University of Memphis Strategies for Recruitment Discussion

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Marsha Jackson manages a training department within a large, for-profit learning organization that offers training and life coaching services. Marsha needs to recruit new trainers and increase trainer retention in a cost-effective manner. Currently, there is a high turnover rate of trainers that is making it difficult for the department to meet its goals.

Help Marsha use systems thinking to address these issues.

1. Finish the sentence: Systems thinking…

a) …is a framework for solving problems.

b) …reduces the opportunity to blame one person for an institutional problem.

c) …is a framework that helps us understand the interrelationships and connections among organizations’ departments and operations.

d) All of the above.

1. To save money, Marsha considers replacing full-time personnel with part-time consultants. Which of the following reflects a systems theory approach to this idea?

a) Seek the opinions and input of others within the organization to determine what impact this decision would have on the organization as a whole.

b) Lay off the people in the department who have been there the shortest amount of time; this is less cost-effective than laying off the most experienced people, but more fair.

c) Lay off all the full-time employees and replace them with contractors, and hire back some of the employees as consultants if possible.

d) Lay off the people with the highest salaries and replace them with contractors; this is the most cost-effective and fair strategy.

1. Which of the following actions is not reflective of a systems thinking framework?

a) Marsha meets with full-time employees to discuss strategies for recruitment, retention, and cost-savings.

b) Marsha facilitates the creation of an organization-wide committee of employees to meet periodically and discuss issues like recruitment and retention.

c) Marsha sets up more frequent 1-on-1 meetings with employees as an effort to foster more of an environment of trust.

d) Marsha meets with her manager to discuss long-term strategies for reducing the size of her team.

1. Marsha brings her trainers together for an all-day retreat to discuss strategies for recruitment, retention, and cost-effectiveness. Several employees are very vocal about issues that seem to be outside the scope of the original meeting, and the meeting takes a sharp turn away from the original agenda. Which action could Marsha take to best reflect the principles of systems thinking?

a) Discuss with the group ways that these additional concerns impact recruitment, retention, and cost-effectiveness.

b) Thank the participants for their concerns, and promise to have a meeting at another time to address these issues.

c) Explain to the group that there is already a full agenda for the day, and invite them to meet with you individually if they have concerns about these other issues.

d) Dedicate some time during the meeting to discuss these issues, and ask employees to keep conversations about these issues within these time frames.

1. Marsha discovers that there’s not a common policy throughout the company to improve retention. Different departments do different things and do not communicate much with each other about their strategies. She creates a committee of department leaders to discuss this issue. Some of the managers immediately point fingers at a senior manager who has since left the company; they feel this individual should have done more to improve retention.

What steps could Marsha take that reflect a systems thinking approach?