PART ONE – CORE COMPETENCIES OF YOUR ORGANIZATION
1-How does your organization create value for customers in a way that is different from competitors?
Apple Inc. is looking to create value for customers in different markets through the differentiation and quality. The company management has combined the differentiation and quality to enhance the visibility of customer experience and satisfaction. High quality mobile phones and other technology products for customers are quite different from other competitors in the competitive market. It has made the difference in the market, and it also helped the company to streamline customer values effectively. Instead of focusing on low prices on different technology products for customers, the company intends to invest in research and development process and streamline people’s efforts to justify the differentiation process. Thus, these are some key elements, which are different from competitors; moreover, customers are willing to pay the price (Holbeche).
2-What organizational core competencies support this value creation?
There are some core competencies related to Apple Inc. For Instance, innovation, leadership, perfection, and strong employee force in the company are some key organizational core competencies. These core competencies support this value creation process. For Instance, the human resource management of the company is depicting the effective leadership trait to direct employees in different departments. These employees are well equipped to produce some high quality and differentiated products along with some innovative ideas. The company management has streamlined these core competencies, and obviously, the impact on customers and employees is quite remarkable (Holbeche).
3-What are the underlying resources (people, processes, technologies) that help to ensure that your company or organization can repeatedly execute these competencies?
Apple Inc. can repeatedly execute these competencies due to people, process, and technologies. These resources of the company help to execute these core competencies effectively. People in this organization are facilitated and motivated to carry the work process according to business objective and management expectations. Also, the process of the company is integrated with the advanced technology that has enabled the rapidness and efficiency. Skillful employees operate the modern technology, and it justified the differentiation in the market (Cave).
4-What are the implication and challenges that HR must consider to help ensure that your organization will consistently have these resources in place?
In Apple Inc. people, process, and technologies are some key resources. The evolvement of these elements in the firm is obvious. The employee resistance is a big challenge for the company. In the change process, people may depict resistance when adopting new things. In this organization, the management can ensure the consistency of people, process, and technologies. However, the big challenge is the sustainable growth of these resources. Accordingly, the management can use the competency map to rationalize these resources and align some values that are perceived by customers. It is a good approach to enable the consistency of these resources. Moreover, regarding the implication, the human resource management has to make some strategies for sustainable growth of people, process, and technologies. It can help to ensure the steadiness of resources (Holbeche).
PART TWO – GROWTH STRATEGIES FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION
1-What are the current growth strategies of your organization?
Apple Inc. contains effective growth strategies. The first growth strategy company contains the product development. For Instance, the company intends to invest in research and development process to come up with some new products. It also depicts the product development as well. The example of this growth strategy is iPhone series, as the company is developing this product for many years consistently. Also, the company is depicting the market development through entering new markets along with some new products. It seems like an effective expansion of the company. Furthermore, the Apple Inc. also focuses on the market penetration, as an immense range of products is accepted globally (Admin).
2-What specific opportunities may exist for your organization to grow in one or more of the following “adjacencies and to what extent is your organization positioned to compete successfully against any competitors in those areas?
a-New Products
For developing some new products in new or existing markets, it is a great opportunity for the company to develop new technology as well. New products need new features for customers, and through advanced technologies, the company can make the difference. For developing new products, the company can also work on the professional development of employees to increase their skill level.
b-New Value Chain Steps
The new value chain steps are to be implemented in the company. It is a prominent opportunity for the company to gain different data insights and enable the real-time inventory. The value chain process can be differentiated or reshaped in the best interest of the company.
c-New Channels
Relative to new channels of distribution, the company can utilize the opportunity of strategic alliances with key distribution partners in different regions. It justifies the effective placement of products. To gain the competitive advantage, choosing the best distribution channel is the best approach for the company (Robinson).
d-New Geographies
New Geographies refers to the business expansion. It is a great opportunity to contain the strategic alliance with the local technology companies to share culture, image profitability, and customer response. In this particular era, the company can gain the business sustainability, and it can lead towards the sustainable competitive advantage in the presence of other technology giants.
e-New Customer Segments
The new customer segment can provide the opportunity of targeting. The opportunity to develop new products and find new targets through new segments is the best approach. The company can increase its customer bases in the technology market, and it is a good competitive factor that can be availed.
f-New Businesses
Diversifying the business is the best opportunity for the company in the competitive market. The new business can help the company manage to streamline its revenue streams. Due to higher revenue streams, the company can enhance the visibility if investments and dominates in the competitive market.
3-As you consider current and potential growth, what do you think the repeatable formula should be at your organization, and why?
The repeatable formula to enable or sustain the growth of the company is the product development. The Company has gained the success in different technology markets through the consistent development of mobile phones and other related products. It enabled better customer response, and the company can gain the competitive advantage through sustaining this growth formula (Beames).
PART THREE – HR STRATEGY AND KEY TALENT GROUPS
1-What are the key talent groups in your organization (or your part of the organization)? For each group, indicate the level of impact that role has on the value your organization provides its customers, as well as how much variability in performance is typically seen among individuals within that group. You may rate the customer impact and the performance variability as high, medium, or “low.
| Employee Talent Group | Customer Impact | Performance Variability |
| Operational team | High | Low |
| Marketing team | High | Medium |
| Inventory management | Low | medium |
| Research and development | High | Low |
| Engineers | High | Low |
The operational team, marketing team, inventory management, research and development teams, and the group of engineers are some talented groups in the company who are creating some impact on the customers. With the passage of time, it has been revealed that the company is looking to sustain the performance of these talented groups to limit the performance variability (Holbeche).
