HRMGT 280 Human Resource Management: Jackson Library: Stanford GSB

HRMGT 280 Human Resource Management

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[photo - Daphne Chang]

Daphne Chang

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This page contains assigned readings by Professor Hayagreeva Rao.

Section 1: The HR Alignment Model (and Designing Jobs)
Section 2: Retaining Individuals
Section 3: Recruiting Individuals
Section 4: Reward Systems
Section 5: Subjective and Objective Measures of Performance
Section 6: Ergonomics of Innovation
Section 7: Rewards: The Psychology of Employee Recognition (especially, for Generation Y)
Section 8: Layoffs
Special Section
Section 9: Information Sharing and Empowerment: Markets for Ideas

Recommended books:

James N. Baron and David M. Kreps. Strategic Human Resources: Frameworks for General Managers. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2000 (on Reserve at Jackson Library) The text is referred to as BK in the assigned readings below.
Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton. Hard Facts : Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense: Profiting From Evidence Based Management. HBS Press. 2006 (on Reserve at Jackson Library) This text is referred to as PS in the assigned readings below.
Other Books:
- Edward P. Lazear. Personnel Economics for Managers. New York: Wiley, 1998 (on Reserve at Jackson Library)
- Jeffrey Pfeffer. The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1998.
- Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton. The Balanced Scorecard. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996.
- Frederick Reichheld (with Thomas Teal). The Loyalty Effect: The Hidden Force Behind Growth, Profits, and Lasting Value. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 199

