Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 9 Human Resource Management: Getting the Right People for
Managerial Success
look for another job, as well as searching the Web for art projects to do in her spare time. Her
friends describe her as being not only fiercely independent but also very creative. In college, they
say, she was always writing. “She used to write short stories,” her roommate recalls, “and also
worked part time on the college newspaper.”
Gina’s supervisor at her old job says they hated to see her go. “She was so good at dealing with
our customers,” he says. “She was also one of the few marketing managers who had a close
business relationship with our vendors. In addition, she was very goal oriented: We would tell
her what we wanted to achieve, and she would dive in head first.” Her direct reports state that
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?
2. Are there any skills Gina does not exhibit that you feel she should develop in order to be
a more appealing candidate? Discuss.
3. What are some things Gina can do to improve her skills for future jobs in marketing?
Explain.
Tips for large and online classes:
Large classes: May be best to do this as an individual assignment by passing out the case and
then discussing the three questions as a class.
Sources
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 9 Human Resource Management: Getting the Right People for
Managerial Success
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McGraw-Hill Education.
pp.407–408. It was originally adapted from “Assessing Your Skills: What Makes You Different
from All the Others?”
Return.
GROUP EXERCISE #2: PRACTICING YOUR INTERVIEW SKILLS
Objectives
● To practice interviewing skills and receive feedback on strengths and weaknesses.
Introduction
The overall purpose of this exercise is for students to practice answering real-life interview
questions. Students role-play several “tough” interview questions during this exercise.
Instructions
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?
● Tell me about a time when you handled a personality conflict.
● What motivates you?
● What is one of your weaknesses? One of your strengths?
● Why should we hire you?
● What do you think of your last boss?
● How would you describe your personality?
● How would you deal with an employee who thinks he or she should be the manager
and resents you for your position?
● How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to your company?
3. Break students into groups of three. Give each group a copy of the attached role descriptions.
Students will take turns assuming these roles.
4. Give each group member three interview questions, and tell them to flip them over so none
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McGraw-Hill Education.
5. Give each group a copy of the attached matrix. Each observer observes the interview role
play and lists feedback recommendations in this matrix.
6. Reconvene as a class for discussion.
Sources:
This exercise was taken from: A. Johnson and A. Kinicki, Group and Video Resource Manual:
An Instructor’s Guide to an Active Classroom (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006),
pp.407–408.
Role Descriptions
Interviewer: You are an HR professional responsible for selecting a new call center manager.
Ask the applicant the three questions you were given. The perfect candidate will answer
questions honestly and confidently. You should give the interviewee plenty of time to process
the questions before providing an answer. The observer takes notes during the interview process
and gives feedback at the conclusion of the role play.
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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
Number Two
(name)__________________
Notes about Interviewee
Number Two
(name)____________________
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Observer Number Three
(name)_______________
Notes about Interviewer
Number Three
(name)_________________
Notes about Interviewee
Number Three
(name)____________________
Return.
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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 particularly
difficult when the feedback is constructive or negative. This exercise provides students a role-
play experience to practice giving constructive feedback to a team member on a student project.
After each student practices this skill, an observer will provide feedback about the effectiveness
of the role play.
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 facts, speaking in
absolutes, changing subjects, or using directive
questions to control the conversation.
Avoiding involves steering completely away
from sensitive subjects. We talk, but without
addressing the real issues.
Labeling is putting a label on people or ideas
so we can dismiss them under a general
stereotype or category.
Withdrawing means pulling out of a
conversation altogether. We either exit the
conversation or exit the room.
Attacking speaks for itself. You’ve moved
from winning the argument to making the
person suffer. Tactics include belittling and
threatening.
Instructions
2. Break students into groups of three.
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McGraw-Hill Education.
3. Distribute the “roles” shown below, and let everyone know that each student will have the
opportunity to play each role. Give students five minutes or so to prepare for their roles.
4. Each group will conduct three role-play exercises. This enables a student to play each role
and get feedback on their communication styles. Once students are prepared for the first set
of role plays, ask them to proceed. Allow between 5 and 10 minutes for students to complete
their role play and to provide feedback. Next, have the individuals switch roles, and conduct
the second and third set of role plays.
