Discussion Questions

Draft a response to each of the bulleted questions below. Each question must have its own response and have a minimum of 75 words.

1.       How would you plan for a company’s divisional capabilities? How does one plan to address divisional limitations? What methods may be used to fill gaps between capabilities and limitations?

2.       What is the best strategy for addressing issues that may arise when a strategic plan is implemented? Should stakeholders be involved? Should changes be made during a strategic plan’s initial unfolding if problems arise? Should this be staved off in favor of data collection?

3.       Describe how a high-performance work system is designed, and explain how the components of it must align horizontally and vertically to support one another and a firm's strategy.

4.       Recommend a process for implementing and evaluating a high-performance work system.

5.       Discuss a high-performance work system's potential outcomes for both employees and the organization.

6.       Do you think the fundamental principles of getting employees highly involved with their work provides an adequate context for designing high-performance work systems? What other concerns or guidelines for developing high-performance work systems would you suggest?

7.       Although achieving both horizontal and vertical fit are important with regard to high-performance work systems, which do you consider more critical and why?

8.       Do high-performance work systems always result in a win-win situation for employers and their employees? Why or why not?