5-2 Presentation: Strategic Considerations

Overview

You are an HR consultant, hired to resolve issues stemming from communication and coordination challenges between employees of the U.S. branch and the Singaporean headquarters of a software solutions provider. You decide to recommend organization-wide changes to resolve the issues related to communication and coordination. You evaluate the organizational change readiness and send a report on change management models, justifying your selection of a particular model.

Your efforts are appreciated and well received by the VP and the leadership team of the software solutions organization. However, they now want to understand how the training development needs of the workforce can be strategically aligned with the organization’s business needs.

You decide to prepare a presentation, detailing the training requirements for the employees and leadership of the U.S. branch, as well as leadership at the Singaporean headquarters. The strategy will target the identification of training that will improve communication and understanding between employees at the U.S. branch and leadership at both locations. Such a training strategy will facilitate interaction between both locations and align with the business strategy of expanding to the U.S. market.

Prompt

Create a PowerPoint presentation with narration to explain the methods of strategically aligning skill development with business strategy in the course scenario.

Note: Remember to use both on-screen text and narration or speaker notes in your PowerPoint slides to convey your information effectively. If due to technical challenges, narration is not possible, precise and extensive speaker notes should be used, while addressing all the rubric elements in the presentation. For example, you can use brief, bulleted lists on the slide and include detailed explanations in your narration or speaker notes.

Specifically, you must address the following criteria in your presentation:

  1. Describe the skills required for managers to enable change in the organization (Singaporean headquarters and U.S. branch). (2–3 slides)
    1. Use the company data provided in the form of Leaders’ Self Evaluations to complete this step.
    2. Why could there be resistance to change implementation within the organization?
    3. Which skills do managers need to help address such resistance?
  2. Explain the methods of aligning training strategy with business strategy. (2–3 slides)
    1. How can training support the strategic goals of the organization (Singaporean headquarters and the U.S. branch)?
    2. What customization is required to align the training at the U.S. branch to the business strategy defined at the Singapore headquarters?
    3. How can training enable the U.S. branch employees to adapt to the work culture of the Singaporean head office?
    4. What are the learning objectives that will enable the American employees to meet the business goals defined for the U.S. branch?
  3. Describe two strategic workforce development goals for the U.S. branch. (2–3 slides)
    1. Use the Employee Engagement Surveys to identify the strategic workforce development goals.
    2. Which data points identify the development goals of the U.S. branch employees?
    3. How can training help meet the development goals of the U.S. branch employees?

Guidelines for Submission

Submit a PowerPoint presentation with 6–7 slides. If references are included, they should be cited in APA format.

See attached additional resources.

MBA 687: Employee Engagement Surveys

Response Rate
The survey response rate is the first indication of the level of employee engagement
in any organization. Of the 140 employees invited to take the survey, 40 responded,
which is a response rate of 28.5%. As a rule, rates higher than 50% are best, while
rates lower than 40% may indicate trust problems within the organization, lack of
faith in leadership, and employees’ reluctance to engage in improvement efforts
until leadership demonstrates a clear commitment to change.

Company Data
1. Years of service with this organization

Less than 1: 52.5% of respondents
1–2: 27.5% of respondents
3–5: 15% of respondents
6–10: 2.5% of respondents
11–15: 0
16+: 0
Prefer not to answer: 2.5% of respondents

2. My race/ethnic identification

African American or Black: 60% of respondents
Hispanic or Latino/a/x: 12.5% of respondents
Anglo American or White: 12.5% of respondents
Asian: 5% of respondents
American Indian or Pacific Islander: 0
Multiracial or Other: 7.5% of respondents
Prefer not to answer: 2.5% of respondents

3. I am currently in a supervisory role

Yes: 7.5% of respondents
No: 90% of respondents
Prefer not to answer: 2.5% of respondents

4. I received a merit increase during the past two years

Yes: 7.5% of respondents
No: 90% of respondents
Prefer not to answer: 5% of respondents

5. I received a promotion during the past two years

Yes: 7.5% of respondents
No: 90% of respondents
Prefer not to answer: 2.5% of respondents

6. I plan to be working for this organization in one year

Yes: 60% of respondents
No: 12.5% of respondents
Prefer not to answer: 27.5% of respondents

