HRM Discussion

HRM Discussion

Subject: Business    / Management
Question

Week 1 discussion

Please respond to all questions, one question at a time. Each topic should be addressed as a separate thread.

Indicate the activity in the title of your response, for example: Activity # 1 or Activity # 2

__________________________

Activity #1 – Introduction

Welcome to our course discussions!

Post an introduction explaining why you are taking this course, what you hope to learn in the course, and an interesting fact about you and/or your professional/ educational goals.

Feel free to communicate your message in an advanced way, such as audio, video or a Web 2.0 tool. If you choose this option, it would also be helpful to post a text version.

Activity #2 – Organizational Culture

Based on your reading of the textbook chapter, describe and give an example of an assumption in your organization. This should be a belief that is “taken for granted”, about “the way we do things here”. The attached chart may help you identify some basic assumptions.

Respond to at least 2 other classmate posts with meaningful, positive comments. “Good job!” or “me too” is not meaningful. Instead, be specific and share your experiences about the stated topic. As a reminder, keep conferences on task and not off the main topic. Always check your spelling before you submit.

Week 2 discussion

Activity # 1

Based on the reading for this week, identify an artifact and a value in your organization.

Respond to two colleagues.

Activity #2

1) Watch this video on the OCAI survey instrument:

http://www.ocai-online.com/downloads/videos/4-Culture-Types-in-Competing-Values-Framework

2) Go to this page and take the FREE survey: http://www.ocai-online.com/products/ocai-one

Based on these:

a) How did your organization rate on the OCAI instrument you did? (Share the results)

b) Do you agree with the results? Why or why not?

No need to respond to colleagues.

Week 3 discussion

Activity #1

Take the INCA Survey and calculate your scores.

Then post a paragraph with a summary of your scores and a short reflection on where you are in terms of cultural awareness.

No need to respond to colleagues.

Activity #2

The GLOBE study built on another study conducted by Geert Hofstede, one of the most comprehensive studies of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture. In Hofstede’s study, he describes and measures 6 cultural dimensions – some of which were also used in the GLOBE study : Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long Term Orientation and Indulgence.

1) Go to this page: http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html

and select United States.

2) Then select under Comparison Country any country of your choice.

3) What can you tell us about the difference between the U.S. and the other country?

Please respond to two colleagues. You may give input or opinions on cultures that you know, or have lived in. Remember that these results are general and may not apply to every experience or example you have seen.

Week 4 discussion

Activity #1

In your own words, explain the relationship between either:

a) leadership and culture

b) performance and culture

Please respond to at least two colleagues.

Activity #2

Based on the reading of organizational life stages, what life stage do you consider your organization to be in? How does the life stage impact the culture of the organization?

No need to respond to colleagues.

Week 5 discussion

Activity #1

Based on the reading from Cameron and Quinn, discuss the difference between culture and climate.

No need to respond to colleagues.

Activity #2 – Value Clusters

Search the Web and compare at least five companies’ slogans. Briefly state what value cluster is represented in the advertising. For example:

Kentucky Fried Chicken – We do chicken right! Value Cluster – Efficiency

Respond to two colleagues, agreeing or disagreeing and explain why.

Activity #3 – Cultural Values

List five common sayings or proverbs in your culture and indicate what cultural values they are conveying: Example:

Time is money and money is time – Efficiency

Good old American know how – Ethnocentrism

It takes a village to raise a child – Collectivism, humanitarianism

Respond to two colleagues, agreeing or disagreeing and explain why.

Week 6 discussion

Activity #1 –

Think of a recent change that happened in your organization. Try to focus on a large change, not just a small change in artifacts, such as a form. It might be a policy change, a change in leadership, a change in organizational goals. Think about how it was implemented.

Based on Kotter’s 8 steps, describe the change. Did your organization follow each step? If so, describe how. If not, describe how “skipping” that step may have impacted the change and how employees responded to it.

Respond to two colleagues

Week 7 discussion

Activity #1

Piderit (2000) believes that the definition of the term resistance must incorporate a much broader scope. She states that “a review of past empirical research reveals three different emphases in conceptualizations of resistance: as a cognitive state, as an emotional state, and as a behavior” (p. 784).

What is your understanding of these three types of resistance? Can you give an example of each type?

Respond to two colleagues.

Week 8 discussion

Activity #1

In 1-3 paragraph, summarize what you learned about culture and change in this course.

In the body of your paragraph(s), use at least three citations from different sources.

At the end of your paragraph(s), list your references.

Please also respond to at least two colleagues.

GLOBE Table Assignment

Instructions

Create a table that compares two societal cultures on the nine dimensions of culture identified by the GLOBE project. Depending on the countries you choose, you may need to do more research. Your table should have three columns, one with the nine dimensions, one with the first country, and one with the second country.

Following is an example of comparing one dimension between Germany and China:

Dimension

Germany

China

Assertiveness

GLOBE scores: West 4.55 & East 4.73

Highest 25% GLOBE study

Work relationships are to the point and strict

GLOBE score: 3.76

Moderate range score

Indirect approach to communication

Background and Summary of GLOBE

The Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania was the home of the GLOBE Research Project, which investigated variations in business leadership worldwide. GLOBE comprised 170 researchers in 62 societies over 11 years. The research team’s stated objective was…

To determine the extent to which the practices and values of business leadership are universal (i.e., are similar globally), and the extent to which they are specific to just a few societies.

The team is attained this objective. GLOBE’s findings present to us all a breakthrough in our ability to think about business leadership in a way that is accurate, action-oriented, and – most importantly – genuinely global.

Any organization that devotes resources to developing global leaders now has within its grasp the data and the guideposts to accomplish this critical goal. It’s now possible with unprecedented confidence to assess, develop, and measure top leadership talent in a way that captures the full meaning of “global.”

The first report from the GLOBE team was an 818-page book by R.J. House et al., Culture, Leadership, and Organizations, published by Sage in 2004; this précis addresses the 2004 publication only. A second report of the GLOBE team was published in 2007 (note). A third report is in press. The other three articles at Grovewell.com/GLOBE (total 8,500 words) provide all those responsible for leadership development with an overview and interpretation of the findings reported in 2004.

The first question addressed by the team was which measurement standards (“independent variables”) to use to be precise about the similarities and differences among various societal and organizational cultures. Their efforts yielded nine “cultural dimensions” that serve as their standard of measurement.

Performance Orientation

Uncertainty Avoidance

Humane Orientation

Institutional Collectivism

In-Group Collectivism

Assertiveness

Gender Egalitarianism

Future Orientation

Power Distance

GLOBE Paper

Write a paper that compares and contrasts the cultures from the table in Part 1. Use three additional sources (not including the GLOBE resources) to support your analysis of the two cultures. This paper should be a maximum of three pages in length.

Culture Analysis Paper

Final Project Part 1: Culture Analysis Paper

You will be asked to analyze an organizational culture. This could be the organization you work with, or it could be some other organization to which you have access. Remember that clubs, associations, and churches can be considered organizations.

Research (data gathering) should include (but does not need to be limited to) mainly primary sources.

Primary data is the data collected by the researcher themselves, i.e.

interview

observation

action research

case studies

life histories

questionnaires

ethnographic research

Secondary sources are data that already exists

Previous research

Official statistics

Mass media products

Diaries

Letters

Government reports

Web information

Historical data and information

Collect your data and analyze it. Describe how you collected the data (observation, interviews, surveys).

Then, analyze the organizational culture along three dimensions: artifacts, values, and underlying assumptions. Give examples of behavior, speech, or symbols that illustrate your findings. This paper should be 5-8 pages in length. Any data used (interviews, surveys, websites, etc.) should be attached as appendices.

Change Management Plan

Final project part 2: Change Management Plan (presentation)

Based on your last paper, create a change-management plan. Put yourself in the position of a consultant making recommendations to the CEO of the organization.

Present your recommendations in a PowerPoint presentation of 10-15 slides. State how the organization can be better prepared to meet the needs and challenges of the future. Defend your argument.

Your presentation should include the following (at a minimum):

1) an evaluation of the current situation (current culture)

2) an analysis of how the culture should change in order to better address the needs of the future (be specific!)

3) recommendations for change, with specific strategies that need to be adopted by the leadership, including how to communicate the changes and how to respond to resistance to change (Keep your recommendations to two or three, otherwise it becomes overwhelming)

4) justification and support for the recommended changes, based on both your own observations and the literature (at least three sources)