Case Title: DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTINATIONAL PERSONNEL SELECTION SYSTEM

This purpose of this paper is to give analysis and recommendation on the case that will focus mainly on the modules for the proposed new selection process. A STAR model will also be recommended to help increase the success of this system. Furthermore, I have included a supplementary recommendation to help ComInTec with their company-wide HR initiatives.

A.

New Selection Process

This proposal was developed by Dr. Kochs team as directed by Dr. Koenig. On an overall point, the entire process proposed seems to be too lengthy and costly both in terms of required resources and money. In addition to that there are some modules wherein the cultural aspects were not considered. The cultural needs of their organization must definitely be taken into account by this new selection process. It would be unwise for them not to do so such as in the module for the Simulated Group Exercise. They themselves inside the same department were already experiencing the natural effects of cultural divides, how much more outside the office which encompasses the reality of the world. Exhibit 1 and 2 further strengthens this fact. The process must be adaptive enough to give target countries some flexibility in order to be able to focus on what they believe would be effective for their needs. I also do not think that dividing it into tiers brings value in the design of the process. Below is an analysis and recommendation of each module for each of their proposed tier.

Tier One
Viewing of the candidates application using the 6 eye method-suitability for the targeted position (preliminary selection). This method is good since it requires three persons to assess application. However, the trade-off is that this is surely costly because of the number of people who needs to perform the first stage of the selection process. They also need to ensure that each set of eyes has the same set of basis for this preliminary selection otherwise this will become subjective thus not at all effective. The basis for this could be the job requirement which they must also ensure is correctly designed. Individual Telephone conferences Unstructured style performed by two persons (one from Germany, the other from the supervisor from the APAC site). This is used to check for the suitability of the targeted position, motivation, overall impression. This method is generally good since this is the first direct interaction with the applicants who passed the first step without having to consider travel time and cost. However, it is to be noted that one of the disadvantages is the lack of personal interaction and certain expressions be it facial or other physical mannerism that is pertinent to know about the applicants personality will not be evident. It is also important to note the time difference between Germany and the APAC site concerned, certain sacrifices 1|Page

and inconvenience needs to be considered. Given that this case happened at a time when free online video conferencing was already available, they should consider using this as a tool rather than just the telephone. Three Reference from the Former Employers or Colleagues -Obtaining information from references specially the former employer is definitely a good source of feedback. I also agree that the focus should not just be about verification but more importantly about the candidates personality. However, even if this works well in Europe, they should exercise caution about it in Asia. The said references were obtained directly from the applicants and Asian culture as further highlighted in Exhibit 1 and 2 which mention collectivism being an Asian culture. This means that loyalty and relationships are very prevalent in the workplace. Given these facts, they should expect that feedback they get will always be positive. I suggest that a template be created with questions that will guide the references to not just choose what they want to say. Example of a question: What areas of development were communicated to the candidate and how did he or she respond?. This type of question should help the interviewer look into the other side of the coin. Another important point is that it is too early in this stage to perform this. There are still inputs regarding the applicant that can be provided in their proposed second tier. I recommend that this be done at the end of the step when all applicant related inputs are obtained and this only needs to be done for the final shortlist of applicants.

Tier Two
Panel Interview The idea for this is for the applicants to present situations and give examples on how they can display their skillset for each of the six dimensions defined by the new selection process. It is good that they considered to resolve the possible language barrier problems though the setback to this is that it would be very costly since they are considering to have it translated and some information are bound to be lost in translation even with the back translation technique being applied. Even worse, it could also be subject to misinterpretations. In this particular case, wherein this is going to be applied in the selection for the middle managers who needs to interact with the APAC regional office or even globally with Germany, it is pertinent that they are able to communicate in English being the common language. For a global company such as theirs, communication is very important. I therefore recommend that this interview be done only in English and that the job description modified to ensure that applicants for the middle management position are expected to be able to speak and effectively communicate in this language as well. Biography-oriented in depth interview the objective of this is to verify a candidates strength and weakness, more so, gain insights into the candidates private and professional past. This is conducted by a psychologist from the same cultural background but it is not directed on job requirements as it is more focused on candidates complete life span and be of a general nature. While it is very notable that they considered the cultural background as an important aspect, it is also an aspect that may require additional cost for the selection process. This should be the last points done

