Discuss: Knowing When to Say When
One factor that can impact employee engagement and block the attainment of strategic goals is the reality of outsourcing. Outsourcing can be motivated by cost factors, a lack of in-house expertise or even a restructure at the bidding of a consultant or new executive. In many cases outsourcing impacts employees’ job security and may lower employee morale and engagement. In addition, many outsourcing decisions include individuals or companies that may operate in other countries, or even different regions of the same country with vastly different cultures and norms. This adds an additional layer for managers to consider. So how exactly are decisions to outsource made? Let’s take a look at one example:
Outsourcing Scenario (NOTE: Download and read the first slide instructions) Download Outsourcing Scenario (NOTE: Download and read the first slide instructions)
The manager of your division at Speedy Pro is asking you to make a recommendation about outsourcing mental health services for the wellness clinic.
Part I: Recommendation and Conclusion
Consider the decisions you made in the above branching scenario and share your recommendation for either outsourcing the mental health services for the wellness clinic or keeping in house. How did you reach your conclusions? In your specific discipline/organization, provide an example of an outsourcing decision that had an impact upon you, or locate one that has been in the news in the recent past. Did the outsourcing decision involve different cultures or norms? How would you recommend implementing an outsourcing decision and communicating that decision to your employees?
Part II: Interact with Peers
In your responses to peers, discuss the differences in the decisions you made and how you arrived at them.
Assignment Guidelines
Actively monitor your own discussion thread throughout the week and respond as appropriate. Review the rubric to learn how to maximize your points.
Part 2: Implementation
Part 2 of this assignment will be your consulting group’s implementation plan. Outline the steps you recommend for implementing DEI at the company, including the following information at a minimum, along with any other details you want to share:
First, decide how you will begin. Where will your initial focus be? What comes after that initial focus? Lay out your strategy.
Who owns the program?
Will the steps look different depending upon which protected group you are focusing on?
Include a communications plan to introduce the new program to employees and supervisors. Tailor to specific stakeholder groups as appropriate.
How will you build awareness of your program?
What barriers and obstacles do you anticipate and how do you plan to overcome them?
Part 3: Evaluation
Part 3 of this assignment will outline your recommendations for evaluating the success of the DEI program for this company. You should have a measurement plan for each of your goals. Include the following in your evaluation recommendations:
Who is responsible for evaluating this plan?
What variables/metrics will you use to evaluate success for each goal? Be specific.
How will you measure each? Use of a table or chart to depict alignment of your metrics with goals is encouraged.
Are your chosen metrics inclusive of all affected stakeholder groups?
What is your plan for reporting on any areas for improvement?
Reflect on your own employment or personal experiences with globalization.
Globalization impacts our everyday lives in many ways. How has it impacted your personal life (communication, shopping, dining)? How about in your workplace?
Do you feel this had an impact on how you approached this module?
Share what interactions, resources, and activities helped you to meet the goals of this module, and how they helped. Include links and images to these experiences.
Instructions
Begin by reading the Introduction on slide 2. Then, read through the remaining slides, selecting (Ctrl + Click the link) each outsourcing option that is the best solution based on the Parks and Recreation Department scenario. Once you have completed going through the slides then return to the M5.2 discussion and complete Parts I & II.
IND501: Outsourcing
You are the Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of a mid-size county.
Your county has experienced lower than expected revenue due to a recent economic down-turn. Your state is dependent on taxation revenue from the oil and gas industry and shortfalls are anticipated. Human Resources and Employee Benefits have traditionally been provided in-house.
However, due to the economic downturn and the retirement of key staff within both offices, you have been tasked with either outsourcing human resources and employee benefit provision instead of replacing key staff. Remaining staff within the dissolved office will be moved to other offices within the department.
Introduction
IND501: Outsourcing
You anticipate staff will be happy with your decision because you will not need to let go of any current employees and you will still be providing the needed services.
The services will simply be provided by staff outside of our organization.
Option 1
Outsource Human Resources to a staffing company. The company would provide all hiring and onboarding for Parks and Recreation.
Option 2
Outsource Employee Benefits to a broker. The broker will develop and manage the benefits package which includes health insurance, retirement, and wellness programs.
Initial Scenario
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
Due to the retirement of the long-time Human Resources Manager at the Parks and Recreation department and impending budget cuts, you moved forward with outsourcing selection and hiring of new staff.
At this point you have two options to outsource Human Resources:
Option 1
Issue notice to staff that Human Resources will be outsourced. All Parks and Recreation staff will receive an email that with the retirement of the HR Manager and budget shortfalls, all hiring and selection of employees will be outsourced.
Option 2
Conduct focus groups with department staff to explore costs and benefits of outsourcing. Staff will receive an invitation to take part in focus groups and round tables to explore outsourcing human resources.
Option 1
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
You have moved forward with the plans to outsource Human Resources. You provided details of on what company will be providing services and that five staff members within the office will be moved to different positions across the department. You have provided staff information on how the change saves jobs while still providing needed services. You were rational and logical.
What do you think happened as a result of your announcements?
Option 1
Employee Job Satisfaction: Employees are shocked and angered at the decision to outsource HR. Employees feel anger, disappointment, and fear that their positions are also at stake. The way the decision was made and communicated made the situation worse. How does this impact employee job satisfaction and engagement?
Option 2
Organizational Commitment: Employees are shocked and angered at the decision to outsource HR. A long-time HR employee had anticipated being promoted to HR Manager. The abrupt announcement leaves the employee wondering if their commitment and years of hard work were wasted. How do you think this impacts employee organizational commitment and engagement?
Option 1.1
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
There was much resistance, anger, and distrust after the initial announcement to staff that offices would be closing, and service delivery would be changing.
As Parks and Recreation Director you assign staff from across the department to a project to develop alternative solutions.
Option 1.1.1
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
There was much resistance to the initial announcement to staff that Human Resources would be outsourced. Budget shortfalls require innovative solutions and strategic thinking.
However, leaders must be aware of how employee engagement is impacted by outsourcing efforts. Employee engagement impacts team performance.
Reading prompt:
Gallup offers many resources for leaders on employee engagement. Read this article about employee engagement and team performance.
Option 1.1.2
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/321032/employee-engagement-meta-analysis-brief.aspx
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Before moving forward with plans to outsource Human Resources, you reach out to employees to advise them of budgetary shortfalls. You provided details of how outsourcing HR could lead to significant cost savings. You have provided staff information on how the change saves jobs while still providing needed services. Before moving forward with any decisions, your schedule focus groups and roundtables to discuss outsourcing HR with staff.
What do you think happened as a result of your announcements?
Option 1
Employee Engagement: Employees are concerned about outsourcing Human Resources. HR service were traditionally provided in house. However, employees feel valued that department leaders are seeking their input before moving forward with any final decision. How does this impact employee job satisfaction and engagement?
Option 2
Organizational Commitment: Employees are concerned about outsourcing Human Resources. HR service were traditionally provided in house. However, employees trust leadership to listen to concerns and feedback on the outsourcing decision. How do you think this impacts employee organizational commitment and engagement?
Option 1.2
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
Despite the concern about closing the HR office within the department, staff felt valued that department leaders were going to allow them to be a part of the decision-making process.
As director, you want to keep your entire department engaged and motivated.
Option 1.2.1
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/321032/employee-engagement-meta-analysis-brief.aspx
9
You are worried about employee loyalty, or organizational commitment, being negatively impacted by the announcement that in-house services would soon be outsourced. You do not want to lose any additional staff as a result of outsourcing.
Option 1.2.2
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/321032/employee-engagement-meta-analysis-brief.aspx
10
Due to the retirement of the long-time Employee Benefits Coordinator at the Parks and Recreation department and impending budget cuts, you moved forward with outsourcing employee benefits to a broker.
At this point you have two options to outsource Employee Benefits:
Option 1
Issue notice to staff that Employee Benefits will be outsourced. All Parks and Recreation staff will receive an email that with the retirement of the Employee Benefits Coordinator and budget shortfalls, all employee benefits will be outsourced.
Option 2
Conduct focus groups with department staff to explore costs and benefits of outsourcing. Staff will receive an invitation to take part in focus groups and round tables to explore outsourcing employee benefits.