2-Based on the table above, which talent group or groups have the most customer impact and the most performance variability? For that group or groups, list the knowledge, behaviors, skills, and abilities that a person needs for success in that role, and indicate where there may be a gap between what is needed and what exists.
The market, research and development and engineering teams contain the huge customer impact, as outputs of these talented groups are directly related to customers. In the operational team, it is compulsory to have the technical skills and assertiveness to streamline innovative ideas and differentiate the process. The marketing groups need the skills of effective decision making, collaboration, and intelligence to yield high performance. Moreover, the research and development teams should be focused on this Company to make some outputs quite predictable. An engineer in the company must have to contain the innovative and communication skills to streamline some key ideas and knowledge. There is a possibility that the gap can emerge regarding the communication; for this reason, advanced communication tools must be introduced by HR management in the company to reduce this gap. Another gap is the lack of skills in the operational team, which may create barriers or gap when collaborating with different engineers (Holbeche).
PART FOUR – ALIGNING HR TO DRIVE ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY
1-For each possible gap, you identified at the end of Part Three, briefly describe one or more HR interventions that may address the deficiencies you noted in knowledge, behaviors, skills, or abilities
The prominent HR intervention by the HR manager is the training process for talented groups of the company. The human resource management can have a team of experts that can identify these issues and meet the purpose effectively. When addressing deficiencies in the company, it is necessary to keep balance in several HR changes across multiple objectives. When implementing the human resource interventions in the company, it seems pertinent to come up with horizontal alignment. The horizontal alignment protects other areas of the company from these change interventions. The impact should be specific that can make results predictable.
2-In space below, compose a brief letter to management, pointing to one or more problems involving your organization’s finances, processes, or customer satisfaction. Using a balanced scorecard approach, explain how you believe you have traced the problem (or at least part of the problem) back to one or more people-related issues, and make a case for an HR investment to implement one or more of the interventions you noted in Part One.
Apple Inc.
Human Resource Management
April 11, 2018
The Business Administration
Apple Inc.
Dear Sir,
Our company has gained the success in the competitive market through the better internal process, and we are proud of it. However, some issues regarding the human resource process in the company have emerged. The immense employee diversity in the company has created the gap among employees, and it creates a negative impact on the performance. This issue is directly related to the process of the company, which is impaired now. It is a huge threat to the process sustainability. Through a balanced scorecard, I have traced the problem.
Now, relative to the solution, it is necessary for the human resource management to come up with the on-job training intervention to develop skills among employees, reduce the communication gap and establish the strong employee force that is capable of integrating with the change process and justify vision and mission. Thus, I am requesting you to make an immediate plan for an appropriate investment to eliminate this issue and improve the operational process.
PART FIVE – BALANCING HR CHANGES ACROSS MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES
1-Using the horizontal alignment chart tool provided in this module, sketch out the possible HR practices or interventions you identified in Part Four, and enter multiple objectives for the position across the top. (Filling out the chart will help you with this part of the project, but you won’t be submitting the chart itself.)
On-job training is a key HR practice. The human resource management must have to streamline its role to meet different training needs. Meeting the training needs through on-job training is a key approach that can enable the employee sustainability for a long run. In the company, the human resource manager may come up with several objectives. For Instance, he may facilitate employees to develop some key skills to increase the efficiency and productivity. Central warehouse material handling system can be improved through this intervention. It can make the logistics process effective and efficient, and ultimately, the firm can offer low prices in the market.
HR manager’s job is to monitor and evaluate this training intervention and make some results predictable, as far as the employee performance is concerned. The HR manager has gained eight scores when executing the job training and it seems successful due to the employee assertiveness and interest. Furthermore, team building, process is another training activity or intervention. The HR manager gained 7 points regarding this process.
The HR manager has come up with some objective in this process as well. For Instance, it can increase the self-efficacy, collaboration, skill development, and knowledge. In an organization, these training interventions force the proposed changes. The company may develop some new products or increase some features. Obviously, it is possible due to a combination of knowledge and skill. The job position contains the authority to manage and control the process. The successful execution of strategies and process is important for HR manager that can help to meet objectives.
Work Cited
Admin. “HR Strategy at Apple Make Their Employees Creative and Innovative. “Management Training Guru. Management Training Guru, 14 December 2013. Web. 12 April 2018. http://management-training-guru.com/2013/12/hr-strategy-at-apple-make-their-employees-creative-and-innovative/.
Beames, Colin. Aligning Workforce and Business Strategies. 1. BookPOD, 2013.
Cave, Daniel. “Apple’s 11 rules for success for new employees.” Strategy Focused Group Consulting. Strategy Focused Group Consulting, 14 August 2017. Web. 12 April 2018. http://www.strategyfocusedhr.com/apples-11-rules-success-new-employees/.
Holbeche, Linda. Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy. 1. Routledge, 2012.
Robinson, Dana Gaines. Strategic Business Partner: Aligning People Strategies with Business Goals. 1. Berrett-Koehler, 2009.
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