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Sample Case Analysis Report
Sample Case Analysis Report
Ovania
Chemical
Corporation
(Ovania)
is
a
small
but
competitive
chemical
company
that
produces
polyethylene
terephthalate
(PET)
thermoplastic
resin
as
its
core
product.
Its
continued
success
will
require
modernization
of
the
facilities,
adaptation
to
new
technology
and
undertaking
a
job
redesign
process
for
one
of
its
key
roles.
The
most
immediate
need
is
for
Ovania
management
to
focus
on
redesigning
the
role
of
System
Analyzer
(SA),
a
prestigious,
non-managerial
role
that
is
estimated
to
change
in
duties
and
responsibilities
by
over
70%
in
the
next
two
years.
The
central
issue
in
this
case
is
the
need
for
Ovania
to
adopt
a
strategic
human
resource
management
plan.
The
plan
should
focus
on
formalizing
practices
to
support
a
rigorous
and
thorough
job
analysis
and
an
equitable
selection
and
recruitment
process.
Corporations
need
to
have
strong
human
resource
management
planning
in
order
to
develop
human
capital
and
thereby
enhance
their
competitive
advantage
(Kulvisaechana,
2005).
The
integration
of
a
plan
that
aligns
with
evolving
business
objectives
will
provide
Ovania
with
a
clear
understanding
of
the
changing
SA
role
and
its
function
within
the
organization.
2.
Analysis
of
Case:
Strengths
&
Weaknesses
Ovania
has
numerous
strengths
on
which
to
build
this
foundation
of
formalizing
human
resources
practices.
The
company
clearly
demonstrates
elements
of
a
learning
organization:
a
commitment
to
redesigning
roles
to
meet
the
changing
needs
of
the
industry
and
remain
competitive;
intentions
to
promote
from
within
the
organization;
recruiting
the
best
talent
externally
if
deemed
appropriate;
and,
a
commitment
to
making
decisions
fair
and
objective.
As
part
of
their
learning
orientation,
the
company
recognizes
the
SA
position
will
change
over
the
next
two
years
and
that
by
removing
the
factors
that
can
be
acquired
through
training;
they
focus
squarely
on
candidates
skills
and
abilities
(what
the
candidates
bring
rather
than
what
the
candidates
can
learn).
This
allows
the
possibility
of
bringing
new
perspectives
to
the
role,
while
still
meeting
the
critical
requirements
determined
through
the
job
analysis.
Additionally,
the
management
at
Ovania
is
aware
of
their
poor
record
of
employment
discrimination
and
has
the
will
to
change
their
strategies
to
encourage
minorities
and
women
to
apply
for
these
new
positions.
This
awareness
is
critical
as
a
first
step
to
overcoming
discriminatory
practices
in
the
organization.
In
this
regard,
the
commitment
to
ongoing
development
is
particularly
important
for
women
and
visible
minorities,
for
whom
management
has
indicated
they
want
to
do
a
better
job
of
recruiting.
Statistically
speaking,
while
employment
equity
is
now
legislated,
women1and
minorities2
still
face
disadvantages
and
inequities.
1
According to Statistics Canada (2006), womens salaries are substantially lower than those of men.
Ovanias
standpoint
on
training
can
also
enhance
the
selection
process
in
relation
to
ongoing
talent
management
for
both
internal
and
external
applicants.
Given
that
they
are
a
specialty
company,
this
position
will
potentially
expand
the
applicant
pool
and
allow
management
to
develop
specific
competencies
in
the
job
and/or
people.
The
commitment
to
training
and
development
helps
to
build
a
culture
of
openness
to
ongoing
learning
which
is
important
as
the
company
moves
from
an
industrial
focus
to
one
which
values
knowledge
and
innovation.
Some
potential
problems
may
arise
from
the
decision
to
eliminate
skills
that
could
be
learned.
One
such
issue
is
that
the
requirement
for
lengthy
or
substantial
training
could
put
Ovania
at
a
competitive
disadvantage,
as
it
will
take
two
years
to
come
up
to
speed.
Further,
management
is
rolling
the
dice
as
there
is
a
possibility
that
someone
cannot
be
trained
to
do
the
work.
As
a
result
training
costs,
in
addition
to
initiating
another
recruitment
process,
could
be
significant.
In
order
to
avoid
this
and
other
issues,
the
company
has
made
some
judicious
decisions
in
how
to
address
the
need
to
evolve
their
operations
in
a
competitive
market,
this
includes
hiring
two
consultants
to
assist
them
with
the
job
analysis
and
using
published
and
standardized
aptitude
testing
to
develop
a
fair
and
objective
selection
process.
