OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Human Resource Frame Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:
1. Describe the human resource frame
2. Apply the human resource frame to your personal case situation

Complete the following making sure to support your ideas and cite from the textbook and other
course materials per APA guidelines. After the peer review, you have a chance to update this and
format for your Electronic Portfolio due in Module 6.

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

I was soldier that had just graduated basic combat training and was attending Advanced
Individual Training (AIT) for 24 weeks. There were 5 tests during the training and if you
failed any of the tests twice you had to restart the 24 week training from the beginning. I took
the 4th test feeling very confident. When I received my test back there were 3 grades at the
top of the paper, two passing scores and one failing score. The two passing scores had been
crossed out. It was explained to me that my every day instructors thought I deserved to pass
the test but the lead trainer for the site deducted points from my test for small errors like lines
in powerpoint not being perecrly aligned. I had a very short amount of time to retake the test
and pass or I had to restart the training. I took the test a second time and passed.

2) Describe how the human resources of the organization influenced the situation.

The human resources of the organization had an interesting influence on the situation
because it seemed that it was being pulled in two separate directions. On one hand, my
instructors that I worked with on a daily basis seemed to give the impession that they knew
that I knew the material and wanted me to pass. However, on the other hand, the lead trainer
for the organization did not have that prior knowledge or relationship with me and got hung
up on the small details of the test. The entire time in the course I had been receiving good and
passing grades on every assignment and test. So this new word that I may be failed out of the
course if I was unable to pass the second taking of the test was a huge and jarring surprise. It
is a common occurance to see people in the Military to go on a power trip. This is an
unfortunate side effect of having such a hierarchical organization. People with little
experience get put into positions where they have the ability to effect someone elses life and
career. They then take that responsibility and weild it over people for no reason other than
that they can.

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 I felt respected and understood by the regular instructurs. I felt it was unfair to be judged
by an instructor that I had never even had a conversation with – who had no idea if I had a
firm grasp on the lesson but just saw my one test submission. In that moment I did not feel
understood or appreciated as a student who had been trying their best. I knew that I
understood the information and that I should pass the test. However, because of the way the
organization was structured and the layout of the human resources I was unable to argue my
case. If the lead instructor would have continued to be unnecessarily hard and not
understanding in the second grading of the test, I could have easily had to recycle to the next
round of courses. I understand that the military is a very hash environment and not meant for
everyone, but I do not think that people should be torn down and failed just to prove a point –
especially when that would effect the next 6 months of their life.

3) Recommend how you would use the human resources for an alternative course of
action regarding your case.

If I was in charge of this entire organization I would have taken a completely

different course of action. I would never let the lead instructor who has not had any
contact with the students be able to grade the tests. Additionally, I think that in order to
be considerd the “lead” trainer, that you should be forced to spend time with the people
you are supposedly responsible for training. Employees should feel egaged, understood,
and listened to. This is not at all how the Army currently operates. While I am not saying
that this is all bad, I definitely think that there is room for improvement. Just because
someone is a student, does not mean that they are not trying. The Army seems to
automatically assume that everyone is slacking off and immediately try to punish anyone
who slips up even one time. I would create an environment where students have a lot
more respect in the class room and the teachers give off the notion that they actually want
the students to pass.
One of the basic human resource strategies is to empower your employees. This
means, “Provide information and support. Encourage autonomy and participation.
Redesign work. Foster self-managing teams. Promote egalitarianism” (Bolman, 2017, ch.
7). This would be the alternative course of action that I would have used regarding my
case. I would rearrange the training regement so that the students get all of the
information and support needed. I would make sure that all students understood exactly
how their tests would be graded and exactly what was expected from them in this course.
I would encourage them to participate and ask questions – I would get rid of the notion
that there is a stupid question or that you will be punished for asking anything in class. I
would promote students working together and leaning on each other to get through the
class. I would eliminate any competition between students.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about this frame.

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 There is not much that I as a soldier and as a student would have been able to
personally do differently. I was completely under the control of the instructors and the
lead instructor. They should be the ones who should learn about the HR framework and
understand how to empower employees and push them toward success. Though, I guess it
can be argued that because I failed that test that my focus and hard work increased. I
guess it is possible that challenging an employee in this manner can force them to work
even harder and become more successful. However, I do not think that this is a healthy or
good way to lead employees, and not how HR should handle that type of situation.
Maybe something that I could have done differently after learning about this frame would
be to help the instructors learn about this frame as well. It can be easy to get jaded after
being a teacher for long. You can forget that people need extra help or extra care and
empathy when working through difficult and stressful positions. It is possible that the
lead instructor has hit that point in their career where they were overly stressed and no
longer was actively applying the empathy they needed in order to do a satisfactory job.
If I was one of the main instructors that I worked with everyday, I would have
tried to push back on the lead instructor and explained the position that we were coming
from and why we had graded the test we did initially. Additionally, if I were then the lead
instructor hearing this from the main instructors, I would have had a conversation about
the grading and teaching methods and ultimately had to decide to trust the instructors and
their judgemnet. I do not see a point in having main instructor if the lead instructor will
just dismiss their ideas without giving them a second thought. The HR frame taught me
that empathy and understanding and caring about the people you are working for is just
as important as the people you hire.

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 Reference or References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership
(6th  ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass