CASE APPLICATION 1
Race Relations
Topic: Unconscious (implicit) bias, racial-bias training
After decades of affirmative action, diversity training, and inclusion practices, you’d think
that bias (racial, gender, age, you-name it) wouldn’t be an issue. But
almost everyone has observed bias in the workplace . . . jokes
about a particular group of people, how men or coworkers
who are friends with the boss seem to get the most important
projects to work on, etc. Both overt workplace bias (which
still does happen, unfortunately, probably on a daily basis
in organizations) and unconscious bias, which can be more
subtle and difficult to recognize in ourselves and others, create problems for
organizations.102 You’re aware
of the overt bias problems,
but what about unconscious
bias? Have you, for instance,
wrongly judged someone by their weight (well, they don’t look
the part of a manager, so they wouldn’t be a good candidate
for a management training program) or by the school they attended (well, their degree is
from a small, regional college, so
they can’t possibly know the most current techniques or have
the best education) or by their introverted nature (well, they
never speak up in meetings, so they obviously don’t have an
opinion)? Starbucks Corp. was about to get a wake-up call in
both respects.
Recently, in downtown Philadelphia, two young black
men met at a Starbucks store to discuss a real estate transaction they’d been working on for
months. One of the young men
asked to use the restroom and was told by the manager that
the restrooms were only for paying customers. After being approached by the manager to
see if they wanted to order drinks
and them declining to do so, police were called and the two
men were arrested on suspicion of trespassing. Starbucks did
not press charges, and they were released. A customer’s cell
phone video posted online showed several police officers responding and handcuffing the
two young men even with other
customers saying that the two had done nothing wrong and
questioning why they were being arrested.103 After a socialmedia outcry, Starbucks CEO
Kevin Johnson apologized for
the incident on Twitter and on television news programs. And
the employee who called the police no longer works there. The
CEO also said that it was his “responsibility to understand what
happened and what led to that, and ensure that we fix it.” 104
So, how is Starbucks “fixing” it? One step was a review
of company guidelines, which differ among its 28,000 stores
found worldwide. Another, the most dramatic step, was an
investment in unconscious bias
training.105 To implement this
training, Starbucks closed all its
more than 8,000 domestic stores
for one day to conduct antibias training. Some 175,000
Starbucks U.S. employees were
trained on unconscious or implicit bias, in which “people make
decisions based partly on stereotypes without being aware that
the stereotype has influenced them.”106 Academic researchers
who’ve studied unconscious bias, say training can help individuals recognize it and identify
ways they can minimize it. Other
experts say that anti-bias training can either be effective or flop
altogether. However, “training by itself won’t put a stop to the
problem of implicit bias,” noted one HR expert.107
Discussion Questions
8-11 What is the focus of the training for Starbucks employees?
Why is this training important?
8-12 What is unconscious (implicit) racial bias? Why is it a problem
for organizations?
8-13 Beyond this intensive in-store training, what other things could
Starbucks do to create a more sensitive, in-store experience?
8-14 What can you learn from this story that will benefit you (a)
personally and (b) professionally?
8-15 Is implicit bias an ethical/social responsibility issue? Make a
decision and defend your position. If so, explain why. If not,
why not?
Case application 2
Re1sume regrets
TOPIC: candidate
selection dilemma
P rotiviti is a global business consulting and internal audit firm specializing in risk,
advisory, and organiza- tional transformation and in human capital consultancy.
Protiviti advises its clients on selecting the right talent for the
right position as part of its advisory services.108
In one such assignment, the client faced challenges in
selecting the right candidate for a key leadership position.
The client was a newly established insurance company based
in Oman and had aggressive growth plans. The client wanted
to differentiate itself by using technology to provide convenient services that would allow its
customers to carry out
their transactions from the comfort of their home. Being in its
nascent stage, the company did not have a clearly laid out IT
strategy to support this vision.
The existing IT department consisted of a fairly qualified team, some of whom had been with
the organization
since its inception three years ago; however, the team was
driven largely by day-to-day operations, query resolution, and
gathering of business requirements for system enhancements.
There was a general perception that the IT function was not
responsive enough to cater to the dynamic nature of the evolving insurance industry
landscape and the needs of consumers
within it. The teams were process-oriented and felt that requests from customer-facing
departments were coming in an
ad hoc manner.
In this context, the client now wanted to fill a key leadership position, that of a chief
information officer (CIO). It appointed Protiviti to assist them in evaluating and identifying
the
best candidate for the position; the bank then shortlisted four
candidates. Protiviti studied the business context, identified the
job specifications, and conducted preliminary assessment covering technical and leadership
skills. The following were the
observations on the top two candidates:
Candidate A is a very confident and assertive individual
currently heading the IT department of a very large, wellestablished, and old insurance
company in the country. He
leads a team of more than 100 staff and is actively involved
in the development of the IT strategy as a mandate from the
board; however, he has only three years of experience in the
insurance industry, the other 12 years being in the telecom and
the oil-and-gas industries. He looks at the big picture and prefers to delegate a lot of tasks
to the team. He is comfortable in
stakeholder management and confident in resolving situations
where there are disagreements. This candidate is very well read
and follows the latest global trends in the insurance, banking,
technology, and related industries.
