Case study analysis and methodology

Human Resources

Outline what is human resource planning (HRP) and outline the three key steps in the process of human resource planning. What are the benefits of HRP for organizations?

Human Resource Planning is the practice of getting the correct number of people who have the right skills, knowledge, and talent in the right jobs at the precise time. This very simplistic definition involves a wide-ranging procedure that gives managers a structure with which to make staffing decisions that are supported by the organization's mission, budgetary resources and strategic plan. It allows an organization to define a set of desired workforce competencies upon which they can build (Building Successful Organizations Workforce Planning in HHS, 2001).

Many organizations have devised models that can be used for workforce planning. Looking past the variations that there are in language, the procedures are all very much the same. All of them tend to depend on an examination of current personnel abilities and identification of capabilities that will be needed in the future. This is done by matching up the current workers with future requirements in order to identify ability gaps as well as surpluses. This allows the organization to prepare devices for structuring the workforce that will be needed in the future and evaluating the processes that will assure that the workforce fitness model remains suitable and that the objectives are being met. This overall process is simple to summarize but not always so easy to carry out. It relies on a thorough and comprehensive look at the organization's work and workforce taking into account its strategic direction (Building Successful Organizations Workforce Planning in HHS, 2001).

Human Resource Planning necessitates that there be a strong leadership in management. There must be a clearly articulated vision and mission along with visibly defined strategic objectives. There must be cooperative supportive efforts on the parts of the staff across all of the many different areas. Human resources, strategic planning and budget planning are all key forces that go into Human Resource Planning. Strategic plans are designed to lay out the organizations course and express goals and objectives that can be measured. The budget procedure sets funding objectives so that an organization can attain these objectives. The area of Human Resources supplies the tools that can be used for spotting skills that are needed in the workforce. These tools can also be used for developing, training and recruiting employees in order to build the labor force of the future (Building Successful Organizations Workforce Planning in HHS, 2001).

The focus of Human Resource Planning is on the demand for labor or the number of people that is needed by the organization and labor supply which is the number of qualified people that are available to the organization. HR planning involves acquisition or the entry of people into the organization, the development of people skills and the exit of people from the organization. Effective HR planning is critical to an organization's success because it matches the organization and it HR objectives with the people that it has and needs (Stone, 2009, p. 53).

The purpose of HR planning is to make sure that a predetermined number of people with the appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities will be available in the future when the organization needs them. HR planning systematically identifies what must be done to guarantee the availability of the human resources that are required by an organization to meet its strategic business objectives. The three key steps that are used in order to do this are analysis, action and outcome. In the analysis step managers review the organization's objectives and strategies to determine what jobs need to be done and by whom. In the action step, managers decide action plans to match people with jobs in terms of numbers, abilities, knowledge, skills and qualifications. During the outcome step the goals is to have the correct people in the right place, doing the right job, at the right point in time (Stone, 2009, p.54).

2. With reference to the case study, and to formulate an HRP plan for the organization, what further information would you need to know about: (a) the existing staff and student body; and (b) future students? What other information would you need to gather about University College and its new School of Business?

The further information that one would need to know about existing staff and student body would include the trends of both schools in regards to the number of students that have attended in the past along with the number of faculty that was needed during those trends. One would also need to know exactly what positions already exist at each school to make sure that there will not be any duplicates once the merger is complete. The number of expected future students for each school would also need to be known. There would furthermore be a need to look at the internal supply of labor in order to see if the right people that will be needed already work for one of the schools. In addition an observance of the cultures in both schools would need to be done in order to anticipate any issues with the mixing of these once the merger is complete. There would be a need to look closely at the School of Business in order to determine what needs that program is going to have and if there will be a need for any new programs or systems to be developed.

The area of training will also have to be looked at. With the merger of two schools there is always the possibility that there will be personnel that will be lacking in information that will be needed in order to make a combined program successful. Whether it is processes and policies or specifics in this case that are unique to the School of Business, everyone will be to be on the same page in order to achieve success. If there are current training programs available they will need to be looked at to see if they will continue to be needed or whether an entirely new program will need to be developed (Training Needs Assessment, n.d.).

If the following areas are looked at it can be determined if there are training or development needs that may have to be addressed in a merger. There may be a need for the expansion of employee or management skills in order to fill existing needs. These may be such things as reductions in placements, new employees, new supervisors, reassignments, managerial competency assessments, trainee or intern training plans and promotions. Employee associations and organizational troubles such as production problems, performance problems, safety problems and inspection shortages should be looked at. There may be a need to meet changing needs in the areas of innovative technology, upgrading of equipment, new equipment or programs, mission changes and laws and regulations. Career progress that encompasses employees' desires along with career improvement plans should also be looked at (Training Needs Assessment, n.d.).

3. How would you estimate the internal supply of academic staff in each department?

There are several methods that can be used to estimate the internal supply of academic staff. These techniques include: skill inventories, replacement charts, succession planning, turnover analysis and Markov analysis. A skill inventory gathers basic information on all employees within an organization and helps to identify qualified employees for different jobs. It also helps to determine which skills are present or lacking within the organization. It assesses longer-term recruitment, selection, and training along with development requirements (Stone, 2009, p.63).

The replacement chart is primarily used with technical, professional and managerial employees. Skills inventories are the source of data that is used to create these charts. The information that is included is name, age, present position, performance rating, experience and an indication of the potential for promotion. These charts summarize all this information in a pictorial form so that managers can easily identify both the present and potential replacements for given positions (Stone, 2009, p.65).

