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After 5 years, Gina was laid off as a marketing manager for a high-tech company. “Gina
hates not having a job,” her roommate says. “She always has to have something to do.
If not, she’ll jump up and start cleaning just to be productive. She’s also very organized.
For instance, she files all her music videos in alphabetical order.”
Her friends also say Gina’s sense of humor keeps her from feeling unbearably
depressed about the layoff, and they believe she will find a new job quickly. Her mother
agrees. “Gina is the oldest child,” she says, “and she has always been a very good
team leader. She’s very organized and ever since she was a little girl she’s been good
at coordinating things.” Her father says his daughter has a great head for numbers, and
he hoped she would follow in his tracks and become an accountant.
Questions for Discussion
1. If you were the HR professional at this high-tech company and were hiring
someone to work in marketing, would you hire Gina? Do you feel she has the
appropriate skills? Why or why not?
Sources
1 This exercise taken from: A Johnson and A Kinicki, Group and Video Resource
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Group Exercise #2: Practicing Your Interview Skills
Objectives
• To practice interviewing skills and receive feedback on strengths and weaknesses.
Introduction
Instructions
1. This exercise is designed around an interview role-play. Group members assume
roles and assess one another’s strengths and weaknesses in interviewing. In
preparation for this exercise, copy the questions below onto 3 X 5 note cards or
separate slips of paper. You will need to copy each question multiple times so that
each group gets one copy of each question.
• If you were an animal in the jungle, which would you be and how does this
choice relate to your management ability?
2. Give a brief lecture on the selection process and tips for interviewing.
3. Break students into groups of 3. Give each group a copy of the attached role
descriptions. Students will take turns assuming these roles.
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6. Reconvene as a class for discussion.
Sources:
1 This exercise was taken from: A Johnson and A Kinicki, Group and Video Resource
Role Descriptions
Interviewer: You are an HR professional responsible for selecting a new call center
Interviewee: You are applying for a job as a call center manager. Answer the
interviewer questions as honestly as possible. You want to come across as
Observer: Your job is to take careful notes during the interview role-play. Observe
both the interviewer and the interviewee and be sure to record any observations
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Interview Role-Play Feedback Matrix
Observer Number One
(name)_____________
Notes about Interviewer
Number One
(name)_________________
Notes about Interviewee
Number One
(name)___________________
Observer Number Two
(name)_____________
Notes about Interviewer
(name)__________________
Notes about Interviewee
(name)____________________
Observer Number Three
(name)_______________
Notes about Interviewer
(name)_________________
Notes about Interviewee
(name)____________________
Chapter 09 – Human Resource Management: Getting the Right People for Managerial Success
Group Exercise #3: Providing Constructive Feedback to a Team
Member
Objective
• To give students a chance to experiment with giving constructive feedback to a team
member.
Introduction
Feedback is a key component of the performance management process. It can be
Six Less Than Perfect Strategies of Handling Crucial Conversations
Silence
Violence
Masking consists of understating or
selectively showing our true opinions.
Sarcasm, sugarcoating, and couching are
some of the more popular forms.
Controlling consists of coercing others to
your way of thinking. It’s done through
either forcing your views on others or
dominating the conversation. Methods
include cutting others off, overstating your
Instructions
1. Do a brief presentation about the negative strategies for handling crucial
conversations.
2. Break students into groups of 3.
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4. Each group will conduct three role-play exercises. This enables a student to play
Role: The Problem Team Member
You are a member of a group working on a semester-long project. The project is your
final exam. Unfortunately, you are an individual who is not only perpetually late, but bad
Role: Project Team Leader
Your grades are excellent and everyone in the class knows it. Unfortunately, this
seems to have worked against you this time – you didn’t want to be the group leader for
this project, but when your group didn’t nominate someone in time, the professor
elected you for the job. The plus side is that the group seems to get along and is fairly
productive. Your misgivings about this position are due to one group member that
always seems to be full of excuses but not necessarily full of ideas or help. You’ve
Role: Observer
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5. Reconvene as a class.
