Case Study Based Project Report With Role Play Task

Note:youmusteitherlinktheseneedstotheeducationindustryorthemedicalindustry.

• New technology that may impact job roles and job design in the Medical Faculty.

Note:youmustlinkthesenewtechnologiestothejobrolesanddesignoftheProfessorsintheMedicalFaculty.Ifthetechnologiesyouhavefoundarerelatedtothejobrolesanddesignofdoctors,considerwhattheimpactwillbeupontheProfessorswhowillbeteachingthestudentshowtousethenewtechnologiesintheindustryasdoctors.

• Review changes to industrial and legal requirements for HUA, by reviewing the National Strategy for International Education 2025. You must review the plan to understand how the 10-year strategy will impact the education industry. In your review you must consider the 3 pillars of the strategy, and highlight the key goals within each pillar.

Note:youmustlinkyourreviewtotheimpactitwillhaveuponHUA.

Task1:Yourassessorwillbelookingfor:

Before you hand in the Task 1 assessments, use the checklist below to make sure you have completed all the activities and have included all relevant information.

• Analysed strategic plans to determine human resource strategic direction, objectives and targets · Undertook additional environmental analysis to identify emerging practices and trends that may

impact on human resource management in the organisation

• Identified future labour needs, skill requirements and options for sourcing labour supply · Considered new technology and its impact on job roles and job design
• Reviewed recent and potential changes to industrial and legal requirements

@Task2RolePlay

In Task 2 students will be required to develop the human resources strategic plan for the HUA Medical Faculty. Inordertodothis,studentswill needtoreview thestrategic plan development information provided in the appendix, the HUA Case Study and the information they have found in Task 1.

1. a) Before developing the HUA Medical Faculty’s HR Strategic Plan, you must conduct the following role play.

RolePlayInstructions: · Form groups of 3 students

• Inform your trainer once you have formed your group
• Your group will be acting as the HR Management Team at HUA
• Conduct a meeting about the factors relating to the HUA HR Strategic Plan, by following the activities below.
• Once you have completed the activities, note down your findings and inform your trainer.

RolePlayActivities:

• Acting as HR Managers you must conduct a meeting to consult one another about the human resource preferences of HUA and the Medical Faculty.
• In the meeting you must discuss and agree upon the human resource philosophies, values and policies of HUA.

Note:inordertodevelop,discussandagreeuponthesefactorsusetheinformationyouhavefoundinTask1aswellastheCaseStudy.

• You must also discuss the HR strategic objectives and targets which you determined in Task 1 (a).
• Ensure that your team discusses these factors by questioning each other’s assumptions, asking how and why they think this way.

1. b) As the HR Manager at HUA, you must now examine options for providing human resources (e. labour supply) to the Medical Faculty. To examine the options you must conduct a cost and benefits analysis.

Note:acostbenefitanalysisexaminesthecostofeachoption,thepossiblebenefitsofeachoptionandanassessmentdeterminingifthebenefitsoutweighthecosts.

In your examination, consider your findings in Task 1 (b) as well as the following recruitment options: · Hiring casual labour

• Hiring new graduates or trainees · Employing off shore workers
• Outsourcing
• Using contractors or consultants

1. c) Based on your findings, develop a human resources strategic plan for HUA and specifically the Medical Faculty. Ensure your plan is based on the strategic objectives you have determined in Part 1

Task 1 (a) and Task 2 (a). In writing the plan, use the information provided in the case study, appendix and your findings in Task’s 1 & 2.