Another
efficacious
consideration
for
Ovania
will
be
how
to
engage
any
relevant
union
groups
in
a
discussion
of
the
proposed
changes.
While
it
was
not
specifically
mentioned
whether
or
not
unions
are
present,
or
whether
the
company
has
a
good
relationship
with
its
various
unionized
groups,
the
absence
of
it
as
a
factor
in
the
case
might
suggest
that
the
relationship
(if
present)
is
functioning.
While
there
are
many
positive
aspects
to
the
process
Ovania
has
undertaken,
the
company
also
has
some
systemic
weaknesses
that
will
need
to
be
addressed
through
the
implementation
of
a
new
strategic
human
resource
management
plan.
One
issue
is
that
the
current
job
analysis
process
is
flawed.
This
has
led
the
selection
committee
to
develop
a
list
of
performance
dimensions,
and
to
identify
critical
abilities
and
tasks
for
the
role
(noted
in
Appendix
A),
that
may
not
fully
represent
the
requirements
of
the
new
job.
The
tasks
and
skills
that
have
been
determined
to
be
critical
appear
more
focused
on
the
existing
role.
Further,
the
selection
committee
had
difficulty
determining
how
best
to
combine
multiple
predictors
in
order
to
reach
the
final
cutoff
scores
to
confirm
the
most
suitable
candidates.
As
a
result,
the
committee
has
not
been
able
to
develop
a
defensible
process
to
make
their
selection
decisions.
2
People in a visible minority are nearly twice as likely as others to have low incomes. According to
Statistics Canada (1995), more than a third (36%) of the visible minorities had incomes below the poverty
line, compared with 18% of other Canadians.
Through
this
process
the
committee
can
identify
performance
behaviors,
critical
competencies,
and
knowledge,
skills
and
abilities
(KSAs).
By
linking
tasks
with
KSAs
they
will
develop
a
legally
defensible,
content
valid
selection
system
(Landis,
Fogli
&
Goldberg,
1998).
The
committee
should
disseminate
the
gathered
information
to
surveyed
employees
with
lists
of
tasks,
work
aids,
and
KSAs.
This
process
would
help
organize
the
participants
thinking
and
standardize
the
approach
(Urbanek,
1997).
The
selection
committee
should
also
reconsider
its
assessment
of
what
the
candidate
must
bring
to
the
position
versus
what
can
be
learned
later
on
through
whichever
means
deemed
appropriate.
Using
a
methodical
approach
to
this
bring/learn
ratio,
Ovania
can
better
assess
the
impact
of
the
higher
knowledge-based
component
of
the
new
SA.
New
educational
requirements
may
demand
established
abilities
in
areas
such
as
oral
and
written
comprehension.
Service
Canada
(2010)
notes
that
tools
like
willingness
statements
can
be
used
to
evaluate
other
special
considerations.
In
the
case
of
Ovania,
this
may
include
a
statement
of
willingness
to
work
in
treatment
tanks.
Finally,
the
process
enters
the
third
phase
with
a
determination
of
how
to
use
the
job
analysis
information.
The
selection
committee
should
meet
with
management
to
review
the
findings,
comparing
the
prior
concept
of
the
position
to
the
data
collected
(Landis,
Fogli,
&
Goldberg,
1998).
If
not
done
earlier,
it
is
at
this
point
that
the
committee
could
raise
the
question
of
how
to
engage
the
union
in
the
job
redesign.
Schwind,
Das
and
Wagar
(2010)
refer
to
the
importance
of
garnering
union
involvement
in
managing
change
to
foster
a
smoother
transition.
Recommendation
#2:
Create
a
defensible
selection
process.
In
order
to
establish
a
defensible
selection
process
for
SA
at
Ovania,
it
will
be
necessary
to
review
and
amend
the
current
performance
dimensions,
to
re-examine
the
skills
identified
as
critical
to
the
role,
to
identify
additional
selection
requirements
such
as
education
and
other
factors,
and
finally
to
incorporate
a
behavioural
interview
process
as
the
final
determining
stage.
A
new
5-step
selection
process
is
outlined
in
Appendix
D
that
addresses
each
of
these
requirements.