Succession planning is done around filling key professional and management vacancies. It highlights the development of high potential employees and takes a long-term view of an organization's HR needs. It is a key driver for management commitment to human resource development and performance management. It includes the information that is on replacement charts but expands on this to include additional information regarding current performance, along with promotion potential and developmental needs and long-term growth potential (Stone, 2009, p.65).

A turnover analysis of why people leave an organization is essential in order to obtain meaningful information that can be used to plan for the future. Exit interviews give management information on the reasons as to why employees leave. Labor turnover rates from past years are used as the best sources of information about the future. The amount of turnover for each job classification and department should also be calculated because turnover can vary dramatically among various work functions and departments (Stone, 2009, p.69).

Markov analysis is a mathematical technique that can be used to forecast the availability of internal job candidates. A matrix is developed in order to show the probability of an employee moving from one job to another or leaving the organization altogether. The underlying assumption is that the departure or movement of personnel among various job classifications can be predicted from past movements (Stone, 2009, p.69). Another tool that can be used is that of a trend analysis. A trend analysis is study of the organizations past employment needs over a period of years in order to predict the future. This is based on the theory that the future is an extrapolation from the past. This allows Human Resource needs to be estimated by examining the events of the past (HR Planning, n.d.).

With a merger it is important for these processes to be done involving all employees at both institutions so that a clear picture can be captured of what internal resources are already available. This allows HR mangers to figure out if there are any gaps and where they might be. This allows for the planning process to begin which will involve trying to fill these gaps so that the organization, once it becomes one will run smoothly and be successful in the end.

4. How would you predict the number of academic staff that will be needed?

It is important for the Human Resources Department to set up a system of personnel accounting in order to determine staff needs. It is important to be able to utilize all the data that is available from various sources in order to accomplish good Human Resource Planning. HR managers must make use of predictions for future staffing needs that are based on student growth, staff retirements, and replacements. They must use the expected curriculum necessities within the School of Business as well as the entire organization. They must make best use of technology in order to establish probable student to teacher ratios and staff requirements. They must think about financial restrictions as they relate to future staff needs. They must keep up with current files that contain needed data in order to meet the terms of any federal requirements or certifications. They must keep on top of current trends in staffing models and be familiar with all options that are available in regards to staffing (Guidelines for Determining Personnel Staff Needs, n.d).

Quantitative HR forecasting makes use of statistical and mathematical techniques in order to forecast the number of employees that will be required in the future. This approach sees employees as numerical entities and groups them according to age, sex, experience, skills, qualifications, job level, pay and performance rating. The focus is on forecasting HR shortages, surpluses and career obstacles. The aim is to reconcile the supply and demand for human resources according to the organization's objectives (Stone, 2009, p.62).

5. Identify the various stakeholders involved and list their major interests?

The stakeholders that exist at University College are many. The first and foremost stakeholders are the students, both current and future (an Assessment Framework for the Community College, 2004). These are the people who want to attend this institution in hopes of getting the best possible education that they can. Their main interests include being provided with a good education in an environment that is conducive to learning with a staff that is knowledgeable in the areas that are being taught.

The next stakeholder is that of the faculty and staff (an Assessment Framework for the Community College, 2004). Without these people there would be no way that the students could learn and obtain their objectives. Their main interests are having a good learning environment in which there are students that are willing and able to learn. It is also important that there be adequate training provided and support staff available in order to facilitate successful education. Another stakeholder is that of administration. Without teachers and students there would be no need to have an administration. Their main interests are in making sure that all the resources are in place so that the institution operates on a daily basis.

Additionally there is the stakeholder of the trustees (an Assessment Framework for the Community College, 2004). The Board of Trustees is a governing board for the institution. It is the legal owner and has the last word on what goes on. The board oversees the physical, financial, and human resources of a university in order to make sure that they are stable for future generations. Their main interests are making sure that the university is successful and continues to be that way for many years to come. Another stakeholder is that of parents. These people are usually the ones who pay the majority of the student's bills. Their main interests include making sure that their son or daughter is getting the best possible education for which they are paying for.

The Community and Businesses would also be considered as major stakeholders (an Assessment Framework for the Community College, 2004). Many times a college or university within a community is what makes up the entire community. There is a lot that having this type of institution can bring to a community from social things to an economic boost. Many businesses within a community depend on the money that a university or college bring into the community because of the students that attend.

A final stakeholder that would be involved would be that of any Accreditation Boards (an Assessment Framework for the Community College, 2004). These groups are responsible for making sure that each college and university has the proper licenses in place. Their main interest would be to make sure that the institution follows all of the rules that have been set forth and that they operate in the best interest of the faculty, staff and students.

6. What HRM problems could be expected to arise in this merger? As HR consultant to University College, what would you recommend (and do) to prevent or overcome such problems?

The typical problems that often occur during mergers include the issues with change of identity, loss of independence, fear of the unknown, loss of security, and segregated communities. Mergers are often seen as tactical alliances. Merging two organizations consists of dealing with different procedure, policies and culture. These inevitably create some amount of stress for everyone who is involved. Those who survive in both organizations usually have to deal with new procedures, new people, more work and the loss of co-workers and friends. When a merger takes place the role of HR initiates from the beginning and runs to the end (Mohanty, 2010).