Option 2
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
You have moved forward with the plans to outsource Employee Benefits. You provided details of on what company will be providing services and that one staff member within the EB office will be moved to the Human Resources Office since the office is short-handed. You have provided staff information on how the change saves jobs while still providing needed services. You were rational and logical.
What do you think happened as a result of your announcements?
Employee Turnover: Employees are shocked and angered at the decision to outsource Employee Benefits. Employees feel anger, disappointment, and fear that their positions are also at stake. The way the decision was made and communicated made the situation worse. However, the Employee Benefits Office is the smallest office within the department and has traditionally been a part of HR. How does this impact employee turnover and employee engagement?
Option 2
Absenteeism: Employees are shocked and angered at the decision to outsource Employee Benefits. The remaining employee, with years of experience in employee benefits, begins to look for jobs in other county agencies. How do you think this impacts absenteeism?
Option 2.1
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
Employee buy-in is important when an organization is making any change plans. As director, it is your job to make sure employees buy-in to the need for outsource services.
Option 2.1.1
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/321032/employee-engagement-meta-analysis-brief.aspx
13
Absenteeism can be an unfortunate result of outsourcing. Absenteeism results in staff routinely being away from work. Increased absenteeism results in services/goods not being provided or other employees picking up the slack.
Option 2.1.2
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/321032/employee-engagement-meta-analysis-brief.aspx
14
Before moving forward with plans to outsource Employee Benefits, you reach out to employees to advise them of budgetary shortfalls. You provided details of how outsourcing Employee Benefits could lead to cost savings. You have provided staff information on how the change saves jobs while still providing needed services. Before moving forward with any decisions, you schedule focus groups and roundtables to discuss outsourcing Employee Benefits with staff.
What do you think happened as a result of your announcements?
Option 1
Organizational Commitment: Employees are concerned about outsourcing Employee Benefits. However, employees feel valued that department leaders are seeking your input before moving forward with any final decision. How does this impact employee organizational commitment?
Option 2
Trust: Employees are concerned about outsourcing Employee Benefits. However, employees trust leadership to listen to concerns and feedback on the outsourcing decision. How do you think this impacts employee organizational commitment and engagement?
Option 2.2
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
Outsourcing can often be a good way for organizations to maintain needed services and save money. Benefits of outsourcing include cost saving and having access to greater levels of expertise.
Option 2.2.1
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/321032/employee-engagement-meta-analysis-brief.aspx
16
The focus groups were successful in helping staff understand the problem and explore the costs and benefits of outsourcing Employee Benefits. The activity helped improve organizational commitment by building trust be employees and leadership.
Option 2.2.2
IND501: Outsourcing
IND502: Outsourcing
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D1: Strategic Analysis of the Mayo Clinic
Module 5
We will now apply a portfolio analysis to a healthcare organization.
Visit the Mayo Clinic website and review the services provided. You will practice applying the portfolio quadrants.
An active discussion is the key to an interesting and engaging online course. Discussion in this course is designed to simulate a classroom discussion. As others join in the discussion, you should read what has already been posted and continue with the discussion from there. We will go through the questions one at a time, moving on to the next question once we have fully explored the current question. I will guide you through the discussions.
The first question is based on your own experience and what you have learned over the first half of the term so that you can begin the discussion immediately without having completed all of the assigned readings. You must apply your assigned readings to subsequent questions.
Based on your experiences, prior learning, and/or opinion:
Based on what you have learned over this term so far, in your opinion, what might be some risks and advantages in having a healthcare product or service with high market share, and yet low profits?
Now applying what you have learned from the readings, let’s go through the rest of the discussion together, one question at a time.
The following questions involve doing a portfolio analysis. Use the Mayo Clinic website and the dimensions in Exhibits 7.9 and 7.10 in your text as a framework. You must apply your readings in your responses.
Choose several services from the Mayo Clinic website. Identify how these services fit into one or more of the adaptive strategic alternatives for a quadrant in the expanded portfolio matrix. Describe your reasoning behind your choices.
Based on the examples you chose, identify appropriate adaptive strategic alternatives for each quadrant in the expanded portfolio matrix.
