Decision Making That Moves the Organization Forward

The vision and mission of an organization can be realized only through the day-to-day efficiency and effectiveness of the processes designed to produce results. As discussed by Francis and Beazley, the difference between leaders and managers is often that between vision and execution: between deciding what to do (leadership) and seeing to it that it gets done (management). Managers have the responsibility for carrying out organizational functions, but they typically carry them out through other people who they hire, evaluate, and supervise. So for a manager, the human resources of the organization take on a special importance. This assignment invites you to consider the human resources of your own organization, the one in which you are currently a professional staff member, and the one in which you are likely to carry out your doctoral capstone research. Your current managerial responsibilities afford you the opportunity and the perspective to consider how the human resources in your organization contribute to its success, and how effective management of these resources is achieved. To complete this assignment, adhere to the following: 1. In Chapter 3 of Good to Great (pages 41–64), Collins points to the first executive actions as not deciding on direction, but rather on people. First, as he puts it, they “got the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus).” This is a clear statement of the essential nature of managing human resources. 2. Review Collins, Trying to Motivate People Is a Waste of Time (or just read the transcript). 3. Think about how the human resources management process is structured and how it functions in your organization. How can an organization move from good to great by not motivating and managing people, given Collins’s (2001) claim that It’s a waste of time (p. 74)? 4. Take notes for your position paper, but before you begin to write it, read page 6 in The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking and ask yourself the questions in the text. 5. Draft a three- to five-page position paper explaining the role of human resources processes and management in your organization, and how they contribute to making your organization great. Paper is to be completed by Friday August 17, 2018.