Throughout this course, you will complete a series of assignments that align with the following scenario:

You are a college senior who has been selected to participate in a hybrid internship/onboarding program with an elite HR research and advisory firm. Your training consists of a combination of formal education—specifically, enrollment in this Human Resource Management course—and a rotation in support of the principals of the firm. In your rotations, you will synthesize what you’ve learned in the relevant modules to address firm or client issues, conducting additional research as necessary and developing draft deliverables as instructed by the principal consultant. The quality of your deliverables—that is, your ability to convert learning into practical insight—will largely determine whether, at the end of the internship period, you are offered a position with the firm or simply thanked for your participation.

Scenario

A quote from the Boston Consulting Group’s People & Organization website page summarizes Modules 1 and 2: “Human resources has long been evolving beyond its traditional—and outdated—role as a mere processor of administrative transactions. Today, HR is usually viewed as a strategic partner to the business. The intensity of competition and the pace of change demand that the HR function fulfill this mandate. HR leaders need a clear view of their current capabilities, a set of clear priorities linked to the business strategy, and a targeted approach to improve the most urgent problem areas.”^[1]

Your Task

In your first rotation, you will be reporting to the Strategic Planning principal consultant. She is developing an interactive game for client HR teams to play to develop their adaptability; specifically, to be able to envision and implement the changes required in the HR organization in order to capitalize on emerging trends and technologies.

Your assignment is to reframe one of the following trends (discussed in Human Resources Today) as a business opportunity:

• Changes in Workforce Composition
• Increasing Workforce Diversity
• Increased Employee Expectations of Employers
• Changes in Societal Expectations
• Infrastructural Obsolescence
• Changes in the Nature of Work
• Market and Industry 4.0
• Changes in the Evaluation and Valuation of Talent
• “A Reskilling Imperative”
• Increasing Geopolitical Risks

For example, “changes in workforce composition” is a trend that represents both a challenge and an opportunity. How might an organization use that to their advantage? How would you express that as a Human Resource strategy? What policies and procedures would need to be in place to support that strategy and leverage a flexible workforce? How would you avoid the typical disconnect between planning and implementation? Be specific; your recommendations must be actionable. To take it from mets expectations to exceeds expectations, cite (summarize and link to) an example of a “best practice” organization. As a perspective point, she suggests you keep the following quote from the text in mind: “The essence of management and strategy is making sense of reality: human, organizational and situational. And, more critically, to be able to act on that insight.”

Grading Rubric