(400-800 words)

Your HR Strategic Plan must follow the following structure:

StructureofthePlan

Cover Page 1) Introduction

2) Organisational mission, vision, goals and objectives 3) Values and Philosophies

4) The operating context (include information on external and internal environment) (Note:determinedinTask1(a)&(b))

5) Key Personnel and their responsibilities 6) Strategic directions for HR

7) Prioritisation of Objectives

8) Options for the provision of human resources (Note:ensureyouprovideaclearrecommendation)

9) Technology and systems required to implement plan 10) Budget and Timeframes

(Note:youmaymakeassumptions.However,youmustspecifywhentheyaremadeandyourassumptionsmustbeplausibleandjustifiable)

11) Key Performance Indicators 12) Risk Management Plan

(Note:usetheriskmanagementplantemplateprovidedintheappendix)

Once you have completed the plan, discuss the plan with HUA Senior Management (your trainer), to obtain support and feedback.

Task2:Yourassessorwillbelookingfor:

Before you hand in the Task 2 assessments, use the checklist below to make sure you have completed all the activities and have included all relevant information.

• Consulted relevant managers about their human resources preferences
• Agreed on human resource philosophies, values and policies with relevant managers · Developed strategic objectives and targets for human resource services
• Examined options for the provision of human resource services and analysed costs and benefits · Identified appropriate technology and systems to support agreed human resource programs and

practices

• Written strategic human resource plan and obtained senior management support for the plan · Developed risk management plans to support the strategic human resource plan

@Task3RolePlay

1. a) In Task 3 (a) you will be implementing and reviewing your HR strategic plan which you have formed in Task 2 (c). To do this you will be conducting a role play based on the following instruction

RolePlayInstructions:

• Reform your groups of 3 from Task 2 (a)
• If you cannot reform the group with the same students, that’s okay, form a new group of 3 students
• Once you have formed the group inform your trainer
• Your group will be acting as the HR Management Team at HUA
• Conduct ameetinginwhich youwill be reviewingthe implementationofthe strategic plan

RolePlayActivities:

• Review the results of the implementation scenario below · Review performance against objectives
• Review the effectiveness of the risk management plan
• Identify steps that can be taken to improve the implementation
• Once you have completed the activities inform your trainer, who will provide you feedback and confirm if you may proceed to Task 3 (b).

ImplementationScenario:

Twelve months have passed since the initial implementation of the human resources strategic plan. Within this time period the following observations were made about the Hedstrom University of Australia Medical Faculty and the successes/failures of the strategic plan:

• Advertising and marketing for new staff was initially slow and cumbersome and a lot of the applicants were not qualified for the job. This made it time consuming and costly to review and reject the applicants.
• After the initial rounds of recruitment, the employment of technical/support staff has remained stable. However, some of the newly recruited staff members did not receive the appropriate induction and therefore are struggling to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.
• One senior level contractor did discontinue providing their services to HUA after compensation disputes and irregular/untimely payments.
• The budget was exceeded by a total of $500,000 across various areas of the plan (make assumptions of excess spending in regards to your own development plan)
• An increase in senior level staff motivation and job satisfaction was noted due to the provision of new support staff.

• Students found an improvement in their education experience as teaching staff had more time to focus on students and support staff could assist them with their queries.
• All other activities were found to be successful with a varyingdegree of risks faced (make assumptions in regards to your own development plan)

Note:althougheachstudentwithinthegroupwillhaveaslightlydifferentstrategicplan,studentsshouldstillreviewanddiscusstheimplementationscenariocollectively.Studentsshouldsharetheimpactofthescenarioontheirstrategicplanandhelpothersinthegrouptounderstandhowthescenariowillimpacttheirstrategicplans.Thecollaborativeprocessisdesignedtoshareideasandtoallowstudentstolearnfromoneanother.

1. b) Once you have conducted the performance review meeting with the HUA Human Resources Management Team, you must complete an internal memo using the template provided in the appendi In doing so, you must note down your findings as well as the changes you would make to the HR strategic plan based on the implementation scenario in Task 3 (a). (50-100 words)

Task3:Yourassessorwillbelookingfor:

Before you hand in the Task 3 assessments, use the checklist below to make sure you have completed all the activities and have included all relevant information.