Review
and
amend
performance
dimensions:
After
a
detailed
review
of
the
performance
dimensions
(duties
and
tasks)
as
outlined
in
the
case
study,
Appendix
A
Figure
3A,
it
was
noted
that
the
original
analysis
by
the
selection
committee
did
not
take
into
consideration
such
aspects
as
the
educational
requirements
of
the
new
role
or
any
special
considerations
(such
as
physical
requirements
of
the
job).
In
reviewing
the
performance
dimensions
following
the
revised
job
analysis
process,
an
over-arching
statement
related
to
the
key
objectives
of
the
job,
education
and
special
requirements
for
the
role
were
added
to
the
performance
dimensions.
The
revised
performance
dimensions
can
be
found
in
Appendix
C
Figure
3A
(Revised).
It
is
assumed
that
after
the
new
job
analysis
is
completed,
and
the
performance
dimensions
amended
to
include
educational,
occupational
and
special
requirements,
that
the
role
criteria
was
found
to
be
sufficiently
comprehensive
for
the
new
SA
position.
As
such,
it
is
then
necessary
to
re-examine
the
skills
that
are
deemed
most
critical
in
selecting
candidates
for
the
job.
Re-examine
Critical
Skills:
Following
the
committees
considered
approach
to
not
include
skills
they
believe
could
be
gained
through
training
and
development
over
a
two-year
period,
they
developed
an
initial
list
of
12
abilities
and
tasks,
of
which
six
were
considered
critical.
However,
previously
identified
gaps
in
the
job
analysis
resulted
in
the
identification
of
critical
skills
which
were
more
strongly
related
to
manual
competencies,
consistent
with
the
current
role,
rather
than
the
skills
required
to
support
their
future
competitive
needs.
So
while
they
used
credible
methods,
the
priority
given
to
certain
skills
is
questionable.
In
relation
to
the
testing
of
skills,
the
assumption
is
that
the
tests
themselves
are
reliable
and
valid
as
they
have
been
previously
standardized;
however,
reliability
does
not
ensure
that
a
test
is
valid
or
useful.
The
case
indicates
that
there
is
no
normative
or
validity
data
for
the
role
of
SA,
therefore
the
content
validity
of
the
tests
is
questionable.
Validity
ensures
that
the
tests
accurately
measure
what
is
relevant
and
intended.
In
this
case,
it
is
clear
that
the
content
validity
has
not
been
accurately
defined
between
the
tests
and
the
new
SA
role.
While
the
occupational
testing
seems
to
be
measuring
the
specific
basic
skills
identified
by
the
committee,
there
is
no
testing
that
simulates
the
required
job
environment
to
ensure
that
candidates
can
adapt
to
the
physical
environment
that
is
necessary
in
the
SA
role.
Therefore
in
developing
a
new
selection
process,
an
assumption
was
made
that
content
validity
of
critical
skills
can
be
determined
by
the
frequency
that
they
are
needed
for
job
tasks.
To
re-examine
and
determine
the
validity
of
the
critical
skills
selected,
the
existing
skills
list
was
compared
to
the
performance
dimensions.
Skills
that
were
required
for
more
than
50%
of
the
performance
dimensions
were
deemed
to
be
critical.
This
resulted
in
a
new
list
of
critical
skills
that
were
finger
dexterity,
mechanical
comprehension,
visual
pursuit,
deductive
reasoning
and
inductive
reasoning.
This
re-examination
of
critical
skills
is
the
second
step
in
the
revised
selection
process
and
is
illustrated
in
Appendix
D
Figure
3B
(Revised).
Further,
to
enhance
the
rigor
of
the
selection
process
the
revised
critical
skills
were
given
priority
in
the
selection
process.
The
scores
associated
with
the
revised
critical
skills
were
totaled
for
each
candidate
and
the
average
found
for
all
candidates.
Those
candidates
that
had
scores
greater
than
the
average
were
forwarded
on
to
the
next
phase
of
the
selection
process
that
involves
an
assessment
of
additional
selection
requirements.
This
resulted
in
a
reduction
from
20
potential
candidates
to
10
candidates
as
illustrated
in
Appendix
D:
Figure
3C
(Revised)
-
Step
3.
Additional
selection
requirements:
As
noted
in
the
review
of
the
performance
dimensions
for
the
SA
role,
the
original
analysis
by
the
selection
committee
did
not
take
into
consideration
such
aspects
as
the
educational
requirements
of
the
new
role
or
any
special
considerations
(such
as
physical
requirements
of
the
job).
Educational
attainment
as
well
as
the
physical
demands
of
role
must
be
addressed.
