HR Manager of EngCo Case Study
Specifically, you are the HR Manager of EngCo. (The EngCo scenario is provided as Attachment 1 to this document. It is also the basis of Activities 6.2 and 6.3.) Your firm is moving to an open plan work space and it’s your job to propose a way that this move can be done successfully for the firm and for the employees. There are three particular issues you think are important, so your proposal will focus on:
- understanding the goals of change;
- incorporating employee voice into change; and
- protecting employee mental health during
Fortunately, you have already done some work on these issues so you have a head start. You have your own views on how the move should be managed, but you know this will have to be backed up with theory and appropriate evidence if you are to convince the Executive and the employees that your approach is likely to be successful.
Structure/requirements
Your proposal will have five sections, each described in more detail below.
1. Proposal scope
In the section you will
- establish the overall objective of your proposal;
- explain the critical characteristics of the work, workforce, organisation and industry that must be considered to make the proposal work;
- explain any important constraints and opportunities related to the change;
- provide a very brief summary of the content of your proposal; and
- provide a brief summary of the overall thesis or argument that informs your entire
2. Understanding the goals of change
In this section you will
- establish what you think are the most appropriate goals and performance measures to evaluate whether your change approach is successful; and
- explain why they are
NOTE: For Activity 6.2, you have already done some initial research and reflection to on why the firm’s Executive might want to move to open plan. You have also done some initial research and reflection on why employees might resist the change. This will give you some guidance as to the goals different groups seek to achieve, and appropriate measures of success. To complete this section, you should reflect on this work and the work of your peers and improve your work where required, ensuring it is supported by theory and relevant evidence.
NOTE: Please attach your contribution to Discussion Board 6.2 as an Appendix to this proposal.
3. Incorporating employee voice into change
In this section you will
- explain how you hope that capturing employee voice will help with the change;
- provide a sample employee voice survey (in the body of the proposal or as an Appendix);
- explain the source of the survey/survey items; and
- explain why you think they are appropriate for your
NOTE: For Activity 6.3, you have already (a) designed an employee voice survey, and (2) explained why you think the items in your survey will be useful in the context of this organisation, this workforce, and this particular change. To complete this section, you should reflect on this work and the work of your peers and improve your work where required, ensuring it is supported by theory and relevant evidence.
NOTE: Please attach your original contribution to Discussion Board 6.3 as an Appendix to this proposal.
4. Protecting employee mental health during change
In this section you will
- explain some of the risks to employee mental health of a major organizational change of this kind: and
- explain, with supporting evidence and examples, how you plan to minimize psychosocial hazards in this change
NOTE: For Activity 5.2, you proposed three ways in which the organization could seek to minimize detrimental effects on employees’ mental health during a major change program. You wrote about a similar organization, although not exactly the same. To complete this section, you should reflect on this work and the work of your peers, adapt and/or improve your work where required, ensuring it is supported by theory and relevant evidence.
NOTE: Please attach your original contribution to Discussion Board 5.2 as an Appendix to this proposal.
5. Principles informing the approach to change
In this section, you should provide your own professional view about how organizational change in this particular scenario should be approached/managed.NOTE: This section should NOT simply be a replication of someone else’s recommended change approach. It should reflect your own opinion, consistent with the work you have done in Sections 1-‐ 4, and supported by theory and relevant evidence.
Appendix
Activity 5.2 – Are HR managers responsible for employees’ mental health?
- Discussion Board contribution
- 500 words
- submitted by DB due date Midnight Sunday, End Week 10
Activity 5.2 is to be attached to your PBL3 submission as Appendix 1.
Activity 6.2 – ENGCO: What is the Effect of Open Plan Working? (7 marks)
- Discussion Board contribution
- 500 words
- submitted by DB due date Midnight Sunday, End Week 11
Activity 6.3 – ENGCO: Design a Short Employee Voice Survey + Rationale (8 marks)
- Discussion Board contribution
- Minimum 10 Items (Survey); 300 words (Rationale)
- submitted by DB due date Midnight Sunday, End Week 11
Your survey and rationale to be attached to your PBL3 submission as Appendix 2.