Employee Engagement Questions
Professional Development:

• In the last six months, my manager has talked to me about my progress, and
we developed goals to help me grow.

o 36% agreement
• I am satisfied with the on-the-job training I have received.

o 27% agreement
• There is adequate cross-training in my department.

o 36% agreement

Company Vision, Values, and Mission:
• I am familiar with the company’s vision and values.

o 26% agreement
• I have a clear understanding of the organization’s direction.

o 36% agreement
• The organization is changing for the better.

o 26% agreement

Teamwork or Workgroup:

• I receive the support I need from employees in my workgroup to do my job
effectively.

o 89% agreement
• My coworkers make me feel that I am part of the team.

o 78% agreement
• I trust my coworkers.

o 83% agreement
• My workgroup cooperates to get the job done.

o 73% agreement

Senior Leader/Middle Manager:
• Senior leaders focus on creating a positive team atmosphere.

o 36% agreement
• Senior leaders are open, honest, and transparent.

o 36% agreement
• Senior leaders encourage and empower me to take initiative and suggest

improvements.
o 26% agreement

• My middle manager is open, honest, and transparent.
o 70% agreement

Culture:

• This company is a team-oriented organization.
o 36% agreement

• This company challenges the status quo and seeks continuous improvement.
o 18% agreement

• Employees have a strong sense of personal responsibility for the
performance of their department and the performance of the company.

o 80% agreement
• Overall, people care about my well-being at work.

o 34% agreement

Work Environment:

• I see the connection between the work I do and the benefits received by
customers.

o 65% agreement
• I have enough authority to make the decisions I need to make.

o 36% agreement

Communications:

• I usually hear about important changes through management communication
rather than rumors.

o 36% agreement
• In my workgroup or team, my opinions count.

o 72% agreement

Diversity:

• The company tries to promote a work environment free from discrimination
and harassment.

o 41% agreement
• The environment at the company is supportive of the expression of different

opinions, styles, and perceptions.
o 18% agreement

• I am satisfied with the company’s efforts to support and encourage
differences.

o 34% agreement

Productivity:

• The technology, tools, and resources I have access to allow me to be as
productive as possible.

o 83% agreement
• Staffing levels have kept up with the increasing customer base, workload, and

infrastructure.
o 26% agreement

• Deadlines set by senior management are realistic.
o 18% agreement

• I am given the opportunity to do my best work.
o 26% agreement

Performance Management:

• I have a clear understanding of work expectations.
o 60% agreement

• My performance has a significant and direct impact on my pay.
o 26% agreement

MBA 687 LEADERS SELF EVALUATIONS

Note: Individuals rate their skill levels on the following scale:
Not Skilled | Minimally Skilled | Somewhat Skilled | Skilled | Very Skilled

Title: Vice President
Job Summary
Leads departments and operations for an entire organization and creates its overall vision,
mission, values, beliefs, and strategic goals. Directs and evaluates other executive leaders’
work and the success of the organization. Maintains awareness of external and internal
competitive landscapes, opportunities for expansion, customers, markets, and new industry
developments and standards. Manages the strategic plan that guides the direction of a
team’s business and collaboratively works with the executive management team to identify,
prioritize, and act upon company needs, focusing on integration strategies to ensure optimal
efficiency. This position requires competencies such as analytic and strategic thought, vision,
orientation to detail, customer focus, talent management, resource management, and
leadership skills.

Vice President Self-Assessment:
As I reflect on this past year, I have driven business expansion from startup and evaluated the
organization’s success. This past year, we identified ways to increase revenue and decrease
costs by 10%. I analyzed financial reports with the accounting manager, prepared new
operating budgets, and greenlit pilot projects using AI and chatbots to compete in an
increasingly digital economy. My understanding of the external factors affecting the
organization will help us think ahead and be ready for changes in the market. My most
tremendous success was bridging the gap between the company’s day-to-day running and
the board of directors’ sweeping visions. Since taking on the new role, I realize my leadership
skills come from years of experience and knowledge throughout life. This wisdom has
impacted my judgments, decisions, and actions. I have learned to focus on a clear purpose
and mission. I have consistently shown commitment and motivation since joining the
company, and I want us to succeed. I am a leader who focuses on meeting set deadlines and
objectives on time. I realize that I can be too controlling in a project, and I don’t give other
team members enough room to contribute or develop their ideas. I must learn to give others
more space and let them take the initiative, too. Maybe I should try harder to promote the
company’s culture and values within my team. While I regularly hold meetings with this in
mind, I should focus on boosting team spirit and collaboration. I am often frustrated, and I
find it hard to communicate when faced with other leaders’ behaviors. Despite the challenges
we faced this past year, I am incredibly proud of what my team and I have accomplished
during the past year.