In
particular,
working
in
the
treatment
tanks
was
raised
as
a
concern
for
the
role
and
this
ability
must
be
assessed.
However,
this
should
not
be
considered
based
on
stereotype,
as
suggested
in
the
original
analysis,
but
considered
based
on
the
candidates
statement
of
willingness
and
physical
capability.
Once
these
additional
requirements
are
clearly
identified
they
can
be
incorporated
into
the
selection
battery
as
occupational
testing.
As
step
4
of
the
new
selection
process,
the
10
candidates
remaining
from
the
review
of
critical
skills
were
then
screened
for
education
requirements
and
occupational
testing.
It
was
determined
that
eighty
percent
of
the
candidates
would
pass
each
phase
of
screening
(occupational
and
education)
resulting
in
a
remaining
pool
of
6
candidates.
These
candidates
were:
Beliveau,
Buffett,
Egan,
Laukitis,
Lesko,
and
Sherman
and
the
results
are
summarized
in
Appendix
D:
Figure
3C
(Revised)
Step
4.
Incorporating
of
behavioural
interviews:
The
final
step
in
the
new
selection
process
is
the
behavioral
interview.
This
process
will
enable
the
selection
committee
to
assess
competencies
such
as
teamwork,
cooperation,
commitment
to
ongoing
learning
and
respect;
all
of
which
are
critical
components
to
what
candidates
will
bring
to
the
role.
The
final
results
from
the
behavioral
interview
process
will
ideally
identify
the
top
three
successful
candidates
for
the
position
of
System
Analyzer.
The
final
results
of
the
new
selection
process
can
be
seen
in
Appendix
D:
Figure
3C
(Revised)
Step
5.
Recommendation
#3:
Address
the
systemic
discrimination
and
bias
in
the
company.
McShane
(2006)
describes
stereotyping
as
the
process
of
attributing
characteristics
to
individuals
based
either
on
information
that
can
be
easily
observed,
or
by
their
membership
in
a
particular
social
category.
One
of
the
most
significant
issues
with
stereotyping
is
that
it
lays
the
foundation
for
discriminatory
behavior
(McShane,
2006).
This
issue
is
evident
at
Ovania
in
their
history
of
employment
discrimination
charges
and
the
comments
made
by
management
and
staff
about
women
and
minority
groups.
This
indicates
evidence
of
the
systemic
culture
of
discrimination
and
bias
that
still
exists
in
the
company.
McShane
(2006)
recommends
three
strategies
to
minimize
stereotyping:
diversity
awareness,
meaningful
interaction,
and
decision-making
accountability
(p.73).
Ovania
needs
a
comprehensive
plan
to
address
the
root
causes
of
discrimination
within
the
corporation,
in
addition
to
clear
accountabilities
for
fair
hiring
practices.
Conducting
a
thorough
job
analysis
as
outlined
will
help
to
determine
equitable
and
non-discriminatory
selection
and
recruitment
processes
that
will
mitigate
the
existing
negative
organizational
culture.
4.
Summary
In
conclusion,
the
recommendation
to
Ovania
Chemical
Corporation
is
to
engage
HR
in
a
strategic
and
formalized
process
to
incorporate
a
new
job
analysis
process
for
the
SA
role
in
an
attempt
to
align
the
business
goals
with
the
hiring
strategy.
This
will
require
conducting
a
new
job
analysis
process
and
creating
a
defensible
selection
process.
It
is
highly
recommended
that
Ovania
also
establish
educational
programs
and
non-
discriminatory
practices
for
recruitment,
selection
and
retention
of
employees.
By
using
careful
analysis
and
a
clear
methodology
for
redefining
the
SA
role,
aligning
the
recruitment
and
selection
process
with
KSAs,
and
determining
content
validity,
there
is
the
opportunity
for
this
organization
to
establish
a
fair,
objective
and
productive
work
environment
to
meet
the
demands
of
a
competitive
and
evolving
marketplace.
Ovania
may
wish
to
compare
the
results
using
test
scores
from
their
current
process
to
the
selection
results
based
on
the
new,
more
rigorous,
analysis
and
selection
process
(Appendix
E).
The
recommendations
provide
a
more
defensible
and
significantly
different
result.
If
Ovania
implements
the
outlined
recommendations
they
will
be
able
to
demonstrate
integrated
human
resources
management
that
will
support
their
business
planning
objectives
and
significantly
enhance
their
competitive
advantage.
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