• Worked with others to see that the plan is implemented · Monitored and reviewed the plan
• Adapted plan should circumstances change
• Evaluated and reviewed performance against plan objectives

APPENDICES

APPENDIX:01

CASE STUDY – HEDSTROM UNIVERSITY OF AUSTRALIA – FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN THE MEDICAL FACULTY

Hedstrom University of Australia (HUA) is one of Australia’s leading higher education providers, known for their excellence in education and academic research. The university has been operating for over 100 years and has recently seen a major decline in their ability to attract and retain academics and teaching staff. As a result, education standards have dropped and student numbers are steadily declining. The greatest impact has been upon the Medical Faculty, which was once world renowned, but now with over enrolled classes and lack of technological updates has seen its ranking drop severely. The university’s academic board has made the Medical Faculty a top priority for concern and would like to restore its education and reputation.

You are the Human Resources (HR) Manager in the Hedstrom University of Australia and the board has placed you in charge of overcoming the Medical Faculty’s HR problems. HUA competes with 2 other local universities to attract local and international students to study in the Medical Faculty. As the HR Manager for HUA, you are in the process of supporting the Medical Faculty through their annual planning processes.

Two of the university’s strategic vision priorities are to: · Provide an exceptional student experience &

• Provide academic and professional services to help students manage the academic and personal challenges that may arise.

The Medical Faculty is experiencing increasing pressure on their teaching and research facilities and are having difficulty in retaining technical staff who are vital to the effective functioning of laboratoriesandteachingfacilities.The universityhaspreviouslyonlyrecruitedfulltimeor part time staff from word of mouth within the academic community or through the university’s job board.

To gain a better understanding of the circumstances, in collaboration with representatives of the faculty you have conducted a SWOT analysis to determine the most relevant human resource strategies.

TheKeyOrganisationalGoals for the next five years are to:

1. 1. Restore Medical Faculty’s competitiveness as a leader in education and innovation 2. Attract students from new international markets by building a global reputation
2. 3. Attract and retain industry leading academics and teaching staff 4. Maintain competitiveness in domestic market
3. 5. Ensure all facilities are maintained to world class standards
4. 6. Develop a new building for the Medical Faculty with leading tech and more classrooms

OrganisationalValuesStatements:

1. 1. Inclusive education for all students
2. 2. Leaders in academic research to support the academic community
3. 3. Ensure students graduate with the skills they need to be industry leaders 4. Attract and retain top quality academic and teaching staff
4. 5. HUA values clear communication and the right to express our opinions in a polite and pleasant manner and we extend this right to other
5. 6. We endeavour to support others by observing all appropriate legislation and guidelines and ensure that our campuses are safe environment

APPENDIX:02

HR STRATEGIC PLANNING INFORMATION

HRPlanning:StrategicHRPlanning

Strategic HR planning is an important component of strategic HR management. It links HR management directly to the strategic plan of your organization. Most mid- to large sized organizations have a strategic plan that guides them in successfully meeting their missions. Organizations routinely complete financial plans to ensure they achieve organizational goals and while workforce plans are not as common, they are just as important.

Even a small organization with as few as 10 staff can develop a strategic plan to guide decisions about the future. Based on the strategic plan, your organization can develop a strategic HR plan that will allow you to make HR management decisions now to support the future direction of the organization. Strategic HR planning is also important from a budgetary point of view so that you can factor the costs of recruitment, training, etc. into your organization's operating budget.

IntroductiontostrategicHRplanning

The overall purpose of strategic HR planning is to:

• Ensure adequate human resources to meet the strategic goals and operational plans of your organization - the right people with the right skills at the right time
• Keep up with social, economic, legislative and technological trends that impact on human resources in your area and in the sector
• Remain flexible so that your organization can manage change if the future is different than anticipated

Strategic HR planning predicts the future HR management needs of the organization after analyzing the organization's current human resources, the external labour market and the future HR environment that the organization will be operating in. The analysis of HR management issues external to the organization and developing scenarios about the future are what distinguishes strategic planning from operational planning. The basic questions to be answered for strategic planning are

• Where are we going?
• How will we develop HR strategies to successfully get there, given the circumstances? · What skill sets do we need?

