Case Study Synopsis
This brief case study revolves around the global energy corporation. The intention is to align its European division’s HRIS with the US-based HRIS, especially after the merger. The HR office, which is based in London, is the leader of this project. The case has highlighted some challenges due to inexperience in this domain. Co-project managers are inexperienced, but Jamie, a design analyst, is an experienced individual on the team. The case has presented many integration paradoxes along with some legal and compliance challenges. Implementation is also triggered by the issues of cultural and language variances, which further create problems in testing and support (Bartlett, Bartlett, & Gusdorf, 2008). Thus, implementation has been probable, but assessing the challenges from the perspective of HR is imperative to derive valuable implications.
Case Analysis
Question 1: What cultural issues are interwoven in this project that affected HR?
Several cultural issues have been in the limelight in this project that created the impact on human resources. For instance, communication style is one of the prominent issues. Lyn came up with a culture that accepts or supports yelling in the workplace if expectations are not met. It is a visible cultural clash that impairs relationships with employees. Cultural differences also influenced the decision-making approaches. Presetting issues in a certain way for preferred outcomes was problematic. London and US teams contained varying celebration and recognition practices, and this disparity led to excessive dissatisfaction (Bartlett, Bartlett, & Gusdorf, 2008).
Question 2: Who should be involved in future global integration projects?
Future integration projects will be critical, and an effective involvement strategy must be maintained. For example, the project manager (experienced) must be included to support and lead the global integration. The critical assumption is that this project manager must comprehend both the IT and HR domains. There is also a need to include technical personnel that contain excessive system knowledge (Bagdi, 2012). The most important thing is to ensure smooth integration. There may be some legal experts in this global integration. It is all about having authentic and accurate data about compliance and regulatory climate. Apart from that, cultural experts, HR and IT representatives, and change management specialists must be included to make these global integration projects successful (Kavanagh, Thite, & Johnson, 2011).
Question 3: What skills should team members have and how should they be selected?
Project management skills are essential in this context. For instance, despite experience and capabilities, the project team must contain planning and risk management skills to move forward. Technical expertise is also integral, and it is possible through IT skills. Understanding information technology infrastructure, especially in the HR context, is critical. There is also a need to improve collaboration and communication skills. The importance of cross-cultural communication is apparent. Team members must learn how to collaborate or coordinate with the diverse range of stakeholders in this integration project. The combination of interpersonal skills, such as communication, active listening, and conflict resolution, must be persevered (Bagdi, 2012).
The selection process must be simplified. It can start with the resume assessment or review. After that, conducting interviews is the right approach to evaluating the required skills and assessing communication abilities. There will be reference checks to validate competence and skills. The probability of the technical evaluation is also evident, as the candidate must be proficient in the required technical aspects. Discussions will also unveil the possible cultural fit, as it is also integral to this project.
Conclusion
It concludes that the global integration project, especially in the context of the HRIS, is challenged due to some paradoxes. This case study has streamlined these challenges and issues. The detailed analysis of the case study has helped to derive implications for project managers and leaders and set the foundation for some improvement as far as smooth integration is concerned.
References
Bagdi, S. k. (2012). Practical Human Resource Information Systems. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.
Bartlett, J. E., Bartlett, M. E., & Gusdorf, M. (2008). Integrating a Human Resource: Information System: A Module with Case. Society for Human Resource Management.
Kavanagh, M. J., Thite, M., & Johnson, R. D. (2011). Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions. SAGE.
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