Need Help With Three Assignments

ASSIGNMENT 1 Module 1 – Case

Knowledge Transfer; Performance Management; On-The-Job Training

Knowledge Transfer

Many employers do not have a plan to manage and transfer knowledge. Because workforce dynamics have changed, there is a greater need than ever for a knowledge-transfer strategy. Business wisdom is taken from organizations with retirements, resignations, and terminations, leaving companies more likely than not to have less growth capacity and less efficiency, especially in the short run.

In the past, the expectation of passing along knowledge and leaving a legacy was a good fit with the values of long-tenured employees who spent their careers with the same company. But in the modern workplace, where four generations work side by side, knowledge is not always well-filtered throughout an organization.

“As the Baby Boom generation of corporate leaders and experts approaches retirement, businesses in the U.S., Canada, and many European nations face the loss of experience and knowledge on an unprecedented scale,” says Diane Piktialis, Mature Workforce Program Leader at The Conference Board. “Younger workers can’t be counted on to fill the void, as they lack the experience that builds deep expertise. They also tend to change jobs frequently, taking their technological savvy and any knowledge they’ve gained with them.”

Knowledge does not exist in a vacuum, so it is important to first identify and evaluate what kind of knowledge company executives are interested in capturing and sustaining.

Because so much knowledge transfer is cross-generational, from long-tenured to newer employees, an understanding of different learning styles based on generation facilitates the process. Understanding generational learning preferences and adapting how knowledge is conveyed can make the difference between merely harvesting knowledge and actually using it.

Adaptations should be made when the knowledge is specific to the organization and is mission critical, and when the less knowledgeable employee has specific generational learning preferences. For example, employees entering the workforce may prefer getting Instant Messages (IM) in real time rather than setting a schedule to meet. Gen Y employees may set up blogs to capture knowledge. Firms considering or using knowledge transfer processes should assess their readiness for Instant Messaging, blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, podcasts, and virtual reality.

There are many knowledge transfer methods available, including training seminars, formal education, interviews, mentoring, apprenticeships, instant messaging, job transfer, simulations and games, peer assists, communities of practice, storytelling, wikis, blogs, white papers, and conferences.

Revised from:

American Management Association. (2017). Effective knowledge transfer can help transform your bottom line. Retrieved from http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/Effective-Knowledge-Transfer-Can-Help-Transform-Your-Bottom-Line.aspx.

Assignment Overview

Steve Trautman is one of America’s leading knowledge experts. View the following four videos to understand the depth of the knowledge-transfer process and follow Mr. Trautman’s widely used knowledge transfer solution.

Pay close attention to the process. Developing your own Knowledge Silo Matrix and discussing what you found will be the basis of your Case 1 assignment.

Trautman, S. (2012, November 30). Introduction to the Steve Trautman Co. 3 step knowledge transfer process

. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xj1iVhu308

Trautman, S. (2013, January 22). 5 questions that drive knowledge transfer

. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IvB_cOo14y8

Trautman, S. (2012, December 19). The Steve Trautman Co. 3-step knowledge transfer solution with knowledge silo matrix demo

. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=knN-ZzVAmMY

And finally, pulling it all together:

Trautman, S. (2012, December 18). How it works: The Steve Trautman Co. 3 step knowledge transfer solution

. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=tWyMU90x6o4

Case Assignment

For this Case Assignment you will be completing and analyzing a matrix following the Knowledge Silo Matrix instructions in the third video above. (The team you choose could be a current or past work group, a group of committee members, a group of family members, members of a rock band, or any group where you know the expertise needed and the skill levels of the employees/members.)

You may (a) complete the matrix by hand, (b) use the Knowledge Silo Matrix Word form, or (c) download the Excel form from stevetrautman.com. Remember these key points:

The Knowledge Silo Matrix (KSM) is a high-level tool of knowledge silos. Think bigger picture. For example, if you were filling out a KSM for building a house, some example silos would be Plumbing, Electrical, Flooring, Insulation, etc. Not “Weld a pipe” or “Test for adequate water pressure.” The blog article, Tip for Better, Faster Knowledge Transfer—It’s Not What People KNOW, It’s What They Know How to DO, provided by The Steve Trautman Co., addresses the important distinction between Knowing vs. Doing. This will help you create a more actionable KSM.

Once you have your matrix completed, then respond to the following questions using the section headings in your paper that are marked in bold below. Utilize at least two sources of outside information from other authors; be sure to cite them and provide a reference list at the end.

Introduction—This section is often written after you have completed the rest of your paper.