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 luck seems
to hang over you like a black cloud. Every time the group is set to meet, your car breaks down;
you miss the bus; you get lost; your computer crashes; or any number of disastrous things. Every
time a class period is set aside for group work, you’re conveniently late, or you have to miss
Role: Project Team Leader
Your grades are excellent, and everyone in the class knows it. Unfortunately, this seems to have
could ignore this person and delegate work to everyone else, you now realize that the group’s
grade depends on each individual putting forth effort to complete specific tasks. As a case in
point, you delegated a task to this individual a week ago and have not heard anything about the
task’s completion. It’s now the night before the project is due, and your group is scheduled to
meet and complete its work. Everyone is present except this problem individual. He or she is
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Role: Observer
Your job is to watch the role play and take notes about the communication style used by the
person playing the role of the “reluctant group leader.” Use the matrix provided by your
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?
3. What were the positive and negative aspects of how the team leader delivered the
feedback?
4. Did you observe any of the negative ways to handle crucial conversations?
5. What is your key takeaway about giving constructive feedback to others?
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Observer Evaluation Matrix
Observations
Observer Number One
Reluctant Group Leader:
Name________________
Masking
Avoiding
Withdrawing
Controlling
Labeling
Attacking
Observations
Observer Number One
Reluctant Group Leader:
Name________________
Masking
Avoiding
Withdrawing
Controlling
Labeling
Attacking
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Observations
Observer Number One
Reluctant Group Leader:
Name________________
Masking
Avoiding
Withdrawing
Controlling
Labeling
Attacking
Return.
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 9 Human Resource Management: Getting the Right People for
Managerial Success
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CAREER CORNER GROUP EXERCISE
BECOMING A BETTER GIVER AND RECEIVER OF FEEDBACK
Learning Objectives
• Students will develop their ability to give and receive feedback.
• Students will receive guidance on how to improve one or more of these seven career
readiness competencies: social intelligence, emotional intelligence, ownership/accepting
responsibility, proactive learning orientation, positive approach, self-awareness, and
openness to change.
Introduction
Managers must master the ability to give and receive feedback if they expect to have a positive
impact on the productivity of their subordinates, as well as themselves. This exercise focuses on
using the process of feedforward techniques, such as coaching, to replace traditional feedback
techniques, such as performance appraisals.
Instructions
The primary purpose of this exercise is for students to enhance their ability to give and
effectively receive feedback. We will use the seven competencies listed in Chapter 9’s Career
Corner as the basis of this activity. We suggest utilizing the worksheet located at the end of the
exercise to facilitate this activity.
1. Start the class by having the students read the following articles:
• Stop Giving Feedback, Instead Give Feedforward by Kevin Fruse
• What’s the Difference Between Feedback and Feedforward?
2. Have each student choose one of the seven competencies (outlined below) and have them
list one or two behaviors that they would like to improve on using the worksheet
provided at the end of this exercise.
CAREER
READINESS
ONLINE
ARTICLE
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3. Put the students in pairs as a receiver and a coach.
• The receiver starts the exercise by describing the one or two behaviors they want
to improve.
4. Facilitate a class discussion using the following questions:
• How comfortable were you in choosing and explaining the areas for
improvement? Did you censure your level of self-disclosure?
• What were you focused on when listening to the feedforward input? What made
some suggestions “better” than others?
• What role was harder? The receiver? The coach? Why?
• What will you do differently when giving or receiving feedback?
Feedforward Input—Becoming a Better Receiver of Feedback
Instructions
• Pick one of the dimensions listed below.
• Describe one or two behaviors related to this dimension that you want to improve.
• Form a pair with a fellow student where one of you is the receiver and the other is the
coach
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Worksheet
Circle one of the following competencies.
Social Intelligence Emotional Intelligence Ownership/Accepting
Responsibility
Proactive Learning Orientation Positive Approach Self-awareness
Openness to Change
List one or two behaviors related to this competency that you would like to improve.