Candidate B is an internal candidate leading one of the
teams in the IT department. He is a structured, planned, and
organized individual. He has been with the company since
its inception three years ago and has more than 14 years of
experience in the insurance industry. He is well aware of the
work environment, leadership expectations, growth plans, and
operational aspects of IT in an insurance company in addition to the regulatory and
compliance requirements. Being an
internal candidate, he knows all the challenges the department
is currently facing and has a clear, well-laid out plan for the IT
function if he were offered the CIO position. His communication skills are satisfactory, but he
shows signs that he need to
polish his capabilities in managing stakeholder demands and
expectations.
Discussion Questions
8-16 What are some of the technical and leadership skills that you
feel should be assessed at the recruitment stage and why?
8-17 Which candidate do you think should be offered the position
and why?
8-18 What impact would Candidate A have on the team if selected
for the position? Please provide reasons.
8-19 What impact would Candidate B have on the team if selected
for the position? Please provide reasons.
Case application 3
Spotting talent
Topic: HRM in the
Hong Kong police
force
T he Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), established in 1841, currently has a workforce of
around 40,000 personnel. The organization’s policy is to recruit throughout the year and
looks at hiring “high caliber” individuals for the roles of inspectors
and constables. The Hong Kong Police College, which was established in January 2006, is
designed to run nine-month courses to
provide comprehensive training for inspector-level candidates. 109
Despite the need for more officers and the continuous recruitment, it isn’t very easy to join
—the HKPF is extremely selective. It
believes that its people are its greatest asset, so an officer’s access to
professional development programs increases during their service
in the force as well as after receiving promotions. Officers at the
middle-management level are trained in leadership and commanding during critical
incidents. Officers in the Force are only granted
increments if their performance is considered satisfactory or better.
Based on the belief that every individual is a big asset to
the organization, the HKPF expends considerable resources
and effort in acquisition and training. It also adopts and implements sophisticated human
resources management (HRM)
practices to give them an edge over private employers.
Acquisition of the right people begins with recruitment and
selection for entry-level posts, mostly police constables and police
inspectors. The human resources branch, under the personnel wing,
is actively engaged in publicizing the recruitment program through
various media and organizations, including schools and universities.
The Hong Kong Police Mentorship Program (PMP) looks for interested undergraduate
students and enrolls them in a mentor-mentee
program with members of the Force; the mentors serve as role
models to the prospective recruits. PMP participants usually have
a higher success rate in securing full-time posts in the Force after
graduation than those acquired through other recruitment channels.
The selection process for police officers tries to identify various core competencies in each
candidate, like communication,
judgment, confidence, and leadership. Candidates who apply for
the post of police inspector have to pass a written examination,
which includes English and Chinese language proficiency tests,
an aptitude test, and the Basic Law (BL) test. In 2010, a psychometric test was introduced to
assess candidates’ personalities. An
extended interview (or assessment center) that requires group discussion, presentation, and
management and leadership exercises
is also conducted to gauge competencies such as communication,
judgment, confidence, leadership, and staff and resource management. Then, a panel
interview, physical fitness test, as well as an
integrity check and a medical examination are organized
The Police College is responsible for training and developing
the new recruits. Its Foundation Training Centre organizes stringent
training programs for recruits with a focus on foundational knowledge and skills. The
programs cover law and procedures, practical
exercises, police tactics, weaponry, parades, first aid, and public
order. The training programs also lay out the vision, common purpose, and values of the
force. In addition to these programs, a variety of development training courses are
organized by the college’s
Professional Development Learning Centre specifically for junior
police officers, inspectors, and superintendents after they complete
a specified number of years of service or have received a promotion. Overseas development
opportunities may also be provided.
As the work is quite demanding, police officers in Hong
Kong are paid a little more than the civil servants in other
departments. Newly recruited constables are paid between
HKD31,000 and HKD34,000 (around $3,999–$4,387)
while new inspectors and senior inspectors receive between
HKD67,000 and HKD76,000 (around $8,645–$9,806) upon
successful completion of standardized police examinations.
After graduation, the police officers are assigned to a specific unit or formation for a few
years. Then they regularly rotate
through posts in different units or districts. This rotation is believed
to benefit the individual officers as well as the organization as they
can gain more experience in policing, administration, and human
resource issues, thus getting a better and more rounded career
development opportunity. Each officer builds more relationships,
develops greater confidence in their job-performance, and gains a
holistic view of the force. This also enables the police organization
to achieve better coordination and succession planning and be less
susceptible to corruption in the local communities.
As a result, a learning culture is developed that constitutes
a vital part of the HKPF’s strategic human resource management framework.
Discussion Questions
8-20 Identify the environmental forces that affect the current development of various HRM
activities in the HKPF.
8-21 What are the advantages or disadvantages of the police mentoring program for the
force and prospective candidates?
8-22 Evaluate the reliability and validity of written tests being used
in the selection of the police officers.
8-23 The HKPF successfully nurtures a learning culture in the organization. Identify various
training and development activities that
help shape the culture.
