OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Human Resource Frame Worksheet

My Nguyen

Worksheet Objectives:
1. Describe the human resource frame
2. Apply the human resource frame to your personal case situation

Complete the following making sure to support your ideas and cite from the textbook and other
course materials per APA guidelines. After the peer review, you have a chance to update this and
format for your Electronic Portfolio due in Module 6.

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

I am a shift supervisor for Starbucks and I am in charge of leading a team

everyday in meeting corporate expectations. The company highlights a priority on
developing leaders, but the pandemic has created challenges for developing leadership. I
want to assess the current work environment to better handle the changes in my
environment as well as assess the organization’s alignment with its core values and
mission statements.

2) Describe how the human resources of the organization influenced the situation.

Leinwand and Davidson (2016) does well to describe the extent to which
Starbucks has promoted diversity and inclusivity within it human resource strategies.
Starbucks not only aims to hire people from all backgrounds but also, people who have
the same values as the company because they are the ones who are more likely to stay
aligned with the organization’s mission statement and visions. As Starbucks sees its
people as competitive advantages and recognizes the importance of “positive human
resource management policies and work culture” (Tikson & Hamid, 2018), no significant
changes have occurred in this aspect. This influences the situation because employees,
also known as partners, play a crucial role in the effectiveness of leadership within the
organization.

Reflecting on the effects of the pandemic, Starbucks still makes an effort to tend
to their partners’ needs. Highlighting Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Bolman and Deal
(2017) emphasize the importance of factoring in human needs regarding motivation and I
believe Starbucks does well to remember this. However, the pandemic has placed
constraints on leadership as challenges in supporting partners ensue and customer care

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 requires constant modification. Standards created to maintain high sensitivity to the
pandemic, the work environment has seen a decline in morale and job satisfaction.

3) Recommend how you would use the human resources for an alternative course of
action regarding your case.

Bolman and Deal (2017, p. 132) have highlighted the failure of many employers
to invest in developing committed, talented people. With constant changes in the
environment, developing employees may be more vital than ever before. Therefore, from
a human resources perspective, I would invest in developing the leaders within the
organization because they are in the front line when it comes to supporting partners. Shift
supervisors and store managers work most closely with baristas to help deliver great
customer service in a responsible manner. Inc. (2020) has highlighted the fact that
Starbucks allows COVID-19 related decisions to be made “locally” and transfers a
certain amount of power to the store managers within each community. This allows for
specific modifications to be made and the management team within each store are in
better positions to take care of their partners.
As a shift supervisor, I can be the middleman for baristas and store manager and
assistand manager. I can develop partners through coaching and attending to their needs.
In accommodating those that do not feel well for any reason or feel uncomfortable
coming into work, I am attending to the physical needs of partners. In efforts to empower
partners, I can increase the amount of information about available resources to partners
with regards to the pandemic. Mental and physical health are equally important and the
company has teamed up with companies like Headspace in hopes of attending to the
mental health of partners. By providing information, physical, and mental support,
partners will feel empowered and it is an important human resource principle (Bolman &
Deal, 2017, p. 139).

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about this frame.

Given what I have learned about this frame, I think it is important to remember
the basic human resource strategies for hiring and keeping employees (Bolman & Deal,
2017, p. 138). With the challenges of the pandemic, I would maintain the companies
current principles in prioritizing health of partners and customers, supporting health and
government officials in mitigating the spread of the virus, and sustaining a positive
business within each community (Bariso, 2020). Stated in the same article, Starbucks
CEO, Kevin Johnson, emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence (Bariso,
2020). In aligned with Bolman’s and Deal’s emphasis of the importance of emotional

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 intelligence for management (2017, p. 167), I would work to enhancing my interpersonal
skills and emotional intelligence for managing my team on a daily basis.
What I would do differently is redesign the workspace. I want to promote more
autonomy to enrich partners’ environment. Job enrichment through empowerment will
minimize the decline in team morale and provide a more comfortable, positive working
environment for partners. In maintain a healthy state of mind, I would also encourage
partners to use available resources. These are my strategies in developing and
maintaining my team. Being a corporation, the organization cares more about money and
maintain corporate numbers rather than checking in on their partners that work in their
stores. Looking at the situation, the pandemic seems to have shifted company priorities
away from positive human resource management.

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 Reference

Bariso, J. (2020, April 20). Why Starbucks CEO’s letter ot employees about Covid-19 wins. Inc.

https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/starbucks-ceos-letter-to-employees-about-covid-19-is-

a-master-class-in-emotional-intelligence.html

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership

(6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass (Perusall Version Only)

Leinwand, P. & Davidson, V. (2016, December 30). How Starbucks’s culture brings its strategy

to life. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/12/how-starbuckss-culture-brings-

its-strategy-to-life

Tikson, S. & Hamid, N. (2018). Human resources policies and work culture: A case of

Starbucks. JBMI (Jurnal Bisnis Manajemen dan Informatika), 15(1), 1-11.

https://doi.org/10.26487/jbmi.v15i1.1773