BUSI 644 Week 7 Discussion Board Forum 4 Example

Discussion Board Forum 4

BUSI 644 Human Resources Development, Discussion Board Forum 4 (thread and 2 replies)

Thread by [Student Name]

The forum prompt, the accounting firm and the two classmates' threads are composites standing in for the course's own; the textbook, Scripture and research cited are real, and the requirements follow Liberty's public course guide for BUSI 644.

Thread

My accounting firm, where I work in operations, has the same problem many professional firms share: we promote our best technical accountants to manager and then expect them to lead. The result is managers who review work well but rarely coach, and staff who leave for firms that invest in them. Werner and DeSimone (2017) describe management development as a combination of formal education, training and on-the-job experience, and our firm has offered only the last, learning by trial and error. I propose a twelve-month program for our six newest managers built on the strongest evidence I could find.

Lacerenza et al. (2017) meta-analyzed 335 independent samples of leadership training and found that it was substantially more effective than earlier estimates suggested, improving reactions, learning, transfer and organizational results. The effects depended on design. Programs that began with a needs analysis, used multiple delivery methods with an emphasis on practice, provided feedback, spaced sessions over time and were delivered on-site and face to face rather than self-administered tended to be more effective.

Our program follows those findings closely, and it costs little beyond partners' time. It starts with a needs analysis: each new manager's staff complete a short upward-feedback survey, and partners review recent engagements to identify gaps in delegation, feedback and planning. Training then runs as six half-day sessions, one every two months, held at the firm, each built around practice: role-playing a difficult review conversation, planning a busy-season staffing schedule or delegating a task with clear expectations. Between sessions, each manager applies one skill on a live engagement and discusses the result with a partner. The upward survey is repeated at twelve months to measure change. Spacing the sessions turns the busy season itself into the practice field.

The program also needs a clear picture of the leader we want. When Jesus washed His disciples' feet, He explained that He, their Teacher, had set a pattern of humble service, and that His followers should now wash one another's feet (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, John 13:14-15). Our managers will lead best if they see developing their staff as service rather than a distraction from billable work. One concern is cost in partner hours: six half-days plus monthly conversations add up to roughly forty hours per partner over the year, which the firm must treat as an investment rather than lost billing. I would value classmates' views on whether upward feedback from staff is realistic in a small firm where everyone knows who wrote what, and how they would protect anonymity.

Reply to Caroline

Caroline, your thread proposed a formal mentoring program pairing each new nurse manager at your hospital with a senior director, and you predicted it would speed promotions and raise salaries. I support the program, but the research suggests framing its benefits differently.

Allen et al. (2004) meta-analyzed studies of mentoring's career benefits for protégés. The findings were generally supportive: mentored individuals reported benefits on both objective and subjective outcomes. However, the effect sizes for objective outcomes, such as compensation and promotion, were small, and the type of mentoring provided, career or psychosocial, related differently to different outcomes. Werner and DeSimone (2017) likewise present mentoring as one part of career development rather than a guaranteed path upward.

None of this argues against the program, which is inexpensive and well liked in most settings. It does suggest promising your new managers support, guidance and greater career satisfaction rather than faster raises, which might create disappointment. Your design could also match the type of mentoring to the need: career-focused sponsorship for those aiming at director roles and psychosocial support for those struggling with the transition from bedside nurse to manager. Proverbs contrasts plans that collapse when no one gives advice with plans that hold because many counselors weighed in (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Proverbs 15:22). Matching also matters; pairs who choose each other, or at least meet before committing, tend to build trust faster than pairs assigned by an organizational chart. Directors will need time protected for monthly meetings, or the program will lapse during the first busy quarter. How will you prepare the directors to mentor well?

Reply to Ethan

Ethan, your thread described the team-building retreat your church's staff held after a difficult year of conflict, and you noted that relationships improved for a few weeks and then slid back. That pattern is exactly what the organization development chapter warns about, and it is common enough that many staff now greet retreats with quiet skepticism. Werner and DeSimone (2017) present OD as a planned, ongoing process: diagnosing the organization, intervening and then evaluating and reinforcing the change, not a single event.

A retreat can be a good intervention, but it needs a diagnosis before and follow-through after. A survey feedback approach, which the textbook describes, would start with a short anonymous survey of staff about communication, roles and decision making, then share the results with the team and let them plan changes together. Quarterly check-ins on those changes, led by someone outside the conflict, would provide the reinforcement the retreat lacked.

Paul asked the Ephesian believers to be eager to preserve the unity the Spirit gives, held together by peace (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Ephesians 4:3), and eagerness of that kind suggests steady effort rather than a single weekend. Small organizations like a church staff have an advantage here: the team is small enough that everyone can take part in the diagnosis and planning, which builds ownership of the changes. They also have a risk, since a conflict involving the senior pastor may make honest feedback feel unsafe, so an outside facilitator could be worth the cost. Would your church's leadership be willing to commit to a year of follow-up rather than another retreat?

References

Allen, T. D., Eby, L. T., Poteet, M. L., Lentz, E., & Lima, L. (2004). Career benefits associated with mentoring for protégés: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(1), 127-136. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.1.127

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Lacerenza, C. N., Reyes, D. L., Marlow, S. L., Joseph, D. L., & Salas, E. (2017). Leadership training design, delivery, and implementation: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(12), 1686-1718. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000241

Werner, J. M., & DeSimone, R. L. (2017). Human resource development (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.