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A Case Study of Now What to Do with Brand and Kerry

BUS 5910: Management Capstone

Written Assignment Unit 7

University of the People

October 19, 2022

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A Case Study of Now What to Do with Brand and Kerry

The case focuses on a Human Resource Management Dilemma in a sizeable contracting

organization, NewBuild where a project manager Jason had been required to make a recruitment

decision between Brad and Kerry, two of his star employees, which would be assigned to the

next major construction project. Both had been direct reports to Jason for the previous nine

months, and the decision came with the possibility of layoff for who didn't get the job if the

economy continued to deteriorate (Mento, Cougnet, & Vader, 2012).

Definition of the Problem

The issue, in this case, is determining which of the two candidates should be promoted,

highlighting the importance of a thorough selection process when hiring or assigning tasks

to employees internally or externally. Jason, a project manager with NewBuild, was faced with a

difficult decision: would Brad or Kerry, his two most recently hired engineers, be assigned to the

next major building project and receive a promotion? Unfortunately, with the economy's

continued aggressive decline, this assignment and promotion threatened a job loss for the party

that was not considered (Mento, Cougnet, & Vader, 2012). Brad and Kerry each bring different skill

sets to the team based on their educational backgrounds, experiences, and character traits; Brad is

introverted and does not provide Jason with detailed feedback even when asked, while Kerry is

extroverted and does. However, she seldom has time to participate in group activities due to

personal commitments, but she shows interest (Mento, Cougnet, & Vader, 2012).

Diagnosing the Causes of the Problem as Associated with Human Resource Situation.

Firstly, a tough choice had to be made regarding the project assignment and promotion

due to the pressure and impact the economic downturn had on the company. In addition, Because

Brad and Kerry were fairly new employees at NewBuild, there was not enough time to fully

evaluate their abilities and performances. Also, the company had a high turnover rate, which was
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primarily caused by pay rates that were below average for the industry. Lastly, the difficulty in

accurately determining the state of the psychological contract between Brand, Kerry, and

NewBuild as well as the paucity of a thorough reevaluation of the variables that affect employee

behavior at work. It should be noted that the psychological contract is an important factor to

consider in organizational relationships between employers and employees because the

psychological contract is an undocumented contract between an employee and their employer; it

reflects their relationship's informal commitments and expectations (Enright, n.d.).

Possible Alternatives.

According to Jason, Brad struggled in the bargaining simulation because he did not take

on the traditional leadership role; instead, he followed the scenario and the people he agreed

with. On the other hand, Kerry displayed impressive reasoning and a few crucial abilities for

handling contractor/vendor relationships on a significant project.

Understanding the key VABEs of the staff is another strategy. Managers who are aware

of their staff's VABEs can better guide them through challenging and novel developmental

assignments. A manager can assess whether an employee's VABEs serve as a foundation for

behavior consistent with the organization's goals and strategic plan once the manager has gained

some understanding of the employee's VABEs through listening, monitoring, and testing. Jason

might need to devote more time to coaching and mentoring if a person's VABEs do not match

the organization's culture.

As Brad and Kerry email Jason about lessons learned and highlight their achievements,

their communication style reveals the differences between Brad and Kerry's communication.

Many workers believe it is improper to brag to their boss about their accomplishments.

Unintentionally, a manager might conclude that the quiet employee hasn't done enough work if
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there are no other compelling facts. It was clear from contrasting Brad and Kerry's lessons

learned emails that they had different writing styles (Mento, Cougnet, & Vader, 2012). Suppose

better and more descriptive communication does not turn into a bragging match with a ton of

unnecessary and unrelated information to the topic at hand. In that case, it is advantageous for a

variety of reasons.

Recommended Plan of Action

The main reason Kerry should be chosen over the other candidates Jason chose for the

upcoming major project at NewBuild is that she is not passive, takes responsibility for her

actions, and is able to come up with solutions on the spot for projects, as seen in the simulation.

Despite being underprepared, she prevailed in the face of an opponent (Mento, Cougnet, & Vader,

2012). The essential abilities of a good project manager include leadership, communication, negotiation,

technical competence, and decision-making abilities, all of which Kerry has demonstrated to be. Every

employee, even those with high levels of skill, needs to receive training in order to succeed. To help

Kerry succeed in her new position, training that inform and reinforce rusty skills, among others, like a

little more teamwork and coaching or motoring, will be beneficial. Brad might complete the task despite

his passivity. Still, Kerry is the preferred candidate because communication and leadership are essential

on a project team, and Brad is currently lacking in these capacities.

Limitations of the case

The limitation of this case is that it would have been useful to see actual data on Brad and Kerry's

performance appraisals, as well as feedback from the candidates to their boss Jason, to determine if

changes and improvements are willing to be made given what is at stake if one of them is promoted and

assigned to the next major project. The terms and conditions of Brad and Kerry's contract and NewBuild's

layoff policies are examples of additional material data that could have influenced the analysis decision.
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Relevance of the case

This case is pertinent to the study of business because it illustrates the difficulties

encountered in human resource management with regard to the selection and employment of

qualified candidates for positions while also considering that technical capabilities alone are

insufficient for the successful accomplishment of established business goals. The case study of

Jason, Brad, and Kerry at NewBuild clarifies the significance of soft and behavioral skills in the

workplace, especially on project teams that involve a lot of communication and knowledge

sharing with all stakeholders.

Conclusion

Human resource management (HRM) is the administration of all people-related decisions

made within an organization; it focuses on maximizing the organization's human resources and

improving employee performance to meet its goals (HRD Connect, 2019). HRM has its own set of

challenges that HR managers must overcome in all business areas, particularly when it comes to

employees, who are the foundation of most successful business organizations. The case

illustrates how making the wrong decision can be disastrous to organizational objectives.
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References

Enright, J. (n.d.). What is the psychological contract? Retrieved from www.charliehr.com:

https://www.charliehr.com/blog/what-is-the-psychological-

contract/#:~:text=The%20psychological%20contract%20refers%20to,that%20make%20up%20th

eir%20relationship.

HRD Connect. (2019, May 22). What is HR management in an organisation? Retrieved from

www.hrdconnect.com: https://www.hrdconnect.com/2019/05/22/what-is-hr-management-in-an-

organisation/

Mento, A. J., Cougnet, J. E., & Vader, C. L. (2012, January/February ). Now What Do I Do With Brad

And Kerry? Retrieved from www.my.uopeople.edu:

https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1552324/mod_book/chapter/329192/U7%20Now%20Wh

at%20do%20I%20do.pdf

Senyucel, Z. (2009). 2.4 People, Organizations and Employment. In Z. Senyucel, Managing the Human

Resource in the 21st Century (p. 13). Ventus Publishing.

SpriggHR. (n.d.). The Pros and Cons of Internal Recruitment. Retrieved from www.sprigghr.com:

https://sprigghr.com/blog/hr-professionals/the-pros-and-cons-of-internal-recruitment/

Stevenson, M. (2019, October 28). Psychological Contract – The Pros and Cons. Retrieved from

www.hrexchangenetwork.com: https://www.hrexchangenetwork.com/employee-

engagement/articles/psychological-contract-the-pros-and-cons

The Editorial Team. (2022). 10 Attributes of an Effective Project Manager. Retrieved from

www.nutcache.com: https://www.nutcache.com/blog/10-attributes-effective-project-manager/