Issues at NEWGEN – SKIT

Effective human resource management requires the application of a variety of skills, procedures, and policies to the management of the workforce. If employee-related issues are not addressed, the performance and productivity of the entire workforce could be severely impacted. This paper evaluates the software company NewGen, focusing on the issue that arose after Ms. Lee's promotion. Hahn Chen refused to work under Ms. Lee after her promotion to supervisor, claiming she lacked technical expertise. As the management and CEO attempted to resolve the issue with the assistance of an external consultant, a series of events ensued.
Could this problem have been avoided by Abdul? How?
The circumstance could have been prevented. The promotion comes with new budget demands so he needed to discuss the budget with HR. Abdul did not inform his coworkers of his search for a supervisor. Hahn did not get a performance evaluation so he believed he was qualified for the supervisor role. Abdul should have conducted career and succession planning and conferred with Carlos about his plans. He should have employed substantive selection which involves written tests, assessments, performance simulations, and interviews. He should have required the applicants to undergo a situation judgment test to determine how they would perform in various situations and compare their answers to those of high-performing employees.
When hiring new employees, managers and HR must adhere to certain policies and procedures. The fact that Carlos was not involved in Abdul's selection of Amie as the new supervisor should have raised red flags for Carlos. In addition, Carlos's failure to offer suggestions on required procedures before Abdul introduced Amie as the new supervisor suggests that neither Carlos nor Abdul was current on hiring policies. Human Resources is in charge of job advertisements, hiring, performance evaluation, termination, and training. Before hiring any new employees, the manager must inform the HR department of the need and determine the necessary experience and qualifications. The manager should then compile the job responsibilities and requirements for the job posting and communicate with HR regarding the type of candidate they require for their job posting.
What is your solution to this problem? What needs to be done to get the department running smoothly again?
The first step is for Ms. Lee and Mr. Hahn to discuss the issue together. The two are knowledgeable and possess the skills necessary to achieve the best results in their respective roles through collaboration. The second option is to put the supervisor position on hold and explain to Ms. Lee why the company has made this decision. Then, it would be prudent to post the position on the company's human resources website so that other candidates can apply. This will help ensure that the process adheres to the appropriate hiring policies and procedures. Due to the company's rapid expansion, it may be necessary to hire two supervisors to avoid a conflict between customer service and technical operations; one supervisor position for customer service and one supervisor position for software development. In addition, Carlos should have identified the managers' training needs. Prim and foremost, Ms. Lee should have attended the training. It is essential to evaluate employees to determine where each individual can improve. If Abdul had evaluated Hahn, he could have realized that he needs to improve in the "teamwork" area of the company and perhaps offered him training.
How will you prevent this problem from occurring again in the Company?
To prevent a recurrence of the problem at the company, the following steps should be taken: training employees, implementing a hiring and promotion policy, and informing the team that Ms. Lee, if retained for the position, will assist Abdul with administrative tasks but will not provide technical advice. The software people could still report directly to Abdul. To avoid conflicts, managers must examine how they communicate the department's qualifications for supervisors to others. Due to the numerous additions required for the job's success, the department will be divided into two distinct sections. The job advertisement could specify the addition of a software design manager and customer service representative. In the future, hiring and promoting employees must adhere to the established guidelines so that no employee feels alienated. The department's internal HR representative should provide an overview of the necessary hiring process steps. The supervisor position should be posted exclusively for NewGen internal candidates, with a detailed job description and list of required skills and experience. Only candidates who meet all of the requirements are invited to an interview.
What are some of the theories that are covered in this case? How would you apply them?
According to the Affective Events Theory (AET), specific events at work cause different types of people to feel different emotions, which can be advantageous or detrimental to others at work (Stock, 2018). Ms. Lee felt worthless and left Abdul's office in tears after Hahn's perception that she was not a technical expert, preferring to report to Abdul instead. If Mr. Hahn supported Ms. Lee, she would feel more at ease working as his supervisor, and consequently, her satisfaction would rise. The path goal theory suggests that a leader should provide the necessary support and resources for followers to achieve their goals (Henkel & Bourdeau, 2018). Abdul followed this theory when he gave information about Ms. Lee. The two-factor theory links intrinsic factors to job satisfaction and extrinsic factors to dissatisfaction (Lee et al., 2022). Hahn dislikes his new supervisor, which contributes to his dissatisfaction with his job.
Conclusion
The NewGen case demonstrates the need for clearly defined hiring and promotion procedures and policies. If the employer creates a system that allows every employee to apply for promotions based on their performance, job satisfaction will be high. Abdul had the right to feel alienated at NewGen because the promotion did not follow the proper procedure. The conflict between Ms. Lee and Mr. Hahn affected their job satisfaction, according to the Affective Events Theory (AET) and the two-factor theory. Addressing the underlying cause of employee emotions can aid in resolving these issues and fostering a positive work environment.