Questions for Discussion
1. How hard was it to deliver constructive feedback?
2. Why is it hard to deliver constructive feedback?
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Observer Evaluation Matrix
Observations
Observer Number One
Reluctant Group Leader:
Name________________
Masking
Avoiding
Withdrawing
Controlling
Labeling
Attacking
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Job Coaches
Teaching Objective: Illustrate the difficulties workers face during changing
Summary: Job coaching helps workers gain the right skill set to survive and prosper,
Questions:
1. What role do job coaches play in human resource management?
Answer: Job coaches help train workers in the skills they will need to
2. What are some of the benefits job coaches provide?
Answer: Job coaches help workers transition into the organization, become
3. How can job coaching be used as a recruiting tool?
Additional videos directly related to the textbook can be found in the Connect
Instructor’s Manual.
VIDEO CASE
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Students may complete the ““Diversity in Hiring: Candidate Conundrum” Manager’s Hot
Seat exercises in Connect for this chapter.
I. Introduction
Interviewing and hiring qualified candidates is an important and prevalent
II. Learning Objectives
III. Scenario Description:
Overview: Robert Gedaliah has interviewed fifteen candidates to fill the new
Profile:
• Robert Gedaliah is the Founder and President of Beck ‘n Call, a delivery
service with a staff of over 200 with many fleets of transportation, and
References: The references included in the DVD are:
• Women-of-Color Managers Survey (PPT 14-7)
• Title VII: Definitions (PPT 14-11)
MANAGER’S HOT SEAT
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Back History: Beck ‘n Call is growing at a rapid rate – Robert knows it’s wise to
take a precise and cautious approach towards growth, and scrutinizes all
aspects. He has interviewed 15 people for the new Customer Outreach Rep.
Discrimination and diversity issues have become more complex now that the
company is over the 50 employee mark. Robert does try very hard to have a
diverse staff, although he hasn’t had nearly as many minority applicants for any
Scene Set-up: Robert and Paul have finished interviewing two candidates and
are meeting to decide who to hire.
Scene Location: Robert’s office
The Meeting – Summary: During the interviews, Paul’s body language is very
engaged and positive toward Sonya, who is Caucasian. He smiles and nods at
her and seems to enjoy their interaction. When Jacqueline, who is African
American, is interviewed Paul’s body language is more closed, no smile. After
Afterthoughts – Summary: Robert says he bases hiring decisions on the
person’s “total mix” including experience, education, fit with coworkers and
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supervisor, personality, etc. Based on that, he thinks Jacqueline is the best
candidate.
Dossier: The specific artifacts included in the DVD are:
IV. Discussion Questions:
The References and related Discussion Questions may be found in PowerPoint slides
14-1 to 14-11.
1. Errors in evaluation are often made because of common biases that influence
one’s decision making (e.g., halo, horn, contrast, similar-to-me). What evaluation
biases seemed to be taking place in this scenario?
1. Robert is suggesting Paul has [when he says he leans towards Sonya]:
A. A bias
2. Paul’s point is [when he says Sonya would be a better fit]:
A. Skewed
2. What advantages and disadvantages are there when using panel interviews?
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3. Robert’s decision:
A. Disregards Paul
B. Is premature
1. What valid reasons did Robert provide to persuade Paul to choose Jacqueline?
Students’ answers will vary – it will depend on what they consider “valid”.
Discussing Jacqueline’s relevant experience and her job-related personality
4. The key argument is about:
A. Qualifications
5. Robert’s argument [that Sonya was too enthusiastic] is:
A. Relevant
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2. What aspects of the Women–of-Color survey are relevant to this scenario (PPT
14-7)? How could Robert use this to support his position?
The fact that there are African American employees at Beck ‘n Call but none in
1. If Robert made the decision to hire Jacqueline because she was married, would
Sonya have a case against Beck ‘n Call under Title VII? (see PPT 14-9 to 14-11).
No, Title VII does not protect an individual based on their marital status.
2. Is Robert’s decision to hire Jacqueline legal? Why or why not?
Yes, because Jacqueline and Sonya were at least equally qualified. The courts
6. Hiring based on quotas is: