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Written Assignment of Unit 7:
The Case Study of “Now What Do I Do with Brad and Kerry”
MBA, University of the People
BUS 5910: Management Capstone
Dr. Lee
September, 2022
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To get through difficult economic times, organizations frequently have to downsize and implement a hiring
freeze. Decisions about who to let go and who to keep are not easy since they entail strategic human
resource management (HRM) as well as legal considerations (e.g., compliances with labor laws). The case
study "Now What Do I Do with Brad and Kerry?" (Mento et al., 2012) depicts the difficulties and dilemmas
in employee selection and appraisal that a project manager is likely to face during the Great Recession of
2008.
NewBuild
NewBuild is a big general contracting organization in the building industry that was founded in 1909.
(Mento et al., 2012). NewBuild believed in promoting from within and had developed a core group of
employees that were committed to their professional development (Mento et al., 2012). However, because it
paid less than the industry norm, NewBuild had a greater turnover rate than it would have liked (Mento et
al., 2012).
Since its founding, the company has expanded steadily and cautiously, with no long-term debt and sufficient
cash reserves to protect against a long-term economic slump (Mento et al., 2012). The commercial
construction industry was heavily damaged by the Great Recession of 2008, and NewBuild planned to rely
on its cash reserves to avoid layoffs until 2020. (Mento et al., 2012). However, if the economy does not
recover fast, the company may be unable to break even due to its high overhead expenses (Mento et al.,
2012).
Identify the Problem
Brad Kemper and Kerry Smith began working at NewBuild in January 2009 and were assigned to the same
project manager, Jason Cochran, on their first day (Mento et al., 2012). Brad and Kerry had not been
allocated to any important assignment for the preceding nine months, owing to the recession (Mento et al.,
2012).
Jason Cochran has been a project manager with NewBuild for the past six years, having started with the
company in 1997 (Mento et al., 2012). Jason was faced with a staffing problem. He had to select whether to
assign/promote Brad or Kerry for the lone available post on the next next huge building project (Mento et
al., 2012).
Diagnose the Causes Job Loss and Talent Loss as a Result of Recession
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The candidate who was not chosen/promoted by Jason faced a high risk of layoff/termination, and hence a
probable loss of talent, due to a lack of work during the recession.
Jason’s Limited Capacity for Coaching
Jason's new sales management responsibilities (on top of his primary jobs as a developer and manager)
severely curtailed his time for mentoring and developing his newest colleagues in the ways he had
previously done.
Prescribe Possible Alternatives
Jason desired a more thorough and systematic approach to the staffing/promotion decision. He devised an
evaluation approach that included six criteria: psychological contract, performance review, managing up,
negotiating performance, VABEs (Values, Assumptions, Beliefs, Expectations), and email lessons learned.
Psychological Contract
A psychological contract is an intangible set of mutual commitments developed during and after
employment (Robinson & Rousseau, 1994). When one side believes that a promise of future return (e.g.,
salary and benefits) will be made in exchange for a contribution of service and labour, a psychological
contract is formed (Robinson & Rousseau, 1994). The advantage of psychological contracts is that they can
enhance employee performance when a psychological contract with high mutual expectations is developed
(Mento et al., 2012). The disadvantage is that the recession may have violated the psychological contract
and harmed employee performance (Mento et al., 2012). Given their recruitment procedure, performance
evaluation results, and corporate experience, the psychological contract between NewBuild and its new
hires Brad and Kerry should be identical.
Performance Evaluation
Jason was obligated to utilize an official performance evaluation form while conducting performance
appraisals on all of his staff at NewBuild. The form had a 5-point rating scale for ten evaluation dimensions,
including commitment to company goals and communication. The evaluation has the advantage of being
standardized for all employees, which eliminates favoritism and subjectivity. The disadvantage is that Jason
thought the official evaluation form was inadequate and normally spent extra time on career goal-setting
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after completing the appraisal form with each employee. Brad and Kerry both received 3 out of 5 on all
dimensions rated, with 3 meaning "meets expectations."
Managing Up
Building a good work connection with one's management, recognizing and meeting the manager's needs and
expectations, and being proactive in achieving personal career goals are all part of managing one's manager
(Mento et al., 2012). The benefit of managing up is that it benefits all parties involved and supports
organizational success (Mento et al., 2012). The disadvantage is that it may be mistakenly seen as political
and bending one's own personality or principles (Mento et al., 2012).
Jason would want a self-starter who knows how to handle him for the lone position available on the next
significant building project due to his growing duty in sales management. In this criterion, it appeared to
Jason that Kerry outperformed Brad.
