OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Human Resource Frame Worksheet

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

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

A senior manager at Malouf Companies has been frustrated with the lack of growth and
opportunities within the company, also citing unclear strategy and expectations in his current
role. This manager has put a lot of work, effort and sacrifice into building Malouf, and has
played a significant role in who they are today. Recognizing that he has deficiencies in
several areas, this senior manager proactively reached out to his new VP to try and get some
guidance and career/growth planning. He first sent an email to the VP with specific details
that he would like to learn and be involved with. It took the VP four months to respond to the
email, and another two months to set up a meeting and talk. In the meeting a few items were
discussed but the VP did not come prepared. In the end the take aways for the Senior
Manager was that he would need to “figure it out” on his own to get involved with
everything he wanted to grow and learn.

The Senior manager was frustrated with the overall situation due to the VP not
responding in a timely manner, and that the outcome did not result in a growth or action
plan, or any other type of strategic approach to be given a chance to build his capabilities
or learning opportunities.
I have an internal role at Malouf companies. My job is Director of distribution
and operations. I specifically oversee the Distribution network for Malouf companies.

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

“A gardener knows that every plant has specific requirements. The right combination of
temperature, moisture, soil, and sunlight allows a plant to grow and flourish. Plants do their best
to get what they need. They orient leaves sunward to get more light and sink roots deeper in
search of water. A plants capability generally increases with maturity. Highly vulnerable
seedlings become more self-sufficient as they grow. (Bolman & Deal 2021, pp 123)
This explanation of plant growth highlights how an organization should view growing
and developing employees. This typically develops from having a HR Philosophy and strategy
that provides guidance and directional influence for an organization. This is lacking from this
organization. The strategy is unclear, which makes it hard for employees to create meaningful
goals that align with the strategy. It makes it challenging for managers to provide direction and

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growth opportunities for team members as a result. The opportunity to “sink roots” deeper is not
present as roots are only surface level deep due to the lack of development opportunities within
the organization.

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

“Systematic and interrelated human resource management practices” provide a sustainable

competitive advantage. The key is a philosophy or credo that makes explicit an organizations
core belief about managing people.” A philosophy provides direction; practice makes it real.”
(Bolman & Deal 2021, pp 143) This quote embodies what should be at the core of HR practices
as it provides a sustainable competitive advantage.
I would first focus on creating the philosophy to provide direction and then institute
actual practices to make it real. The concepts of projecting the desire to promote from within,
invest in employees, and empower them by providing information and support. Live up to the
claim of “we value the employees” and do not let it just be a slogan.

Reflect on what you would do or not do differently give what you have learned about this
frame.

It is easy to sit back and provide critical feedback towards a certain situation or circumstance
without having all of the information, so it’s never as simple as it seems. It is my opinion that
because of rapid growth within our industry the company grew very quickly, and best practices
were not established early on. As a result, it has made it much more challenging to institute some
of the best practices from the Human Resources Frame.
I would focus on what we can start doing today to start winning in the human capital
arena. I would start by identifying with department managers what is lacking in terms of
resources and support to start laying a foundation of HR philosophies and practices and
projecting that outward to the organization. The focus of investing in and empowering
employees would be at the core of everything.

Reference or References

Bolman & Deal (2021). Reframing Organizations Artistry, Choice, Leadership (Perusal 7th
Edition)

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