Skill Level: Not
Skilled:

Minimally
Skilled:

Somewhat
Skilled:

Skilled: Very
Skilled:

Your level of
experience
demonstrating
each competency

I have
not
learned
this
skill

I have little
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
and need
substantial
direction to
perform it
effectively

I have some
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
but still need
guidance

I have a good
amount of
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
independently

I always
demonstrate
this
competency
and could
provide
guidance/
training to
others

Leadership Skills ✔
Strategic
Thinking Skills


People
Management Skills


Change
Management Skills


Communication
Skills

Ethical Practice ✔
Tech Savvy
/Computer Skills


Fostering
Teamwork

Visioning ✔
Self-Awareness and
Emotional
Intelligence (EQ)

Cross-Cultural
Awareness

Learning Agility ✔

Title: Sales Manager
Job Summary
Leads the sales and marketing functions, including strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting,
and maintaining scalable processes that differentiate and highlight the value proposition
from concept to execution for all business areas. Drives profitable revenue and market share
growth through domestic and international marketing programs to email, print/digital, CMS,
and social media platforms. This person is highly collaborative and works cross-functionally
to devise campaigns that engage, inform, and motivate to raise brand awareness. Manages
and coaches inside sales and outside sales teams.

Sales Manager Self-Assessment:
After taking the time to evaluate my performance, I would like to highlight a few of my best
achievements from the past year. At the beginning of the period, I spearheaded the launch of
our organization’s first sales industry research report. My promotional efforts helped secure
a speaking engagement at two national sales conferences, which will help the company meet
its annual objective of increasing industry exposure and promoting our customer value
proposition. Additionally, I assisted in overhauling our website content with IT and helped
procure a new data partner. As a result, our paid search efforts’ ROI has increased by 120%
year over year and influenced $6 million in our latest service line sales. Because of this year’s
marketing strategy’s ambitious nature, there were times when I pushed my team hard to
perform at their best, put in extra hours, and deliver on highly demanding projects. While I
would never compromise on my drive for results, I must take the time to give more
thoughtful and considerate feedback to members of my team.

This quarter, I noticed that I could have delegated and communicated strategic goals to our
team better. Passing more projects to the outside sales team will help me become more
efficient while also providing them more opportunities for skill-building and career
development. Additionally, I believe meeting with the VP, call center, and sales team bi-
weekly instead of monthly will help improve cross-department communication and ensure
marketing campaigns are better aligned with overall company goals.

By the end of next quarter, my goal is to improve my cross-cultural practices by taking an
online training session. I’ve been working more closely with the call center team in the past
few months and want to collaborate more effectively to understand and achieve our team
goals.

Skill Level: Not
Skilled:

Minimally
Skilled:

Somewhat
Skilled:

Skilled: Very
Skilled:

Your level of
experience
demonstrating
each competency

I have
not
learned
this
skill

I have little
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
and need
substantial
direction to
perform it
effectively

I have some
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
but still need
guidance

I have a good
amount of
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
independently

I always
demonstrate
this
competency
and could
provide
guidance/
training to
others

Leadership Skills ✔
Strategic
Thinking Skills


People
Management Skills


Change
Management Skills


Communication
Skills

Ethical Practice ✔
Tech Savvy
/Computer Skills


Fostering
Teamwork

Visioning ✔
Self-Awareness and
Emotional
Intelligence (EQ)

Cross-Cultural
Awareness

Learning Agility ✔

Title: Accounting Manager
Job Summary
Manages accounting functions, including analyzing various accounting functions (A/R, A/P,
cost, and accounting) to understand what makes clients profitable, ensures accurate
transaction records, evaluates financial processing, and controls transaction processes.
Manages sub-ledger agreements (inventory, AR, sales, COGS) to the general ledger and
investigates and corrects any variances. This person sets the example of integrity, ensuring
monies and assets are protected against unauthorized use or removal and loss due to a
criminal act or breach of trust. Works cross-functionally, multitasks, problem solves, thinks
of the big picture, and focuses on process improvements to improve efficiency and follow
generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Coaches accounting associates and works
with operating managers to ascertain their need for accounting data.

