Chapter 7

Concept and Brief Discussion:

Action Learning: This is, "training in which teams get an actual problem, work on solving it and commit to an action plan, and are accountable for carrying it out" (p. 197). In actuality, this is a form of group building and teaches employees how to solve problems as a group. The size of the team in training usually stays between 6 to 30 employees. The company will find a problem, usually one that affects multiple departments, and then organize these teams to figure it. The book suggests that the effectiveness of action learning has not been formally evaluated, however can deliver some obvious benefits to employees and employers. There is a lot of applied learning happening with this method and also teams are able to identify behaviors that interfere with problem solving.

The Hook:

Your employer offers you a position on a team that is assigned to resolve customer service problems in the organization. Your teammates include workers from from various departments. How will their contributions help to resolve the problem at hand, when they don't interact with customers on a daily basis like you do?

Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:

Action learning enables employees to get hands-on experience in problem solving. This could help employers develop future leaders in the organization and also give them job enrichment. One possible negative issue could be burnout. I feel there need to be limits to time spent on these action learning teams.

Facilitative Questions:

Has your company done anything like this? If so, did it amount to company savings or increased efficiency?

Reflection on yesterday's class

During Tuesday's class, we talked about recruiting tactics and how it affects an organization. There are many ways an organization can recruit new employees outside of just using referrals. Some of the ways include the following: advertisements in newspapers and magazines, electronic sources, public employment agencies, private employment agencies, and colleges and universities.

What I found interesting in this discussion was how much money some employers spend on "headhunters" to find employees. Basically, what I learned is that if you want a high profile employee, you may need to be willing to spend some money to get him or her.

Another thing that perked my interest was the talk about using temp. agencies and being involved with job fairs at universities. I got my first job off my mission using a temp. agency and ended up staying with the company for two years. I know this is a very useful tool for employers who need short term and even long term employees. Job fairs have been typically a negative experience for me. For example, the last internship and job fair I went to at UVU (last week) gave me nothing to look forward to. I went to the booth where Mountain Star Health Care was. The head of HR was there and represented the company very poorly. When I asked about internship opportunities, she was not helpful at all. In fact, not until I reminded her that there was an intern there, did she remember. Then she just looked frustrated and sent me off with an informational packet about the company.

If you are sent to represent at an internship and job fair, you should know about internships that are currently happening at your own hospital!!

Chapter 6

Concept and Brief Description:

Personality Inventories: Sometimes it is important for employers to know about candidates' personalities. For some jobs, such as the one I hold right now at Telos Residential Treatment Center, it is important that candidates 'fit' the position. There are ways to test potential employees, like giving them any of the commercial personality tests that are out there. As the book describes, there are the "Big Five" traits that are looked at: extroversion, adjustment, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and inquisitiveness.

The Hook:

There is a co-worker I have that is very uncomfortable with making the boys at Telos uncomfortable. This is a problem, since we are supposed to hold boundaries and help them in their treatment issues.

Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:

Personality Inventories can be a way for a company to assess candidates' personality traits. This is important when a company is looking for a certain type of person. Some jobs require various personality traits, however the most important trait to have according to research, is conscientiousness.

Facilitative Questions:

How does the 'fit' of employees in the workplace play a role in your company?

Reflection on Thursday's class

Last Thursday in class we talked a lot about downsizing and the alternatives that companies have in order to keep employment and morale higher. I have been at a job where my employers had to downsize because of the economy. Many guys were laid off, and everyone left working would constantly be making new rumors about who was going next. It was a terrible atmosphere and no one was happy.

One of the problems that was made clear to me on Thursday, was that my employer and the management at that company did not properly approach the strife. There was no clear communication about the state of the company, and no one knew what was going on. They also didn't use other methods like cutting hours, cutting pay, or anything else to help employees keep their jobs. They just caused a lot of fear and frustration. So, downsizing struck a chord with me during class on Thursday.

Chapter 5

Concept and Brief Discussion:

Referrals: This is when an organization hires someone because someone within the organization prompted them to do so. The book says that the largest share (about one-fourth) of new employees hired by large companies came from referrals. An advantage of hiring this way is that the selection of the applicant will be one based on performance within the organization already. It is easy to see if the applicant has fit well into the company. The major downside of referrals is that they limit a company's exposure to fresh viewpoints. Also, referrals sometimes seem unfair or can lead to nepotism, or the hiring of relatives.

The Hook:

You have applied to an organization many times with no job offers, but your friend, who knew someone in the organization, got offered a job within the first few tries. What can you do to "get in" to an organization that they will consider you, since they are so big on referrals?

Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:

Referrals can be an effective way to find employees to fill positions in an organization. It costs less, the process is faster, and there is usually a good track record or name to those that are referred. The downside is that organizations who do too much hiring of referrals may become stagnant, not open to fresh perspectives on the company.

Facilitative Questions:

How have referrals been helpful or harmful to you in your job searching?

Reflection on yesterday's class

Yesterday in class we discussed issues in chapter 4. One of the things that was discussed in length about was creating job descriptions. A job description is a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities that a particular job entails. My understanding of job descriptions increased in how important they are for HR professionals. We talked about how job descriptions are a valuable part of job analysis and how they help employers and employees understand the expectations of a particular job. Doing so helps with screening for proper applicants, which shortens the hiring process and decreases cost.

Another thing job descriptions do is help with performance appraisals. Employers and their workers can get on the same page and often times, updates to job descriptions are made during this time. At my current employment, the job description for Mentor's is really broad and general. I did not realize that my job would entail so many things. For me, this was a good thing, because my employer allows me and my co-workers to do many things and get involved in many aspects of operations and treatment. For some, a general description could be a hard thing to deal with. Some people don't like new things and don't like to feel that their employer is giving them things to do that aren't included in their job description. They feel like they're not getting paid for what they were hired to do.

I personally don't like a really strict and defined job description. I feel like it limits my opportunities for advancement and knowledge and I'm glad that I am given the freedom to expand my job description at my current job.

Chapter 4

Concept and Brief Discussion:

Job Enrichment: This is the idea of "empowering workers by adding more decision-making authority to their jobs" (p. 105). The idea comes from the work of Frederick Herzberg. His thoughts were that individuals are more motivated by intrinsic aspects of work. I believe strongly in this idea, having experienced this first hand myself. Here are the five factors he associated with motivating jobs:

• achievement
  
• recognition
• growth
• responsibility
• performance

An example of job enrichment in my own life could include Telos (my current place of occupation) allowing me to expand my role as a mentor and even encouraging me to participate in many aspects of the operations that exist in the company. Another thing they do is allow me to be a decision maker in the moment, when things are in crisis with a troubled boy. This to me is job enrichment.

The Hook:

Some jobs, and often manufacturing or production line jobs, do not let employees make any decisions at all. They are there to be a body and to perform their function. There are no doubt competent employees who work those jobs and know of ways to increase efficiency in the production of their product. Many times, those employees don't have much of a say in the decision making, because their bosses are not connected to the process and the people they manage as well as they should. Job enrichment is most likely quite low for employees in this situation.

Key Points to Elicit in Conversation:

Job enrichment empowers employees and promotes internal motivation, which is much more effective than external factors. Employees who are able to experience job enrichment usually find their jobs more rewarding and enjoyable. As employers give more decision-making authority to their workers, there may need to be more extensive training, which in turn may cost more initially but will be made up with efficiency and lower turnover rates.\

Facilitative Questions:

What has or hasn't your employment done to use the principle of job enrichment?