SECTION 1: The HR Alignment Model (and Designing Jobs) - April 2
Case Commerce Bank (HBS 9-603-080) - This case is in your course reader.
Reading Peter Capelli and Ann Crocker-Hefter, "Distinctive human resources are firms' core competencies", Organizational Dynamics, 1996, 24(3):7-22 NOTE: use IE or Firefox browser Edward Lawler, "Making Human Capital a Source of Advantage", Organizational Dynamics, January-March 2009, 38(1):1-7
Discussion Questions What is Commerce Bank’s strategy? Its competitive advantage? What are the key HR practices to implement their strategy?
Recommended Reading BK, "Introduction" Chapter 1 BK, "The Five Factors” and “Employment as a Social Relation” Chapters 2 & 5 BK, "High-Commitment HRM” and “Job Design” Chapters 9 & 13
SECTION 2: Retaining Individuals - April 7
Case The Roller Coaster Ride: Resignation of a Star HBS (407-082) - This case is in your course reader.
Discussion Questions Who played it better, Stephen or Peter? What do you think each of them should have done differently? Be specific. What should Stephen Connor do next? What should Peter Thompson do next? Develop an action plan for each. If you were Rina Shea, what would have you done—go with Peter or accept Stephen’s offer? Have you ever resigned? If so, how did you do it? How well did it work out? What did you learn?
Reading Brooks Holtom, Terence Mitchell and Tom W. Lee, "Increasing human and social capital by applying job embeddedness theory," Organizational Dynamics, 2006, 35(4): 316-331
Recommended Reading "For Cognizant Two’s Company," Business Week, January 17, 2008 "I Can’t Believe They Took the Whole Team," Business Week, December 18, 2006
SECTION 3: Recruiting Individuals - April 9
Cases Recruitment of a Star - This case is in your course reader. PB Technologies (Kellogg Case) - This case is in your course reader.
Discussion Questions Recruitment of a Star Whom should Stephen Connor hire? Why? Imagine yourself in the place of each of the candidates. What strengths would you bring to light during the interview with Stephen? How would you distinguish yourself from the other candidates? Evaluate the selection and hiring processes at Rubin, Stern, and Hertz. What changes, if any, do you recommend? Discussion Questions For PB Technologies Whom would you choose as the CFO. Why?
Reading Boris Groysberg, Ashish Nanda, and Nitin Nohria, "The Risky Business of Hiring Stars," Harvard Business Review, May 2004, 82(5): 92-100
Recommended Reading BK, "Staffing and Recruitment” Chapters 3 & 14 PS, "Do the best Organizations have the Best People" Chapter 4
SECTION 4: Reward Systems - April 14
Case Lincoln Electric in China (INSEAD Case, European Case Clearing House Case #499-021-1) - This case is in your course reader.
Discussion Questions for GROUP PROJECT Please analyze the Excel dataset containing data about the piece-rate experiment in Mexico and answer the following questions: (USE WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM CAT) Did the piece rate motivate workers? Did it attract workers of higher ability? Did the introduction of the piece rate make workers feel special because they were part of an experiment and wanted to help the managers to succeed in the experiment? That is, is there any evidence that workers’ enthusiasm was temporary? Did workers learn on the job (that is, get better with experience) and, if so, how should this affect conclusions about the effects of piece rates?
Recommended Reading BK, "Pay For Performance” and “Compensation Systems: Forms, Bases, and Distribution of Rewards” Chapters 11 & 12 Steven Greenhouse, "Altering of Worker Time Cards Spurs Growing Number of Suits," New York Times, April 4, 2004 "Lincoln Electric Experiences Season of Worker Discontent '' Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 10, 1995 "A Model Incentive Plan Gets Caught in a Vise," Business Week, January 22, 1996
Related Web Sites Learn more about Lincoln Electric... ... and then buy yourself some great Lincoln Electric paraphernalia
SECTION 5: Subjective and Objective Measures of Performance - April 16
Case Infosys: Building a Talent Engine to Sustain Growth (Stanford Case #HR30)
Discussion Questions Is Infy’s CRR system adequate? What changes would you recommend? Why? Do you agree with the balanced score-card for top managers? Should Mr. Pai proceed to implement the proposal put before him to create an ‘internal market’?
Reading Angelo S. DeNisi & Robert D. Pritchard (2006). "Improving individual performance: A motivational framework," Management and Organization Review, 2(2):253-277 "Reshaping Microsoft’s HR Agenda," Business Week, September 10, 2007 "The Struggle to Measure Performance," Business Week, January 9, 2006
SECTION 6: Ergonomics of Innovation - April 21
Case Institute for Health Care Improvement: Campaign to Save a 100,000 Lives (Stanford Case #L13)
Reading Hayagreeva Rao and Bob Sutton, "The Ergonomics of Innovation," McKinsey Quarterly, 2008, Issue 4, p130-141
Discussion Questions Why did IHI take a campaign approach to embed innovation? What are the strengths and weaknesses of their approach? How would you redesign their campaign?
SECTION 7: Rewards: The Psychology of Employee Recognition (especially, for Generation Y) - April 23
Case Employee Recognition at Intuit (Stanford Case #HR31)
Reading Jeffrey Pfeffer, "Six Dangerous Myths About Pay," Harvard Business Review, May-June 1998, pp. 109-119 Donald J. Campbell, Kathleen M. Campbell, Ho-Beng Chia, "Merit pay, performance appraisal, and individual motivation: An analysis and alternative" Human Resources Management, 37(2), 141-146 "Making a MultiGenerational Workforce Work for you" A chapter from Plugged in : the Generation Y guide to thriving at work by Tamara Erickson. HBS Press, 2008
Discussion Questions What are the strengths and weaknesses of the employee recognition program at Intuit? Is it better for rewards to be scarce and selective, or frequent? What is the right frequency? How do you ensure it? What is the role of surprise in rewards? Are unexpected rewards better? How would you structure a program for them?
Recommended Reading PS, "Is Work Fundamentally Different from the Rest of Life, and Should it be?" Chapter 3 Jennifer Saranow, "Anybody Want to Take a Nap?" The Wall Street Journal, January 24, 2005
SECTION 8: Layoffs - April 28
Case The Cat is Out of the Bag: Kana and the Layoff Gone Awry (A), HBS 403-117 - This case is in your course reader.
Reading Judith A. Clair, Ronald Dufresne, Nicole Jackson, Jamie Ladge. "Being the Bearer of Bad News: Challenges Facing Downsizing Agents in Organizations" Organizational Dynamics, 2006, 35(2):131-144
Discussion Questions If you were Vicki, how would you read the politics of the situation? How do you assess the layoff process to-date? What would you have done differently? What should Vicki do going forward?
Recommended Reading Janet Banks and Diane Coutu. "How to Protect Your Job During a Recession" Harvard Business Review, Sept. 2008, 86(9): 113-116 Darrel Rigby. "Look before you lay off" Harvard Business Review, Apr. 2002, 80(4):20-21
SPECIAL SECTION: Conversations with executives - April 29 (3:00 - 4:30 pm, Bishop Auditorium) Blair LeCoyne, Head of Human Capital, TPG Richard Spitz, Chairman, Technology Markets Practice, Korn Ferry David Chen, CEO, VanceInfo Attendance mandatory
SECTION 9: Information Sharing and Empowerment: Markets for Ideas (April 30)
Case Rite Solutions: Mavericks Unleashing the Quiet Genius of Employees (Stanford Case #HR27)
Reading Robert Quinn and Gretchen Spreitzer, "The Road to Empowerment: Seven Questions Every Leader Should Ask" Organizational Dynamics, Autumn, 1997, Vol 26, 37-50 Hayagreeva Rao, Robert Sutton and Allen P. Webb, "Innovations lessons from Pixar: An interview with Oscar-winning director Brad Bird" The McKinsey Quarterly, April 2008
Discussion Questions What is the Mutual Fun? An electronic suggestion box? Or is it more than that? What makes it work? Where can it be generalized?
Recommended Reading PS, "Change or Die" Chapter 7 Tom Davenport, "Some Predictions about Prediction Markets" Business Week, January 14, 2008 Rachel King, "Hollywood Games People Play" Business Week, August 7, 2006 Noam Cohen, "Google’s Lunchtime Betting Game" New York Times, January 7, 2008 Final Exam: Will be distributed on May 1, 2009 by 9 am and due on May 4, 2009 by 9 am