Accounting Manager Self-Assessment:
After taking the time to evaluate my performance, I would like to highlight a few of my best
achievements from the past year. At the beginning of the period, I Initiated corrective actions
for maintaining accounting records, improving record accuracy by 75%. The accounting team
implemented an accounting records maintenance system, replacing the old, inefficient one. I
spearheaded our organization’s new digital timekeeping system, replacing the outdated
process and eliminating “paper” timekeeping. We continuously met audit standards this
year, and this is for two years in a row, owing to exceptional account management skills. This
quarter, I noticed that I have not been delegating enough work to other team members and
have challenges communicating strategic goals to our team. Passing more projects to the
accounting team will help me become more efficient while also providing them more
opportunities for skill building and career development.

By the end of next quarter, my goal is to streamline the accounting systems by implementing
standard operating procedures for each subsystem. It is important not to build silos and
understand the big picture and our team goals. I am working on transactional accounting
improvement, but I also think a strategic approach is necessary. I have worked closely with
the customer success coordinator/team leader, but I would like to address with top
leadership the communication breakdown, the top-down approach, and ways to collaborate
more frequently. I can offer my professional opinion on where best to align finance and
accounting programs to the strategic plan and on building action plans to support overall
business success.

Skill Level: Not
Skilled:

Minimally
Skilled:

Somewhat
Skilled:

Skilled: Very
Skilled:

Your level of
experience
demonstrating
each competency

I have
not
learned
this
skill

I have little
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
and need
substantial
direction to
perform it
effectively

I have some
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
but still need
guidance

I have a good
amount of
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
independently

I always
demonstrate
this
competency
and could
provide
guidance/
training to
others

Leadership Skills ✔
Strategic
Thinking Skills


People
Management Skills


Change
Management Skills


Communication
Skills

Ethical Practice ✔
Tech Savvy
/Computer Skills


Fostering
Teamwork

Visioning ✔
Self-Awareness and
Emotional
Intelligence (EQ)

Cross-Cultural
Awareness

Learning Agility ✔

Title: Customer Success Manager
Job Summary
Manages the customer success function and provides input on strategic customer plans to
help identify areas where the company can improve overall service delivery, quality, and
excellence. Develops customer relationships that promote retention and loyalty. Creates
department policies and procedures that optimize the customer experience. This person has
the highest accountability level for call center supervision and performs basic human
resource tasks such as hiring and training staff. Coaches the customer success
coordinator/team leader in improving service efforts, scoring performance, and developing
support strategies based on customer feedback.

Customer Success Manager Self-Assessment:
In the past year as a call center manager for the company, I’ve increased the customer
satisfaction rate by 37% through overseeing day-to-day contact center operations and
business planning, employee development, operational efficiency, and service excellence. I
worked with the customer success coordinator to revise the existing cold call script and
added a stronger value proposition, resulting in an increased call time average. We started
interfacing closely with the sales department to ensure alignment and spent a great deal of
time “QC-ing” or monitoring queues and tracking inbound call performance. I coached our
customer success coordinator on performance metrics, including inbound calls, call waiting,
and abandonment rates. We started working on creating a new customer service training
manual and quality assurance form. I empowered the customer success coordinator to work
with the accounting team on the new timekeeping implementation.

After reflecting on my performance, I noticed that while my ability to build rapport with
employees and customers helps me as a manager, I will need to delegate more to the
customer success coordinator as the business grows. I began serving as the backup trainer
and assisted in onboarding nine new representatives, all of whom finished their first quarter
meeting performance standards. Given this experience and my commitment to continued
growth, I think there is room for improvement. I want to shift the call center culture to a
more employee-centric workplace where our employees are happy, comfortable, and valued.
I am aware of the possibility that the various technological advancements in AI voice
processing, customer analysis, and chatbots may improve customer satisfaction; however, it
could also make some employees redundant. I am unsure if our employees see leadership as
approachable and observant or sensitive to what the agent is trying to tell us, even indirectly.
If we can fix this, we can improve business performance and reduce turnover.

