Assignment task: The company is Amazon. The purpose of this report is to give you an opportunity to connect course material with an organization that interests you, and whose HR management and/or organizational issue(s) threaten(s) its future success. The report
1. Problem statement: Before you start analyzing the case, attempt to identify the problem(s) that the company is facing (i.e. what is the major issue facing you at the end of the case?). State the problem(s) in a short paragraph or two. Keep this in mind as you work through the rest of your analysis.
2. Analysis: This part can be divided into two major sections: issues related to those individuals involved in the case, and those related to the organization itself. In either, carefully consider the historical, current, and future situation depicted in the case. In doing so, use the appropriate course concepts, tools, and frameworks you have been assigned to date. Clearly indicate the topics you consider relevant with headings and, if necessary, define them briefly before applying them to the case. Make explicit the case evidence and support information you relied on in making assessments and drawing conclusions. a. Individual(s): Look at who the major players in the case. What are their backgrounds? Why did they react in certain ways? How did their past experiences, societal values, etc., influence them? Could they have avoided the situation in which they found themselves? What do they hope to achieve by their actions? Are they justified in feeling the way they do? Why/why not? Are there other explanations for the current situation than the one(s) that the major players are offering? You should attempt to integrate the theoretical concepts covered in the readings to the present situation. b. Organization: What organizational causes can you find for the current situation? Is there anything in the organizational structure, policies, culture, etc., that are contributing to the present problem? How is the external environment affecting the organization and its values? Could the present situation have been prevented if the organizational structure/policies had been different? Is the organization (or its management) justified in its reaction? While you are analyzing the situation, try to sort out facts from opinions/feelings. The focus of this section should be on identifying the factors that led to the present problem and on understanding why the participants reacted the way they did. You should attempt to relate theory to the present situation. For example, what is the level of pressure for diversity that the organization faces? What diversity perspective (resistance, discrimination and fairness, access and legitimacy or learning) does the organization seem to follow? What type of implementation (episodic, freestanding, or systemic) is needed here? What other concepts can you relate to this case?
3. Suggestions: Rather than looking at a set of alternatives and their 'pros' and 'cons,' I would like you to briefly state the possible courses of action open to the individual and the organization but concentrate on what you think should be done. Make sure that you have identified both organizational and individual actions. Also, look at both short term and long-term solutions. You should also provide a rationale for your suggested solution(s). The suggestions made should be feasible given the constraints facing the organization/individual.
4. Implementation plan: The basic objective of any implementation is to establish and communicate what you propose will happen given your suggestion(s) and when to ensure that all involved have a common understanding of how, if any, courses of action will be implemented. The plan identifies the changes needed for existing processes, procedures, resources and equipment, and documents how to make the changes. In addition, this plan should briefly identify who will make the changes and when they will be completed. It is also crucial to determine how the changes will be measured and deemed successful.
Questions to consider
Q1. What are the most pressing issues that face the organization from an HR perspective?
Q2. What is your assessment of the organization's design, structure, model and strategy? How well are these things working together?
Q3. What do you suppose is preventing the organization from achieving its goals?
Q4. What recommendations would you make to decision makers to correct their current course of action, sustain the company's growth, and improve the company's overall performance?
Q5. How will you implement the recommendations? What does success look like? Be specific.