SECTION 1: The HR Alignment Model (and Designing Jobs) - April 2

Case

Commerce Bank (HBS 9-603-080) - This case is in your course reader.

Reading

Peter Capelli and Ann Crocker-Hefter, "Distinctive human resources are firms' core competencies", Organizational Dynamics, 1996, 24(3):7-22 NOTE: use IE or Firefox browser
Edward Lawler, "Making Human Capital a Source of Advantage", Organizational Dynamics, January-March 2009, 38(1):1-7

Discussion Questions

What is Commerce Bank’s strategy? Its competitive advantage?
What are the key HR practices to implement their strategy?

Recommended Reading

BK, "Introduction" Chapter 1
BK, "The Five Factors” and “Employment as a Social Relation” Chapters 2 & 5
BK, "High-Commitment HRM” and “Job Design” Chapters 9 & 13

SECTION 2: Retaining Individuals - April 7

Case

The Roller Coaster Ride: Resignation of a Star HBS (407-082) - This case is in your course reader.

Discussion Questions

Who played it better, Stephen or Peter? What do you think each of them should have done differently? Be specific.
What should Stephen Connor do next? What should Peter Thompson do next? Develop an action plan for each.
If you were Rina Shea, what would have you done—go with Peter or accept Stephen’s offer?
Have you ever resigned? If so, how did you do it? How well did it work out? What did you learn?

Reading

Brooks Holtom, Terence Mitchell and Tom W. Lee, "Increasing human and social capital by applying job embeddedness theory," Organizational Dynamics, 2006, 35(4): 316-331

Recommended Reading

"For Cognizant Two’s Company," Business Week, January 17, 2008
"I Can’t Believe They Took the Whole Team," Business Week, December 18, 2006

SECTION 3: Recruiting Individuals - April 9

Cases

Recruitment of a Star - This case is in your course reader.
PB Technologies (Kellogg Case) - This case is in your course reader.

Discussion Questions Recruitment of a Star

Whom should Stephen Connor hire? Why?
Imagine yourself in the place of each of the candidates. What strengths would you bring to light during the interview with Stephen? How would you distinguish yourself from the other candidates?
Evaluate the selection and hiring processes at Rubin, Stern, and Hertz. What changes, if any, do you recommend?

Discussion Questions For PB Technologies

Whom would you choose as the CFO. Why?

Reading

Boris Groysberg, Ashish Nanda, and Nitin Nohria, "The Risky Business of Hiring Stars," Harvard Business Review, May 2004, 82(5): 92-100

Recommended Reading

BK, "Staffing and Recruitment” Chapters 3 & 14
PS, "Do the best Organizations have the Best People" Chapter 4

SECTION 4: Reward Systems - April 14

Case

Lincoln Electric in China (INSEAD Case, European Case Clearing House Case #499-021-1) - This case is in your course reader.

Discussion Questions for GROUP PROJECT
Please analyze the Excel dataset containing data about the piece-rate experiment in Mexico and answer the following questions: (USE WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM CAT)

Did the piece rate motivate workers?
Did it attract workers of higher ability?
Did the introduction of the piece rate make workers feel special because they were part of an experiment and wanted to help the managers to succeed in the experiment? That is, is there any evidence that workers’ enthusiasm was temporary?
Did workers learn on the job (that is, get better with experience) and, if so, how should this affect conclusions about the effects of piece rates?

Recommended Reading

BK, "Pay For Performance” and “Compensation Systems: Forms, Bases, and Distribution of Rewards” Chapters 11 & 12
Steven Greenhouse, "Altering of Worker Time Cards Spurs Growing Number of Suits," New York Times, April 4, 2004
"Lincoln Electric Experiences Season of Worker Discontent '' Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 10, 1995
"A Model Incentive Plan Gets Caught in a Vise," Business Week, January 22, 1996

Related Web Sites

Learn more about Lincoln Electric...
... and then buy yourself some great Lincoln Electric paraphernalia

SECTION 5: Subjective and Objective Measures of Performance - April 16

Case

Infosys: Building a Talent Engine to Sustain Growth (Stanford Case #HR30)

Discussion Questions

Is Infy’s CRR system adequate? What changes would you recommend? Why?
Do you agree with the balanced score-card for top managers?
Should Mr. Pai proceed to implement the proposal put before him to create an ‘internal market’?