Performance on Negotiation
Jason just held a training session with all of his staff that included a negotiating scenario. The simulation's
performance was evaluated based on preparation, participation, and performance throughout training. The
simulation has the advantage of allowing employees to practice negotiating and conflict resolution skills in
simulated incidents or scenarios comparable to those encountered in real life (Mento et al., 2012). The
training's disadvantage is that it is a simplified exercise that does not fully represent the scope of the actual
activity. As a result, a participant's success in the simulation does not predict how the person will do in the
workplace (Mento et al., 2012). Kerry appeared to be a superior candidate than Jason in this criterion since
she had a proactive manner and demonstrated skills important to dealing with contractors, as opposed to
Jason's passive approach.
VABEs
There are three stages of leadership, according to Clawson (2008). In order to effectively motivate people
and drive high performance, successful leaders commit to looking beyond behavior (level one) to their
employees' thinking (level two) and VABEs (values, assumptions, beliefs, and expectations—level three)
about their lives and work. Understanding employees' fundamental VABEs has the advantage of assisting
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managers in understanding their employees' personality and behavior and, as a result, determining a tailored
course of action for training and guidance (Clawson, 2008; Mento et al., 2012). The disadvantage is that
developing level-three leadership requires a significant amount of time, effort, and self-reflection. Kerry
looked to be a superior contender in this criterion since her VABEs demonstrated her capacity to relate to
others and perceive the situation and the world in a bigger context.
Email Lessons Learned
A person's communication language styles might indirectly reflect the person's traits (Mento et al., 2012).
The benefit of examining a person's linguistic styles in communication is that it allows you to better
understand them (Mento et al., 2012). The disadvantage is that the analysis may be colored by the halo
effect ("Human resources management," 2016).
According to Jason's evaluation of the lessons learned emails from Brad and Kerry, Kerry appeared to be a
better fit for the new position because her attribution and reflection of performance demonstrated her
accountability, self-insight skills, and desire for development.
Recommend a Plan of Action
According to the results of Jason's six assessment criteria, Kerry would be a better fit than Brad for the role
on the next big project, primarily because she displayed more attributes of a self-starter and self-learner,
requiring less mentoring and supervision from Jason. Kerry's VABEs and linguistic styles were more
similar to Jason's and NewBuild's. Kerry would be my final recommendation for the role.
Link the Case to the Importance and Relevance to a Study of Business
The case study highlights the necessity of human resource management in a firm, particularly during a
recession. HRM functions as a strategic partner to a firm and can help maintain staff morale and
performance during a downturn ("Human resources management," 2016). The key functions of human
resource management, such as selection, retention, appraisal, promotion, and career development, are
extremely important in the study of business because they help shape an organizational culture and success
during difficult economic times, as demonstrated in this case study.
Limitations of the Case Study
Mento et al. (2011)'s case study has significant shortcomings because important information is absent in
several places. The lawsuit does not discuss NewBuild's HRM's role and function in the evaluation
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technique and selection process. To avoid lawsuits, all HR processes and functions, such as selection,
assessment, and promotion, must be legally compliant ("Human resources management," 2016; Maurer,
2019). It is questionable whether the criteria that Jason used, such as VABEs, are both reliable and
legitimate assessment methods that may be used to forecast work performance legally. Furthermore, the
case does not include a job description or job analysis for the position in the next major project. It also did
not include Kerry and Brad's career aspirations, which Jason discussed with them during their performance
evaluation. These bits of information can aid in determining the best candidate for the job (Senyucel, 2009).
References
Clawson, J. G. (2008). Levels of leadership.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228136528_Levels_of_Leadership
Human resources management. (2016). Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA).
University of Minnesota Open Library. https://open.lib.umn.edu/humanresourcemanagement/
Maurer, R. (2019, July 17). Review promotion practices to avoid turnover, lawsuits. SHRM.
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/review-
promotion-practices-avoid-turnover-lawsuits.aspx
Mento, A. J., Cougnet, J. E., & De Vader, C. L. (2011). Now what do I do with Brad and Kerry?
Journal of Business Case Studies, 8(1), 51-66. https://doi.org/10.19030/jbcs.v8i1.6738
Merlevede, P. (2014). Talent management: A focus on excellence. Bookboon.
https://bookboon.com/en/talent-management-a-focus-on-excellence-ebook
Robinson, S. L., & Rousseau, D. M. (1994). Violating the psychological contract: Not the exception but the
norm. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15(3), 245–259. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030150306
Senyucel, Z. (2009). Managing the human resources in the 21st century. Bookboon.
https://bookboon.com/en/hrm-managing-the-human-ressource-ebook