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before the background checking is performed as it could be used as a point of reference/comparison for that activity as well. Simulated Group Exercise the idea for this is to acquire typical dimensions which are usually diagnosed in the assessment centers. It requires applicants to attend a group discussion together with three role players then eventually assessed by observers who similar to the role players, also needs to be trained. In addition to this the same topic has to be carried out across every country in APAC. Though the intentions are generally good, I do not think this aspect of the proposed new selection process is applicable across all job positions across all countries. There is a lot of cost and preparation needed like trainings for role players and observers. More importantly, I also do not agree that they did not consider culture-specific adaptations. The cultural differences are just too big to be ignored even only within APAC, how much more on a global scale. The Dimensions assessed are also not the same as that of what they have initially discussed: Communication, cooperation, stress tolerance, assertiveness and ambiguity tolerance as opposed to Planning/Organizing, Initiative, Adaptability, Conflict management, Decision making and Goal orientation. I would definitely suggest that this be removed and instead consider this as an aspect of training for successful applicants who have identified gaps that need to be improved. Test Procedures The proposed plan is to use psychometric testing procedures, specifically an intelligence and personality test that every candidate has to complete. This should give them an indicator for general intelligence and the big 5. They are also considering that this be developed for each country though the details of which were not available yet. I agree that this module should be implemented though this test must be done before the panel interview. This way, further inputs during this stage could also be considered during the interview process. With this the overall core process would be Preliminary Screening, Testing/Review, Interview, Background Check, and Selection.

B.

The STAR Model

On top of the analysis and recommendation for the modules of the New Selection Process, I would like to also propose a STAR model to make the implementation all the more successful: Strategy Standardize all human resources instruments for selection processes around the globe. The plan is to initially implement this in APAC to fill in 25 middle management functions of varying positions across 5 countries then eventual deploy the same in a global scale. Centralized This structure requires a good leader. Even though Mr. Koenig was portrayed to be someone who needs to be in control all the time and seemed unreasonable, he was still responsible for building a company with 23000 employees worldwide, made more than 5.8 billion Euros in sales since it recovered from the crisis

Structure

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Process

People

Rewards

(2003-2006), and known to be a worldwide leading industrial company. This to me is more than a good sign that regardless of his style, he must be doing something right even if it is not specified by the case. A Core process could be centralized but it should only be meant as a guide. The implementation and control must be Country-specific to ensure that all aspects be it cultural or otherwise is taken into account thoroughly. Applicants: Management: Dedicated, Able to communicate in Global / Multicultural Perspective English (for coordinations with the Decisive regional office and Germany), Passionate, Good Listening skills Good leadership skills, Decisive, Team Coaching skills Player, Adaptable, Patient (for Mr. Koenig Value Opinions / Initiatives / People and Dr. Koch ) , Integrity, Skillset that is Leadership in-sync with the Job Requirement. Compensation (including bonuses and profit sharing), Recognition, Continues Learning, Valuing Opinions

C.

Supplementary Recommendation

I would also like to supplement my recommendation for the company to also have another initiative which is on Employee Retention. This is somehow related to the last STAR module presented which is about REWARDS. The department of Dr. Koch was validated by no less than Mr Koenig that they have highly qualified people. These qualified people were hired using their current selection process. This means that the current selection process works for them as it is now and only needs to be improved. Given this fact, it brings me to a point that the employee retention is as important as the current directive for the new job selection process. Below are some more points from the case to reinforce this claim: 1> Even if they have now recovered from the turbulent years forcing them to take the job cuts route, the job security of people continuous to be at risk. This was evident when Mr. Koenig threatened members of the HR department that several of them will be removed if they dont deliver an acceptable new selection process proposal. 2> The leaders they are depending on were not good motivation role models: a. Dr. Koch was not a good listener and not really a coach material even if he has the work experience to back it up. There has been an instance mentioned wherein Yue Yu was raising a concern about another colleague but instead of working on the concern, Yue Yu felt she was just being shunned away and any help from him is futile. For someone who is expected to be an employee champion, shunning away employee concerns is certainly not one of those qualities that can help. b. Mr. Koenig was a controlling person and did not seem very reasonable. The case facts presented his conversation with Mr. Koenig as someone who wanted something done without listening to any form of reason as long as it is delivered on his terms, on his defined delivery date. 4|Page

c. Mr. Koenig was someone who was not pro-employee. The case facts specifically mentioned that there was an incident years ago pertaining to staffing cutbacks, he sent employees away without termination pay even if he was already warned about the legal repercussions. Given the above facts, it is vital that ComInTec should also focus on employee retention especially for its key resources. Imagine a company who is good in job selection and filling in positions but experiences a lot of turnover. This is most definitely not cost effective as they will be in a continuous cycle of spending for hiring, trainings, etc. Companies like that will definitely not be sustainable. It is therefore important to note that HR, as an admin expert, as an employee champion, as a strategic partner and as a change agent, to ensure that employee well-being is taken cared of, be it based on cultural aspects or other unique qualities that makes the tasks of HR easier said than done. In parallel to this, they have to also ensure that they are in line with the companys objectives and that the companys welfare is also respected.

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