Try not to duplicate one another’s responses. If you see that a classmate has already addressed the same services, please select at least one new one. This will allow us to maximize the learning.
Finally, let’s talk about program evaluation. Program evaluation is especially useful in organizations where market share, industry strength, and competitive advantage are not particularly important or are not relevant. Such organizations are typically not-for-profit, state or federally funded institutions such as state and county public health departments, state mental health departments, Medicaid agencies, community health centers, and public community hospitals. What are the benefits to using program evaluation for these type of institutions in the development of adaptive strategies? What are some barriers to accomplishing this? Please provide examples from the Mayo Clinic or other organizations you may be familiar with.
What are some of the critical factors for determining the importance of programs within a not-for-profit organization?
Consult the Discussion Posting Guide for information about writing your discussion posts. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you post it. When you are ready to post, click on the “Reply” button for a new thread or “Reply” beneath an existing post to respond to the post. Then, copy/paste the text from your document into the message field, and click “Post Reply.”
Evaluation
Please read the latest Health Sciences Discussion Rubric
Download Health Sciences Discussion Rubric
and the new Health Sciences Discussion Guidance. These documents lay out the basis for how you should engage in discussions and how you will be evaluated. Discussions are worth 30% of your final grade.
As a part of developing your DEI plan for Speedy Pro, you have been asked to
identify best practices companies use for establishing and sustaining DEI for their
employees with respect to race, gender, national origin, age, gender/sexual
preference, pregnancy, and other protected categories. It is best to post early and
often as you work together. Your team will begin by researching best practices in
DEI from companies and the literature. We recommend that you each do some
research on best practices related to your discipline. Then share your results on
this discussion board and collaborate to prepare your ?nal recommendations.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan
IND502 M3.2: Consulting Team Speedy Pro DEI Plan
Researching DEI Plans
As you examined in Module 4, DEI is an important aspect for all organizations and
individuals. DEI programs are often comprehensive, and as you will see, there will be three
portions to the plan you will be creating together. Remember to divide up your roles so you
can conduct your work e?ciently and e?ectively. Many companies have successfully created
DEI programs to the bene?t of all To begin your group’s research, here are two websites you
may ?nd helpful. Be sure to go above and beyond these in your own discipline’s research:
Lesson 1 of 1
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan
Program Goals
The ?rst portion of your consulting group’s plan for Speedy Pro’s DEI program should be the
goals of the program. There are three pieces to the plan that you should be including in your
goals section:
America’s Best Employers for Diversity
DiversityInc
Determine which pieces of the best practices of the companies you researched
that you will include in your program. Note why they have been found to be best
practices and give examples of where they have been successful.
Implementation
The next part of this assignment will be your consulting group’s implementation plan.
Outline the steps you recommend for implementing the DEI program at Speedo Pro, including
the following information at a minimum, along with any other details you would like to share:
Develop your vision statement for the organization around DEI.
Create 2-3 goals based upon your group’s vision statement. Describe the actions
you will take for each goals. (Use the SMART goals formula to help you write your
goals)
First, decide how you will begin. Where will your initial focus be? What comes
after that initial focus? Describe your strategy.
Who owns the program?
Evaluation Recommendations
Part 3 of this assignment will outline your recommendations for evaluating the success of the
DEI program for this company. You should have a measurement plan for each of your goals.
Include the following in your evaluation recommendations:
Will the steps look di?erent depending upon which protected group you are
focusing on?
Include a communications plan to introduce the new program to employees sand
supervisors. Tailor to speci?c stakeholder groups as appropriate.
How will you build awareness of the program?
What barriers and obstacles do you anticipate and how do you plan to overcome
them? (Note: Research will provide some resources for this item)
Your plan should be an organized, solid recommendation for Speedy Pro to easily follow.
Remember, you will be responsible not only to the group, but also individually based upon
your contributions to the group. Happy collaborating!
Who is responsible for evaluating this plan?
What variables/metrics will you use to evaluate success for each goal of the
program? Be speci?c.
How will you measure each variable/metric? Use of a table or chart to depict the
alignment of your metrics with goals is encouraged.
Be sure all of your metrics are inclusive of all a?ected stakeholder groups.
What is your plan for reporting any areas for improvement?
