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INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL
APPLICATIONS IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 7E
PART 3
Developing Eecveness in Human Resources:
Training, Career Development, and Performance Appraisal
Orientaon/Training/Career Development
51. CASE: CAREER DEVELOPMENT AT ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS
I. OVERVIEW:
This situation at Electronic Applications is typical of fast-growth companies during their period of
rapid growth. Human resource policies and procedures tend to lag behind other needs of the
organization. The emphasis is on "ge.ng things done" rather than on establishing administrative
systems to support the strategic thrusts of the organization. It is assumed that good people will be
recognized and employees are le0 on their own to develop their own career paths.
Under such conditions, good employees often become frustrated because they feel
"dead-ended." They wish to grow, develop, and assume higher level responsibilities. Since they cannot
see any way to do this in their own company, they tend to look for "greener pastures."
II. OBJECTIVES:
This case can be used to illustrate the frustrations of employees in organizations lacking a
formalized career development system. The assumptions that "they will figure it out" or "everyone is
responsible for his or her own career" represent an abdication of management responsibility to develop
their employees.
A second objective is to force students to examine traditional job structures wherein the only
realistic goal which technical employees could aspire to is supervision of other technical employees. This
means good engineers must give up their technical activities and become managers in order to advance.
This may not be the best use of the employee's talents. Consequently, students will be forced to think
through how they would develop an alternative career ladder system.
III. DISCUSSION:
This case gives Mr. Sweeney (and the students) an opportunity to design a career development
system from the "ground =oor." In its rush to grow, Electronic Applications has clearly neglected the
career needs of employees. If no changes are made, the technical core of the organization will be
adversely a>ected as the be?er engineers leave to advance themselves. Mr. Sweeney does not have the
option of doing nothing.
IV. ANSWERS TO CASE QUESTIONS:
1. Describe the nature and causes of the problem faced by Sweeny.
2. What additional questions should Sweeney ask or what additional information is
a. To what degree do other supervisors (other than Harry James) tend to "hoard" their good
3. What are the individual and organizational benefit of a formalized career
development system?
Organizational benefit include increased employee commitment to the job and organization,
improved performance, an enhanced ability to meet human resources requirements, and lower
4. If Sweeney decides to develop a formalized career development system at Electronic
Applications, what components or types of services should be o>ered? Why?
The first component should be development of a human resources planning system so that
A second component might be a training program to help supervisors recognize talent and to
A third component might be expansion of the present performance appraisal form to include
A fourth component might be development as a job structure for the Research and Development
Department which allows for promotion through a series of higher-level positions in both technical and
A 60h component might be to provide horizontal as well as vertical career paths which could be
A sixth component might be specific identification of, and rewards for, supervisors who develop
5. Should career development activities be integrated with other human resource
management activities? If yes, which ones? Why?
The organization might enhance recruitment, selection, and placement programs to be?er
match persons to positions, thus lessening pressures for promotion through realistic job and career
previews. Improvements in performance appraisal systems could help provide more accurate and
6. What criteria should Sweeney consider to evaluate good candidates for promotion?
What criteria should he use to evaluate the performance of supervisors in
development of their subordinates?
Good candidates for promotion will be those individuals who have already demonstrated the
skills, knowledge, and abilities required in the higher level position. Sweeney should identify these for all
higher-level positions before he a?empts to promote individuals who may or may not possess them.
52. CASE: THE SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM
I. OVERVIEW:
This case focuses on three di>erent aspects of training and development: (1) employee
orientation, (2) on-the-job training, and (3) formal training.
II. OBJECTIVES:
1. To provide a catalyst for discussing the goals and objectives of an employee
orientation program.
2. To demonstrate the required interrelationships between training needs, training
methods, and training evaluation.
3. To illustrate the importance of choosing an appropriate training methodology.
4. To provide a basis for examining e>ective on-the-job training techniques.
III. DISCUSSION:
This case depicts a situation in which a training program appears to have failed. To some extent
it also shows what a 6asco some firm make of training.
Students who read HR textbooks sometimes conclude that all firm have systematic training
programs and follow the guidelines presented in these books. While most large companies do follow
most of these guidelines, smaller firm often do not. Students should be reminded that some firm have
li?le human resource expertise of any kind, including training.
Another related point is that some students implicitly believe that all firm should have and use
sophisticated human resource policies, procedures and methods, including state-of-the-art training
programs. The point is that this is not necessary for a small firm's survival. It would not be cost e>ective
for them to develop these. Indeed, firm can be quite successful without them.
IV. ANSWERS TO CASE QUESTIONS:
1.Evaluate the company's on-the-job training program. Should it be changed?
This question is designed to facilitate discussion regarding the purposes of on-the-job training,
the basic principles for conducting it e>ectively, strengths and weaknesses of it, and what should and
Joe Gleason, the supervisor, seems to think that OJT is a perfect way to beli?le college students.
2.Should the company install an employee orientation program for new factory workers,
or is one unnecessary?
The case states that the company has no formal orientation program for its factory workers. This
statement can serve as the basis for discussing the whole issue of what the purpose of a formal
orientation program is, what subject areas are typically covered in these programs, and when a formal
3.What changes should be made in the company's safety training program?
The company's safety training program appears to be a failure. While one may want to discuss
the reasons for its failure, it is also important to discuss: (1) how do organizations know if a training
program has been successful? (2) should the company have o>ered a safety training program in the first
4.What other kinds of approaches other than training might a firm take to emphasize
safety and curtail accidents other than training?
