been
moved into Juan’s office suite. Like Rita, over the course of their six months
working together, Juan has found Jackson uncooperative and deficient in his
creative skills.
References: The references included in the DVD are:
Concepts in Change (PPT 6-3)
Merging Organizational Cultures (PPT 6-4)
Forces Resisting Change (PPT 6-6)
Reducing Resistance (PPT 6-8)
Back History: Alarcon, Rayes and Finch have been working together at MediaWorld for
over eight years and have a very amicable working relationship. Since the merger, Finch
and Rayes are now sharing their roles with two employees from the merger company,
Jackson and Peters. They both perceive Jackson and Peters to be incompetent and a
hindrance to the productivity of their departments. Each have different issues,
complaining of arrogance, condescension, slacking, and poor communication skills, but
at the root of the problem, they are furious that they are in essence working under people
who are less experienced and less knowledgeable than they.
Scene Set-up: Alarcon is having check-in meetings with all of the employees in his
department, to assess the progress of the reorganization since the merger took place.
Scene Location: Alarcon’s Office, MediaWorld; 3:00pm Friday
The Meeting – Summary: Carlos apologizes for the delay in meeting and asks them to
share their feelings. Rita and Juan complain that their new counterparts are difficult to
work with and they are very dissatisfied with their roles and their jobs in the new
organization. Carlos says that they need to work out the personal issues on their own.
Juan and Rita both indicate that they don’t see a future and are ready to quit. They
insinuate that they would like Carlos to leave with them so they can work together “on
their own”. Carlos firmly rejects this offer and, while he admits the transformation is
difficult, he says he plans to stay focused to make it work.
Afterthoughts – Summary: Carlos is concerned about Rita’s and Juan’s actions before
they leave. He wants to protect company property and clients because he is sure that they
will leave the organization sooner or later. He did not think that it was ethical for them to
approach him about leaving the organization with them – especially in the workplace. He
is concerned that they indicated that many people are unhappy and admits that he needs
to ensure the communication channels are open so that he can prevent further turnover.
Carlos suggests that he would have tried harder to keep them if he didn’t think their
minds weren’t already made up. While he hates to lose this talent, the merger plan
accounted for some turnover to occur.
Dossier: The specific artifacts included in the DVD are:
1. New Hierarchy/ Department Structure
2. Rayes’ notes on Jackson’s daily schedule over the course of two weeks
3. Voicemails left for Rayes from various clients stating that they would rather
have their accounts managed by a new company instead of continuing with
MediaWorld.