Skill Level: Not
Skilled:

Minimally
Skilled:

Somewhat
Skilled:

Skilled: Very
Skilled:

Your level of
experience
demonstrating
each competency

I have
not
learned
this
skill

I have little
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
and need
substantial
direction to
perform it
effectively

I have some
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
but still need
guidance

I have a good
amount of
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
independently

I always
demonstrate
this
competency
and could
provide
guidance/
training to
others

Leadership Skills ✔
Strategic
Thinking Skills


People
Management Skills


Change
Management Skills


Communication
Skills

Ethical Practice ✔
Tech Savvy
/Computer Skills


Fostering
Teamwork

Visioning ✔
Self-Awareness and
Emotional
Intelligence (EQ)

Cross-Cultural
Awareness

Learning Agility ✔

Title: Customer Success Coordinator/Team Leader
Job Summary
Provides industry-leading customer care, order assistance, technical customer service, and
customer success team leadership while engaging in real-time troubleshooting of inbound
Tier II and Tier III customer requests by email and telephone. Coaches employees in all
customer service and contract sales facets, manages the customer care escalation chain, and
works with the customer success manager to improve overall service delivery improvement,
quality, and excellence. This person has a high level of accountability for call monitoring to
improve service efforts and scoring performance and develops support strategies based on
customer feedback. Works with a knowledge-sharing mindset, works with a sense of
urgency, works cross-functionally, is a problem solver, and thinks outside the box while
troubleshooting the root cause of all customer success center problems to identify the
action(s) required to resolve the customer’s issue immediately. Serves as customer success
trainer.

Customer Success Coordinator/Team Leader Commentary:
In the past year as lead agent in the call center for the company, I’ve worked with my
manager to increase customer satisfaction rate by 37% through revising the existing cold call
script, adding stronger value propositions, and focusing on quality control QC-ing and agent
dashboards. I spent time with agents, communicating performance expectations on inbound
calls, call waiting, and abandonment rates. I monitored calls using our new quality assurance
form. I handled 15–20 customer requests to speak with a supervisor per day and positively
resolved the issues. I assisted my manager in 36 employee evaluations, detailing
observations of positive performance, opportunities for improvement, and specific details of
supervisor calls taken for the week. I demonstrated the ability to handle 50 or more calls a
day as the lead customer success agent, too. By decreasing my talk time by 15 seconds per
call, I believe I can increase my call-per-hour rate by at least 10% next quarter without
negatively impacting customer satisfaction. I also worked with the accounting manager and
her team to implement the new digital timekeeping system and train all agents.

After reflecting on my performance, I noticed that while my ability to work with employees at
all company levels is one of my best skills, I understand our customers. I am ready to take on
more HR-related responsibilities. I began serving as the lead customer success trainer and
helped my manager onboard nine new representatives. I would like to understand the call
center’s company goals and work with my manager to shift the call center culture to a more
employee-centric workplace. Many call center workers have been here less than two years
(27.5 %), and most call centers run an average 30–45% turnover. Let’s focus on retention. I
believe that additional sales training and education about our products would help me
increase my up-selling performance in line with company expectations. I want to discuss a
potential promotion to assistant customer success manager.

Skill Level: Not
Skilled:

Minimally
Skilled:

Somewhat
Skilled:

Skilled: Very
Skilled:

Your level of
experience
demonstrating
each competency

I have
not
learned
this
skill

I have little
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
and need
substantial
direction to
perform it
effectively

I have some
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
but still need
guidance

I have a good
amount of
experience
demonstrating
this
competency
independently

I always
demonstrate
this
competency
and could
provide
guidance/
training to
others

Leadership Skills ✔
Strategic
Thinking Skills


People
Management Skills


Change
Management Skills


Communication
Skills

Ethical Practice ✔
Tech Savvy
/Computer Skills


Fostering
Teamwork

Visioning ✔
Self-Awareness and
Emotional
Intelligence (EQ)

Cross-Cultural
Awareness

Learning Agility ✔

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