Most firm take a multifaceted approach to enhancing safety. In addition to o>ering safety
training programs, firm usually develop safety related work rules and enforce these via the progressive
discipline system. Thus, if an employee is engaging in unsafe behaviors, the supervisory would discipline
53. CASE: THE MENTORING PROBLEM AT WALNUT INSURANCE
I. OVERVIEW:
This case demonstrates some of the important issues that surround the development of
employees through the use of mentoring. Many firm believe that mentoring employees is important,
yet it is not without problems as this actual case shows. The case raises the question of whether
mentoring should be done on a voluntary basis or whether it should be required. It raises the issue of
how important mentoring is to women in terms of upward mobility. The case also addresses sexual
harassment issues. Finally, the case raises the issue of what are the alternatives to mentoring.
II. OBJECTIVES:
1. To familiarize students with some of the potential problems with using mentoring
as a means for developing employee skills and abilities.
2. To familiarize students with alternatives to the use of mentoring.
III. ANSWERS TO CASE QUESTIONS:
1. If you were Tom Morrison, would you implement a formal mentoring program? Is
so, how would you address the VP's concerns?
In deciding whether or not to implement a formal mentoring program, Tom has at least two
issues that need to be addressed. First, how important is it to the firm's success that a formal mentoring
program be adopted? As outsiders, we do not know the answer to this question. Only management can
The second is to what extent Tom believes in participative leadership and employee involvement
When analyzing this case, students may completely ignore the second issue, yet it may actually
be more important than the first. Tom obviously believes in some form of participative management, or
he would not have asked for VP input in the first place. He appears to believe in team management and
One must also ask how successful a mentoring program will be if all of the VPs who must
EPILOGUE: The president of the company discussed the mentoring issue with the VPs again and
tried to convince them that a mentoring program should be implemented. The VPs continued to oppose
the plan. Finally, the President announced that a formal program would be implemented. He assured
2. What alternatives to a mentoring program are available to Morrrison?
Tom has several alternatives to consider. First, he could develop a series of formal
training/management development programs that would teach employees the skills necessary to
Tom might also want to consider developing a more individualized approach to employee
development. Rather than send all sales agents to the same programs, Walnut could have each agent's
supervisor work with the agent to develop a tailor made development program. Some firm who use
Yet another approach for Tom to consider is that of job rotation. Rather than have employees
work primarily in one sales region and only do sales work, Walnut could rotate them from location to
One might argue that none of these approaches are an acceptable substitute for mentoring.
Research suggests that mentors provide career and psychosocial support to employees. Career support
includes coaching, sponsorship, and providing challenging assignments. It involves giving the employee
54. CASE: MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT: THE I-MBA REQUEST
I. OVERVIEW
This incident focuses on the general topic of management development and on granting
employees tuition reimbursement for classes taken at colleges and universities. More specifically, it
focuses on alternative ways firm can develop managerial skills and on the issue of reimbursement for
classes taken over the internet. In recent years, more and more universities have been o>ering internet
courses. Some of these programs have been criticized for their lack of academic rigor while others have
been viewed as being nothing more than diploma mills. What sets these I-programs apart from
traditional programs is their high cost. In the incident cited, the MBA program will cost almost $50,000.
II. OBJECTIVES:
1. To make students aware of di>erent approaches for enhancing managerial skills.
2. To familiarize students with the potential problems associated with tuition
reimbursement requests.
3. To familiarize students with the potential problems associated with internet
programs.
4. To familiarize students with criteria that need to be considered in granting tuition
reimbursement requests.
III. ANSWERS TO INCIDENT QUESTIONS
1. What other management development approaches could the firm use to improve
managerial skills other than I-MBA programs?
The firm has a large number of alternatives that it should consider for improving managerial
skills. Among these are: job rotation, lateral transfers, special projects, coaching, understudy
assignments, and mentoring programs. In addition, the firm could send managers to executive
Another approach the firm could take is to hire an outside firm to conduct management
development programs in house. Since the firm currently has no formal management development
The firm may want to begin by conducting a skills and abilities assessment of its current
managers. This could be part of a succession planning program. Once the firm has done its assessment,
2. What criteria should the firm use to determine if it will pay for employees to enroll
in any degree program o>ered on the internet, including an I-MBA program?
Each firm must determine the criteria used to determine if an employee’s request for tuition
reimbursement will be granted. often, this is based on the amount of money budgeted for this which
A. Who is eligible for tuition reimbursement?
B. What is the maximum reimbursement? What expenses are covered?
1. What is the dollar limit on tuition reimbursement per course or per year? Or, what is the
2. Is reimbursement dependent on the grade the employee receives in the course?
C. What classes or programs are eligible for reimbursement?
1. Must the program of study be job related or is any program eligible?
D. What forms must be completed?
E. Must the employee agree to stay with the firm for a given period a0er receiving tuition
reimbursement?
3. Should the firm grant Thomas William’s request?
One could argue that whether Thomas’s request should be granted should be based on the
firm’s overall management development strategy. According to the case, the firm has no formal
Assuming that I-MBA programs are a part of the firm’s plan, Thomas’s request presents the firm
with an interesting dilemma. If they grant the request, Thomas may complete the program and then
leave for another firm. On the other hand, if the request is denied, he may also leave. Complicating
ma?ers is the fact that the program is new and expensive and that it does not appear to address
It is important to note that one important issue relates to the 2 one-week residencies that are
It is important to remind students that whatever the firm decides regarding Thomas’s request is
likely to be precedent se.ng. Undoubtedly, other requests will be forthcoming so the firm needs to