Work Team Overview—Provide an overview of the work team you have assessed in the Knowledge Silo Matrix. Who are they, how long have they been in the group, and what are their jobs?

Skill Level in Silo—Discuss each group member’s job in terms of his/her silo status—discussing why you have evaluated them as purple, green, yellow, or white.

Matrix Analysis—Analyze what the matrix tells you.

Look at each silo and analyze what you see and what needs to be done to minimize the knowledge risk.

Look at the colors assigned to each employee (horizontal colors). What should be done next to minimize the risk related to each employee as well as to enhance the performance of the work team? Be sure to discuss the training needed (or not) for each member and what the format of the training should be given what you learn from the matrix.

Application of the Matrix–Discuss what you have learned from this exercise and the strengths of the Knowledge Silo Matrix approach and the challenges you see managers could face in an organization using the Matrix.

Conclusion

Submit BOTH your Knowledge Silo Matrix and your discussion covering the points above by the module due date.

ASSIGNMENT 2 HRM522 Employment and Labor Relations

Module 1 – SLP

Influences on Employee Relations

In the SLP project for this course you are asked to place yourself in the role of others. You might play the role of an employee, HR Manager, or another stakeholder in a private-sector organization. By the end of the course, you will have a better understanding of different HRM employee/union/employer relations responsibilities in the private-sector and how to maximize your department’s contributions to the organization.

Your assignment:

Look over the following list from the Overview page:

As you recall we began the course by considering many different internal and external factors that might impact relationships at work. For example:

Employer Rights                          Company Policy & Work Rules

Management Actions                   Wage and Salary Plans

Employee Privacy                        Employee Benefits

Supervisory Actions                     Work Design

Economic Conditions                   Available Information

Work Assignments                       Technology

Employee/Co-worker Actions       Performance Management

Labor Unions                                Company Practices

Laws & Regulations                     HRM Procedures

Write a magazine article draft (of at least 750 words) in which you select one internal or external factor from above and analyze how it can positively or negatively impact work relationships. (Look at HR Magazine in the library to see what a short magazine article might look like.) Be sure to include employer examples (stating employers by name). Also provide specific examples (for example, if you discuss “work assignments,” provide actual examples of work assignments on the job and how they could impact relationships with others).

Include 2 additional library sources (or more) to help strengthen your submission.

Upload your paper by the module due date.

ASSIGNMENT 3 Module 1 – Case

Influences on Employee Relations

Assignment Overview

Signature Assignment: Information Literacy, Emphasized Level

View the following video on information literacy:

(Eastern Gateway CCTS, 2015).

As mentioned previously, there are many influences on employee relations in organizations. One of the most relevant today is the amount of information that is available.

There are numerous sources of information available to us as students, employees, labor union representatives, HRM professionals, and business managers. Before we use information that we have found, however, it is important that we evaluate its authority and appropriateness.

Case Assignment

In this assignment you will be evaluating sources and developing an Annotated Bibliography of your findings.

Review the following articles related to information literacy and others you have found and make a comprehensive list of important factors needed to evaluate sources. (You will need to include this list as an Appendix in your Annotated Bibliography.)

University of California Berkeley. Critical evaluation of resources. Retrieved from http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/evaluation.html

Cornell University. How to critically analyze information sources. Retrieved from http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill26.htm

Cornell University. Distinguishing scholarly journals from other periodicals. Retrieved from http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill20.html

Cornell University. Evaluating web sites: Criteria and tools. Retrieved from http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/webeval.html

Find three valid sources related to workplace relations from the Trident Online Library and one valid source from the web/internet. Use sources that are outside of module readings that you have not utilized previously in other MSHRM courses. They should be sources “brand new” to you.

List the source citations in APA format under the heading Annotated Bibliography.

Under each source citation, in paragraph form:

Briefly discuss what the source covers and its importance to the topic of workplace relations.

and

Analyze specifically how the factors listed in your Appendix apply to the source (i.e., carefully critique the source using those factors).

Submit your assignment by the module due date.

Information Literacy

As you may recall, the first signature assignment addressing information literacy at the “introduced” level was located in the ETH501 Business Ethics, Case 1 Assignment.

Then, in MGT516 Legal Implications in HRM, information literacy was assessed at the “reinforced” level in Case 1.

Now, in this HRM522 Case 1 assignment, your information literacy skills will be further developed reaching the “emphasized” level.

These three assignments build upon each other and aim to offer you the opportunity to enhance and practice your information literacy skills at the graduate level.

The grading rubric for this HRM522 assignment has been developed to measure student success in meeting the HRM522 Case 1 expectations related to information literacy.