1) Who Goes, Who Stays? The consulting firm you have worked for over the last year is having some financial troubles. The large contracts it once had are slowly going away, and as your company struggl

1) Who Goes, Who Stays?

The consulting firm you have worked for over the last year is having some financial troubles. The large contracts it once had are slowly going away, and as your company struggles to make payroll, it is clear that layoffs must occur. The sales staff has not been meeting the sales goals set for them, resulting in incorrect budgets.

It has been decided that at least three people in the sales department should be laid off. You create a spreadsheet with pertinent sales employee data:

NameTitleYears with the companyLast overall rating on performance evaluation (1–5 scale, 5 being highest)Last year’s sales goal met?Deb WatersSales Manager13N/A as her position is managerialJeff SpiritsAccount Manager53Yes, 1% over goalOrlando ChangAccount Manager34Yes, 10% over goalJake ToolmeyerAccount Manager24No, 2% under goalAudrey BarnesAccount Manager55Yes, 15% over goalKelly AndrewsAccount Manager12No, 20% under goalAmir SaiedAccount Manager85Yes, 5% over goalWinfrey JonesAccount Manager42No, 10% under goal

Discussion Questions

Making reasonable assumptions, develop criteria for the layoffs in the sales department.

Develop a plan as to how layoffs will be communicated with the individual as well as within the company.

Discuss strategies to motivate those sales employees who stay with the organization.

2) Watch the following two scenes from the movie Moneyball in sequence.

Warning: Videos contain some R rated language.

Scene from Moneyball - What is the problem?

Scene from Moneyball: Science vs scouts

Scene from Moneyball: Baseball thinking is medieval

Discussion Question

What were the employee (player) assessment and talent management practices at Oakland Athletics before Billy Beane came on board? What changes is  Jonah Hill's character recommending?