Reading

Angelo S. DeNisi & Robert D. Pritchard (2006). "Improving individual performance: A motivational framework," Management and Organization Review, 2(2):253-277
"Reshaping Microsoft’s HR Agenda," Business Week, September 10, 2007
"The Struggle to Measure Performance," Business Week, January 9, 2006

SECTION 6: Ergonomics of Innovation - April 21

Case

Institute for Health Care Improvement: Campaign to Save a 100,000 Lives (Stanford Case #L13)

Reading

Hayagreeva Rao and Bob Sutton, "The Ergonomics of Innovation," McKinsey Quarterly, 2008, Issue 4, p130-141

Discussion Questions

Why did IHI take a campaign approach to embed innovation?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of their approach?
How would you redesign their campaign?

SECTION 7: Rewards: The Psychology of Employee Recognition (especially, for Generation Y) - April 23

Case

Employee Recognition at Intuit (Stanford Case #HR31)

Reading

Jeffrey Pfeffer, "Six Dangerous Myths About Pay," Harvard Business Review, May-June 1998, pp. 109-119
Donald J. Campbell, Kathleen M. Campbell, Ho-Beng Chia, "Merit pay, performance appraisal, and individual motivation: An analysis and alternative" Human Resources Management, 37(2), 141-146
"Making a MultiGenerational Workforce Work for you" A chapter from Plugged in : the Generation Y guide to thriving at work by Tamara Erickson. HBS Press, 2008

Discussion Questions

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the employee recognition program at Intuit?
Is it better for rewards to be scarce and selective, or frequent? What is the right frequency? How do you ensure it?
What is the role of surprise in rewards? Are unexpected rewards better? How would you structure a program for them?

Recommended Reading

PS, "Is Work Fundamentally Different from the Rest of Life, and Should it be?" Chapter 3
Jennifer Saranow, "Anybody Want to Take a Nap?" The Wall Street Journal, January 24, 2005

SECTION 8: Layoffs - April 28

Case

The Cat is Out of the Bag: Kana and the Layoff Gone Awry (A), HBS 403-117 - This case is in your course reader.

Reading

Judith A. Clair, Ronald Dufresne, Nicole Jackson, Jamie Ladge. "Being the Bearer of Bad News: Challenges Facing Downsizing Agents in Organizations" Organizational Dynamics, 2006, 35(2):131-144

Discussion Questions

If you were Vicki, how would you read the politics of the situation?
How do you assess the layoff process to-date? What would you have done differently?
What should Vicki do going forward?

Recommended Reading

Janet Banks and Diane Coutu. "How to Protect Your Job During a Recession" Harvard Business Review, Sept. 2008, 86(9): 113-116
Darrel Rigby. "Look before you lay off" Harvard Business Review, Apr. 2002, 80(4):20-21

SPECIAL SECTION: Conversations with executives - April 29 (3:00 - 4:30 pm, Bishop Auditorium)

Blair LeCoyne, Head of Human Capital, TPG
Richard Spitz, Chairman, Technology Markets Practice, Korn Ferry
David Chen, CEO, VanceInfo
Attendance mandatory

SECTION 9: Information Sharing and Empowerment: Markets for Ideas (April 30)

Case

Rite Solutions: Mavericks Unleashing the Quiet Genius of Employees (Stanford Case #HR27)

Reading

Robert Quinn and Gretchen Spreitzer, "The Road to Empowerment: Seven Questions Every Leader Should Ask" Organizational Dynamics, Autumn, 1997, Vol 26, 37-50
Hayagreeva Rao, Robert Sutton and Allen P. Webb, "Innovations lessons from Pixar: An interview with Oscar-winning director Brad Bird" The McKinsey Quarterly, April 2008

Discussion Questions

What is the Mutual Fun? An electronic suggestion box? Or is it more than that?
What makes it work?
Where can it be generalized?

Recommended Reading

PS, "Change or Die" Chapter 7
Tom Davenport, "Some Predictions about Prediction Markets" Business Week, January 14, 2008
Rachel King, "Hollywood Games People Play" Business Week, August 7, 2006
Noam Cohen, "Google’s Lunchtime Betting Game" New York Times, January 7, 2008

Final Exam: Will be distributed on May 1, 2009 by 9 am and due on May 4, 2009 by 9 am

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