The following will discuss the Human Resource functions of Tanglewood Stores. The paper will discuss the staffing strategies required by Tanglewood in order to maintain its corporate culture and niche market while remaining competitive. The paper suggests strategic staffing decisions regarding the nine staffing levels and four factors of staffing quality. Acquire or Develop Talent According to the text, if Tanglewood wants to achieve a full acquisition strategy then Tanglewood is going to have to acquire new talent.
This seems to be the best strategy for Tanglewood because it is already evident judging from the case that there is an inconsistency in management styles between toe original stores and the newly acquired stores. The argument for acquiring new talent is that new employees hit the ground running and are at their peak the moment they arrive. This is the kind of performance Tanglewood needs during and acquisition period. It assures that the newly acquired stores start on the right path without resentment or employees, particularly managers, who resist.
For existing stores, Tanglewood should take on a development approach. Acquiring from within is always a good way to maintain a productive workforce. When employees believe that there are opportunities for advancement they are usually more motivated to achieve the organizational goals. This approach could be beneficial because Tanglewood wants its employees to be self sufficient and think like managers. Hire Yourself or Outsource Tanglewood should continue to hire its own employees. The reason being is that Tanglewood has a niche that requires a certain kind of individual.
In order to ensure that these individuals are the right matches it is best that Tanglewood screen and identify the appropriate hires. Though it is important for Tanglewood to have the final say on who’s hired, Tanglewood could outsource some functions in the recruiting process to companies such as yahoo, monster, and CareerBuilder to build a pool of candidates. External or Internal Hiring Tanglewood should adapt an acquire from within approach first and resort to an external candidate as an alternative option. When organizations acquire from within it gives its employees a sense of belonging.
Employees see room for advancement and become motivated. When there are opportunities for advancement, employees began to think long-term. This mode of thinking from employees is beneficial to Tanglewood because Tanglewood can now foster its culture into generations of employees; maintaining the family oriented culture of Tanglewood alive. Core or Flexible Workforce Tanglewood should maintain a core workforce. A core workforce is better for Tanglewood because it is in a niche market with a unique company culture, which differentiates Tanglewood from its competitors.
In the beginning a flexible workforce may seem to cut cost but when factor in the additional training cost and the lack of motivation from the employee, it advantages and disadvantages even out. Hire or Retain Tanglewood such try to decrease the turnover rate as much as possible by adopting an employee retention plan. A retention plan is important to Tanglewood because it helps to avoid employee turnover and associated costs: hiring and training expenses, productivity loss, lost customers, diminished business, and damaged morale among remaining members of the workforce.
National or Global It clear that Tanglewood should only be concerned with a national approach in the near future. Tanglewood’s operations are primarily on the west coast and in the Southwestern Territories. At this point Tanglewood isn’t necessarily global; there is plenty of untapped territory in the United States that Tanglewood has yet to explore. Attract or Relocate Even though Tanglewood has a niche in the market the organization should still be able to attract a qualified workforce. Tanglewood is in the retail industry, which doesn’t require specified or task specific workforce.
The workers and managers are pretty much the same as any other worker or manager in any other department store around the country; the only different is can they adhere to the corporate policies and procedures of Tanglewood. Overstaff or Understaff The organization should continue to do what it’s doing; which is overstaffing. There are an abundance of department managers and assistant mangers that aren’t completely necessary. But by doing so, Tanglewood can benefit by having a stockpile of talent. In other words having replacement in place incase of turnover, retirement or promotion.
Stores are also equipped with staff for peak season shopping. Short/Long Term Focus Tanglewood’s focus should be long-term. A long-term focus is best for Tanglewood’s niche market and cultural differentiations because Tanglewood has to invest in their employees in order for them to live up to the Tanglewood standard. Time spent on training and interviews can be costly if Tanglewood adopted a short-term approach. Though turnover is still a reality, being overstaffed will address those immediate issues regarding turnover. Person/Jobs or Person/Organization Match
Tanglewood should use a Person/Organization Match approach to the hiring process. This approach to hiring seems to be more suitable for Tanglewood’s unique corporate culture. For instance, Tanglewood’s associates are trained to help out in various positions and think as a team versus an individual, so in positions such as the associate positions, job descriptions may become altered from time to time. Specific or General KSAOs Tanglewood should hire employees with more specific KSAOs. The reasons are because Tanglewood is in a niche market and is targeting a middle and upper class consumer.
Employees should have knowledge of the products they work with. If Tanglewood is going to be the premier camping supply store then maybe the organization wants to hire someone with outdoors experience. Tanglewood wants to hire people with good people skills and customer service skills. Last but not least, Tanglewood wants employees who are team players and who aren’t hung up on personal achievement. Exceptional or Acceptable Workforce Quality Exceptional workforce quality is a better strategy for Tanglewood than acceptable workforce quality for many reasons. First, Tanglewood’s target market is middle to upper class consumers.
The company employs reasonable pricing and a strategy of differentiation. Tanglewood also differentiate itself from the competition by having a large camping and outdoor living section in each store, having an outdoor theme, and by having a personable sales staff. Having exceptional workforce quality means hiring associates that will be passionate about Tanglewood and in providing excellent customer service. This strong customer service focus will encourage repeat visits to the store and allow the company to stand out among the competition by being a customer favorite. Active or Passive Diversity
Tanglewood should actively address diversity. Organizations employing a diverse workforce can supply a greater variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources. Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible in adapting to fluctuating markets and customer demands. For instance, Tanglewood has store in some areas heavily populated with Hispanics. If Tanglewood took advantage of the skills of Hispanic employees, it could assist with language barriers when dealing with Hispanic consumers.
In conclusion, Tanglewood has some good ideas regarding the corporate culture. Tanglewood believes in adding value to its employees because in return the organization will gain an exceptional workforce. With the rapid growth of Tanglewood will be well of with their Human Resource strategy if the organization adapts an acquire from within policy, engage in active diversity, retain a core workforce and both acquire and develop talent. This will bring about a motivated workforce capable of maintaining Tanglewood’s culture.