ThestrategicHRplanningprocess

The strategic HR planning process has four steps:

• Assessing the current HR capacity · Forecasting HR requirements
• Gap analysis
• Developing HR strategies to support organizational strategies

AssessingcurrentHRcapacity

Based on the organization's strategic plan, the first step in the strategic HR planning process is to assess the current HR capacity of the organization.The knowledge,skills and abilitiesof your current staff need to be identified. This can be done by developing a skills inventory for each employee. The skills inventory should go beyond the skills needed for the particular position. List all skills each employee has demonstrated. For example, recreational or volunteer activities may involve special skills that could be relevant to the organization. Education levels and certificates or additional training should also be included.

An employee's performance assessment form can be reviewed to determine if the person is ready and willing to take on more responsibility and to look at the employee's current development plans.

ForecastingHRrequirements

The next step is to forecast HR needs for the future based on the strategic goals of the organization. Realistic forecasting of human resources involves estimating both demand and supply. Questions to be answered include:

• How many staff will be required to achieve the strategic goals of the organization? · What jobs will need to be filled?
• What skill sets will people need?

WhenforecastingdemandsforHR,you must alsoassessthe challengesthat you will have inmeeting your staffing need based on the external environment. To determine external impacts, you may want to consider some of the following factors:

• How does the current economy affect our work and our ability to attract new employees? · How do current technological or cultural shifts impact the way we work and the skilled

labour we require?

• What changes are occurring in the Canadian labour market?
• How is our community changing or expected to change in the near future?

To read more about the changing labour force and why it matters to non-profit employers, go to the Diversity at Work section of the HR Toolkit:

• Why diversity at work matters

Gapanalysis

The next step is to determine the gap between where your organization wants to be in the future and where you are now. The gap analysis includes identifying the number of staff and the skills and abilities required in the future in comparison to the current situation. You should also look at all your organization's HR management practices to identify practices that could be improved or new practicesneeded to support the organization's capacity to move forward.Questions to be answered include:

• What new jobs will we need?
• What new skills will be required?

• Do our present employees have the required skills?
• Are employees currently in positions that use their strengths? · Do we have enough managers/supervisors?
• Are current HR management practices adequate for future needs?

DevelopingHRstrategiestosupportorganizationalstrategies

There are five HR strategies for meeting your organization's needs in the future:

• Restructuring strategies
• Training and development strategies · Recruitment strategies
• Outsourcing strategies · Collaboration strategies

1. Restructuringstrategies

This strategy includes:

• Reducing staff either by termination or attrition · Regrouping tasks to create well designed jobs
• Reorganizing work units to be more efficient

If your assessment indicates that there is an oversupply of skills, there are a variety of options open to assist in the adjustment. Termination of workers gives immediate results. Generally, there will be costs associated with this approach depending on your employment agreements. Notice periods are guaranteed in all provinces. Be sure to review the employment and labour standards in your province or territory to ensure that you are compliant with the legislation.

2. Traininganddevelopmentstrategies This strategy includes:

• Providing staff with training to take on new roles
• Providing current staff with development opportunities to prepare them for future jobs in your organization

Training and development needs can be met in a variety of ways. One approach is for the employer to pay for employees to upgrade their skills. This may involve sending the employee to take courses or certificates or it may be accomplished through on-the-job training. Many training and development needs can be met through cost effective techniques. See the HR Toolkit section on Learning, Training and Development for more information.

3. Recruitmentstrategies

This strategy includes:

• Recruiting new staff with the skill and abilities that your organization will need in the future · Considering all the available options for strategically promoting job openings and

encouraging suitable candidates to apply

For strategic HR planning, each time you recruit you should be looking at the requirements from a strategic perspective. Perhaps your organization has a need for a new fundraiser right now to plan special events as part of your fundraising plan. However, if your organization is considering moving from fundraising through special events to planned giving, your recruitment strategy should be to find someone who can do both to align with the change that you plan for the future.

4. Outsourcingstrategies

This strategy includes:

• Using external individuals or organizations to complete some tasks

Many organizations look outside their own staff pool and contract for certain skills. This is particularly helpful for accomplishing specific, specialized tasks that don't require ongoing full-time work.

Some organizations outsource HR activities, project work or bookkeeping. For example, payroll may be done by an external organization rather than a staff person, a short term project may be done using a consultant, or specific expertise such as legal advice may be purchase from an outside source.

When deciding to outsource to an individual, ensure you are not mistakenly calling an employee a consultant. This is illegal and can have serious financial implications for your organization. To understand the differences between employees and self-employed people, visit the Canada Revenue Agency's website.

Each outsourcing decision has implications for meeting the organization's goals and should therefore be carefully assessed.

5. Collaborationstrategies

Finally, the strategic HR planning process may lead to indirect strategies that go beyond your organization. By collaborating with other organizations you may have better success at dealing with a shortage of certain skills.

Types of collaboration could include:

• Working together to influence the types of courses offered by educational institutions
• Working with other organizations to prepare future leaders by sharing in the development of promising individuals
• Sharing the costs of training for groups of employees
• Allowing employees to visit other organizations to gain skills and insight

Example:

ABC Social Services provides support services to families in need. It has reviewed and updated its strategic plan. As part of the strategic planning process the Board Planning Committee learned that 15% of their social workers are planning to retire over the next two years and recruitment of social workers has become increasingly competitive.

Outcome of the strategic planning process: One strategy developed by the Board Planning Committee is to make ABC Social Services a preferred employer among organizations in the area.

Possible HR planning strategies to meet this organizational strategy are:

Develop a recruitment and retention strategy based on discussions with the social workers. Items to consider are: flexible work arrangements; contracting with a counsellor for the social workers on an as-needed basis (give them someone to talk to about the stresses of the job); provide professional development opportunities that give them increased skills for dealing with the issues their clients face.

Tie the pay scale of the social workers to the pay scales of social workers working for the municipality (the appropriate percentage to be determined. For example, the pay of social workers in the organization may be tied at 90% of the pay at the municipal level).

Provide placements for social work students and show them that ABC Social Service would be an excellent employer after graduation.

Decide the unique strategies that you will use to position yourself as an employer of choice, based on needs of your employees and potential candidates.

Once the strategies for HR in your organization have been developed they should be documented in an HR plan. This is a brief document that states the key assumptions and the resulting strategies along with who has responsibility for the strategies and the timelines for implementation.

Implementing the strategic HR plan

Once the HR strategic plan is complete the next step is to implement it:

Agreementwiththeplan

Ensure that the board chair, executive director and senior managers agree with the strategic HR plan. It may seem like a redundant step if everyone has been involved all the way along, but it's always good to get final confirmation.

Communication

The strategic HR plan needs to be communicated throughout the organization. Your communication should include:

• How the plan ties to the organization's overall strategic plan

• What changes in HR management policies, practices and activities will be made to support the strategic plan

• How any changes in HR management will impact on staff including a timeframe if appropriate

• each individual member of staff can contribute to the plan

• How staff will be supported through any changes

• How the organization will be different in the future

It is impossible to communicate too much (but all too easy to communicate too little), especially when changes involve people. However, the amount of detail should vary depending upon the audience.

Legislationandmandate

Ensure that the actions you are considering are compliant with existing laws, regulations and the constitution and bylaws of your organization.

To review laws relating to employment, visit the HR Toolkit section on Employment Legislation and Standards

Organizationalneeds

Whether you are increasing or reducing the number of employees, there are implications for space and equipment, and on existing resources such as payroll and benefit plans.

Evaluation

HR plansneed to be updated on a regular basis.You will need to establish the information necessary to evaluate the success of the new plan. Benchmarks need to be selected and measured over time to determine if the plan is successful in achieving the desired objectives.