I would like to
I would like to
Record feedforward ideas: Record below—without evaluation or comments.
Return.
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UBER CONTINUING CASE
Chapter 9: Human Resource Management
This part of the Uber continuing case focuses on Chapter 9 and covers principles related to
human resource management. This continuing case’s real-world application of management
knowledge and skills is designed to help you develop critical-thinking ability and realize the
practical power of sound managerial skills for solving problems in your job and career.
The case includes five multiple-choice questions and two essay-based questions. The essay-
based questions can also be used in-class to spur discussion:
1. Create a behaviorally anchored rating scale for riders to complete about drivers.
Come up with a description for every rating on a 1 through 5 rating scale, where 5 is
the best. For example, part of the description for a “5” rating might include “Got
me to my exact destination,” whereas a “1” rating might include “Never got me to
my exact destination.” Do not use the example provided.
2. Assume Uber has decided not to require or offer any training. Use the 5-question
training process framework provided in the book to evaluate whether this was a
good decision.
Step 1 is Assessment, which involves asking whether the training is needed. In Uber’s
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 9 Human Resource Management: Getting the Right People for
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McGraw-Hill Education.
whether the training is working. One way to directly test this is to track rider reviews for
several weeks to months following the training. In the end, the training can help the
driver, but it is not guaranteed to enhance the services Uber provides for its customers.
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 9 Human Resource Management: Getting the Right People for
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MANAGER’S HOT SEAT
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT—F IS FOR FEEDBACK
I. Introduction
A-Plus Government Solutions is a government contractor that handles Department of Defense
contracts. Christopher has been assigned to work on the client site on behalf of A-Plus and is up
for his one-year performance evaluation with his boss, Heidi. Heidi believes Christopher is doing
an excellent job from her point of view, but she keeps receiving complaints from the general he
works with onsite. Heidi and Christopher are now meeting to discuss his performance.
II. Learning Objectives
2. Analyze the different methods of setting expectations and goals.
4. Analyze the different perceptual errors in evaluating performance.
III. Scenario Description:
Scene Set-up: Christopher and Heidi are meeting in Heidi’s office.
Scene Location: Heidi’s Office
Profile:
Heidi Banks, IT Supervisor
Christopher Thom, IT Specialist
Summary: Heidi and Christopher are meeting to discuss his performance during the past year. The
conversation starts off on a positive note as they discuss his sales performance. The conversation
then turns negative when Heidi brings up concerns that an onsite client has had with Christopher.
IV. Discussion of Theory
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• What can go wrong with performance management?
o Heidi and Christopher start their meeting by both complaining about an obsolete
and time-consuming performance evaluation statement. This sets a negative tone
for the meeting.
o Heidi waited nine months to bring up the general’s complaints with Christopher
instead of addressing it immediately. This has probably led to a lot of frustration
on the general’s part as issues were not remedied. It also did not allow
Christopher an opportunity to gain valuable, timely feedback from his manager.
o Christopher’s performance goals were 80 percent based on billings and 20 percent
based on the client’s feedback. Well, even though his billings were fine, the client
was upset with him, which doesn’t only mean he gets dinged on his 20 percent
rating, he also may lose his job. That means that getting a high evaluation on the
80 percent was pointless.
o The general’s feedback, which Heidi provided was, not descriptive.
• Goal setting
o Heidi and Christopher did not set a SMART goal. The goal was simply to do
more than last year, and we don’t even know what last year was. This is a
• Perceptual errors
o Halo. Heidi is attributing Christopher’s performance at the gym with his
performance at work. This is biasing her ratings.
• Job satisfaction
o Christopher is quite unsatisfied with his job after his performance evaluation. He
believes he did everything that was expected of him, and that he was penalized for
Kinicki/Williams, Management, 9e: Chapter 9 Human Resource Management: Getting the Right People for
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McGraw-Hill Education.
something out of his control. Heidi has lost a lot of credibility with him. To the
point that he does not want to work for her even if he gets to keep his job.
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APPLICATION-BASED ACTIVITY
There are no application-based activities for this chapter.